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November 6, 2009
- City News |
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Mayor's
Message |
Dear Residents, Colleagues and Friends,
Today, a terrible
tragedy occurred in one of our Downtown office
buildings. I know I speak for our entire City
when I say our thoughts and prayers go out to
the victims of this crime and their families.
While I am shocked
and saddened by this act of violence, I am
enormously proud of the response by the Orlando
Police Department (OPD), the Orlando Fire
Department (OFD) and our partners in the Central
Florida law enforcement community. OPD and OFD
were on the scene less than a minute after shots
were fired. They had the suspect in custody
within a few hours.
Again, I extend
my sincerest sympathy to the victims of this
crime, their families and everyone affected by
this tragic action.
Sincerely,
Buddy Dyer
Mayor |
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Florida Housing Help
 Florida
Chief Financial Officer Alex Sink and Orlando
Mayor Buddy Dyer invite you to participate in
Florida Housing Help. Florida Housing Help is a
community outreach program designed to educate
and assist families facing foreclosure. The
event will be hosted by District 2 Commissioner
Tony Ortiz on Saturday, November 7, 2009, from 10
a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Engelwood Neighborhood
Center located at 6123 La Costa Drive. This free
workshop will include legal assistance,
information on foreclosure assistance programs
and the opportunity to meet with mortgage
lenders, Housing and Urban Development certified
counselors, local housing authorities and credit
counseling services. For more information or to
register, please call 850.413.3089 or
1.877.MY.FL.CFO (1.877.693.5236). Registration is
not required.
Upgrade Your Connections
On November 18,
2009, the City’s Purchasing & Materials
Management Division will be participating in a
vendor networking event titled “Upgrade Your
Connections.” The reverse trade show is a
unique opportunity for local businesses to meet and connect with City of Orlando
purchasing professionals and other governmental
agencies throughout Central Florida.
Participants will gain important insight and
opportunities on how to do business with
government. The event will be held at the Rachel
D. Murrah Civic Center in Winter Park from 9:30
a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The reverse trade show is
sponsored by the Central Florida Chapter of the
National Institute of Governmental Purchasing.
More information is available at nigp-cfc.org.
Buy Local Orlando
Highlight
Buy Local
Orlando is under way and each week we
want to make sure you know that you can get
great deals, discounts and offers. There are
more than 300 merchant members participating in
the Buy Local Orlando campaign offering special
offers and discounts exclusively to Buy Local
Orlando consumers.
Buy Local
Orlando consumers receive $250 off video
production services over $2,500 at Foster
Productions, Inc. Call 407.704.7991 or visit
fosterproductions.com for more information.
Looking for a
realtor? Buy Local Orlando
consumers receive a free Comparable Market
Analysis (CMA) at Midtown Realty Orlando (925
West Central Blvd.). Call 407.481.0900 or visit
midtownrealty.com for more information.
Need new
eyeglasses or sunglasses? At MyOptics Inc. (703
North Orange Ave.), Buy Local Orlando
consumers receive a15% discount on eyeglasses
and sunglasses. Call 407.245.7800 to make an
appointment.
For more
information on the Buy Local Orlando
initiative, please visit
buylocalorlando.net.
Economic Green Leaf
Program
During these tough economic times, many local
businesses have been challenged in terms of
finance, growth and opportunity. A new statewide
pilot program, the Economic Gardening Loan
Program, is designed to provide the help that
small businesses need to expand, creating jobs
and opportunities for our residents.
Businesses with
10-50 employees and annual revenues of $1-25
million are invited to apply for this pilot loan
program which offers eligible businesses the
opportunity to receive a low interest loan of up
to $250,000-and the applications are being
administered right here in Orlando.
The Black
Business Investment Fund of Orlando was recently
selected to be the administrator of the State’s
Economic Gardening Loan Program. Businesses do
not need to be minority-owned to qualify. For
more information, visit bbif.com or call
407.649.4780.
Volunteers needed
for Project Homeless Connect
The City of
Orlando is
co-sponsoring the fourth annual downtown Project
Homeless Connect on Friday, December 4,
2009, from 8 a.m. until 3 p.m. at the Downtown
Recreation Center on Livingston Street next to the
Amway Arena. Mayor Buddy Dyer will be volunteering and
encouraging the community to do so as one of his
service work-along projects.
The City
encourages residents to volunteer for a
four-hour shift that morning. Many people who
have participated at previous events found it
extremely rewarding. If you are interested,
please sign up online at hsncfl.org. There will
also be information on this website about the
mandatory training. It is a one-hour session
offered earlier in the week either at lunchtime
or early evening. Please consider being a part
of this community wide event and thank you in
advance for helping to make it a great success.
The City co-sponsors Project Homeless Connect
with Orange County and the Homeless Services
Network. |
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Engelwood Neighborhood
Cleanup
Join Keep Orlando
Beautiful on Saturday, November 14, from 9 a.m.
to 12 p.m. to help make the Engelwood
Neighborhood sparkle! Volunteers will be
removing litter, applying storm drain markings
and sprucing up some road sides throughout the
area. Meet at the Engelwood Neighborhood Center
at 6123 LaCosta Drive. Water and light snacks
provided. This is a great way for students to
earn community service hours. Any questions,
please call 407.246.2752 or e-mail
jody.goostree@cityoforlando.net. |
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Amway Center
Topping Off Ceremony
On Thursday, the
City
celebrated another milestone for the Community
Venues - the topping off of the Amway Center. Topping off ceremonies recognize the last steel
beam going into place in a building. For the
Amway Center, this action also represents an
important milestone in the effort to ensure that
residents benefit from the construction.
The steel beams
were built by Schuff Steel whose headquarters is
just seven miles from Downtown. Schuff Steel
contracted with multiple local, minority and
women owned businesses, including the native
American-owned company that drove the beams to
the construction site and the woman-owned
business that supplied the nuts and bolts.
These steel beams
represent the local impact promised when the
City
proposed the BLUEPRINT, a commitment to ensure
the project provided a direct economic benefit
to the Central Florida community. To date, more
than $79 million has been awarded to 101
minority and women-owned businesses, including
African-Americans, Hispanics, Asian-Americans
and other minorities.
When the City started
this project, Mayor Buddy Dyer and the City
Council wanted to do more than just
raise a building. They wanted the project to have
a lasting, positive impact on the community.
With the construction in full swing, residents can
already see the opportunities it has created for
local and minority-owned businesses and look
forward to more positive impacts in the year
ahead.
Amway Center
Webcam
 You
don’t have to drive Downtown to see the progress
of the Amway Center. Watch the progress of the
construction with the Amway Center Webcams.
Showing a bird's eye view of the two blocks
south of Church Street and west of I-4, which
will become the home of the City's new venue for
sports, music and entertainment, the cameras
take a picture every 15 minutes and save the
photos so viewers can watch the progress like a
movie. The webcams can be found online.
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The City Council
accepted a 21st Century Community Learning
Centers federal grant for $2.2 million over
five years for the Orlando After-School
All-Stars program. The grant is specifically
targeted for Howard, Memorial and Stonewall
Jackson middle schools for increased educational
services and enrichment programming. The
After-School All-Stars provides middle school
children with activities and on-going
relationships that increase confidence and
encourage success at home, in school and in the
community. The City Council also approved funding
agreements with the Black Business Investment
Fund, the National Center for Simulation,
Central Florida Sports, the Disney Entrepreneur
Center, the Hispanic Business Initiative Fund
and Digital Media Alliance. These organizations
provide services to Orlando’s entrepreneurs and
businesses and help build a stronger economy for
our City and region. |
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Did You Know? |
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Fall Fiesta in the Park
 Head out to
beautiful Lake Eola Park in Downtown Orlando for
Fall Fiesta in the Park on November 7 from 10
a.m. to 5 p.m. and November 8 from 12 to 5 p.m.
Hundreds of artists will display unique pieces
for purchase including ceramics, jewelry, glass,
painting and more. Enjoy food, live
entertainment and a huge kids’ area. This event
is free to the public and a great way to spend
time with your family as we welcome in the fall
season. For more information, please call
407.649.3152.
67
Days of Smiles
On Monday, the
Orlando-Orange County Convention and Visitors
Bureau held a farewell reception for Kyle Post
and Stacey Doornbos who visited 100 Central
Florida attractions as part of the 67 Days of
Smiles campaign. Kyle and Stacey wrote about
their adventures on their blog and through
various social media formats, with more than
9,000 followers on Facebook at the end of their
stay. To read about the pair’s adventures at
area attractions and restaurants, visit
67daysofsmiles.com.
Week of the Family
 The
Orange County Week of the Family is celebrating
its seventh year with numerous events, including
festivals, music and films. It starts on
Saturday, October 31, with the City of Winter
Park’s 6th Annual “Family Fall Festival” at
Central Park in downtown Winter Park. It ends on
November 7 with the Orange County“Family Fun
Kite Festival” at Jay Blanchard Park. Visit
weekofthefamily.org for a complete event listing
and take part in this community festival. |
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Upcoming
Events |
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City Halll
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407.246.2221
buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net |
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