ORLANDO, Fla. – City leaders are getting an update on downtown Orlando safety plans following an officer-involved shooting last month along Orange Avenue.
At a workshop on Monday, commissioners will hear presentations from Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith and David Barilla, the executive director of downtown development.
After a mass shooting in 2022, the city rolled out safety changes that included reopening Orange Avenue to vehicles on weekend nights and the creation of an after-midnight alcohol sales permit program.
The program required bar and club owners to pay for added security measures to be able to sell alcohol from midnight to 2 a.m.
“I sure as hell don’t want to continue to put our officers and firefighters in a perilous situation and that’s why I’m a 12 o’clock guy,” Orlando District 1 Commissioner Jim Gray said at the workshop.
Some establishments said they were forced to close because of the additional costs imposed by the city.
“I do not believe that ending alcohol sales at midnight solves anything,” Orlando District 5 Commissioner Shan Rose added.
Last fall, the city also put a temporary state of emergency and curfew in place following another downtown shooting.
Chief Smith told commissioners the cost of having additional officers in downtown on weekends would be $6.1 million annually.
During Monday’s workshop, commissioners are expected to discuss an action plan to implement safety measures.
The workshop, which will take place at Orlando City Hall, begins at 10 a.m.