Jennifer Thompson

Back to school already? The summer proved to be a busy time for your District 4 office.  Here’s a quick recap of a few things we have been working on during the summer months.

Faith Community Outreach Committee

On July 19^th I hosted our first Faith-Based Community Outreach Committee meeting and was thrilled to welcome over 40 local churches, faith-based leaders, and community members. The purpose of this committee is to establish an ongoing dialogue and to share best practices on how together we will meet the needs of our community.  I plan to make this a quarterly gathering, so if you are interested in getting involved, please contact my office.

District 4- Redistricting Public Hearing

We hosted the Redistricting Public Hearing on August 3^rd at the Orange County Cooperative Extension Auditorium in Conway.   I’m pleased to report that there were over 100 people in attendance, which is the most of any redistricting meeting to-date!   I’d also like to offer a special shout out to the Conway Community Council for addressing their concerns pertaining to redistricting as well as the citizens from Pine Castle, Belle Isle, Lake Nona, East Orlando, Meadow Woods and beyond.  The RAC meetings will continue through September with the final proposal being due to the BCC on or before October 1^st.  A full list of RAC meeting dates including all proposed maps can be found at www.ocfl.net/RAC .

First Annual District 4 Back to School Event

Thank you to everybody for making our First Annual District 4 Back to School event a huge success!  Your District 4 office collected donations on behalf of Orange County Government and distributed 1,100 backpacks full of school supplies to families in need throughout our community! Our event welcomed over 3,000 people and proved to be a day of family fun with local businesses, county resources, and entertainment.  We truly could not have done it without you! I look forward to working with everyone again next year!

Planning Ahead for Better Recreational Options

In response to the overwhelming interest in the single Parks and Recreation Advisory Board vacancy and the need for additional recreation facilities throughout our district, I have formed the District 4 Parks and Recreational Task Force Committee. This committee will help address the needs, concerns, and possible solutions for our district’s park and recreational needs.  We held our first meeting on August 16^th at the Renaissance Senior Center.  If you would like to join other interested community leaders and recreational advisors, I invite you to get involved by contacting Jason Russo in my office or emailing him at Jason.russo@ocfl.net. 

I’ve really enjoyed my first eight months as your County Commissioner and am working hard every day to make Orange County a better place to call home. If you have questions or concerns regarding any of the committees, meetings, or events above, please feel free to contact me at Jennifer.Thompson@OCFL.net or at (407)836-5881. As always, I want to hear what you’re thinking, so please feel free to reach out for anything.