Small business owners located at University Shoppes across from UCF have just 14 days to vacate the plaza, which a developer plants to convert into a mixed-use development featuring apartments and retail. House District 49 candidate Shayan Elahi, (D) a resident of the community for more than 20 years, says two weeks is not enough time for the businesses facing eviction.
The plaza, which houses Lazy Moon Pizza, the Miss Saigon restaurant, and blues club Underground Bluz, was bought by Texas-based student housing developer American Campus Communities late last year.
Elahi, the only Democratic candidate living in the newly drawn House District 49, is concerned that the short notice will be a hardship some owners might not recover from,and might negatively impact the culture and flavor of Orlando’s East Side. “Entrepreneurs and small business owners are the heart of a strong middle-class economy,” said Elahi. “They are as important to our community as the big corporations that get so much support from state and local government.”
“These are families and working people, and they deserve our help and support,” said Elahi. “We need to work together better to serve the interests of both large and small business.”
After receiving the two-week notice yesterday, Underground Bluz owner Betty Whitcomb said she fearsthe short notice will ruin her financially. “We’ve been hit by this economy like everyone and we’re tired of being beaten down. Not only did my business lose money, I lost money. That hurts my home and my livelihood, and puts everything in jeopardy.
“We’re almost to the point of giving up,” Whitcomb said.
Elahi believes the newly drawn “UCF seat” needs a representative in Tallahassee with the experience to work with both large and small interests to benefit the entire community. “It’s time to elect a representative who lives in the district and knows our people. I’m the only Democrat in the race with that experience who is ready to stand for our community and lead in the legislature,” said Elahi.
The event Thursday at University Shoppes kicks off the “Shayan Means Business” tour of District 49 in which Elahi plans to meet personally with owners to discuss small business issues and the economy.
