October 2006 , Volume 17 Number 10
Community Paper
copyright ©2006 by Community Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
From the Desk of City Commissioner Robert Stuart
Dear Friend:
As we begin a busy fall season, much is happening in the City of Orlando and all around Central Florida. I wanted to give you a brief update on some of the highlights…
On Saturday, September 30th, we are holding our first District 3 Neighborhood Leadership Forum at the Orlando Science Center. During my recent campaign for Orlando City Council, I visited with you, the residents of District 3, from Rosemont to Baldwin Park and places in between. At almost every home, I heard from neighbors about their concerns stemming from the many issues facing our community. I also heard that many were unsure where to turn for assistance, as you try to make our community a better place to live, work and play.
As part of my efforts to unite the neighborhoods of our district, I decided that it was imperative to hold a district-wide discussion, made up of neighborhood leaders, elected officials from all over Central Florida and City staff. Our goal is to identify the needs of the district and then formulate an action plan based on the findings. If you are interested in participating in this event, please contact your local neighborhood association. If you are not certain whom to contact, feel free to call your District 3 office (407-246-2003) and we can steer you in the right direction.
The issue of community venues is moving forward, with each of the three parts of the puzzle presenting to the Orange County Commission during the past few weeks. Recently, the third installment of the presentations occurred with the Orlando Magic making their voice heard at the County Commission meeting. While the Magic did not disclose an actual dollar figure that they are willing to contribute, they did commit to paying their fair share and also helping to make a new performing arts center a reality. There was an interesting twist at the meeting with members of the County Commission proposing to build the new arena and the performing arts center on International Drive rather than within Downtown Orlando. The decisions are far from decided, so if you have an opinion on the different proposals, I would ask you to contact me and your other elected officials at both the City and the County to let us know what you think.
As part of the City's three year Public Safety Initiative, Mayor Dyer has established the Mayor's Neighborhood Safety Task Force, composed of representatives from the entire community, to work in tandem with OPD to tackle crime-related issues and education, and to help develop a strategic action plan using police, volunteer and community resources. This task force as met twice and is commissioned to provide an action plan in January that will help our community stem this rising tide. I have attended these meetings and applaud the diligence of Chairman, Dr. Stanley Stone and the entire group of committed citizens.
As always, it’s an honor to serve you and I look forward to seeing you all around District 3 in the coming months.
Robert F. Stuart, District 3 City Commissioner
400 S. Orange Avenue, Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407-246-2003; e-mail Robert.Stuart@cityoforlando.net
or check out Orlando’s website (www.cityoforlando.net)
