June 2007
Community Paper
copyright ©2007 by Community Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.


From the Desk of City Commissioner Robert Stuart

Dear Friends:
In May, the Orlando City Council approved the operating agreements for three venues in Downtown Orlando. It is a decision, I'm convinced, we will look back upon years from now as a pivotal point in the history of our great city. During the past few months, there has been much discussion about this plan and, of course, the direction for Orlando. As your commissioner, I wanted to briefly frame the issues and share some personal thoughts with you, just in case you missed Monday's public meeting or the Orange TV Broadcast.

For the past few years, the issue of building these venues has been foremost on the minds of many in our community as well as many of our community leaders. To build a new events center, a world-class performing arts center, and complete a major renovation of the Citrus Bowl would require vision, courage and capital. First, let me congratulate Mayor Buddy Dyer for his personal leadership on moving this vision forward. Without his leadership and the cooperation of Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty, this would still be an idea in the minds of a few. They crafted a joint vision to create a vibrant downtown and have used these venues, among many other ideas, to bring the overall picture into focus. There is a cast of thousands who have played a part in this process. We need to remember and appreciate our former Mayors Bill Frederick and Glenda Hood for their leadership, especially as we bring together a great plan for our performing arts center.

But vision, without the courage to implement it, is just an idea. Without the leadership of our mayors combined with the courage of our venue partners, we would have never been able to take the next step. Some of you may disagree, but I'm grateful for the leadership of Steve Hogan (Florida Citrus Sports), Kathy Ramsberger (Orlando Performing Arts Center) and Alex Martins (Orlando Magic) for their perseverance, as we have accomplished so much.

Last, but not least, is the lingering question, "Can we afford it?" We are at a unique time in our community's history. During this small window of time, we have the ability to complete this plan with a major funding source coming from our hospitality industry. With partners like Orange County Government, Central Florida Hospitality Industry, Orlando Magic, Florida Citrus Sports, and OPAC…we have already set the standard for public and private partnerships to mobilize the resources needed to complete the monumental tasks ahead.

In September 2006 when Mayor Dyer, along with Mayor Crotty, announced the initial agreement to undertake this task, I asked our constituents in District 3 to write me and express their opinions on this venue plan. I have received more than 350 emails and countless phone calls from interested citizens expressing their thoughtful concerns and helping me raise serious questions about these projects. While the responses were overwhelmingly in favor of the venue plan, I appreciated every person who took the time to express their personal concerns. Once again, we showed that we could move our community forward as we share our viewpoints within an open dialogue.

Some of you have asked the question of funding. As a refresher, the special Tourist Development Tax (TDT) can only be used for what has been specified within the State of Florida Statute. The last TDT increase, commonly called the sixth cent, can only be used for either advertising or a professional sports arena. So, as some have asked us, to "take" this money and use it for either education or police is not possible. However, I'm convinced that Orlando will be able to continue the Mayor's Public Safety Initiative in spite of the proposed changes within the property tax revenue plan.

What is next? As requested by the Orange County Commission, we have completed these venue agreements and have answered all of their concerns before we seek formal approval from the Tourist Development Board for the use of the additional resources. In June, we will await final approval and then we're off and running. Do we expect more challenges ahead of us? Of course we do. But, with the current air of cooperation between the City of Orlando, Orange County, and our venue partners, we will overcome them and look back on this journey knowing is was worth the effort.

As always, I welcome your comments. We have a great city, with great people and places. I'm excited about our future and look forward to working together to make Orlando World Class!

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)