Commissioner Bonilla’s November Message
Commissioner Emily Bonilla
It’s been quite a busy September for all of us at Orange County. Hurricane Dorian feels like a lifetime ago, but can you believe we all were preparing for that massive storm at the beginning of last month? Luckily, we were spared from any major damage, but we had many sleepless nights here at the county preparing for anything that may come our way
It was back to business after Dorian blew away, finalizing our budget for the 2019-2020 fiscal year. The county has about $4.77 billion that we are budgeting between all major county functions, public safety, capital projects, transportation, and much more. Some of the initiatives we were working on for District 5 were funded as well (more information at emilybonilla.com). There was no tax increase due to our balanced budgeting.
However, our mayor, Jerry Demings, is asking us to get feedback from our residents about a proposed penny sales tax increase to improve our transportation needs. This could include any additional needed highways, traffic signals, speed markers, or additional bus routes and railway stops. We had our District Five meeting about this transportation initiative which had a nice attendance and a lively discussion. There’s still time to voice your opinions by taking the transportation initiative survey, which can be found on the county website.
Speaking of transportation, I happily voted to approve funding for speed humps in the Merritt Park subdivision at the Board of County Commissioner’s Meeting. This was a joint effort with community members who were worried about their children’s safety when playing in their neighborhood. This is a great example of residents voicing their concerns and putting their words into action working together with their elected officials. It was wonderful working with you all, and I’m glad you got the answers you were looking for.
On November 14, 6:30 p.m., at the Goldenrod Magic Gym, 4863 N. Goldenrod Rd, Winter Park, FL 32792, we will hold an information session for residents to learn more about S.E.L.F., a program to assist low to moderate-income families fund their home energy efficiency needs and build up their financial intelligence and credit scores.
Finally, we are looking for people to join multiple advisory boards and committees. If you or someone you know is interested, please complete the volunteer form at our website emilybonilla.com/blog/volunteer/
Stay engaged with everything I am doing at the county level by following me on social media and our website at emilybonilla.com. You can also email my staff at district5@ocfl.net with any constituent concerns. I am proud to be your commissioner and thank you for all the work you do each and every day to make Orange County the best place to live!
Your Orange County Commissioner,
Emily Bonilla
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