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8 x July 5 — 18, 2018 x www.SouthwestOrlandoBulletin.com<br />
In the glitzy and expanding Dr.<br />
Phillips Center for the Performing<br />
Arts, Southwest resident and Orange<br />
County Mayor Teresa Jacobs<br />
gave her last State of the County address<br />
to a large crowd.<br />
“In reflecting on this amazing era<br />
of recovery, discovery and transformation,<br />
an era of tragedy and<br />
triumph, I believe we have truly become<br />
the best place to live, work<br />
and raise a family,” she said.<br />
The Jones High School Opus Singers<br />
and Brass Quintet entertained attendees<br />
during the pre-event reception.<br />
Southwest resident Rich Maladecki,<br />
president and CEO of the Central<br />
Florida Hotel & Lodging Association<br />
gave the opening remarks.<br />
Before the mayor took the stage,<br />
she played a video providing a look<br />
back at the past nearly eight years,<br />
providing a visual of how she has<br />
aimed to improve the community for<br />
“our children, their children and their<br />
grandchildren.”<br />
This is Jacobs’ last year as mayor.<br />
Term limits do not allow her to run<br />
again.<br />
NOTEWORTHY NEWS<br />
Mayor Jacobs Gives<br />
Her Final State of the County Address<br />
Jacobs interspersed her address<br />
with some humor, reminiscing about<br />
test-driving a helicopter in simulation<br />
and crashing it, operating a bulldozer<br />
during a code-enforcement<br />
operation, and recalling how the<br />
Windermere mayor danced with<br />
her and others during a commission<br />
meeting. She thanked her family,<br />
county staff and county commissioners<br />
for their support and hard work.<br />
Then she turned serious, recalling<br />
why she ran for mayor and how she<br />
has tackled the needs of children<br />
and families during her years in office.<br />
Jacobs began her first term on<br />
the “heels of the Great Recession,”<br />
when the county lost about $150 million<br />
in annual revenue. The county’s<br />
economy has rebounded. It now enjoys<br />
a Triple-A bond rating.<br />
by Debra Wood<br />
“Knowing that economies can experience<br />
volatility is the reason that I<br />
have focused so intently on boosting<br />
our fiscal management practices and<br />
improving our credit worthiness,”<br />
Jacobs said.<br />
Jacobs reported that the county<br />
issued 84,000 building permits<br />
in 2017, valued at more than $2.3<br />
billion. She recalled that when she<br />
took office, employees of the building<br />
department were furloughed<br />
because of a lack of demand and<br />
funding.<br />
The area’s tourism and hospitality<br />
industry has rebounded, and Central<br />
Florida remains the No. 1 travel<br />
destination in the country, generating<br />
$70 billion in economic impact<br />
and supporting about one-third of<br />
the jobs in the county. Last year,<br />
Southwest resident and Orange County<br />
Mayor Teresa Jacobs presents her final<br />
State of the County address.<br />
the hospitality industry generated<br />
$255 million in Tourist Development<br />
Taxes.<br />
“Thanks to the superior customer<br />
service of our frontline workers,<br />
we’ve made Central Florida the envy<br />
of the global hospitality market,”<br />
Jacobs said. “Thank you to our tourism<br />
leaders.”<br />
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