Mayor Teresa Jacobs said the state of Orange County government is strong and the local economy is getting stronger. Jacobs made these observations Friday, while delivering the 2012 State of the County Address downtown Orlando.
“…I am proud to report that the state of Orange County Government is strong and our local economy is getting stronger,” she said. “The European financial crisis still threatens us, but from the depths of a recession that we thought would never end, it is possible to see a future without limits.”
While underscoring that tourism remained the backbone of the economy, Jacobs said progress was being made in manufacturing, high tech, life sciences and medical research. She added that, from a cluster of theme parks and hotels, the county now has a cluster of simulation and training companies and soon will have a cluster of hospitals and research centers.
Jacobs touted the “prudent and conservative fiscal management” of Orange County Government saying, “we’re cheap and darn proud of it.”
Jacobs also referenced the changing culture of County government and its move toward greater transparency and openness. She recalled the once scandal-ridden Workforce Central Florida jobs agency and the black box Orlando-Orange County Expressway Authority which is now “much more transparent.”
“Transparency and ethics are more than just feel-good notions,” she said. “They are good business.”
The mayor praised the collaboration and partnership which had led to SunRail, Central Florida’s first commuter rail, currently under construction. She said a regional transportation authority that would link the regional rail, expressway and bus system was under consideration. Reference was also made to the significant collaboration too, which had taken place within the context of the Medical City.
Talking football, much in the news over the past several weeks, Jacobs said, while the way forward on the refurbishment of the Citrus Bowl “hadn’t always been smooth sailing,” she hoped construction could begin in 2014.
Although funding for refurbishment of the Citrus Bowl is still to be worked out, expenditures to renovate and improve the Orange County Convention Center are not in doubt. Jacobs said, some $175 million will be spent on the Center to ensure that the $2.2 billion annual economic impact to the County, continues to be realized.
