City of Orlando

Celebrating Orlando's Political Pioneers Recognizing the City of Orlando’s 150th anniversary this year gives us the opportunity to celebrate individuals who’ve helped strengthen our city over the years. This includes community service trailblazers like Commissioner Mable Butler, Mayor Glenda Hood and the late Commissioner Mary I. Johnson, who were honored at Orange County Regional History Center's Women’s History Breakfast today. Commissioner Butler, who will turn 98 later this spring, is a beloved civil rights leader who worked to ensure a more inclusive community for all. She was the first Black woman elected to the Orlando City Council, serving as District 6 City Commissioner from 1984-90. Later she was the first Black elected official to serve on the Orange County Commission. Commissioner Butler is still active and engaged, including volunteering her time to serve residents at our L. Claudia Allen Senior Center. In 1992, Mayor Hood became the first female mayor of Orlando. During her time at City Hall, she advocated for smart growth to build safe neighborhoods and add more parks to the city. One of Mayor Hood’s biggest undertakings was the redevelopment of the Naval Training Center and the creation of Baldwin Park. She served for three terms before becoming Florida’s Secretary of State. Mayor Hood also remains active in the community, including serving on the Orlando Land Trust Board, where she advocates for improving and protecting parks, playgrounds and green spaces for all residents. Commissioner Johnson was the first Hispanic to be elected to the Orlando City Council, where she served three terms between 1980 and 1992. She then became the first Hispanic to be elected to the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, where she served another 12 years. During her 24-year tenure as an elected official, she also served on more than a dozen key community boards, including the LYNX Central Florida Regional Transportation Authority, the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority, United Arts, MetroPlan Orlando and the Central Florida YMCA.

Last week the City’s Permitting Services Division hosted students from AMIkids, a national, non-profit organization that provides holistic programs and services for at-risk young people, focusing on education, workforce development, treatment, and behavior/skills training, with the goal of empowering them to discover their potential and build a positive future. During the AMIKids visit, City Permitting Services employees from each discipline, including inspectors, engineers, building officials, architects, customer service and division managers shared the responsibilities of their role and how each play into the overall development of safe, sustainable and affective buildings within our city. Students also had the opportunity to talk with staff who perform the job they are interested in pursuing. In Orlando, AMIKids operates out of the Ivy Lane, Rock Lake and John H. Jackson Neighborhood Centers. Partnerships with organizations like AMIKids ensures we are doing our part as a city to connect young residents with support and guidance that help pave the path to a successful and healthy future.

Since its formation in 2008, IDignity has helped thousands of people in our community – including those experiencing homelessness – obtain needed identification to access housing, employment, bank accounts and social services. During this period, the nonprofit organization has been without its own physical address, moving from location to location around the area. Soon IDignity will have its own headquarters. With a little help from Mayor Dyer and Mayor Demings, ground has been broken on its permanent operational headquarters just south of downtown Orlando. The location on Atlanta Avenue will include 12,000-square feet of office space and 5,000-square feet of client event space. The permanent location will allow IDignity to serve more people, helping them access valid forms of identification that can assist them in moving forward with their lives.

On this day in 2018, baby Micah made a grand entrance—right in the parking lot of Orlando Fire Station 11! Candace Howes went into labor early in the morning, expecting to deliver at a hospital. But Micah had other plans. With no time to spare, Candace and her husband, Zack, made their way to Station 11, where Orlando Fire Department crews on shift helped deliver their son. Now, every March, the Howes family visits the station to celebrate this incredible moment. And as if the story couldn’t get any better—Micah and his mom even share the same birthday. Stories like this remind us of the dedication and care our first responders bring to our community every day.

For children, reading should be fun. Reading can help them go on new adventures, learn new skills and information and see the world through the perspective of others. To help young residents find joy in reading, we partner with Orange County Library System to bring Mayor Buddy's Book Club to our neighborhood centers. The program aims to encourage leisure time reading and creative expression, while improving literacy in our community. Mayor Dyer recently visited with book club participants to read from "Future Hero" by Remi Blackwood and to learn more from the children about their favorite books and why they enjoy reading. We hope you can learn more about the book club and how you can get involved --> https://lnkd.in/eRiCCZ7H

Blending Innovation & Inclusion: Kudos to These Forward-Thinking Entrepreneurs! Leyla Colon and Jorge Perez are redefining what it means to provide exceptional customer experiences at The Smoothie Room in SoDo District. Since taking ownership in late 2023, they’ve tailored their menu to meet the needs of a diverse customer base, offering specialized blends that support heart health, diabetes management, fitness goals, and more. But their dedication goes beyond nutrition. In February 2024, The Smoothie Room became the first Orlando business to join Orlando Health’s Neuro-Friendly Restaurant Initiative, which aims to better serve customers with “invisible injuries” like stroke, brain trauma, and progressive disorders such as Parkinson’s disease. Through this initiative, Leyla and Jorge are making sure their space feels welcoming and accommodating to everyone. They’ve trained their staff to be sensitive to various neurological conditions, ensuring patience, understanding, and personalized assistance when needed. The menu design is also optimized for readability, and they’ve implemented quiet zones to offer a calming environment for those who may need it. Looking ahead, Leyla and Jorge are planning even more accessibility features, including tools and services for individuals who are blind, deaf, or have other disabilities. Their vision is to create a truly inclusive space where everyone feels valued and comfortable. Watch Reel here: https://lnkd.in/eGCAQX6a

Increasing our community’s housing stock is a priority for the City of Orlando. We’re thankful to the members of our Planning team who continuously update our Growth Management Plan. Their work ensures our zoning regulations and land development codes allow for the innovative adaptive reuse of underused properties like the one where the Milk Stacks apartments now stand on Bumby Avenue. Developed by Atrium Management Company, the Milk Stacks has 27 units, plus a design that fits in well in The Milk District, one of our popular Orlando Main Streets districts. Mayor Dyer and Commissioner Sheehan recently helped Atrium celebrate the ribbon cutting for the apartments. Having a city Planning team that is consistently researching and amending our codes while also implementing new initiatives to keep up with development trends allows developers like Atrium to propose and build new concepts like this that continue to aid in increasing our city’s housing stock.

Finance professionals in our Office of Business and Financial Services and from many City of Orlando departments provide vital services that are essential to ensure that our community is a great place to live, and that our municipal government is prepared to face any challenges that may come Orlando's way. ? The Florida Government Finance Officers Association sponsors Government Finance Professionals Week on annual basis to recognize their hard work, dedication and leadership. In recognition of Government Finance Professionals Week, Mayor Dyer joined these valued members of our team to present them with a proclamation and thank them for their high standards of budgeting, accounting and financial reporting that allows us to best serve the community. Please join us in thanking and celebrating the City of Orlando’s finance professionals for all that they do.

Share Your Orlando Memories We’re building a special online scrapbook, a Digital History Board, to celebrate our city's 150th anniversary, and we want YOU to be a part of it! Share written narratives, photographs, articles, newspaper clippings, and anything else that tells the story of your Orlando. These contributions will be featured on our community history board throughout the year. Visit Orlando.gov/150 to share your history and learn more about how we’re celebrating.