ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Orange County mayor Teresa Jacobs delivered her "State of the County" speech on Friday morning in downtown Orlando, which was the most positive one in years.
Jacobs touched on everything from the economy to ethics reform in her 30-minute speech at the Sheraton in downtown Orlando.
"The state of Orange County Government is strong and our economy is growing stronger," Jacobs said.
Jacobs said in the last year of unemployment has dropped from 11 percent to 8 percent, 55 million tourists have visited and the housing market has improved.
"We've bottomed out and what we are going to see from now on is modest growth in housing prices," Jacobs said.
Controversy also crept its way into Jacobs' speech. Several times, Jacobs mentioned her tension with Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, even jokingly showing two battleships pictures when talking about their relationship.
"It is so natural for cities and counties to disagree on things," Jacobs said. "We serve different people and we have different responsibilities."
One of the disagreements recently has been the Citrus Bowl renovation. But going forward, Jacobs says she wants to focus on job growth, the Medical City and more open government.
"Our vision won't be realized until we've built the kind of place where we have trust and faith in each other. Where our children feel safe and valued," Jacobs said.
To be more connected, Orange County is launching a new app where if you see an issue, you can take a picture of it and submit it.