Although Orlando City Commissioner Daisy Lynum (District 5) seemed to assure at yesterday’s council meeting that the tensions over compensation between the city and a number of merchants near the Amway Center have been resolved, it seems that that it is far from being the case.
At a workshop Monday morning during which Alex Martins, Orlando Magic CEO and Gary Sain, CEO, Visit Florida, provided highlights of the NBA All-Star Weekend, Lynum vaguely talked about the “city staff who had been working hard on some items which would be talked about later,” at the council meeting.
“A lot of work is being done behind the scenes to make everything pleasant for everyone and certainly fair and equitable,” she opined.
But at the City Council meeting, Lynum didn’t have a whole lot to add, except to say the NBA All-Star will bring lots of money to the community, more jobs and more opportunity. While she referenced the workshop and the many public events surrounding the week-end, Lynum again made only a passing comment regarding the situation with the merchants.
“We have worked very, very hard,” she said. “….And with the merchants, that situation I believe, on our end, has already been taken care of, Mayor. …We are really proud of what we have done.”
But perhaps it’s not a done deal with the merchants, as Lynum appeared to suggest.
The city has offered compensation to the group of African-American merchants as they will be outside a fence that is being constructed on Church Street for the NBA All-Star Weekend.
While the merchants wanted a sum of $3.5 million, the city has offered $3,000 each for the four larger businesses and $1,500 each for the six smaller shops.
Lorenzo Williams, of the law firm, Gary, Williams, Finney, Lewis, Watson and Sperando, who is representing some of the merchants says, its not good enough, considering the amount of money that will be pouring in over the NBA All-Star Week-end.
The city expects about 50,000 out-of-town visitors and estimates the economic impact will be about $100 million over the NBA All-Star Weekend.
