Crotty sees east Orange as potential high-tech hub

[sunshine]

By Jason Garcia | Sentinel Staff Writer

Posted May 11, 2005

Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty gives his fifth annual State of the County address today, a speech he hopes will launch an aggressive campaign to transform Orange's east side into a magnet for high-tech -- and high-paying -- jobs.

While Crotty's speech will be short on new proposals, Crotty will use it to begin branding east Orange as a region ripe for new industry. He will pledge county support to establish a medical school in the region. And he'll throw his weight behind a controversial development that could bring thousands of new homes to the area.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/...-home-headlines

More sprawl! Good job Mayor!

[cwetteland]

^ I do like the idea of the med school, but I think, like the interactive arts school, it could be located downtown. I agree that Crotty is Mayor of Sprawlsville and needs to be STOPPED!

[sunshine]

Within Orlando city limit, there are a lot of run down area and land can be redeveloped for this kind of stuff.

[GRS328]

Crotty sees EVERYTHING as a "high-tech hub" or "corridor". Geez...

Regardless, I do support the idea of a med school as well - so long as it's not just for the sake of "having one".

[Jaybee]

Yeah: We'd see more high-tech sliding glass door manufacturers or pyramid schemes trying to define themselves as "high-tech". The lack of understanding what precisely is high-tech is more of a burden to our leaders... at the better development of ALL parts of this region.

[firemick]

I am more Anti-Orange County than ever before!!!!!! I want to start up a campaign to "Square off the city...sort of speak." I think the city limits should not only take in I drive down to the Beeline but everything north of the BeeLine over to OIA. This should be put to a referendum. Furthermore, I support annexation west to include Bay Hills & Pine Hills. You see its NOT "cherry picking anymore" as you take large swaths of land in all directions to double the size of the City of Orlando and dissolve anymore islands and enclaves that DO exist at the present time.

Proposal and Examples of Non-Cherry picking;

Step 1; City takes South Orange Blossom Trail south to 528 and everything in between I4 and 436. You get high tax base property and low tax base property with that...fairs fair.

Step 2; City takes Bay Hill, Dr. Phillips and I drive Corridor south to 528 as well as Pine Hills, Orlo-Vista, Lockhart, and Lee Rd west of I4 area. You get high tax base property and low tax base property with this.

This would add approximately 11-12 county firehouses to city inventory (which would automatically become city firehouses) to bring the count to 25 or 26 firehouses and reduce Orange County from 37 firehouses down to 25 or 26 firehouses. This would also allow 400-425 displaced Orange County Deputies to become Orlando Police Officers. The City population would swell to probably 700,000 from 200,000. Policing would be through (Communiy Oriented Policing) decentralized concepts like what is used in the city currently and substations would now become 24 hour "PRECINCT based" with desk sergeants and detectives. The City Limits would be contiguous and dissolve any enclaves or islands and prevent "Duplication of Urban Services" and City Budget would swell to handle "Urban" type areas and county budget would decrease to handle a more "Suburban/rural type area" and this whole City/County thing would be solved.

p.s. I am not sure how to figure out Utility delivery systems and employee beneft/pension problems as of yet.

[prahaboheme]

downtown should be the location of a med school. It would seem useless to have a med school without a hospital attached.

[Aessotariq]

I am more Anti-Orange County than ever before!!!!!! I want to start up a campaign to "Square off the city...sort of speak." I think the city limits should not only take in I drive down to the Beeline but everything north of the BeeLine over to OIA.

Proposal and Examples of Non-Cherry picking;

Step 1; City takes South Orange Blossom Trail south to 528 and everything in between I4 and 436.  You get high tax base property and low tax base property with that...fairs fair.

Step 2; City takes Bay Hill, Dr. Phillips and I drive Corridor south to 528 as well as Pine Hills, Orlo-Vista, Lockhart, and Lee Rd west of I4 area. You get high tax base property and low tax base property with this. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sounds good.. Orlando's horseshoe shape is kinda funky anyways, and I am sure that creates a lot of jurisdictional problems as well (especially for dispatch), notwithstanding the overlapping of services.

[bobliocatt]

Is this guy really a Mayor? i never knew county's had mayors. I figured they just had a Board of County Commissioners.

[sunshine]

I wonder if it is the same situation in Orange County in California.

[retorsky]

UCF's med school will most likely be on campus if the VA hospital ends up being built on campus. Otherwise, we might have another satellite college. I doubt it though. They are going to want to keep the medical school close to all of the research facilities so that they can both take advantage of each other. UCF's med school going down town is highly unlikely.

[Aessotariq]

Is this guy really a Mayor?  i never knew county's had mayors.  I figured they just had a Board of County Commissioners.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

After Orange County adopted a charter in the late 80s, its Board of County Commissioners expanded to seven members, with six elected from single member districts (as opposed to five elected at large for non-charter counties) and a countywide-elected Chairman, who presides over the Commission. The Chairman (now retitled Mayor after 2004 referendum) serves as the elected chief executive of the county.

[bobliocatt]

I wonder if it is the same situation in Orange County in California.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No, California's Orange County closely resembles Broward County, in that most of its land is incorporated by several cities over 100,000 (ex. Santa Ana, Fullerton, Anaheim, Irvine, Garden Grove, etc.). Most of the competition there, is between adjacent cities.

[Aessotariq]

i never knew county's had mayors.  I figured they just had a Board of County Commissioners.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In Florida, there are 18 counties that have charters. Counties that have charters have more flexibility over the way their government is structured and how it works. Of those 18, four have mayors of varying sorts:

• Miami-Dade, countywide-elected Executive Mayor (not a member of the Commission)

• Duval, Mayor of Jacksonville

• Orange, elected countywide, member of Commission

• Broward, Mayor position is rotated annually among the Commissioners (actually commission chairperson)

[GRS328]

No, California's Orange County closely resembles Broward County, in that most of its land is incorporated by several cities over 100,000 (ex. Santa Ana, Fullerton, Anaheim, Irvine, Garden Grove, etc.).  Most of the competition there, is between adjacent cities.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Exactly. 3.7% of the total population of Orange County, CA live in unincorporated areas, compared to 60%+ here in FL. The rest live among the 34 incorporated cities, 4 of which have higher populations than Orlando alone. I'm not sure what the current political state of that county is, but they maintain a Board of Supervisors comprised of 5 members, who each oversee the management of one of the county's 5 districts. This is opposed to Orange here, where it seems Crotty pretty much runs the show... being he is the "Mayor" and all

[Aessotariq]

An oddity about California is that they don't seem to be able to expand the number of members of the Board of Supervisors, without dividing the territory into new counties. All of Los Angeles County is served by the same number of supervisors: 5. That's 10 million people served by a board of five, 2 million to 1.

[depechecureguyorl]

I am more Anti-Orange County than ever before!!!!!! I want to start up a campaign to "Square off the city...sort of speak." I think the city limits should not only take in I drive down to the Beeline but everything north of the BeeLine over to OIA. This should be put to a referendum.  Furthermore, I support annexation west to include Bay Hills & Pine Hills. You see its NOT "cherry picking anymore" as you take large swaths of land in all directions to double the size of the City of Orlando and dissolve anymore islands and enclaves that DO exist at the present time.

Proposal and Examples of Non-Cherry picking;

Step 1; City takes South Orange Blossom Trail south to 528 and everything in between I4 and 436.  You get high tax base property and low tax base property with that...fairs fair.

Step 2; City takes Bay Hill, Dr. Phillips and I drive Corridor south to 528 as well as Pine Hills, Orlo-Vista, Lockhart, and Lee Rd west of I4 area. You get high tax base property and low tax base property with this. 

This would add approximately 11-12 county firehouses to city inventory (which would automatically become city firehouses) to bring the count to 25 or 26 firehouses and reduce Orange County from 37 firehouses down to 25 or 26 firehouses. This would also allow 400-425 displaced Orange County Deputies to become Orlando Police Officers. The City population would swell to probably 700,000 from 200,000. Policing would be through (Communiy Oriented Policing) decentralized concepts like what is used in the city currently and substations would now become 24 hour "PRECINCT based" with desk sergeants and detectives. The City Limits would be contiguous and dissolve any enclaves or islands and prevent "Duplication of Urban Services" and City Budget would swell to handle "Urban" type areas and county budget would decrease to handle a more "Suburban/rural type area" and this whole City/County thing would be solved.

p.s.  I am not sure how to figure out Utility delivery systems and employee beneft/pension problems as of yet.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What a GREAT idea! I think you should forward this to the office of Buddy Dyer. I remember the "Slantinel" printed a series of articles a few years ago about the plight of the city limits and the confusion they create. And I remember Dyer promising to smoothen out the city limits while he was campaigning. If this were to happen, though, I think the popluation of Orlando would actually swell to over 800K, but I could be wrong. Great post!!!