2023 State of the City Speech
May 24, 2023
Harriett's Orlando Ballet Centre
View the video
The Promise of Orlando
Good morning, Orlando!
It’s so good to be with you to deliver this annual report on the state of our city.
Friends... let’s get right to it.
It’s an incredible time to be a part of our Orlando community!
We have worked together to build one of America’s premier 21st century cities...
A modern melting pot where we create unmatched quality of life...
Where we expand opportunity for everyone...
And, where we embody the uniquely American ideal that success doesn’t depend on being born into wealth or privilege...
It doesn’t depend on what you look like... who you love... or where you worship...
It depends on effort... merit... and opportunity.
That is the promise of America.
That is the promise of Orlando.
That is exactly the promise of OUR Orlando!
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Every day... in everything we do... we put that promise into practice.
We’ve done it right... and we’ve done it together.
That’s why we’re the envy of so many other communities.
That’s why so many people are moving here... investing here... pursuing their dreams here.
You can’t Google a “Best Cities” list without seeing the City Beautiful.
For the third year in a row, Orlando is the best City in America to start a business.
We’re among a handful of U-S cities to make the Top 100 Cities in the World annual listing.
We’re America’s second ranked “Foodie” City.
We’re also recognized as the number two City in America for recreation.
And, we’re among an elite group of “A-List” cities across the globe... recognized for our actions to fight climate change.
We’ve come so far... and have so much to be proud of.
But, we can’t rest on our laurels.
We have more work to do.
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The good news is... this work is a labor of love that we all share in.
And, when we talk about the Promise of Orlando... it’s not this indefinable thing that’s out in the ether.
The Promise of Orlando is... Unbelievably Real.
We can see and experience it in ourselves and in one another.
The promise of Orlando is hundreds... thousands... tens of thousands... of individual stories that are being written in our community every single day.
Those stories... our stories... are the best measurement of the state of our City.
Today, we’ll share a few of those stories as we take stock of both the successes and challenges of our modern Orlando!
Safety
Our first story centers on our most important job... keeping our community safe.
Meet Orlando Police Officer Aracelis De La Cruz.
Officer De La Cruz is a school resource officer at Sunblaze Elementary in Lake Nona.
Teachers, parents and students can’t say enough about what she means to their school community.
The school’s librarian describes her as patient and kind... dedicated to helping kids work through serious issues... all the way to something as simple as helping them learn to tie their shoes.
Just a few years ago... we didn’t have an officer De La Cruz in every one of our schools.
But this City Council... in response to Parkland and increasing school shootings across the country... prioritized City funding to make certain that there was an OPD officer at every single school in Orlando... all day, every day.
Please join me in recognizing Officer De La Cruz... all of the OPD officers at our schools... and all of the police that protect our neighborhoods and businesses!
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Our commitment to student safety is part of our larger mission to make sure our first responders are well-funded, well-trained, and constantly innovating in terms of training, technology and tactics.
A great example of this is our new Community Response Team.
As part of our modern, equity-driven approach to safety, we conducted more than 40 listening sessions with our residents.
Our residents asked us to reimagine the way law enforcement responds to mental health crises and substance abuse.
So, the City partnered with Aspire Health Partners to build an entirely new team of first responders who are behavioral health experts.
Instead of a traditional law enforcement response, this new team is dispatched to give immediate help to nonviolent individuals experiencing a behavioral crisis, along with follow-up support services.
In just over two years, the Team has responded to 2000 service calls.
By doing so, they helped save more than 2200 hours of police time.
This is valuable time that our sworn officers are now able to spend on patrol or conducting community policing work.
The program has been such as success that we recently expanded it... adding an in-house clinician who is able to triage calls at our 911 center.
And, through the support of our philanthropic partner, the Ballmer Group, we've hired staff to create an Equitable Outcomes Team to expand the program.
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Another illustration of how we’re innovating to respond to evolving safety challenges is the strategic reorganization of OPD that Chief Smith instituted when he was sworn in.
By restructuring the department, we’ve been able to increase the number of police officers taking calls and patrolling our streets by 20 percent.
All of these are important reasons we’ve experienced a 22-percent decrease in shootings and a 7-percent overall decrease in violent crime.
As always, we can’t rest on our laurels.
That’s why we’re pursuing funding for the addition of 20 new officers and eight 9-1-1 dispatchers in the next fiscal year.
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Our commitment to the highest levels of innovation and training also extends to the Orlando Fire Department.
And, our next story is an incredible example of how that training saves lives.
OFD Lieutenant Benjamin Wootson was taking his son to soccer practice a few months ago.
He saw the patrol car of a Seminole County Sheriff’s Deputy... who was suffering a medical emergency... crash into an overpass.
He raced to the accident and pulled the deputy out of the car... seconds before the car was engulfed in flames.
Lieutenant Wootson remains humble about the whole experience... crediting a decade of experience... and God for putting him in the right place at the right time.
But, we don’t need to be humble about this real life hero... and our fire department full of heroes.
For more than 15 years... our fire department has earned an accreditation that places it among the most elite departments in the entire country... ensuring our residents and visitors have the best fire protection anywhere.
Please join me in thanking Lieutenant Wootson and all the members of OFD for what they do to keep us safe every day.
Jobs and Opportunity
The Promise of Orlando is about creating an environment where opportunity abounds... a place where if you’re willing to work hard and play by the rules... anything is possible.
Anything.
Every day in our city... entrepreneurs are turning dreams into reality.
From tech startups... to food trucks... to retail pop-ups... to the hundreds of small businesses that reside in our main street districts... to the next “unicorn”... these dreamers are why we earned the title as the best City in America to start a business!
One such dreamer is Henry Moso of Kabooki Sushi.
Just a few years ago... a 22-year-old Henry chose Orlando as the place he wanted to open a restaurant that would showcase his unique take on sushi.
He took advantage of the City's small business program to expand his location on East Colonial Drive.
Henry is here with us today... fresh off the news that he’s the City’s very first finalist for the prestigious James Beard Award!
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Kabooki is just one of the restaurants that’s helped Orlando forge a new reputation as a “foodie” destination.
Anyone want to take a guess what the following restaurants have in common?
Domu... Otto’s High Dive... The Strand... Maxine’s on Shine... The Pinery... EDOBOY... Hawkers... and Juju.
All have received prestigious Michelen recognition.
With, Kadence being awarded the Michelin Star.
And, all of these restaurants reside in our City’s Main Street Districts.
Our Main Streets are commercial neighborhood districts, that the city funds with a match from the businesses in the area.
We’ve now grown the program to include a dozen distinct districts across our City... and our investment has helped more than 15-hundred new businesses launch... with more than 10,000 jobs.
Perhaps even more important, these hyper local businesses have added to the unique character of our neighborhoods and become the soul of our City!
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Another great example of how our entrepreneurs are living out the Promise of Orlando is our friends at Kolumi.
Their team had an idea for making eco-friendly and low-voltage lighting systems made from 100% recycled materials that use 80% less energy and last twice as long.
With help from our Rally Social Enterprise Accelerator, which celebrates its five-year anniversary this year, they turned that idea into a business.
Their lights are now being piloted in our City garage with the vision of helping governments and businesses across the country save energy and money!
Kolumi helps the City achieve LEED gold status... and is one more reason why we are the greenest city in the southeast... fueled by our partnership with OUC.
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The vision for piloting innovation in Orlando is the driving force behind Lake Nona... our community’s very own “living laboratory.”
Orlando’s fastest growing region is home to the global headquarters of Beep... who has long operated the country’s largest and longest autonomous shuttle route... and in partnership with LYNX will soon expand to Downtown’s Creative Village.
SimCom came to Lake Nona hoping to see what the future of American cities looked like... and then chose to put its headquarters in Orlando.
They’re expanding into a brand-new home where the aviation training facility will welcome 10-thousand pilots each year to Orlando’s growing “aerotropolis” that includes our world-class airport and brand-new terminal C.
USTA... the world’s largest tennis campus... hosted for the first time ever... all three Divisions for NCAA Tennis Championships.
And, Lake Nona’s developer.... Tavistock... is investing $30 million in startups based in the Lake Nona area to make it the “Silicon Valley of sports.”
Part of that is an accelerator that funds the growth of early-stage sports & health tech startups.
In 2020, Doctor Tommy Shavers, former Captain of the UCF football team, applied to have his fledgling company... NESTRE Health & Performance... take part in the accelerator.
Dr. Shavers and his team are on a mission to revolutionize fitness “from the neck up” with a focus on cognitive performance.
NESTRE was one of only six startups selected out of more than 400 applicants to participate in the inaugural U-S cohort.
That accelerator helped them attract funders from the worlds of pro football and other major sports.
NESTRE’s story is important for many reasons.
But, the most important might be that it’s another powerful example of a young company that started here... grew with help from our support ecosystem... and then decided to stay in Orlando... grow in Orlando... succeed in Orlando.
Dr. Shavers and his team are here today.
Please help us congratulate these Knights... along with all of Lake Nona’s innovators!
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The Medical City and the larger Lake Nona innovation cluster didn’t happen overnight.
Not too long ago... it was a collection of cow pastures that a handful of visionaries looked at with some giant ideas.
It was intentionally designed and built from scratch and anchored with clusters of excellence in wellbeing, sports and performance, education and technology.
It took partnership and perseverance.
We’re using the same partnership-driven formula that brought Lake Nona into existence... to build and grow our innovation economy at Downtown’s Creative Village.
If you joined us this past fall for our “State of Downtown” event you got to see how the UCF and Valencia Downtown campus is bringing the Creative Village to life.
You got to see the new east coast home of Electronic Arts... a state-of-the-art facility where more than 850 tech workers earn an average annual salary of $135,000.
The Creative Village is a big reason why the highest concentration of game developer licenses in the entire country is in Central Florida.
And, why we’ve become the fastest growing US City for IT talent... and the second fastest for tech worker salaries.
With our density of talent in areas like... modeling and simulation... gaming... and AR/VR... Orlando is ground zero for the next generation of the digital experience.
That’s why we stood together in the fall to declare that Orlando is the Meta Center.
And, later this year, our Downtown will host MetaCenter Global Week... which is an opportunity to bring together global brands like Amazon, Google, Meta, Sony and dozens of others, with our regional companies.
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We want to share a message to anyone out there who has a dream for starting a business.
We’re not done... when it comes to shaping Orlando as American’s premier community for opportunity.
And, we want you to join us!
To keep our momentum going, we've committed 7.5 million dollars to support programs that help businesses start and grow in Orlando.
We’re also hyper-focused on supporting the growth of minority-owned small businesses and entrepreneurs through opportunities with the City.
In fact, last fiscal year, minority-owned businesses received 30-million in contracts from the city... with 37 percent going to Hispanic-owned firms... more than 60% to Black-owned firms... and 29 percent to women.
Earlier this month, the City of Orlando’s Minority Business Enterprise Team accepted the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida’s Supplier Diversity Award.
We could not be prouder of the work our City team has done on this front... to support our small businesses!
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As we work together to build the companies and careers of tomorrow... we also want to make sure that those careers are filled by the Orlando students of today.
A key part of that plan is the Orlando Kidz Zone... which connects our City’s young people with academic support, mentoring, health and wellness programs, job skills... and eventually a pathway to succeed in... that all-important first job for many teenagers.
Last week, we celebrated more than 100 high school seniors who graduated from the Orlando Kidz Zone.
The success of these young residents is why we’ve expanded our children’s zones from Parramore… to include Holden Heights, Mercy Drive and Engelwood.
Here’s a great stat... in 2021, the Parramore Kidz Zone served 357 young residents.
Now through our Orlando Kidz Zones, we’re serving more than 17-hundred students.
And, this summer, we’ll connect more than 700 students with summer jobs.
Housing & Homelessness
The Promise of Orlando is the shared belief that our city is made better.... when everyone does better.
Opportunity doesn’t belong to particular zip codes... it belongs to all of us.
But, so often, even being in a position to take advantage of opportunity requires getting a break... a chance... not a hand out, but a hand up.
Meet Calvin Thomas.
Just a few years ago, Calvin was living on the streets with only a backpack to his name.
He never imagined being in that situation, but that’s where he was.
Calvin learned about an initiative from First Step Staffing that helps those living on the streets with the background checks, interviews and the often-intimidating application process to find work.
They helped Calvin find a position on a City maintenance crew.
That job... that opportunity... allowed Calvin to forge his own path out of homelessness and hopelessness.
A while back, I had the chance to work a shift with Calvin.
When you hear him tell his story... you understand how real the power and dignity is... that comes from work and opportunity.
It also makes you realize those who are homeless or living on the edge are not nameless, faceless individuals to be ignored.
They are people just like you and me... with their own stories and their own struggles.
They deserve compassion, respect and above all... a community that doesn’t give up on them.
Our partnership with First Step Staffing has put that idea into action... and since 2021 they’ve helped place more than 280 residents.
We’d be delighted if you help me recognize both Calvin and the team from First Step Staffing.
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To help more residents like Calvin... last fall, we launched an initiative to invest the City’s funding from the American Rescue Plan Act to help address two of the most complex and intertwined challenges in our region: homelessness and affordable housing.
We called this “Accelerate Orlando,” because our focus on these important issues wasn’t new.
Rather, what was new, was the opportunity to leverage $58 million in federal funding to make a once-in-a-generation investment to work with our partner service providers to accelerate these efforts.
Through Accelerate Orlando, we are investing in the Christian Service Center, Salvation Army and Coalition for the Homeless, and others, to help modernize their campuses to better serve those experiencing homelessness.
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Alongside Accelerate Orlando, it’s important to note that we’ve made great strides in placing more than 16-hundred people in our region into permanent, supportive housing with 97 percent remaining in those homes.
But, there is more work to be done to address the evolving face of homelessness and the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors.
New data shows the rising cost of housing is the largest driver of homelessness both here in Orlando and across the country.
No City government... no regional collection of governments anywhere... can solve these challenges alone.
But, our City can bring resources and partners to the table to develop shared solutions to our shared challenges.
That’s why we recently unveiled an action plan that establishes bold goals to reduce the number of unsheltered residents in our city by 50% and ensure that no child sleeps on our streets.
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The most effective way to move the needle on reducing the number of residents experiencing homelessness in our City... is to create and preserve additional housing units for residents at all income levels.
Accelerate Orlando and our action plan will work in tandem with our ongoing efforts to bolster our housing inventory.
Back in 2015... the City purchased seven blighted and neglected multifamily communities in the Mercy Drive and Washington Shores areas with the goal of transforming those properties into safe, affordable housing.
We knew it would take many partners and a deep commitment to these neighborhoods to revitalize these properties.
But, we made a promise to the residents in these neighborhoods that we would do it.
A powerful example of that partnership and promise – is Lift Orlando and their work in the historic westside neighborhoods... in recent years renamed by its residents as the “Communities of West Lakes.”
Lift took up the mission of investing 65 million dollars to redevelop the first two of those properties... into vibrant, beautiful new mixed income communities for families and seniors.
Lift’s holistic, place-based approach to strengthening neighborhoods has helped find... and fund... solutions around housing, healthcare, and early learning.
Moreover, it has helped change people’s lives for the better.
One of those lives... is Sheila Caldwell’s.
Or... as everyone knows her... Miss Sheila.
A few years ago, Miss Sheila suffered a stroke.
Serious health challenges put her in a difficult spot when it came to being able to afford a safe, quality place to live.
With the help of some friends and good Samaritans... she was able to find an apartment at Pendana Senior Residences... along with care that allowed her to get back on her feet.
Today, Miss Sheila is the shining light of her senior community.
She takes out her neighbor’s trash and goes to the grocery store for them.
She plans dinners, field trips, and walks for everyone... recently taking a group of seniors on a SunRail tour of our region.
Miss Sheila’s happy story might not have happened... if not for the incredible collection of residents who have worked together to expand housing options for everyone.
Miss Sheila and the Lift Orlando team are with us today.
Please join me in recognizing them!
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We talked about the city making a promise back in 2015 when we purchased those blighted and neglected properties.
We’re elated to share that just a few days ago... the final redevelopment of those parcels, Fairlawn Village, opened... with 116 units for working families... and another 20 units dedicated to permanent, supportive housing.
Today, that original investment has been returned 16-fold and resulted in the creation of 600 new units.
Equally impressive, since the city made a commitment to double down on our housing efforts in 2015... the city has supported and championed the construction or rehabilitation of more than 3100 housing units either completed, in progress or planned.
Every home matters... every unit matters... and that’s why the city will continue to forge partnerships with the public, private, nonprofit and civic communities to bring additional housing to our city.
Quality of Life
Earlier, we described Orlando as a modern melting pot where we create unmatched quality of life.
Why is quality of life so central to everything we aspire to be?
It’s simple.
When our quality of life is high... it creates a ripple effect that permeates through every part of our City.
It’s the driving force behind our collective success and progress.
To underscore the connection between quality of life and our economy... a new study just named Orlando the top city in America for remote workers.
That means workers who can live anywhere... are choosing Orlando!
Through that lens, the Promise of Orlando... the future of Orlando... must center around prioritizing a quality of life that is second to none.
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For many of us, superior quality of life starts with having great public amenities.
That’s why we’re investing in the parks of the future... intergenerational, neighborhood spaces that have something for everyone in a family... or extended family.
That includes Prince Hall Park in Richmond Heights... with playgrounds... near what we call “tables of connection,” picnic tables that are solar powered, shaded and outfitted with a Wi-Fi hotspot and charging stations.
That includes Poitras park in Lake Nona... with a splash pad and pickleball courts.
That includes Commander Drive Park in our Semoran corridor... with fitness stations... and our “playground for everyone” with wheelchair access.
Our focus on parks of the future also includes our larger, signature parks... and biking trails.
In just the last four years, we’ve grown our bike trails by close to 70 percent.
Later this month, we’ll open our newest regional park in the Packing District in partnership with Doctor Phillips Charities.
And, we’ll soon begin renovations to our beloved Lake Eola Park.
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When we talk about everyone in our families... we’re also focused on our seniors.
This idea is central to our new initiative: Livable Orlando.
Over the next four years, our initiative will focus on improving the built and social environment to equitably enhance the lives of Orlando residents of all ages.
This includes...
The City’s first-ever Age Friendly Livability Plan by, and for, our seniors...includes the expansion of services for 55-plus residents at our neighborhood centers including Jackson, Grand Ave, Ivy Lane, Rock Lake, and Dover Shores...
And, refurbishing our L Claudia Allen... Rosemont... Callahan... College Park... Beardall... and Engelwood centers.
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Superior quality of life also means having access to world class sporting events... concerts... festivals... and the performing arts... here in our shared backyard.
We are fortunate to have great teams and partners... the Orlando Magic... Orlando City Soccer... the Orlando Pride... the Solar Bears... the Greater Orlando Sports Commission... Florida Citrus Sports.... and the Dr. Phillips Center.
With their support, we’ve built a community that can... and does... host any event in the world.
These events activate and energize our Downtown... and other cultural corridors.
They provide a huge boost to our economy and support our businesses large and small.
When it comes to the power of events, we can’t pat ourselves on the back and say we’re done.
Orlando is one of the fastest growing communities in America.
The demand for sports and entertainment in Orlando will only grow.
The opportunity for us to attract more events... bigger events... and new types of events... will only grow.
There is a future out there where Orlando is America’s premier sports and entertainment destination.
To make that future a reality... we must plan and prepare now... we have to partner together now... we have to invest now.
That’s why we support the use of our tourist taxes to maintain and expand our venues.
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Creating a City with unmatched quality of life... means expanding transportation options so that our residents aren’t 100 percent reliant on cars.
In partnership with our regional governments, we just broke ground on the Northern Expansion of SunRail to Deland.
This fall, Brightline will launch service between Orlando International Airport and South Florida.
We’re working with all our regional partners to help develop a Brightline route that will connect us with Tampa.
And, we remain committed to connecting SunRail to the airport... to the convention center... and expanding service to weekends.
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Creating a City with unmatched quality of life... also means our commitment to inclusion must be unwavering.
For years, Orlando has been a leader in establishing programs, partnerships and services for the LGBTQ+ community... from the first domestic partner registry to adding gender identity to the City's anti-discrimination policies.
Seven years ago after the Pulse tragedy, we showed the world what it means to love and support our LGBTQ+ neighbors in the face of unimaginable hate.
Our love and support isn’t tied to one horrific act or one point in time.
We must show it every day.
Right now... it’s more important than ever to make it known that Orlando will always be a City that prioritizes compassion and inclusion... a community that encourages everyone to be their authentic selves.
We’ll showcase this... in October at our annual Come Out With Pride Festival!
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Of course... there are many other marginalized and vulnerable communities.
50 years ago... the City of Orlando was one of the first governments in the southeast to create an office of Human Relations to prioritize fighting discrimination.
20 years ago... the City launched HOLA... the Hispanic Office of Local Assistance that provides jobs, healthcare and educational services to bilingual residents and newcomers to Central Florida.
The shared fight against racism, discrimination, and antisemitism... is both central to our quality of life... and more important than ever.
We want every LGBTQ+ resident... and every person who calls Orlando home... to know that your mayor and your City will always have your back!
Recognitions
We’ve heard some incredible stories about the Promise of Orlando.
We’d like to close with one more.
Ed Petersen is a City of Orlando Planning Tech who has dedicated his professional life to the residents of our City for the last 22 years.
Ed is also a massive Jeopardy fan.
For decades he’s dreamed about competing on the show.
Recently... that dream came true.
And, tonight we’ll all get to see Orlando’s own Ed Petersen on Jeopardy!
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Ed is a member of an incredible team at the City of Orlando... dedicated professionals who go above and beyond for our residents every single day.
I have the honor and privilege to work alongside them as they deliver the best city services anywhere.
So, while we’re at it... please join me in thanking and recognizing our City family.
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There are so many people we also need to thank as we finish up.
We can’t possibly name them all.
But, we want to recognize a few in particular... please stand when we say your name.
How about our Orlando City Commissioners...
District 1... Jim Gray
District 2... Tony Ortiz
District 3... Robert Stuart
District 4... Patty Sheehan
District 5.... Regina Hill
District 6... Bakari Burns
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We have some other partners who serve in public office with us as well.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings.
County Commissioners....
State Representative Anna Eskamani
State Representative LeVon Bracy Davis
If there are any other elected officials... please stand and let us thank you for your service.
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We must say a word about the incredible facilities here in Loch Haven Park... and our hosts today... Harriett’s Orlando Ballet.
Thank you for sharing your venue with us and for sharing your love of ballet with our community!
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You know, I grew up not too far from here in Kissimmee.
I’ve experienced our Orlando community in just about every stage of life... from my youth... to a being a young professional.... as father to young boys... and later a father to adult children.
But, I think I’m most excited about the next phase of life.
My wife Susie is with us this morning... along with my son Trey and his wife Hannah.
Trey and Hannah are about to make us grandparents!
Closing
It has been an honor to deliver this annual update on the State of our City.
If we could leave with one thought... it’s this.
In communities across America... people are desperate to reclaim their past success.
Not in Orlando.
In Orlando, we’re proud of our history and our accomplishments.
But, we are fully focused on our future.
We know that our best days are ahead of us.
That’s because we choose collaboration and partnership... over partisanship and division.
That’s because we welcome everyone to take part in the incredible City we are building together.
And, that’s because of the Promise of Orlando.
Because of that promise... the state of our City is as strong as its ever been!
Thank you.
God Bless America.
And, God Bless the City of Orlando
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