Central Florida 100: Now we go to school

Our panel of 100 influential leaders discusses the most important issues affecting you.

Mary Lee Downey, CEO, Hope Partnership

Last week: RIDING THE RAILS: Let’s talk about trains. I just returned from a trip to the UK celebrating my birthday, and it really is incredible getting to experience functional, reliable public transit. I live five minutes from a SunRail station. If our trains worked like those in the UK, I’d ride them everywhere. I dream of the day when Brightline and SunRail connect, when the train connects to the airport, and when the train is available on weekends. As Florida’s population continues to grow, we must invest in these other modes of transportation. Cars should not be requirements to participate in our economy.

John L. Evans Jr., Organizational behavior scholar; DeSantis appointee

Last week: HEART ON MY BUMPER: Aww, the lost art of the bumper sticker. My all-time fave: “Bill Nelson, What on Earth Have You Done for Us?” So alas, I affixed my DeSantis bumper sticker in place, to bring back the spirit. I have noticed the wisdom of the masses. That is, I have not seen one other such sticker in all of Florida. Alas, my car has been keyed three times; I wear the scratches like a badge of honor.

Jeff Hayward, president and CEO, Heart of Florida United Way

Last week: UTILITY-BILL RELIEF: With exceptionally high temperatures in Central Florida come exceptionally high utility bills — and, for those already struggling to afford basic needs, this can make paying utility bills unattainable. In fact, Heart of Florida United Way’s 211 Information and Referral Crisis Line has seen a consistent need for utility assistance — with requests being the second-most common referral in July behind housing assistance. With nearly 3,000 requests in the past 30 days from the tri-county area, the data demonstrates the critical need for support, which through partnerships with utility providers, we are here to support. Dial 211 to explore your options.

Jane Healy, former editorial page editor and managing editor, Orlando Sentinel

Last week: SPLITTING THE BLACK VOTE: The final entries in the 10th District congressional race will be a fascinating case of whether the Democrats can coalesce to keep an historically Black district Black. The seat is held by Val Demings, who is running for U.S. Senate. With redistricting it changed to a heavily Democratic district but not majority Black. Many Democrats, understandably, would like to still have the district be represented by a Black candidate, and almost all the candidates are Black. But then former U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson, who is white and exited Congress under a cloud of ethics charges, entered the race knowing with no runoff a plurality wins. He apparently envisions splitting the Black vote and being victorious. How sad if that happens.

Joel C. Hunter, president, Parable Foundation

Last week: SOBERING SCHOOL SAFETY: The back to school safety preparations are both reassuring and realarming. Our law enforcement and educational leaders in Central Florida are inspiring confidence that we will avoid another delayed response to an active shooter, or easy access into schools by a perpetrator. Yet how sobering it is that we have to think in those terms now? Prevention is our best hope, with increased attention to mental health treatment availability and in-school precautions by faculty and staff. When many of us were young, we got under our desks to respond to an enemy’s nuclear bomb. Inadequate. Now the danger is local. Insane.

Looking ahead: DRONE DELIVERY: So Walmart is the first Orlando-area store to add a drone delivery service? That’s good news but could also be bad news for some. The convenience for shoppers and the savings on gas (and pollution), plus the increased profitability for businesses, are certainly benefits. The move launches a giant leap in technology’s advantages. But don’t we also have to wonder about the growing trend toward social avoidance, of not actually being with other people? The absence of gathering in places for mutual activities, even without interaction, increases the sense of our isolation and loneliness, and even our fear of others.

Viviana Janer, vice chairwoman, Osceola County Commission

Last week: NEW BEGINNINGS: Kicking off a new school year is such an exciting time as we see one of our society’s fundamental promises – providing educational opportunities for all – in action. If you can dream it, you can achieve it. In Osceola County, we’ve been even more forward-thinking by funding a program that provides scholarships to last year’s graduating seniors through Osceola Prosper. As a county commissioner, I’ve also made sure that adults have opportunities to upgrade job skills so they can improve their earning opportunities. I hope everyone makes the best of the coming school year and the pathway it provides to a better tomorrow.

David Kay, chair, Interfaith Council of Central Florida

Last week: UNIVERSAL CURFEW: This is why we can’t have nice things. Kids brawling in a Universal Studios parking garage forced an evacuation. Now, there’s a 9 p.m. curfew at CityWalk for most unaccompanied minors. While it’s fair to ask where the parents were, many of us dropped off our high-school-aged kids there with their friends. It’s a rite of passage we went through as teens, declaring our independence by meeting friends at the mall, the bowling alley, the roller rink or wherever. Most of us were just having fun. But it only took a few troublemakers to get us all kicked out.

Looking ahead: HORROR NIGHTS COMING: It’s baaaaack! Halloween Horror Nights is lurking just around the corner, waiting to leap out at you when you least expect it. While I’m slightly skeptical about a haunted house based on a pop music star, I’m intensely curious to see what they do with a house themed to The Weeknd. HHN is always a great combination of homages to classic horror films, newer sources, and its own twisted inventions. Time to buy my Frequent Fear Pass…and to try to talk someone into going with me.

Ken LaRoe, Founder, Climate First Bank

Last week: INVESTING OUR PENSIONS: Gov. Ron DeSantis stopping the State Board Administration (SBA) from considering environmental, social or governance (ESG) principles when investing state money is absurd. The SBA manages and invests the assets of the state retirement system and should be allowed to consider ESG factors when deciding what companies are worthy of government financial support. Unlike what DeSantis thinks, ESG isn’t something made up by the “woke capitalists,” they’re a very real trend in reaction to the environmental disaster our world is heading toward.

David Leavitt, former Seminole County Libertarian Party chairman, CEO of Refresh Computers

Last week: TRUMP’S UNFAIR PERSECUTION: My dear wife of 36 years is from Venezuela. She has witnessed firsthand how the leftist president there used government resources to persecute his opposition and turn her country upside down. Time and time again, and as Gov. DeSantis mentioned, the leftist banana republic here in the United States has attempted to persecute Donald Trump similarly as Maduro and Chavez did to their predecessors. Nothing has worked. A raid on his home will not work, either. While the socialists here are celebrating this disgusting raid on a former president’s home, freedom-loving Americans will show up at the polls.

A.J. Marsden, assistant professor, Beacon College

Last week: VOTE-BY-MAIL LIES: According to Lake County Supervisor of Elections Alan Hays, the Lake County Republican Party and Florida4America.org are spreading misinformation and lies to discourage people from voting by mail. These two organizations sent emails to Lake County voters asserting that mail-in voting was the “biggest source of election fraud.” Hays, a Lake County Republican, pushed back against the falsehood and argues that the local Republican Party leadership is “obsessed with lies” that has led to the passage of resolutions that are “undermining of the elections process specifically here in Lake County.” He’s absolutely right. We must make sure that candidates who are spreading lies about voter fraud are not elected to represent us. Because they absolutely don’t.

Alex Martins, chair, UCF Board of Trustees; CEO, Orlando Magic

Last week: TOPS IN HOSPITALITY: Orlando is where the world vacations and where talented students graduate from the nation’s No. 1 hospitality program. UCF’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management, located in the heart of our tourism region, was ranked the best in the nation – and among the top five in the world – for the third consecutive year by ShanghaiRanking. In addition to high-quality interdisciplinary research opportunities, the Rosen College offers world-class academic programs and partnerships with top industry leaders, giving students vital hands-on experiences, internships and networking opportunities that help them advance their careers and unleash their potential.

Anna McPherson, past president, Junior League of Greater Orlando

Last week: HAPPY NEW (SCHOOL) YEAR: All parents want the same things for their school-aged children: a safe environment, real educational gains, the best teachers and a happy and healthy child coming home every day from school. These are the universal wants of not only every parent, but are shared with every citizen of our community. Individuals will have various views on what a safe environment constitutes, how to measure educational gains and who the best teachers are. However, if we can focus on the collective goals of our community, listen thoughtfully, acknowledge each other’s concerns and collectively support solutions that are child-centric, we can look forward to a good report card.

Muhammad Musri, president, Islamic Society of Central Florida

Last week: RENT REFERENDUM: As rental rates increased by 20-30% last year, families with limited or fixed incomes, especially the elderly, were being pushed out of their apartments. Orange County commissioners responded to residents’ outcries by voting 4-3 on Tuesday to put a referendum on the November ballot where voters will decide to limit rent increases to the Consumer Price Index. It would apply only to multi-family properties with at least four units. If approved, rent stabilization would start in late November and last for one year. The county needs to approve new developments faster and provide funding for new affordable housing.

Pamela Nabors, president/CEO, CareerSource Central Florida

Last week: REMEMBER TO UNPLUG: It’s back to school for most counties, but many Americans still plan a vacation break in August. However, are they really relaxing, or just changing the view from their workstations? A recent Korn Ferry survey found that 60% of business leaders intend to be more in touch with their offices while vacationing than they were last year. Remote work has truly blurred the lines between “home” and “home office.” It’s tempting to check email when out of office, but it’s more critical to take time to relax and “let it go.” I’m heading off soon to unplug and enjoy family and I plan to leave my work phone at home.

Looking ahead: ENTREPRENEURSHIP ACADEMY: As students head back to the classroom, some high-performing high school programs are getting an economic boost. Dr. Phillips Charities is offering a $2 for $1 match on donations to Junior Achievement of Central Florida’s (JACF) 3DE entrepreneurship program. The 3DE academy, which operates at Oak Ridge High School, and now Osceola and Ocoee high schools, integrates free-enterprise business concepts and case methodology into the curriculum, giving students real-world learning. Students who graduate have strong academic performance and high college or technical school enrollment rates. Partners include Disney, The Corridor, Truist Bank, UPS, Skanska and others. The model really works — consider a donation of your time, talent, or treasure to this amazing program.

Mark E. NeJame, founder, senior partner, NeJame Law

Last week: TRUMP RAID: Attorney General Merrick Garland has been maligned and accused of playing partisan politics by authorizing the search on former President Donald Trump’s estate. These screams and accusations have taken place by Trump loyalists before they even knew what was contained in the warrant or the documents seized. Garland has called this bluff and asked for a judge to unseal the search warrant. Bravo! Let the facts and documents come out and then let accusations fly before the facts are in.

Brendan O’Connor, editor in chief, Bungalower.com

Last week: BOY BAND SEARCH: Songwriter and producer Anthony Little is in search of the next big boy band and he’s hoping Orlando is the place to find it. The former St. Petersburg resident, who has worked with Justin Timberlake, the Backstreet Boys, NSYNC and more, told Bungalower that he will be headed to Orlando Aug. 27 and 28 to audition male singers between the ages of 12 and 21 at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Chosen candidates will begin recording and rehearsing immediately after signing with the first single scheduled to be released within just three months of signing a production agreement.

Looking ahead: COLONIAL PLAZA OVERHAUL: Kimco Realty Corp. took ownership of Colonial Plaza in the Milk District as part of a larger merger with Weingarten Realty Investors earlier in the year and they have some big plans to overhaul the plaza and add some residential to the mix. The current plans are to knock down almost everything facing Bumby Avenue, including Barnes & Noble, Petco, TooJay’s Deli and Marshall’s, to make room for something that’s more pedestrian-friendly. Kimco has hired BCT Design Group out of Baltimore to develop the plans for the property, since they have plenty of experience overhauling suburban mall developments.

Beverly Paulk, founding member, Central Florida Foundation and The Orlando Philharmonic

Last week: A SPECIAL LIFE: The nonprofit community celebrated and said goodbye to one of its rock stars, Terri Chastain, who passed away Aug. 4. As a gifted fundraiser and teacher, she was committed to expanding critical services and strengthening the profession. Her serious work was done with joy, kindness and a smile for 25 years. Terri also was a highly skilled creative writer with published poems and a book coming out next year. Her description of a St. Augustine sunrise used words that were close to musical. Spending time with Wayne (her husband of many years), her family and her puppy were what she described as her happiest moments.

Jim Philips, retired longtime radio talk-show host

Last week: SCOTT BLOVIATES: How does Sen. Rick Scott continue to cough up this rubbish? Scott recently compared the Justice Department and FBI to the Gestapo after federal agents served and executed a legal court-authorized search warrant at Mar-A-Lago. The Gestapo, Nazi Germany’s secret police, sent millions of Jews and others to their death with no due process of law, no hearing, no trial…no nothing! Scott’s bloviation is beyond repugnant. Let’s paraphrase the Bard of Avon as it pertains to Scott: “He struts and frets his hour upon the stage…a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.”

Looking ahead: DOWNTOWN DANGER: There was a time at night when you could fire a cannon on Orange Avenue in downtown Orlando and few would hear it. You could drive a golf ball south from the corner of Washington and Orange with little chance of hitting anyone. Talk to any OPD officer who has patrolled downtown’s core on a Saturday night and they will tell you the area can become a rat’s nest. The reasons are varied but does not negate the fact that downtown has developed a “negative” edge. City Hall and OPD have introduced a “controlled entry program” to weed out potential troublemakers. We’ll see how that goes. Just remember the saying that “nothing good happens after midnight.”

Gloria Pickar, president emerita, League of Women Voters of Orange County

Last week: EARLY VOTING: Early voting started Monday for the Aug. 23 primary. You can vote at any site in your county. By-mail voting is ongoing. Ballots can be deposited at monitored drop boxes or “secure ballot intake stations” at early voting sites — the name was revised as part of the new law to confuse and curb by-mail voting. While closed Democratic and Republican primary elections are on the ballot, so are several nonpartisan local races and referendums for all registered voters such as judges, school boards, county and city officials. Some will be decided by the primary outcome, so vote your whole ballot.

Looking ahead: TEACHER SHORTAGES: More than 9,500 teacher and staff vacancies statewide and 1,500 locally means overcrowded classrooms and at least 450,000 kids without a full-time certified teacher. Florida teachers resigned in droves because of COVID-19 and now many more aren’t returning. Shortages are nationwide, but Florida is the flashpoint. Effects are cumulative: low pay, vouchers, policies that give parents curriculum oversight and limits what teachers can say about gender identity, sexual orientation and race, plus certifying military veterans without a bachelor’s degree instead of paying our teachers what they are worth. Teachers are the most-needed but least-paid and least-appreciated professionals.

Larry Pino, attorney and entrepreneur

Last week: RENT CONTROL SHORTCOMINGS: There is no question that rent-stressed tenants in Orange County could use some help staying in their homes. The problem with the Orange County Commission’s 4-3 solution is that it ignores fundamental economic principles dating back to the Phoenicians. When demand exceeds supply, prices rise; when supply exceeds demand, prices fall. Artificially manipulating prices decreases quality of living conditions and disincentivizes the creation of more supply – which would organically reduce rent. New York City tried rent abatements for years and ended up with slums, not rent-relieved tenants. Economics are as immutable as nature. Violate the rules and suffer the consequences.

Looking ahead: SPECIAL TAXES: State Sen. Randolph Bracy, who is running for U.S. Congress, is promoting a “special tax” discouraging the “buying, selling, and renting of properties.” The proposal to the Orange County Commission is designed to protect local tenants from what some might describe as capitalist carpetbaggers buying up real estate in Orange County. Real estate investors – particularly out-of-state private equity firms – have made life difficult for working-class tenants. So Sen. Bracy’s sentiment is understandable. But special taxes don’t solve economic issues, they exacerbate them. Mayor Jerry Demings has suggested stipends, for example. And greater supply would definitely lower rents. Taxes simply won’t.

Sheena Rolle, senior director of strategy, Florida Rising

Last week: PEOPLE POWER: Rent stabilization is advancing to the ballot thanks to the efforts of impacted renters, union workers, clergy, and community organizers who knocked on doors and mobilized over the last year. This victory shows the power of everyday people coming together to create solutions. After years of grassroots organizing, voters in Orange County can offer real relief to their families and neighbors. This is what is possible when we center working families and give them access to democracy. The power to vote down the rent spikes sits in the hands of the voters of Orange County. Vote “yes” on rent stabilization.

Joanie Schirm, GEC founding president; World Cup Orlando 1994 Committee chairman

Last week: SOLUTIONS, NOT THREATS: Teachers foster learning and change outcomes. So why are some political candidates attacking our well-trained education professionals? They accuse teachers of indoctrinating children or pushing an agenda. Teachers have always been responsible for setting the climate of learning in their classrooms. As the Florida governor, Department of Education and far-right parents try to squelch teaching real history, so humankind doesn’t repeat inhumane and inequitable actions, classrooms are getting hotter. Now add the heated prospect of the Legislature’s free flow of unpermitted open-carry guns. Teachers provide emotional and academic support to students. Candidates need to spend time in public schools to understand the challenges and offer solutions, not threats.

Michael Slaymaker, professional fundraising executive

Last week: AG’S TOUGH CHOICE: Did the Branch Davidians in Waco think it was unjust when the attorney general raided their compound? Did Janet Reno do the right thing when she sent in FBI agents to go get Elian Gonzalez? The job of the U.S. attorney general is tough. The most recent raid was at former President Trump’s home in Palm Beach. I am sure if they got a federal judge to sign off on a search warrant, they had a good reason. All I know is I am drinking Chardonnay and watching this all unfold from my non-FBI-raided house.

Carol Wick, CEO, Sharity

Last week: SCHOOL SHORTFALLS: Children have returned to school from summer break. The classrooms and environment may be quite different from what they are used to. Over 8,000 classrooms are lacking qualified teachers while others are filled with former veterans or their spouses who may or may not be qualified to teach. They are all under the shadow of new restrictions on what can and can’t be taught or said which creates uncertainty and even fear. In Florida, only one out of four third-graders can read proficiently. If we want an engaged and empowered future workforce, we need our elected officials to focus on what matters, not what angers.

Nicole Wilson, Orange County commissioner, District 1

Last week: RENT STABILIZATION: The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted 4-3 to put rent stabilization on the Nov. 8 ballot. Constrained by state law, the associated ordinance has exemptions including affordable housing, mobile homes, luxury rentals, single-family homes and accessory dwelling units, properties with four units or less, among other exemptions. It will apply for a one year period starting Jan. 1, 2023 if it passes on Nov. 8. In the meantime, we are passing a tenant’s bill of rights, budgeting over a million dollars for affordable housing this year, implementing a 60-day notice requirement, and streamlining zoning processes for redevelopment in November.

Looking ahead: PEDESTRIAN SAFETY: After countless hours of advocacy, Orange County has officially adopted Vision Zero, a formal goal to reduce pedestrian and bike deaths to zero. While this is a crucial step, it is not enough to simply say we want fewer pedestrian and bike fatalities. Transportation engineers must design for all users. As we proceed to consider transportation policies, we must integrate the Vision Zero guidelines into roadway design. Mobility is a right.

Michael Zais, political blogger for thedrunkenrepublican.com

Last week: OPIOID SOLUTION: Kudos to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for expanding the Coordinated Opioid Recovery (CORE) program, which helps Florida deal with the current opioid crisis. This was a pilot program in Palm Beach County, and is now being expanded into several other counties. And thanks to the border policies of the Biden administration significantly exacerbating an already serious problem, the need for such a program is greater than ever. “Biden’s border crisis has caused a massive infusion of drugs coming into our state,” DeSantis said recently. According to the CDC, overdose deaths increased by 15% in 2021. Close the border and save lives, Mr. President.

Looking ahead: DEMOCRATS’ OVERREACH: Anyone expressing outrage over Gov. Ron DeSantis’ and Sen. Rick Scott’s comparisons of the FBI’s despicable raid of Donald Trump’s Mar-A-Lago home to a “Banana Republic” and the “Gestapo,” must’ve been living under a rock the past six years. The Russian collusion scandal enabled by a politicized DOJ and FBI; ginned-up, failed impeachments; and an activist left-wing “state” media that is consistently disinterested in endless Democratic scandals — all perpetuating a dangerous two-tiered justice system. Americans are fed up with authoritarian government overreach and political persecutions. Like Wile E. Coyote’s endless failures in destroying the Road Runner, this is destined to end with the Democrats falling off a cliff.