April 2007
Community Paper
copyright ©2007 by Community Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.
From the Desk of City Commissioner Robert Stuart
In February, Mayor Dyer gave his Fourth Annual State of the City address to update our citizens on the City's accomplishments during the past year as well as to outline our goals moving forward. Centered on the theme of Pride, Progress and Partnerships, Mayor Dyer touched on a wide array of topics and announced some breaking news in the areas of economic development and public safety.
Mayor Dyer also announced that, based on the recommendations of the Creative Village Taskforce, the City is moving forward with plans to turn the current site of the Amway Arena into a “Creative Village.” Another key element in this plan was the exciting news that House of Moves, the world's largest motion capture service, is locating its east coast operations at the Florida Interactive Entertainment Academy. This will be the only professional motion capture soundstage on the East Coat and with film credits such as Spiderman II and Titanic,House of Moves will make a great cornerstone to the City's Creative Village.
On the environmental front, Mayor Dyer announced that the City, OUC and Orange County are working to secure a grant to accelerate the use of solar power technologies and to create the City's first “Green Fleet” of city vehicles utilizing alternative fuel sources.
Another topic covered in the Mayor's address that is integral to the enhancement of our Great City is the issue of homelessness. I am honored to be charged with organizing the first ever Regional Commission on Homelessness. Working with great staff from Orange, Osceola and Seminole Counties, we are uniting to organize a truly regional effort to address all of complex factors that contribute to homelessness in Central Florida.
The Mayor also focused much of his address on issue that are on the minds of many College Park and District 3 residents—public safety. While we have already committed $110 million during the next three years to providing 75 new police officers, 45 new firefighters, more 911 operators, more police substations, more fire stations and a new state of the art training facility, it was announced that the City is accelerating this initiative and implementing one of the key recommendations of the Mayor's Safe Orlando Task Force—the immediate addition of a fourth patrol division and a new tactical squad.
The tactical units that were already created, under the leadership and forward thinking of Chief Mike McCoy just under six months ago, have already netted 830 arrests, including 200 felony drug arrests, plus they have swept 52 firearms off our streets and recovered 35 stolen vehicles.
Another program that the Mayor recently implemented, The Illegal Gun Bounty Program, is already doing its part to curb crime in Orlando. The program is a partnership between the City of Orlando, the Orlando Police Department and Central Florida Crimeline.
And as a pledge of support for this important program and the City's public safety efforts as a whole, I have utilized our District 3 funds to pay this initial reward in hopes of encouraging our corporate and civic communities to follow suit. It is apparent that illegal guns are not used just within high crime areas, but all over our communities. Any effort to get these weapons off the streets has a direct impact on our neighborhoods all over District 3.
While all of the City's programs, efforts and goals can't be summed up in one speech, please know that as your District 3 commissioner I will continue to work with the Mayor and other members of the City Council to make our Great City a safer, happier and healthier place to live, work and play.
Robert
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)
