Economy

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

Each week I host a small business networking/mentoring group called Coffee Club. Recently, we welcomed Angela Salva as our guest speaker to share her personal journey about starting her own business with the 100 or so small business owners in attendance.

After graduating from UCF with a master’s degree in computer engineering she worked several years in the modeling and simulation industry. It was here that she saw the foundation being laid for the medical city in Lake Nona and decided that she was going to take the leap, do it her way and become a not-so small business owner.

Today, Angela is the CEO of her own small technology firm that she started from the ground up. When she was speaking to the group, I asked her, “Why here and why right now?” Her answer, point blank, was: “Because it is the right time and Orlando is the right place.”

Throughout the last year, I have met with multiple companies interested in creating real-wage jobs in District 4 – one is a national defense industry simulation company with a current location in Research Park. They have the federal go-ahead to take one of their clean-tech based research projects into commercialization.

That translates into real value positions and opportunities in the next 18 months – starting with 50+ jobs at $75,000+ per year. They want to be in the east/southeast Orange County region. Why? Because of Innovation Way, our proximity to the airport and the Beachline Expressway.

The District 4 region is appealing to dozens of companies just like this one, as long as our next leaders of Orange County are doing what it takes to get them here. The next county commissioner for District 4 needs to be focused on a long-term strategic development plan.

It is critical that we have a clear understanding of the environment that the business community is looking for when considering Central Florida as a potential home. It is also critical that Orange County is ready to retain those businesses looking to expand in our community – like the ones currently growing within the Central Florida Research Park and the surrounding areas.

As Orange County Commissioner, I plan to cultivate the strong business environment that will bring those real-wage jobs to the residents that are here now and those that will be here for future generations.

It is my firm belief that diversifying our economy and investing in jobs is our best bet for improving the housing crisis and creating needed economic stability and growth for the future.