ORLANDO, Fla. – Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer delivered the 2023 State of the City Address Wednesday morning in Loch Haven Cultural Park.
“It is an incredible time to be part of our Orlando community. We work together to build one of America’s premier 21st century cities, a modern melting pot where we create unmatched quality of life, where we expand opportunity for everybody and where we embody the uniquely American ideal that success doesn’t depend on being born into wealth, or privilege. It doesn’t depend on what you look like, or who you love or where you worship. It depends on effort, it depends on merit and it depends on opportunity. That’s the promise of America. That’s the promise of Orlando. That is exactly the promise of our Orlando,” Dyer said.
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The event at Harriett’s Orlando Ballet Centre lasted only around half an hour, held each year to share the city’s recent achievements and its plans for road ahead.
Among the first attaboys went to the city’s Community Response Team, already with more than 2,000 service calls taken on behalf of Orlando police officers, and among future plans mentioned was Beep’s expansion to the downtown Creative Village after some years spent using the self-driving shuttles in Lake Nona, Dyer said.
“By restructuring the (police) department, we’ve been able to increase the number of police officers taking calls and patrolling our streets by 20%. All of these are important reasons why we’ve experienced a 22% decrease in shootings and a 7% decrease overall in violent crime. As always, we can’t rest on our laurels, and that’s why we’re pursuing funding for an additional 20 new officers and eight 911 dispatchers in our next fiscal year,” Dyer said.
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Dyer lauded the city’s rising status in the foodie realm, listing area restaurants recognized by Michelin and even putting the spotlight on Kabooki Sushi owner Henry Moso, who’s a finalist for the prestigious James Beard Award.
“Just a few years ago, 22-year-old Henry chose Orlando as the place he wanted to open a restaurant that would showcase his unique take on sushi. He took advantage of the city’s small business program to expand his location on East Colonial,” Dyer said, having added he and his family recently celebrated his oldest son’s birthday at a Kabooki Sushi location.
The mayor also recognized Orlando fire Lt. Benjamin Wootson, who pulled a Seminole County deputy out of a burning vehicle in March.
“Lt. Wootson remains humble about the whole experience, crediting a decade of experience and God for putting him in the right place at the right time, but we don’t need to be humble about this real life hero and our fire department full of heroes,” Dyer said, leading an applause for the firefighter.
For more on Orlando’s future, Dyer urged it must center on prioritizing a quality of life that is second to none, speaking highly of intergenerational neighborhood spaces with something for everyone.
“That includes Prince Hall Park in Richmond Heights with playgrounds and what we call ‘Tables of Connection,’ picnic tables that are solar powered, shaded and outfitted with Wi-Fi hotspots and charging stations ... that also includes Commander Drive Park in our Semoran corridor, with fitness stations and our playground for everyone, which has wheelchair access,” Dyer said. “We’ve grown our bike trails by close to 70% and later this month we’ll open our newest regional park in the Packing District in partnership with Dr. Philips Charities and we’ll soon begin renovations on our beloved Lake Eola Park.”
From this notion, Dyer closed in part by reiterating the city’s commitments to its historically underserved and underrepresented communities.
“Creating a city with unmatched quality of life also means our commitment to inclusion must be unwavering. For years, Orlando has been a leader in establishing programs, partnerships and services for the LGBTQ+ community from the first domestic partner registry to adding adding gender identity to the city’s anti-discrimination policies. Seven years ago, after the Pulse tragedy, we showed the world what it means to love and support our LGBTQ neighbors in the face of unimaginable hate. Our love and support isn’t tied to one horrific act or one point in time. We must show it every single day, and right now it’s more important than ever that we make it known that Orlando will always be a city that prioritizes compassion and inclusion, a community that encourages everyone to be their authentic selves, and we will showcase this in October at our annual Come Out With Pride festival,” Dyer said.
See the speech again in the media player below:
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