News from Orange County Government

December 2011

Dear Neighbor,

Welcome to the Orange County Connect newsletter!

As we prepare for the holidays, it's time for us to examine the resources we have in Orange County before we lay the groundwork for a successful new year filled with more opportunity to build a stronger economy and community.

Although Orange County was not immune to the recent global economic downturn, our international airport, our growing base of technology companies and our world-class tourism and leisure sector are important assets that have helped us weather this storm. As evidence, just one year ago, unemployment in Orange County was hovering at 11.3%; today our unemployment rate has fallen to 9.7%. However, to continue this positive trend, we need to carefully nurture these regional strengths.

Supporting job growth and identifying strategies and policies that will create, attract, and retain quality jobs will continue to be my top priority in 2012. I am confident that our coordinated strategy for driving smart economic growth will maintain our position as one of the highest performing regions in Florida, the nation, and around the world.

This month's e-newsletter topics include:

Conversations about the Future/The Jobs Challenge panel
Holiday Heroes Toy Drive
Youth Leadership Conference
Art 4 Clean Air
Sandhill Preserve Grand Opening
Joint meeting of the Orange County Board of County Commissioners and Orange County School Board

For information on other Orange County upcoming events and activities, click here to view the county calendar.

May your family have a joyous holiday season and a new year filled with prosperity and happiness.

Thank you for continuing to stay connected with your government.

Sincerely,

Teresa Jacobs

Orange County Mayor

Panel brings noteworthy discussion on jobs and local economy

Jobs panel

Earlier this month, I exchanged views with a group of respected civic and economic leaders in a forum discussing the right strategies to create jobs and diversify Central Florida's economy.

Conversations about the Future - The Jobs Challenge, gave me an opportunity to highlight Orange County's accomplishments, making the county more business-friendly to further promote job creation.

The forum was organized by the University of Central Florida and the Orlando Sentinel. Other panelists included former U.S. Senator Mel Martinez, Central Florida Urban League President Allie Braswell, UCF Institute for Economic Competitiveness Director Sean Snaith and Hank Fishkind, president of Orlando-based economics research firm Fishkind & Associates. The event was moderated by Mike Lafferty, Orlando Sentinel opinions editor.

Panelists highlighted the importance of building an educated workforce and economic diversification.

I reiterated my commitment to running a fair and balanced, fiscally conservative government, one with stability and predictability for small and large businesses. Maintaining consistent processes and regulations is vital to building the confidence of business owners and entrepreneurs, so that they can expand and hire people.

Holiday Heroes Toy Drive ends Dec. 15

A long-standing value of Orange County is giving back to the communities where we live and serve. I am proud to announce our first annual Holiday Heroes Toy Drive.

While this is a time of joy for many in our community, it can be a time of hopelessness and sadness for some. The Holiday Heroes Toy Drive invites you to help bring a smile to the faces of Orange County children who otherwise might not have a single present to open this holiday season. But time is short. The deadline for unwrapped donations is Thursday, Dec. 15.

The toys we collect will be gifted to needy children, infants through 18, in Orange County through partnerships with local agencies including the Community Food and Outreach Center, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Catholic Charities of Orlando, Edgewood's Children Ranch, Great Oaks Village, Love Orlando and Orange County Youth and Family Services. Program sponsors include Orlando Federal Credit Union and Women of Hope.

New and unwrapped toys will be collected at key points in the county including:

All Orlando Federal Credit Union branches
Orange County's Barnett Park Recreation Center, 4801 W. Colonial Dr., Orlando
All five Orange County/Magic Recreation Centers

I challenge you to be a Holiday Hero to a child this year. It's been a tradition in our household. I hope you too can make our toy drive a part of your family's holiday tradition this year.

Back to top .

Youth Leadership Conference attracts rising stars from Orange County high schools

Youth Leadership

As part of my initiative to connect our citizens with their local government, my team held the county's first Youth Leadership Conference in November for a group of student leaders from 20 Orange County public high schools.

We introduced these young citizens to the opportunities available through their local government and provided information about government procedures, responsibilities and community service. Students learned how county government functions, how best to participate in community initiatives and how to strengthen their leadership skills.

Two hundred student leaders attended the event, expanding to approximately 7,000 students who participated online. Some even posted videos on facebook recapping what they learned at the conference for a chance to job shadow their Mayor for a day.

Shelby Nater, a senior at Freedom High School, won the contest based on the number of "likes" she received on facebook. Shelby's "Mayor for a Day" video can be viewed here.

Joining me in the conference were Orange County Public Schools Chairman Bill Sublette, UCF Associate V.P. for University Relations Fred R. Kittinger, Jr., Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles, Orlando Magic Community Ambassador Bo Outlaw and members of both the Orange County Board of County Commissioners and Orange County School Board.

Art 4 Clean Air connects students to government and environment

Art is a fantastic way for students to exercise their creative side.

There's no better way to connect our high school students with their government and the environment than Orange County's Art 4 Clean Air contest.

The Orange County Environmental Protection Division (EPD) invites high school students to help communicate the importance of preventing air pollution through art. All art must be the student's original work and must be received at EPD no later than Wednesday, Dec. 14 at 5 p.m.

The winning entries will appear in a 2013 calendar to be distributed during Pollution Prevention Week 2012. A formal recognition ceremony will be conducted in May during Clean Air Month and the winning entries will be exhibited in the atrium of the Orange County Administration Center, 201 S. Rosalind Avenue, Orlando.

Winning entries will be returned by June 2012.

For more information, contest rules, entry form and where to submit entries, visit www.ocfl.net/epd.

Sandhill Preserve conserving environmental lands in Central Florida

To maintain our region's historic, scenic and recreational resources, Orange County remains focused on positive environmental conservation programs that protect Central Florida's priceless natural habitats.

Joined by Commissioner Fred Brummer, I officially opened Orange County's Sandhill Preserve to the public on Dec. 2.

Nestled in northwest Orange County, Sandhill Preserve is a new park for passive recreation where visitors can hike and observe our unique ecological wildlife like gopher tortoises and Florida's white-tailed deer. The 83 acre property, off Plymouth Sorrento and Haas Road, contains the only known occurrence of the Pygmy Fringe Tree, an endangered species, in Orange County.

The property, open sunrise to sunset, was acquired in December of 2005 from the Strite-Holder family through the county's GreenPLACE (Park Land Acquisition for Conservation and Environmental Protection) program.

Sandhill Preserve is managed by the Orange County Environmental Protection Division. Since its inception in 2001, Orange County has used GreenPLACE funds to acquire more than 7,000 acres of public lands. For more information on GreenPLACE, visit www.ocfl.net/epd.

Back to top.

Orange County School Board and Board of County Commision's joint meeting brings positive dialogue

The Orange County School Board and our Board of County Commissioners held a joint meeting in late November to discuss planning related topics, joint programs, school growth, concurrency and future growth issues. These joint meetings are an excellent way for us to maintain positive two-way communication about important issues both groups may have a stake in.

I am excited about having more dialogue with the members of Orange County's School Board. Going forward, I committed to holding these meetings, at minimum, on an annual basis. Our last joint meeting was held in 2006.

Some successes mentioned during the meeting included school concurrency, which the county adopted after the passing of Senate Bill 360 by the Florida Legislature. Concurrency refers to the provision of adequate public facilities, such as student stations.

Other topics discussed were school planning in Horizon West, driver's education, school bus retrofitting, the Arbor Day Tree Give-Away, the School Chemical Cleanout Campaign and the tobacco free policy adopted by the school board on Sept. 27, 2011.

This collaboration of civic leaders shows our commitment to school governance and building a successful and promising academic future for all Orange County students.