Hispanic Outreach at The Summit on Puerto Rican Affairs

Summit on Puerto Rican Affairs Chairperson Evelyn Ramirez and Luis De Rosa, Project Director at Dynamic Community Development Corporation, accept Orange County's proclamation.

I was honored to speak at the Summit on Puerto Rican Affairs in May. Our region is greatly enriched by the culture, traditions, and outstanding contributions made by Puerto Ricans in the professional and civic arenas.

Last summer, I traveled to Puerto Rico, where I met with executives and entrepreneurs interested in expanding their businesses in Orange County. These businesses are now actively engaged with the Orange County Puerto Rico Trade and Commerce Workgroup, which I formed and tasked with proposing solutions that will facilitate business between our regions.

I look forward to building more opportunities for economic development between Central Florida and Puerto Rico and the work of our Puerto Rico Trade and Commerce Workgroup.
  
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Orange County War Memorial Rededication Ceremony Touches Hearts 

I was honored and privileged to acknowledge and remember two of our fallen soldiers and their loved ones at the 2012 Orange County War Memorial Rededication Ceremony on Memorial Day.

Mr. Earle Denton has served on our Veterans Advisory Council since 2002 and is a retired Lieutenant Colonel of the U.S. Army.

We reflected on the lives of Private First Class Alberto L. Obod and Private First Class Jalfred D. Vaquerano, who served in the U.S. Army and made the ultimate sacrifice for our country while serving in Operation Enduring Freedom. Held this year at the Orange County Courthouse, this annual ceremony honors and remembers the service and bravery of our service men and women.

I wish to thank the Orange County Veterans Advisory Council and the program participants for organizing such a beautiful and meaningful event. And, I offer my most sincere thanks to all those who have served in the armed forces, as well as their families.

I spent some time with news veteran Katie Couric when she visited our local NBC affiliate, WESH - Channel 2. Our region will be one of the first markets to air Katie's new syndicated lifestyle show, which debuts this fall. Eatonville Mayor Bruce B. Mount and Daytona Beach Mayor Glenn Ritchey also attended the station's meet and greet.

As busy, working moms, we understand the delicate balance of juggling work and family life. Katie is also a strong advocate for colorectal cancer prevention, a cause that is near to my heart. 

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Join The Best Foot Forward Initiative 
 
Best Foot Forward, a community-wide pedestrian safety coalition, has formed to make streets safer for walkers and drivers in Orange County and the Central Florida region.  Its mission is to prevent accidents and improve pedestrian safety, while encouraging walking as a safe, fun form of transportation and healthy activity.

My Chief of Staff, Graciela Noriega Jacoby, spoke at the public launch held at the Orlando Health Heart Institute Building on May 30, 2012.

The Metro Orlando region experiences about 730 pedestrian injuries and 45 fatalities every year.

The goal of the Best Foot Forward coalition is to reduce pedestrian deaths and injuries by 10 percent annually over the next 5 years.

Today, I ask Orange County to put our best foot forward, and make it a habit to look out for each other as we walk and drive on our streets.

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A new homeless resource center in East Orange County was approved by the Board of County Commissioners in May. The Samaritan Resource Center, as it is presently named, will assist in the longstanding problem of chronically homeless families. This project has long been in the planning stages and will be supported mainly by Federal Community Development Block Grant funding. Our community partners in East Orange County have committed to operating the center.

The Resource Center will seek to engage the homeless, many of them veterans, and transition them back into our community through social services.

The Samaritan Resource Center is not a shelter and it is not a facility in which individuals can stay overnight. Services will include case management, showers, laundry facilities, community e-mail, employment services, jobs skills programs and housing referral services. Individuals also will be able to access identification service referrals and apply for state food stamps assistance.

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Health, Education, and Life Protections (HELP) Ordinance and Domestic Partner Registry Gets Approval 

In May, the Board of County Commissioners passed Orange County's Health, Education, and Life Protections (HELP) ordinance. It allows all adults in Orange County to designate a support person to make decisions for them in times of need.  It also recognizes, on a countywide basis, registered domestic partnerships under the City of Orlando's ordinance.

Orange County residents now will be able to designate a person to make healthcare, funeral and burial decisions, as well as allowing them to serve as their emergency contact and address pre-need guardian issues. 

(L-R) Orange County Administrator Ajit Lalchandani, Orange County Commissioner Scott Boyd, Hunter's Creek Community Association, Inc. President Joe Overberger, Mayor Teresa Jacobs and Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings.

Several Orange County department directors provided community leaders at Hunter's Creek with an update on accomplishments and future projects at a neighborhood meeting held in May.

This beautiful Orange County community recently celebrated its 25th anniversary and was named the 21st Best Place to Live in America by CNN's Money Magazine.

Hunter's Creek is a 4,000-acre, master planned community in southwest Orange County, comprised of 35 single-family neighborhoods.   

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June marks the beginning of the six-month North Atlantic hurricane season. Tropical storms Alberto and Beryl have already brought significant weather events to the Central Florida region.

The Orange County Office of Emergency Management hosted a free Hurricane Expo at the Orlando Fashion Square mall last week. 

Representatives from the National Weather Service and Federal Emergency Management Agency provided important information on how to mitigate the devastating effects of high wind damage, floods and costly property damage that occurs when a storm makes landfall. I urge all residents to educate themselves on hurricane preparations and learn the locations of nearby emergency shelters.

Forecasters at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration announced that there is a 70 percent chance of between 9 and 15 named storms, 4 to 8 hurricanes and 1 to 3 major hurricanes this season. As we learned from the 2004 storms, our inland location does not protect us from the damaging winds of a powerful hurricane.

Hurricane season peaks in August and September before ending on November 30. 
  
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In May, the Board of County Commissioners and I met with the mayors and staff of our municipalities to begin a comprehensive assessment of Orange County's Solid Waste System. The intent of the project is to evaluate how we can reduce dumping fees by greater efficiencies.

At the May meeting, county staff provided an overview of the Solid Waste System and a tour of the landfill. Our consultant reviewed the study topics, the study plan and scope.

The project has an aggressive timetable and is scheduled to be completed in the next 6 months. 

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News Worth Noting ... 

It was a pleasure meeting with representatives from the Miami Consuls for the celebration of European Union Day at Orange County's Administration Center in May.

 

• I am extremely excited about Orange County's economic partnership with Brazil. For my column on our future as global business partners, please turn to page 8 of Orlando Green and Yellow magazine.  
   
• I had a wonderful afternoon at Orange County's Annual Public Works Appreciation Lunch in May. Our Public Works Division is fully committed to providing the highest level of services and enhancing the quality of life for all Orange County citizens.
   
• I had the opportunity to spend some time with members of the Student Government Association at Blankner K-8 School. These future leaders stayed for part of the BCC meeting and should be commended for their interest in civics and their local government.
   
• Florida ranked second among best states for business in Chief Executive magazine's annual Best & Worst States Survey.
   
• Orange County's City of Orlando ranked No. 6 on Forbes' list of "Happiest Cities for Job-Seeking College Grads." 
   

• I enjoyed being a panelist at the Winter Park Political Update Breakfast, which was moderated by Orlando Sentinel columnist Scott Maxwell. I was joined by Florida Senate Majority Leader Senator Andy Gardiner, Commissioner Ted Edwards and City of Winter Park Mayor Ken Bradley. 
   

• Full Sail University's innovative use of Facebook and Twitter helped it rank among the top 20 U.S. social media colleges. 
   

• The "My Word" column I wrote regarding the Citrus Bowl ran in the Orlando Sentinel on May 6, 2012. For clarification on my position regarding this important matter, I invite you to read the article.
   

• I had so much fun with the performers and production crew of The Music Man during my cameo role at the Garden Theatre.
   

• I spent an afternoon visiting with families affected by the sinkhole that appeared near Indian Deer Road in West Orange County.  If a sinkhole develops on your property, call 311 and we will immediately send an inspector to your home. 
   
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