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January 2, 2009
- City News |
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Mayor's
Message |
Dear Friend,
It’s hard to believe
another year is upon us. While 2008 was a
historic year for our country with the election
of Barack Obama as president, the year also
brought economic challenges. Yet, the City of
Orlando was able to persevere and celebrate some
successes in 2008, including beginning
construction on a new events center, breaking
ground on the Medical City in Lake Nona,
securing the VA Hospital in Orlando, launching
Orlando STOPS – the red light camera system, and
swearing in a new Chief of Police.
I look forward to
building on these successes in 2009. While I
know many of our residents continue to face
difficult times, I am committed to working with
the community to ensure Orlando withstands the
current economic downturn and is prepared for
future opportunities.
Happy 2009!
Sincerely,

Buddy Dyer
Mayor
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This section of
City News provides public safety updates on new and ongoing City
initiatives and opportunities for citizens to become engaged in their
neighborhoods.
Orlando Police Officers
Bring Holiday Cheer Round-Up
On December 18, the Orlando Police Department hosted “Shop with a Cop.”
This event provided local youth with an opportunity to purchase gifts
for themselves and their family at the Kirkman Road Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart
chose several local elementary schools and provided $40 gift cards to
the children to use during their shopping trip with the Orlando Police
Department’s School Resource Officers.
On December 19, members of the Orlando Police Department’s Parramore
Bike Unit, West Neighborhood Patrol Unit and the Community Involvement
Section hosted the annual Jackson Community Center Christmas party. The
party provided a gift and Christmas dinner to more than 200 children in
Parramore and surrounding neighborhoods. The success of this event was
made possible by the generous contributions from residents and local
businesses.
Hug a Bear
The Waterbridge Elementary School student council donated 100 stuffed
bears to the Orlando Police Department to be used for the Hug a Bear
project. The bears were distributed to various sections within the
police department who work closely with child victims, such as the
Crimes Against Children Unit, School Resource Officers and the Patrol
Unit. Officers will give the bears to children who have been victimized
or witnessed a tragic event.
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A Bright Idea to Save Money and
EnergyIf every household in
America switched five regular light bulbs with five compact fluorescent
bulbs, it would be the equivalent of taking a million cars off the
highways for a full year. Compact fluorescent bulbs use 70 percent less
electricity to provide the same amount of light and will last
approximately 10,000 hours compared with 1,000 hours for the typical
incandescent bulb.
This simple task will continue to save
you money on your electric bill month after month. Take an inventory of
the lights in your house and which ones are used the most and replace
those with compact fluorescent bulbs. And of course – remember to turn
off the lights when you are not using them. Keeping your electric bill
low and helping the environment can be as easy as changing a light bulb.
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Events Center Webcam
Watch
the progress of the construction of the new
Events Center with the Events Center Webcam.
Showing a bird’s eye view of the two blocks
south of Church Street and west of I-4 which
will become the home of the City’s new venue for
sports, music and entertainment, this camera
takes a picture every 15 minutes and saves the
photos so viewers can watch the progress like a
movie. The webcam can be found online.
Community Venues Construction Update
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Mayor In The
Community |
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On Saturday,
December 27, Mayor Buddy Dyer attended the
Champs Sports Bowl, where Florida State
University defeated the University of
Wisconsin at the Florida Citrus Bowl.
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On Tuesday,
December 30, Mayor Buddy Dyer participated
on the City of Orlando’s float in the
Orlando Citrus Parade in Downtown Orlando.
The parade was broadcast by tape-delay
nationally and aired in Orlando on Thursday
morning on ABC.
- On Thursday,
January 1, Mayor Dyer attended Orlando’s
second bowl game, the Capital One Bowl,
where the University of Georgia defeated
Michigan State.
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Did You
Know? |
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Parramore Tennis Program
In collaboration with the City of Orlando,
United States Tennis Association (USTA) of
Florida partnered with the University of Central
Florida Tennis Foundation to introduce tennis to
the children of Parramore at the Dr. J. B.
Callahan Community Center. This year, 30
children were introduced to tennis using the new
QuickStart format of play, which provides a way
to bring kids 10 and under into the game by
utilizing equipment, court dimensions and
scoring that is tailored to their age and size.
The eight-week program took place every Tuesday
for two hours and recently ended its last
session on December 16. The QuickStart Tennis
format of play was popular with the children
because they could immediately pick up a racquet
and play with their friends.
Every child from the program will go on to
participate in the 2009 Spring USTA Jr. Team
Tennis season at the Orlando Tennis Center. The
children will play in the eight and under
QuickStart Tennis division, which is the first
time it will be offered as part of the USTA Jr.
Team Tennis league in Orlando.
In addition, the UCF Tennis Foundation paid for
USTA memberships for all 30 participants. With
these USTA memberships, every child received a
youth Wilson US Open tennis racket, EZ Hit foam
tennis balls, a USTA membership card and a
one-year subscription to Smash and Play Tennis
Florida magazines.
It is the goal of all the organizations involved
to reach more children at the Callahan Community
Center and have them play the lifetime sport of
tennis. In addition to the 2009 Spring USTA Jr.
Team Tennis league, USTA Jr. Team Tennis leagues
will be offered in the summer and fall. For more
information on City of Orlando youth recreation
programs, visit cityoforlando.net
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Upcoming
Events |
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City Hall
400 South Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 32801
Phone: 407.246.2221 Fax: 407.246.2842 Email:
buddy.dyer@cityoforlando.net |
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Headlines
Mayor's Message
Happy New Year
Public Safety
Update
Orlando Police Officers Bring Holiday Cheer
Hug a Bear
GreenWorks Orlando Update
A Bright Idea to Save Money and Energy
Community Venues
Update
Community Venues Webcam
Mayor in the
Community
Did You Know?
Parramore Tennis Program
Upcoming Events
Road Closures
City
I-4
East-West Expressway
Useful Links
City News Archive
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Releases
Mayor
Buddy Dyer
City Council
City Phone Numbers
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Meeting Videos
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Downtown Parking Map
Police Online Reporting
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Parking Tickets
Orlando Stops Tickets
Online Permiting
Report a Code Violation
Captial Projects
Other online services
Orlando Venues
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