Business

From the Commissioner’s Desk

Published in Insight Magazine, February 2011

Insight Magazine is an East / Southeast Orlando publication and this update is written specifically for this audience.

By Jennifer Thompson, Orange County Commissioner, District 4

What an incredible past 30 days it has been for me. After taking office officially as your new District 4 Commissioner for Orange County on January 4, I made it a priority to get the ball rolling on a number of different projects. This article is the first in a monthly series designed to inform you, the East Orange County resident, of what’s going on throughout the year. I look forward to serving you and hearing from you whenever there is an issue.

Here are some of the things I’ve been working on:

Alafaya Trail Widening – The Board of County Commissioners (BCC) approved the construction bid for the widening of the road on January 25 and construction is finally scheduled to begin work in the next month or so. Construction should last just over two years. The road being built is far less than what was originally promised as it lacks lighting, landscaping and a bike lane during the initial phase; but, I will continue to press for the addition of the lighting and landscaping. The bike lane was removed by a vote of the BCC several years ago, and due to a lack of available right of way, cannot be added.

The official ground breaking ceremony for the Alafaya Trail widening is taking place in conjunction with the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce luncheon at Stoneybrook East on February 16 at 11:30am. We will also be hosting a community meeting on Thursday, March 3, from 6-8 p.m. at Stone Lakes Elementary to outline construction timelines, expectations and explore options for landscaping and lighting.

Narcoossee Road – The widening of Narcoossee Road continues to be a drain on local businesses, both in the County’s and the City of Orlando’s respective zones. My office is currently working with local businesses to improve communication regarding the construction timeline. Orange County’s portion of the road is scheduled to be completed by the summer while the city’s portion is scheduled to be completed by March or April.

Parks – I’ve spent this first 30 days working on several parks and recreation-related projects, including ball fields, and hope to have specific announcements on my progress in the next several months. If you represent a local team or organized athletic organization and would be interested in serving in an advisory/grassroots capacity to bring additional recreational facilities to East Orange County, please contact my County office.

Graffiti – My office has begun working with the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and Orange County Code Enforcement Officers to address the issues and identify potential opportunities to be proactive in dealing with it. If you are interested in being part of the solution, again, please contact my office.

Jobs – Jobs and economic development are my number one concentrations as your County Commissioner. I have already convened a meeting of the Innovation Way stakeholders and have begun working with Orange County staff on economic development issues and policy discussions to improve the environment for businesses looking to make Orange County home and/or expand here. Most of the calls I have received from business owners are related to communication and inefficiency issues. In that regard, my office is actively supporting the Mayor’s initiatives to streamline operations and provide better overall customer service. I recently traveled to Brevard County to attend a meeting of their Space Coast Energy Consortium and was quite impressed by the forward-thinking discussions and collaboration amongst businesses in this region. My desire is to work regionally to create new industry opportunities and help jumpstart job creation in our community.

Overall, it’s been a busy and productive first 30 days in office. I wanted to take a moment and remind you that I’m here for you, so if you need to reach my office, please visit my website at www.JenniferThompson.net or follow me on Facebook on the Jennifer Thompson, Orange County Commissioner page.

I hope that you will consider getting involved in your local government because I firmly believe that together, we will make a difference in Orange County.

Big Bold Ideas

Sep 20th, 2010

by jennthompson.

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Jane Healy of the Orlando Sentinel recently wrote an editorial asking where the big, bold ideas are from our candidates in the upcoming Mayoral election on November 2. I completely acknowledge that the media is not covering our County Commission race because there are much bigger races overshadowing ours this year. However, once again, I submitted a response to Healy’s editorial and received no response. I thought I would post this online for your review.

Thompson’s Response to Healy’s September 12 Editorial.

Bravo, Ms. Healy, for rightly stating in last Sunday’s Feet To The Fire column that big, bold ideas are needed to move Orange County forward. Our burgeoning “health care footprint” in Medical City is indeed what we need to nurture and protect. Its success or failure will determine what Orlando and Central Florida will look like in ten, twenty years. But leadership on this issue need not be solely relegated to the candidates for Mayor; arguably the next District 4 County Commissioner will be in the driver’s seat as we travel down Innovation Way.
Back in 2003, I co-led and co-wrote the visioning document that was used in part for crafting the Innovation Way vision. Long-term planning is just that: setting goals and carrying them forward over ten, twenty, thirty years, despite how heavy the load may become.

Innovation Way hasn’t stopped solely because of the real estate market, it’s also halted because Orange County no longer acts like it’s a priority. That’s ok… because if we don’t get our act together, Osceola County is happy to capitalize on creating an “Innovation Economy” and taking advantage of Orange County’s investment in Burnham, the VA Hospital and the UCF Med School as they recently did in unanimously passing changes to their comprehensive plan for the lands on the back side of the Medical City. Good for Osceola! But Orange needs to get back on track now before our road map to successful economic diversification is snapped up by our neighbors.

You call for big ideas? How about an Enterprise Zone for this area (let’s work with the State and our regional partners)? How about an ‘Innovation Fund’ to help middle stage companies willing to expand? How about a core focus for making East Central Florida the worldwide hub for medical modeling and simulation companies – take what we did with Research Park (a $10 Billion statewide industry) and do it again with medical modeling? How about true strategic, private/public partnerships (like medical modeling, NASA partnerships, etc…) designed for creating new industries and taking Central Florida into the next century?

These are the kinds of things my colleagues and I are working towards in District 4, where Innovation Way sits smack dab in the center of our community and our future. As you’re looking for leadership, just adjust your gaze a bit to the east and you’ll find it.

Economy: UCF Med School Classes Start Monday, Mark Big Change

Jul 29th, 2010

by jennthompson.

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Next Monday marks a significant day for our community with the official opening of the UCF Medical School in Lake Nona’s “medical city.”

The economic and job growth potential for this area – both in the short and long-term – is enormous and has the potential to impact future generations. It started several years ago. Monday it will hit another milestone. Tomorrow? That’s up to our local leaders.

I was recently sent an e-mail by a voter asking my plan for job creation.

I am a believer that it is not the role of government to create jobs, but rather to create a business-friendly environment that is predictable and fair. A few points of my plan I shared with him include:

Eliminating Government Red Tape
Establishing an Innovation Fund to nurture middle stage companies and attract new industries
Becoming a Champion for Job Creation in our Region