 Dear Neighbor,
As we take stock in our diverse community, we should reflect upon the accomplishments of Thurgood Marshall, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rosa Parks and Arthur "Pappy" Kennedy, Orlando's first African-American elected city official.
Mr. Kennedy was elected to the Orlando City Council in 1972 and served until 1980. He passed away in March 2000, but his name and legacy live on today.
Black History Month is a time for us to remember and honor the contributions that African-Americans have made toward building Orange County and this great country.
The vision, courage, and sacrifice of these iconic civil rights leaders set us on a path toward liberty, equality and opportunity for all.
In this issue, I focus on a few of the events that we will celebrate during Black History Month and some important issues regarding the economy, public engagement and community redevelopment.
As always, I thank you for your continued support and for staying connected with your government.
Teresa Jacobs
Orange County Mayor |
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The Pine Hills community is on the rise
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I put on a hard hat and hopped into a bulldozer to start the demolition at the former Seville Place apartments. |
In January, Pine Hills had two exciting redevelopment announcements, illustrating how this community is taking ownership of its future.
First, community leaders and I unveiled plans to transform the former Seville Place apartments into the Emerald Villas, a redeveloped, affordable housing community. Anxious to get the project underway, I put on a hard hat and hopped into a bulldozer to start the demolition.
Orange County Government, along with partners Related Urban and the Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation, decided to buy the land using funds from a Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP). Orange County is contributing $7 million from the NSP to help fund the project and another $1.6 million comes from a state funded affordable housing program.
Emerald Villas is located directly across from Maynard Evans High School, which celebrated the opening of its new education facility with a dedication ceremony and parade in January.
The new, state-of-the-art high school demonstrates what we can accomplish when our county leaders, legislators, educators and Orange County residents come together with a common goal.
Congratulations to Evans High School and Pine Hills.
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| Jubilation at the Altamonte Springs SunRail Station groundbreaking
 | | City of Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, Florida Department of Transportation Secretary Ananth Prasad, Florida Department of Transportation District 5 Secretary Noranne Downs, U.S. Congressman John Mica and Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs. |
It was another historic day for Central Florida at the Altamonte Springs SunRail Station groundbreaking in January. I joined several federal, state, and local dignitaries, in speaking about the high capacity transportation system that is already contributing to the economic prosperity of our region.
In addition to the thousands of jobs created and the long-term economic impact, this commuter rail transit project will improve roadways and our opportunities for smart-managed growth.
SunRail is funded and supported by the Florida Department of Transportation, in cooperation with the federal government and Orange, Seminole, Volusia and Osceola counties. SunRail will run along a 61-mile stretch of existing rail freight tracks in the four-county area.
I wish to thank all of our partners, the business community and the many Central Florida citizens for their support on this exciting project.
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Orange County commemorates Black History Month in February
 | | I was accompanied by a group of Orange County youths from the LANES program at the MLK, Jr. Parade in Downtown Orlando. |
On February 7, 2012, the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) and I issued a proclamation affirming February as Black History Month in Orange County at the BCC Chambers.
The Black History Committee of Orange County will hold the 10th Annual Black History Month Celebration Gala on Saturday, March 10, 2012 at 7 p.m.
Last month, I commemorated the life and accomplishments of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by attending several special community events that highlighted the achievements of outstanding African-American leaders.
In January, I spoke at the Annual "Pappy" Kennedy Prayer Breakfast, which honors the legacy of Arthur "Pappy" Kennedy, Orlando's first African-American elected city official. I also joined Downtown Orlando, the Town of Eatonville and the City of Ocoee for their parades honoring the legacy of Dr. King.
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| Orange County LIVE! program a big success
 | The inaugural Orange County LIVE!
program aired in January. |
As part of my commitment to engage citizens, Orange County LIVE!, a new technology- driven outreach initiative, aired on Orange TV in January.
The inaugural program was hosted by Orange County Communications Division Manager Steve Triggs and broadcast in front of a live audience from our Orange TV studios.
Through a monitored chat room and social media, we covered a variety of topics, including volunteer opportunities, community beautification grants and accessing services at local recreational centers.
The first episode introduced Orange County residents to Mayor Jacobs' Special Assistant, Carol Clark, who heads up the new Office of Public Engagement and Citizen Advocacy and African American Affairs. We focused on the goals and purpose of this new office and how the office will benefit and engage citizens.
Other guests included Manager of the Neighborhood Preservation and Revitalization Division Lavon Williams, Carol Burkett, Director of the Office for a Drug Free Community and Consumer Investigator Supervisor at the Consumer Fraud Division Carlos Morales.
After the success of our first program, additional shows will air every fourth Wednesday of the month.
Thanks for watching and for staying engaged with your government.
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Orange County voters pass job-creation-tax abatement referendum
Voters made the right decision by passing the tax abatement referendum on January 31, 2012. The referendum allows the Board of County Commissioners to approve property tax exemptions to qualified new and existing businesses that are creating new jobs in Orange County.
Growing our economy and securing long-term economic sustainability was part of my plan for Orange County during my mayoral campaign. This economic development tool will help Orange County attract high-paying jobs in targeted industries. It's another way to get our citizens back to work so they can provide for themselves and their families.
More than 20 Florida counties and 30 cities have already adopted this incentive to attract businesses, entrepreneurship and capital investment in their communities.
I thank the voters for recognizing that this is a worthwhile investment in our local economy.
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News Worth Noting ...
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His Excellency François Delattre, Ambassador of France to the United States, with Youth Leadership Conference contest participants. |
- Shelby Nater, a senior at Freedom High School, joined me as Mayor for a Day in late January. Shelby won our, first ever, Youth Leadership Conference contest based on the number of views her Facebook video had on YouTube. Later in the day, I met with six other Orange County high school students who also participated in the contest.
- His Excellency François Delattre, Ambassador of France to the United States, stopped by my office during his official visit to Central Florida. We discussed strategies that would strengthen relations between France and Orange County - economically, scientifically and culturally. I look forward to working with Ambassador Delattre and the French delegation in the future.
- I spent a morning volunteering at IDignity. IDignity Director Michael Dippy assisted in the creation of the organization to help the disadvantaged in Central Florida overcome the difficulties of reacquiring their identification cards and birth certificates.
- Last year, I formed the Prescription Drug Taskforce, a multi-jurisdiction panel focused on tackling prescription drug abuse. In January, Florida Hospital and Orlando Health announced a partnership to develop a chronic pain management policy for its Emergency Departments, which will empower patients to take responsibility for the safe use of pain medications and will educate patients about the dangers of prescription drug misuse.
- The Orange County Health Facilities Authority allocated $760,525.78 of surplus funds to the Primary Care Access Network, which improves the access, quality and coordination of health care services to the underinsured and uninsured in Orange County.
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View Orange County's 2011 Annual Report. This report provides information on our goals, objectives and accomplishments in 2011.
Click here to view the
report in its entirety.
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Coming in March
- NBA All-Star 2012
comes to Orange County
- Developments with the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida
- Economic outlook from Dr. Sean Snaith, director of the University of Central Florida's Institute for Economic Competitiveness
- Doing Business with Brazil
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