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TopJanuary 2013                                                      

Greetings,
  
First, let me wish you all a happy and healthy New Year! 
  
In closing out 2012, I participated in holiday festivities and parades that captured the camaraderie and community spirit of our region. These events remind us all of why we love to call Orange County our home.

I wish to thank the generous hearts of our citizens who rallied to support my second annual Holiday Heroes Toy Drive which received more than 2,650 donated toys from supporters and county employees last month.

In addition to the toy drive, local citizens shared good tidings with Orange County firefighters as part of my Adopt a Fire Station program. Every day citizens and businesses were on hand at various locations on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day preparing meals, baking treats and performing other projects in appreciation of the men and women that serve as our first responders.  

As Orange County closes one year and begins another, let's look forward to a renewed sense of community and increased economic vitality in 2013.
  
Sincerely,         
Teresa Jacobs
Orange County Mayor


Holiday Heroes Toy Drive

Holiday Heroes Toy Drive Delivers Hundreds of Smiles


Shopping with parents at the Community Food and Outreach Center
I am so proud of our supporters and county employees who generously donated more than 2,650 toys to needy children during my 2012 Holiday Heroes Toy Drive.
 
One could truly feel the spirit of the holidays during the distribution of toys at the Community Food and Outreach Center on Michigan Street, and I was honored to assist parents as they selected toys for their children.

If you were one of our Holiday Heroes, thank you for your support and for contributing to the success of our second annual Holiday Heroes Toy Drive. You made the holidays brighter for needy children in Orange County.

I encourage you to watch for more opportunities to join me in future projects that help our neighbors in need.

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School Security

Enhanced Security in Local Schools   

On December 18, 2012, the Board of County Commissioners unanimously adopted my proposal to add a full-time Sheriff's deputy at each of our 78 elementary schools in unincorporated Orange County to enhance security for the remainder of the school year.

In the wake of the tragic mass killing of 20 first-graders, along with 6 teachers and staff at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut, we took immediate action to enhance school safety and provide some peace of mind for our children, their parents and school staff.

While this plan may not be a permanent solution, it does provide time for us to work with Orange County Public Schools, the Sheriff and our state legislative leaders to evaluate the need for additional long-term security enhancements at our schools.
 
Orange County middle and high schools already have School Resource Officers on campus; however, the School Resource Officers at elementary schools cover four or five schools on a rotating basis

We are also looking at ways to enhance mental health services for at-risk children, which I'll elaborate on in a future newsletter.

I appreciate Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings' and Orange County School Board Chairman Bill Sublette's joint leadership on this interim measure and commend our administrators at Orange County Public Schools for keeping our children safe and maintaining a positive academic environment conducive to learning and high achievement performance scores.

The safety of Orange County's students is of the utmost importance to me and we are doing what we can to ensure a similar tragedy does not occur here.

 

Whistleblower Initiative

Audit Reveals Success of Whistleblower Initiative  

The results of an audit reveal a program to protect whistleblowers that come forward with complaints in Orange County has led to improvements and change within a key County division. The plan to create a whistleblower protection program was one of my first initiatives upon taking office.

The whistleblower, whose identity is not being released, came to the Mayor's office in 2011 reporting irregularities in how the bid process on construction projects - with a limit of $100,000 - were being managed. The irregularities reported focused on issues involving pricing and contract limits. These allegations prompted an audit from the Orange County Comptroller's office which was released last month. I further directed staff to identify an alternative process to eliminate and replace the use of a single General Contractor JOC (job order contract).

Because of this person coming forward, and the ability of our staff to fix something that was not working, we now have a new competitive bid process in place.

The new process, which was implemented in April 2012, now includes pre-qualified contractors who competitively bid on small scale projects. All projects over $100,000 still require the Board of County Commissioners' approval.

I hope that the implementation of policies such as whistleblower protections will continue to encourage citizens and County employees to come forward when they feel something is not right.  If you seek to report an issue, please contact Orange County's Ombudsman, http://www.ocfl.net/Ombudsman.
 
Transparency Highlighted 

Orange County's Transparency Highlighted in Watchdog Report

A new report by Florida State University's LeRoy Collins Institute and the government watchdog group, Integrity Florida, highlighted Orange County's transparency and local disclosure requirements.

The report said the Board of County Commissioners closed voting conflict loopholes by requiring board members to declare previous business relationships prior to casting a vote that would benefit a recent business partner.

To read about Orange County's tighter disclosure rules and whistle blower protections, go to page 13 of the report.

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Economic Development

Colombia Trade Missions Yields Economic Results

Meeting at Aburr� Sur Chamber of Commerce
In November, I flew to Colombia for my second trade mission, which included stops in the progressive cities of Bogot� and Medell�n. The mission solidified partnerships initially established during my first trade mission in August with the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando.

The most recent five-day mission trip resulted in a new conference coming to Orange County in 2014 called the Bio-Energy Conference of the Americas (BECA). BECA brings international experts, companies and higher education institutions together to showcase the latest technologies and advancements in renewable energy. In addition to BECA, the trade mission produced new collaborations and business opportunities for Central Florida business communities.

In December, a new daily nonstop flight from Bogot to Orlando International Airport began with a projected annual economic impact of $16 million. Expanding on this accomplishment, the November mission also included meetings with another airliner that could bring a new route, along with increased tourism and business development between Orlando and Colombia.

Because of its vibrant economy and close proximity to Central Florida, Colombia is Florida's second largest trading partner. I look forward to continuing our economic development partnership with Colombia and other progressive regions in Latin America.  

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Citizen Engagement

The Orange County Experience Launches


Members of the first Orange County Experience program
In December, my team launched The Orange County Experience, a 10 week program designed especially for citizens who are interested in learning more about their government. 

The program's goal is to help citizens better understand and navigate county departments and divisions, including the best way to engage with my office.

The Orange County Experience consists of 10 sessions with 20 selected citizens. The departments and divisions explored in each session were selected by citizens through an online survey.

I look forward to continuing this program and engaging citizens through local government.

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Staff Appointments

New Appointments at Orange County

Last month, Orange County was fortunate to fill three key leadership positions with persons having exceptional qualifications and professional experience. 

Join me in welcoming Orange County's new Fire Chief, Otto Drozd. He began his career as a firefighter in the City of Hialeah and was ultimately appointed Hialeah Fire Chief in 2001. He previously served as Fire Chief for the City of El Paso, Texas before joining our team. Chief Drozd brings 25 years of public sector and fire service experience to Orange County.

We are also honored to have Alberto Vargas as our new Planning Manager in the Community Environmental and Development Services Department. Previously, Mr. Vargas served as Assistant Planning Director and Community Redevelopment Agency Director for the City of Winter Park. He has more than 17 years of experience in agency and department management, planning, urban design and redevelopment.

I am also pleased to announce the appointment of Kathleen Canning to the position of Executive Director of the Orange County Convention Center. Ms. Canning has been with the Convention Center since 1984 and was instrumental in the development of the center's expansion projects.

Orange County is fortunate to have these remarkable people serving our region, and I am thrilled to have them on my team.

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Helping Neighbors

Neighbors Helping Neighbors: Parks and Recreation Architect Puts Heart and Soul into Toy Drive  


For 25 years, Brent McCallister, a landscape architect with Orange County's Parks and Recreation Division, has crafted handmade wooden train sets for his sons and family friends.

Fortunately, recipients of my Holiday Heroes Toy Drive have also benefitted from Brent's intricate toy making skills. Brent has generously donated several train sets that he personally designed and assembled in his garage woodshop for my toy drive.

"It sounds difficult, but it's very therapeutic for me," said Brent, whose office is located at Barnett Park Administration. "With the carving, glue and all the parts, one train set usually takes about two months to make."

In past years, most of his creations have gone to Toys for Tots and other similar toy drives. Brent said the Holiday Heroes Toy Drive allows him to give back to the community he has enjoyed working for during the past 12 years.

And with a new granddaughter up north, Brent now spends most of his spare time crafting cradles and other pieces for little girls. He's planning an even bigger project for his granddaughter, now that his handcrafted Holiday Heroes toy sets have been distributed.

"I'm planning to make my way to my son's house so I can build that dollhouse for her," he said.

Thank you, Brent, for giving so generously of your time and talents to make the holidays brighter for children in our community.

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News Worth Noting ...



- I
 was honored to attend the Grand Menorah Lighting at Chabad of South Orlando earlier in December with Sheriff Jerry Demings. 

- POWER-GEN International, the world's largest conference and exhibition for the power generation and public utilities sector, brought thousands of executives from around the world to the Orange County Convention Center to learn about the latest advances in nuclear, wind, solar and biodiesel generation. 

- Last month, we recognized members of Orange County's Citizen Corps Council, whose terms expired at the end of December.

- Two-time Olympic gold-medalist Gabrielle Douglas visited the Orange County Library's Downtown Orlando branch last month and was presented a key to our County.

- It was my pleasure speaking at the Paws for Peace Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony at Harbor House of Central Florida. 

- Commissioners for Districts One, Three, and Five were sworn in at the Orange County Regional History Center in December.

- Orange County has signed a sister city agreement with the Region of Hart van Brabant in the Netherlands.

- I had a fantastic time at the 36th Annual Apopka Christmas Parade on December 8,  hosted by the Foliage Sertoma Club of Apopka.  

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Issue 18

 

              
              


 

 

   

 
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Mayor Teresa Jacobs
201 South Rosalind Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801


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