by Gabriel Hillel
Slum-lords have been given million federal $$$ for rehabilitation of properties. Improvements were made initially. Once the federal funds were exhausted, properties were allowed to deteriorate again. When the time came to re-pay low-interest loans, the property owners simply defaulted and the federal government was left holding the bag.
On the ground, in Orlando, properties have been taken off the tax rolls, by creation of tax exempt non-profit corporations; public loans for affordable housing have been turned into grants; with few new units being constructed. Rehabilitation is the name of the game–seemingly
without the need to relocate anyone.
Potentially valuable tax assessable land is allowed to rot. Below the ground, contaminants have sunk into the soil; polluted water plumes continue to poison the soil.
The schemes behind these events will be explored in future articles. This overview is ntended to be read as you might read a playbill before the curtain goes up on the action. Here are the actors you will want to follow as we explore how three Orlando mayors have
been parties to the fooling of the local populace for a generation or more. The trio of planners are: Rick Bernhardt, former City Planner, 1982-99, now in a comparable role for Metropolitan Nashville, TN;Thomas R. Kohler, 1975-2003, former executive director, at public expense, simultaneously for the City’s Community Redevelopment Agency (“CRA”), and its so-called Downtown Development Board; and (Rev.) Robert E. Ansley, a former Orlando planner, who has been the front for the City, through an Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corporation (“ONIC”), and its spin-offs since 1987.
To be continued
