Planning for Greatness

Since publishing East Orlando’s Visioning Study in 2003, the East Orlando Chamber of Commerce has consistently worked to enhance the operating environment and quality of life for East Orlando’s businesses and residents, respectively. In 2008, the Government Affairs Committee drafted our first business advocacy agenda to offer a single document containing our positions on specific local, state and federal issues subject to current public discussion or debate.

The intent of the Government Affairs Program is to make our community’s vision a reality. In 2009, the committee is focusing its resources at the local and state levels with the following priorities:

LOCAL
1. Connect Alafaya Trail/ Innovation Way to Beachline Expressway.

2. Attract additional Orange County Sheriff's substation.

3. Manage future growth through appropriate comprehensive plan changes.

4. Identify additional public transit corridors and funding.

5. Protect sensitive habitat and environmental lands.

STATE
1. Support local control and maximum flexibility be given to school boards and the suspension of existing programs and mandates that are not critical to classroom operations.

2. Protect/ Secure funding for University of Central Florida's (UCF) College of Medicine, specifically full funding in the 2009-10 budget and, as needed in future budgets, for the UCF College of Medicine and the Florida International University's College of Medicine, including an additional $10,265,956 for the UCF College of Medicine. This will allow UCF to meet the accreditation standards placed on its medical school, as well as to support our growing life sciences cluster in fulfilling its potential.

3. Manage future growth through appropriate comprehensive plan changes.

4. Identify additional public transit corridors and funding.

5. Support property insurance reform.

To learn more about our Government Affairs Committee, please contact Maritza Martinez at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it