2008 State of the City Speech
Building on Our Success
February 22, 2006
Thank you, Commissioner Sheehan, for that warm introduction. City Commissioners, elected officials, distinguished guests and fellow citizens here and at home -- we are gathered this morning for you to hear my report on the state of our great City. Before I begin, I would like to ask our City Commissioners to please stand and be recognized for their tireless efforts on behalf of our citizens. I would also like to introduce my main supporter and love of my life…my wife Karen.
Since I was elected your Mayor three years ago this week, I’ve talked consistently about our vision for a great City. And, I’ve shared the steps we must take and hurdles we must overcome to make our vision a reality for us and for future generations.
From the beginning we’ve discussed building a foundation to ensure Orlando’s future as one of our nation’s greatest cities… a foundation with a booming downtown with diverse jobs, entertainment and cultural opportunities; a living wage so people can afford to own a home and provide health care for their families; schools that our families can be proud to send their children to; safe and connected neighborhoods with ample parks, gathering places and community centers.
Today, I am here to report to you that our efforts to build that foundation have been successful … and our opportunities to build on that success are endless.
It’s not news that for the past three years we’ve had to work hard to balance the budget … and that we’ve had to make some difficult decisions along the way. By tightening the purse-strings and dedicating resources where it matters most to citizens, we’ve been able to provide our workforce with innovative tools, technology and training to make our City a model for others. We’ve faced challenges like rising healthcare costs, rising fuel costs and rising interest rates, all without raising property taxes. And down the road, we know that we will continue to be challenged to hold the line as we build additional fire stations and new police sub-stations to support our growing population.
This year, our City Council has ensured that the Citizens of Orlando have one of the best equipped Police Departments in the entire state, dedicating more than $1.7 million of new funding for cutting-edge technology to help respond to your 9-1-1 calls, defuse hostage situations, and reduce the potential for officer fatalities.
Our top-rated fire department, which responded to more than 54,000 calls in 2005, is about to grow in strength and force. We’re bringing Tower 8, a new 95-foot ladder unit on line this year to enhance service in the City’s growing southeast corridor, including Lake Nona, Lee Vista and our airport. And we are already working on the design and development of the Savannah Park Fire Station.
Our new eastside public safety complex will open this fall on Primrose Avenue at the former Naval and Marine Reserve site … housing OPD’s Neighborhood Enhancement Community branch and the Fire department’s training and special ops units.
You can see that maintaining and improving core City services like police and fire, remains at the top of our priority list. Across our City we have successfully improved our delivery of public safety services. To do this, it has taken the hard work of our City employees, who have provided the highest quality services that our citizens deserve …even as budgets have decreased. This year, we have reached 3-year contracts with all 10 of our bargaining units … agreements that balance our desire to compensate our employees well, and their desire to help the City maintain long-term financial stability.
I want to take a moment to thank all of our employees and our City Commissioners for working together on all of these agreements in the best interest of our City and its citizens. It is because of the vision, energy and passion of this City Council that we re-established long-term financial stability; successfully revitalized downtown, constructed new recreation centers, parks and roadways, and brought new job opportunities to our people.
Ladies and gentlemen, through the toil and the triumphs of the past three years, I am proud to be here today, not to ask you to envision Orlando as the great City it can be, but to celebrate the great City Orlando has become. Last year, when I stood before you, I told you that in 2005 we would complete our downtown renaissance … today, I am thrilled to announce a project that will be a testament and confirmation of our downtown’s success.
Great universities add to great cities, and we are fortunate to have the 8th largest University in the nation – the University of Central Florida – in our community. In the past, you’ve heard me refer to the concept of a “Digital Media Village” … a place where innovative, high-tech businesses in the digital media world come together with residential, retail and academia… in other words, a digital media neighborhood.
We started this effort when UCF’s School of Film and Digital Media and Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy, with corporate support from Electronic Arts, opened in Orlando’s Centroplex this past summer. Today, with this announcement, we are one step closer to finalizing this opportunity for our City and for our children. In partnership with UCF, and our long-time hotel partner Turnberry Associates, we will develop the first-ever student housing complex in downtown Orlando, and in fact the first ever-major housing and digital media project in the southeast.
This new student housing, which will be located in the current Marriott Hotel adjacent to the UCF digital media campus, will make it possible for approximately 300 digital media students to not only play and learn downtown, but to live in our City core. UCF has also informed me they are moving forward with an expansion to accommodate the school’s anticipated 3,000 students and faculty. And, a new Class A hotel is in a conceptual phase, as part of the project. This is a milestone in our successful effort to grow a high-wage, high-value workforce in our city.
Complimenting this growth, we have more than 7,000 residential units, over 2 million square feet of office space, and almost 1 million square feet of retail space – proposed or underway – elevating downtown’s role as the economic catalyst to the City and region. And all of this construction is more than concrete and glass… it means jobs… thousands of jobs, from designers and construction workers to engineers working everyday building our new downtown. And according to UCF’s Institute for Economic Competitiveness, this growth is injecting nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars into our region’s economy each year. There’s a ripple effect … these dollars touch all of us … from small restaurant owners and tradeworkers, to arts and cultural groups and large and small business owners.
In the coming year, several projects underway or set to begin will change our skyline forever and rival the height of – the Sun Trust Tower – which happens to be our tallest building… the VUE, 55 West, the Solaire, Dynetech Center, and of course the Premiere Trade Plaza - where the first, state-of-the-art movie theatres in decades will open later this year.
Anchoring that growing skyline to the North and to the South are two of Florida’s largest and fastest growing medical centers – Florida Hospital and Orlando Regional Healthcare; each undergoing major expansions, including Orlando Regional’s Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies, and Florida Hospital’s 15-floor hospital tower. Master planning is also underway to develop medical arts districts that will go beyond providing traditional healthcare service, and will also include art galleries, restaurants and retail options.
With all of this underway, it should come as no surprise that in 2005, Downtown Orlando was named one of Florida’s “Hot Downtowns” by Florida Trend magazine. Ladies and Gentleman, the naysayers have been silenced …our blighted blocks have been resurrected into the building blocks of our City’s economic engine.
The ripple effect of our renaissance has helped attract a first-of-a-kind project to downtown’s southern gateway, and to other neighborhoods as well. Orlando will be one of the first cities in the southeast to bring retail opportunities, usually found in the suburbs to South Orange Avenue. This project will transform a blighted, vacant block into a thriving activity center. The developer, North American is already working with a number of top-named retailers such as Target.
And the impact continues, not only in the southern gateway, but also to the north with the recently approved Mills and Nebraska redevelopment. For years, the City had struggled to resurrect this property into a hub of activity, and it wasn’t until recently – thanks to our flourishing City core and especially the efforts of Commissioner Sheehan and Commissioner Vargo– that we’re moving forward with a transformation … 500 residential units – both rental and for sale, 80,000 square feet of commercial space – and almost 300,000 square feet of office space.
And, we plan on duplicating commercial revitalization success in our downtown in other neighborhoods. Moving forward, we’re taking what we learned in our downtown efforts, along with our economic toolbox and launching the City of Orlando’s Neighborhood Commercial Enhancement program … we will target a corridor in each of our six commission districts, and turn the abandoned retail areas, boarded up strip malls and empty parking lots into neighborhood activity centers with a mix of dining and entertainment, but also mom and pop markets within walking distance – for friends and family to gather.
Yet with all of this success in our City, we have more work to do in one specific area … that’s right, community facilities. Over the last 15 years, Orlando is the only major City in the southeast that hasn't invested in or modernized our cultural, entertainment and sporting venues. The TD Waterhouse Centre is 17 years old, the Citrus Bowl – 70 years, and the Bob Carr Performing Arts Center was originally built in 1926. Our citizens deserve better.
It’s our turn to focus on improving these amenities, because doing so is directly tied to our region's ability to thrive. Our Economic Development Commission will tell you we are in competition daily with other cities and other regions throughout the country for jobs and corporate investment. In September, Orange County Mayor Richard Crotty—Mayor thank you for being here today-- confirmed to me in writing that he supports using the tourist development tax to fund community projects. Since we received that commitment, a partnership has been forged between the City and Orange County – a truly collaborative effort – to make our vision for these venues a reality.
For years, people discussed reconnecting the east and west sides of downtown, and now, the City is doing just that. We have contracted with Glatting Jackson to master plan community facilities, which doesn’t mean just developing buildings, it means developing surrounding neighborhoods with better transportation -- provided by Lynx’s Lymmo service, one of our most critical partners; new housing opportunities and enhanced entertainment options. And when we renovate or build these community assets it will be an economic success for one very important reason. We will improve the neighborhoods around these facilities at the very same time.
Orlando, because of our world-class convention center, world-class hotels, world-class theme parks and attractions, has competed globally for years as a tourist destination, but now with a booming downtown and the potential for world-class community facilities, we can compete globally for corporate headquarters, high-tech, high-value jobs and diverse economic opportunities.
We realize that we are not building this City and fueling our economic engine alone … it’s a team effort. The health of our economy depends on our partners, like our Chamber of Commerce, the Downtown Development Board, the Expressway Authority and the Convention and Visitors Bureau, to grow and diversify job opportunities, to grow our tourism industry, and increase our City’s tax revenues. As the Center City and focal point of our region, we are responsible for some of the most important resources critical to building sustainable communities. For example, OUC, Orlando’s City-owned utility is making progress on bringing an innovative, clean-coal power plant to the City, which will ensure an alternative power supply for our future growth.
And our international airport is now the busiest in the state of Florida, servicing more than 34 million passengers in 2005 – think about that number, 34 million people from across the globe coming in and out of Orlando, spending millions of dollars in our local economy … and creating thousands of job opportunities from managers and creative talent, to supporting hospitality and retail positions.
In fact, the number of positions is about to increase. Prime Outlets, formally Belz Factory Outlet, will undergo a $100 million renovation and expansion. And tomorrow, I will kick-off the opening of a sales center for the Blue Rose Resort, a 13-acre, condominium hotel with a Broadway-style theatre and conference center that will deliver an estimated 1,100 construction jobs and an estimated 1,200 employees at the Resort.
In addition to supporting the tourism industry, our airport is growing other segments of our local economy. JetBlue has recently expanded its training facilities near the airport, and launched what is I believe destined to be an aviation and simulation cluster, supported by our world-class airport in south Orlando.
And within eyesight of the airport is Lake Nona. The work this City Council did a decade ago, and the $80 million investment the City made to build roads and infrastructure there allows us all to envision a medical cluster anchored by a proposed UCF medical school, with pharmaceutical, bio-tech and medical research firms, and the possibility of a state-of-the-art VA Hospital, bringing additional healthcare options and high-wage job opportunities to Orlando.
While just about all the experts predict that job growth will remain proactive in Orlando in 2006, I will not allow this administration to rest on our past success. We must remain proactive … economic prosperity and quality job opportunities should be available for everyone.
Now, what does that mean? That means helping minority-owned businesses in blighted communities. And thanks to the support of Commissioner Lynum and the work of our business development staff, we’ll do just that … by launching Orlando’s Minority and Women Business Initiative. I’ll soon ask our City Council to kick-off this pilot program, focusing on small business retention and creation in the Parramore community, followed by similar programs in other neighborhoods.
And when it comes to increasing wages for our workers, we’re implementing a program that will attract companies willing to pay our citizens 150% of Florida’s average wage. We will accomplish this through our new High-Value Job Creation program.
We also plan to grow and nurture new business start-ups to keep up our reputation recognized by Business Week as a top 5 city for entrepreneurs. We will develop the Orlando Business Enterprise Center, a model that will be the first of its kind in the Southeast in partnership again, with the University of Central Florida. The first Enterprise Center will be in Commissioner Wyman’s District 2. She has played an enormous role in developing this concept to ensure the diverse needs of her citizens, specifically the Hispanic community, are met. In the future, this model will be adopted throughout the City.
And while we continue to keep the wheels of our economy turning, we will invest $210 million in improvements in the next five years in our unique neighborhoods that will enhance the day-to-day lives of our citizens… projects that make our sidewalks safer when our children walk to school, that maintain our streets and keep them well lit, and that ensure local gathering places are accessible and safe.
Indeed this City government has lit the fuse for the economic boom we witness each and every day in our downtown. However, and I want to be clear about this… downtown is just one of our neighborhoods…Dover Shores, Washington Shores, Delaney Park, College Park, Rosemont, Colonialtown, Englewood to name a few... these neighborhoods are the reason Orlando is a great place to live.
My goal is to bring the same hue and focus that we have brought to downtown to our other neighborhoods…and don’t think for a moment that we have taken our eye off the ball when it comes to your neighborhoods these past three years.
Even with the challenges of recent budgets, we have successfully erased the backlog of neighborhood projects that had languished here at City Hall on drawing board, some for more than fifteen years.
As a result of our work these past three years, neighborhoods throughout Orlando are enjoying new parks and recreation centers … and we’re not done yet. Wadeview Park in District 1 received a complete renovation with a new picnic pavilion, new exercise equipment and brand new playground equipment for the children. And last spring, Mayor Page and I were on hand to open the long-awaited pool at the Dr. James R. Smith Neighborhood Center for children in District 6.
Commissioner Wyman in District 2 dusted off her golf clubs to enjoy new amenities Dover Shores community Center – a new golf center and a new community room for neighborhood gatherings.
Commissioner Vargo and I joined citizens in District 3’s Rosemont and College Park neighborhoods to open two brand new, state-of-the art Community Centers that combined offer a new gymnasium, fitness rooms, and multi-purpose meeting space.
Commissioner Lynum and I, with our partners from Orange County and Orange County Public Schools helped open the Ivey lane Park and Neighborhood Center with a recreation center, playgrounds and pavilions; as well as the brand new community center at Rock Lake.
And construction is already underway with the help of Commissioner Sheehan in District 4, to renovate the crown jewel of our recreation system, Lake Eola Park. I cannot mention improvements in neighborhoods without mentioning our City’s proud, culturally rich Parramore Heritage District. Last summer, Commissioner Lynum and I launched Pathways for Parramore, the initiatives to lead our revitalization efforts of this historic community.
Since then, we have been busy implementing our vision for both current and future neighborhood residents. Last year, I stood before you and said that our first priority was to build and restore housing…and now, that work has begun. Did you realize that a thousand mixed-income, residential units are planned, proposed or under construction throughout the neighborhood? And, starting today, seventeen long-time homeowners in Parramore will receive much-needed renovations to their homes. In addition, the newly announced Terrace at Federal Square will join the Florida AM College of Law and the new Federal Courthouse complex to bring vitality to that part of Parramore.
With the help of Congresswoman Corrine Brown and Senator Bill Nelson, improvements will begin this July on West Church Street between the Citrus Bowl and Downtown transforming this important street into a grand east-west corridor.
However, our efforts will not be successful without focusing on the Parramore’s children who live in poverty. That is why we will begin a new citywide initiative – the Legacy Trust for Orlando’s Children – in Parramore. The Legacy Trust will provide scholarships to children in low-income Orlando neighborhoods so they can participate in pre-k classrooms, after school activities, obtain mentoring and tutoring and provide access to healthcare. This program will be piloted in Parramore and guided by a model developed by Harlem Children’s Zone. We will nurture the most important asset of our City – Our children.
I cannot mention Parramore without mentioning one of the most visible issues facing that neighborhood, our City and our region… homelessness. And linked with that issue, is the challenge of providing housing that people can afford. It will take leadership from all of us, the business community, civic and religious organizations and yes, from governments across all 86 cities and seven counties of Central Florida, to develop a long-term plan of action.
The City of Orlando has been working with myregion.org, which has called for the creation of a Human Services Alliance with representatives from the public, private and civic sectors to tackle the issue of homelessness and affordable housing. As an advocate for regionalism, I have offered my support and leadership to this alliance and believe its success will be based on all of us working together to meet the needs of all our citizens.
City staff and our Affordable Housing Advisory Committee are moving forward with the development of the Mayor’s Action Plan for Attainable Housing, pursuing new and innovative programs to increase opportunities not just for our lowest-income residents, but also for our hard working professionals, our teachers, firefighters, service industry workers and of course our police officers.
Next year, I will stand before you and tell you that home ownership opportunities have grown substantially throughout the City and specifically in Parramore… that we’ve transformed Division Avenue into an attractive boulevard … That our No Tolerance Zone and door-to-door campaigns have enhanced the neighborhood and built positive relationships with Parramore citizens … that we are one step closer to the development of an educational campus for infants through 8th grade. And finally, that our long-time business partners, whether Hughes Supply/Home Depot, Bank of America or others, have made significant private investment in restoring Parramore to a safe, livable community.
Ladies and Gentlemen … three years ago I ran for Mayor and committed to rebuilding our downtown… and now, our City core is thriving… we embarked on a journey to talk about community facilities… and new cultural and entertainment options for our families and visitors are on the horizon… we said the city would have a living wage… and it does… we said we would ignite opportunities for small businesses to succeed and citizens to obtain better jobs… and we are… we said we would provide access to quality amenities including parks and community centers … and we did… we said we’d be innovative in managing our financial resources … and we have … we said we would provide the best public safety services for our citizens … and we do.
And, finally we pledged we would build a great City… and together, we have.
Our City has never been stronger; it’s citizens and business leaders more proud, a Mayor and City Council more dedicated, and our future more secure.
On this 22nd day of February 2006 my fellow citizens and distinguished guests here today, I can report to you what many of my colleagues across the country cannot…the state of our city is sound financially, we are well positioned for the future and our opportunities to build on Orlando’s success are endless.
Thank you and God Bless Orlando.