DID YOU KNOW? 
New Job Creation Incentive
Yesterday, Orlando City Council approved an incentive program called STRIVE - Strategic Targeted Recruitment Incentive for Valued Employment - which provides a new performance-based local job incentive program to assist in advancing broad-based prosperity in the City of Orlando and Greater Orlando region.

Also approved during City Council was the agreement between STRIVE and Sonesta International Hotel Corporation, allowing Sonesta to establish a Shared Services Center in downtown Orlando which will create 80 new jobs over a two-year period. The Shared Services Center in downtown Orlando will provide support to its corporate headquarters, hotels, and franchises in the areas of accounting, human resources, benefits administration, and information technology.

The STRIVE program is structured in a way that allows it to be coupled with other city incentive programs. As such, Sonesta was also approved for the CRA High Wage/High Value program available to downtown businesses, a program that aims to increase business investment and job creation in downtown Orlando by providing up to $4,000.00 per job in total incentives.

Orlando Land Trust
Mayor Dyer and Commissioner Sheehan joined members of the Orlando Land Trust today to celebrate the work of the group to raise sufficient funds to purchase property adjacent to Lake Eola Park to be used as future park space.

The land trust sought to raise $3.25 million dollars to purchase land at the corner of Rosalind Avenue and Central Boulevard, currently the site of a convenience store. Its goal has been to purchase the property and donate it to the City of Orlando with the requirement that it becomes a park and open green space.