 Dear Neighbor,
Happy New Year!
It was just over one year ago that I began serving as Mayor of Orange County, one of the most dynamic and diverse counties in the nation. Having completed my first full year in office, I wanted to provide you with an update on some of the milestones from 2011.
My first priority as Mayor was to improve the culture of Orange County Government by establishing a set of core values: professionalism, integrity, strong work ethic, innovation, fairness and accountability. As Mayor, my primary goal is to serve and work for the citizens of Orange County. By challenging the status quo and opening the doors of County government to taxpayers, I have begun to change the experience and relationship our citizens have with their local government. I am committed to giving you better access to open and responsive government services and building a fiscally conservative operation in which taxpayer dollars are spent wisely. I hope you agree that this special Year-in-Review e-newsletter shows we're moving Orange County on the right path toward economic sustainability.
Thank you for your support in 2011. Let's keep the momentum going in 2012.
Teresa Jacobs
Orange County Mayor |
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Good Government
- We opened a "one-stop shop" for permitting on the first floor of the Orange County Administration Center, giving customers one central location to acquire permits and ending the need to visit several locations throughout Orange County.
- We reduced Orange County's budget for fiscal year 2011-12 by 5% from the prior year's budget, while preserving the core services that matter most to our citizens.
- There's new oversight and accountability at Workforce Central Florida and similar needed changes are well underway at the Orlando-Orange County Expressway.
- We closed loopholes in Orange County's Ethics Code, setting the highest standard of ethics and disclosure in the State of Florida and, perhaps, the nation.
- We created an Ombudsman position for Orange County to field inquiries, suggestions and complaints from both citizens and employees.
- We consolidated several senior level positions and created a Chief Accountability Officer, who oversees the Office of Professional Standards and Risk Management.
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Economic Development
- The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) voted unanimously to significantly reduce the impact fees assessed to developers, to provide a financial incentive and address the County's cost of providing capital facilities and services needed to serve that community.
- The BCC also agreed to hold a January 2012 voter referendum that, if approved, would authorize property tax exemptions for new or expanding businesses that are creating new jobs.
- The construction site for Florida Hospital's future SunRail Station opened, creating the prospect of more than 13,500 jobs, with an economic benefit of $1.55 billion for our region.
- We held nine Economic and Jobs Summits throughout Orange County, leading to some positive trends in Metro Orlando's unemployment rate in late 2011.
- Our modeling, simulation and training industry received a top 10 U.S. ranking for technology innovations stemming from new patents and emerged as the second largest sector for job creation and expansion in Orange County. Additionally, we're capitalizing on the research at Lake Nona's new Medical City.
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Public Engagement
- I created Orange County's Office of Public Engagement (OPECA) to make it easier for citizens to be more engaged in their government. My office also named specific outreach liaisons for the African-American, Hispanic and Asian communities.
- We held the County's first Youth Leadership Conference, attended by 200 students from 20 Orange County public high schools. Approximately 7,000 additional students participated through social media. Shelby Nater, a senior at Freedom High School, won the "Mayor for a Day" contest based on the number of "likes" she received on Facebook.
- We launched the OCFL ALERT application, the first of its kind in Emergency Management mobility, providing iPhone and iPad users with timely information during an emergency. On the technology front, I am enjoying the interaction with citizens on Facebook and the feedback from our monthly e-newsletter, Orange County Connect.
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News Worth Noting
- The University of Central Florida accepted the all-sports invitation to join the BIG EAST Conference, joining the ranks of Notre Dame, Seton Hall, Villanova, Rutgers and Georgetown.
- Valencia College won the 2011 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence, which is based on data collected by the U.S. Department of Education.
- The NBA lockout ended and the Orlando Magic's season opened on Christmas Day at the Amway Center.
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View Orange County's 2011 Annual Report. This report provides information on our goals, objectives and accomplishments in 2011.
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