One of my roles as Orange County Mayor is to serve as the people's direct voice on the Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority (OOCEA) board. Since November 2010, when you elected me to be your mayor, I have fought for stronger ethics at the Authority, led the charge on important staffing changes and challenged the status quo. Along the way I have ruffled some feathers, but I feel strongly that the end result is a more transparent agency with more accountability to tax payers and toll payers.
 

On February 22, 2012, the OOCEA board approved my proposal to adopt some tougher ethics policies. My proposal placed restrictions on board members voting on issues that could impact their personal business prospects or recent business associates.
 

One week after I pushed these ethics and transparency policies through, State Representative Mike Horner introduced a late-filed amendment that was never vetted in committee. This amendment would remove the only elected official, the County Mayor, from the OOCEA Board. The amendment was supported by House Speaker Dean Cannon and future Speaker Chris Dorworth.
 

Rep. Horner and other amendment supporters cited ethics concerns stemming from a 2007 Grand Jury investigation that was conducted five years ago. The Grand Jury Report accused certain appointed OOCEA board members of creating a "culture of corruption" and engaging in "an organized shakedown of OOCEA vendors." If you read the Grand Jury report, you will see it is very clear that these alleged nefarious acts were by gubernatorial appointees, NOT the sole elected representative on the Board (the County Mayor). Yet the House members' solution to an apparent abuse by appointed officials is to replace the only representative elected by the people with yet another appointed official.

Citing ethics concerns to remove me - the most vocal champion of ethics and accountability and the only direct voice of the people -  is misguided, at best. A March 4, 2012 Orlando Sentinel editorial, describes the 11th-hour amendment to a transportation bill removing me from the OOCEA board as a brand of "power-hungry politics" with "brazen vindictiveness."

Yesterday, the House voted for this change and dealt a major blow to anyone who believes in strong ethics, transparency and public accountability. But I remain hopeful that under the leadership of Senate Majority Leader and future Senate President Andy Gardiner, and with the support of Senator David Simmons, the Senate will ensure that the citizens will continue to have a direct voice on the Authority through the countywide elected Mayor. 

 Back to top.  

Orange County's 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend Brings Far Reaching Economic Impact   

Commissioner Tiffany Moore Russell and I painted homes in the Tangelo Park neighborhood during the NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service.

NBA fans and players from across the country and around the world descended on Orange County in February for the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend.
 

The Orange County Convention Center's NBA All-Star Jam Session was a slam dunk with nonstop basketball action for all ages. Fans were able to shoot, dribble and compete with friends in skills challenges while collecting autographs from NBA players. The NBA/WNBA FIT All-Star Youth Celebration featured 500 local youth participating in five separate fitness and health education clinics that incorporated basketball training skills.
 

The NBA Cares All-Star Day of Service highlighted Orange County's community outreach efforts as more than 1,500 NBA family members joined to refurbish homes and parks where kids and families live, learn and play. Commissioner Tiffany Moore Russell and I joined the event by painting homes on Steyr Street in the Tangelo Park neighborhood.

Eight pairs of tickets for Saturday's Slam Dunk event were awarded to Orange County residents in a random online drawing. Additionally, the Board of County Commissioners gave 16 skybox tickets for the Rising Stars Challenge to teenagers from Great Oaks Village, Orange County's foster care group home.
 

This is the first of several contests where citizens can win tickets to select Orlando Magic games and events at the Amway Center.
 

Orange County, Orlando, the Orlando Magic and our business community went to great lengths to bring the NBA All-Star Weekend to Orange County, so it is incumbent upon us to demonstrate hospitality and do our part as leaders to promote business in this region by hosting major clients of the convention center, as well as prospective clients.

Just one potential convention center client could bring 15,000 visitors with a total economic impact of $24 million. Fostering these valuable relationships will reap significant economic benefits for our world-class region in the future.

It was an honor for me to be a part of the ground-breaking ceremony for the Coalition's new men's facility.

With capital funding support from Orange County and the City of Orlando, the Coalition for the Homeless of Central Florida broke ground on a new Men's Service Center on its property at 639 West Central Boulevard in Orlando. The Orange County Board of County Commissioners committed to $5 million, and the Orlando City Council allocated $1.6 million in federal Community Development Block Grants.

The new two-story residential center will replace the current Men's Pavilion and will provide resources for one of the most underserved segments of the homeless population, helping homeless men move toward self-sufficiency and a better life. 

I wish to thank all of our partners for supporting the Men's Service Center and its mission.
  
Back to top. 

Black History Celebration Brings Camaraderie to Orange County 

I enjoyed visiting and sharing stories with attendees of the 2012 Black History Celebration.

Kudos to the Black History Committee for successfully organizing the 2012 Black History Celebration on February 15, 2012. Orange County employees enjoyed great food, music and camaraderie at the festive event hosted on the lawn of the County administration building.   

Back to top.

Orange County's Primary Care Access Network (PCAN) is the recipient of the 2012 Sapphire Award for Excellence in Community Health. PCAN, a coalition of 22 public, private, faith-based and government agencies that operate a full range of primary and secondary care services for uninsured residents of Orange County, was awarded $100,000 by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida Foundation.

Having grown its volunteer provider base to over 1,600 agencies, PCAN now donates over $5.8 million in services each year through 10 acute care clinics and the creation of a specialty care clinic. PCAN has sustained a 25 percent reduction in non-urgent, uninsured emergency department visits, generating $1.45 million in cost savings annually, despite a 16 percent increase in the number of uninsured Orange County residents.

One of our greatest PCAN success stories is the Community Health Centers clinic in the  Bithlo community, the first medical establishment of its kind in east Orange County.

Presented annually, the Sapphire Award is Florida's only statewide honor that recognizes organizations that have demonstrated excellence in addressing community healthcare needs. 

 Back to top.  

Orange County Global Trade Series Launches with 'Doing Business with Colombia'  

'Doing Business with Colombia' seminar at the National Entrepreneur Center with (l-r) Diana Bolivar, vice president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando; Ramon Ojeda, Chamber President; and Zoraida Velasco, Orange County Office of Economic Trade and Tourism Development.

On February 24, 2012, I launched the Orange County Global Trade Series, a new business series that focuses on promoting global trade in Central Florida. The first of the series, "Doing Business with Colombia," promotes commerce and economic growth between our two countries.

With the implementation of the U.S. - Colombia Trade Promotion Agreement, it's important that we provide our business community with information about the potential of the new accord.
 

Future global trade sessions will include promoting trade with Brazil, Puerto Rico, and Europe. Dates and locations will be announced in the coming weeks.

Back to top.

News Worth Noting ...   

Eunice Choi, regional director of the Small Business Development Center at the University of Central Florida, and I discuss Orange County's business environment.

• I spoke at the Economic Outlook 2012 event, hosted annually by the University of Central Florida's Small Business Development Center. At the event, Dr. Sean Snaith, Director of the Institute for Economic Competitiveness at the University of Central Florida (UCF), said he is seeing signs of an economic recovery and expects job gains to pick up during the course of the year. 
   
• Orange County has partnered with UCF to assist second-stage Orange County headquartered businesses that have between 7 and 100 employees. GrowFL Technical Assistance provides qualified companies access to an industry experienced consulting team, which focuses on driving sales growth - at no charge. Limited opportunities are available. To apply, visit www.growfl.com, and complete the online application.  
   
• The Princeton Review has selected UCF as one of the country's "Best Value Colleges for 2012." The review identifies America's top undergraduate schools offering excellent academics, generous financial aid, and relatively low cost of attendance. The February 2012 issue of Kiplinger Magazine also ranked UCF 39th on its list of best college values in the nation.
   
• CNN named Orlando one of the nation's "Top 10 turnaround towns," citing Orange County's strong tourism sector and the Medical City at Lake Nona.
   
• Nemours Children's Hospital announced it will hire approximately 700 employees by 2013.
   
• Publix Super Markets announced it would build a $188.5 million distribution center in south Orlando creating 156 new jobs.
   
• I enjoyed the company of friends at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando as they welcomed their new Board of Directors at the 2012 Installation Luncheon.
   
• NBA fans weren't the only visitors that chose Orange County as their vacation destination in February. The Orange County Convention Center welcomed the International Builders' Show, which had more than 51,000 attendees alone and an economic impact of $97 million. Additionally, visitors from the Daytona 500, Universal Studios Mardi Gras and MegaCon, the famous comic book and sci-fi convention, made February a banner month for our convention center and tourism and leisure sectors. 
   
   Back to top.