ORLANDO’S GREEN EFFORT The Orlando City Council has approved an ordinance that will prohibit vendors from using and/or distributing plastic straws, plastic bags and Styrofoam products on City property, including parks and recreation facilities. The ban will go into effect on October 1st.
OSCEOLA COUNTY SALES TAX Osceola County voters resoundingly rejected a proposal to increase the sales tax by a penny to fund transportation projects. The Commission-led proposal was defeated by 67 percent of the voters. Currently, only four counties have implemented the charter county and regional transportation system surtax.
AFFORDABLE HOUSING Governor DeSantis and the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity announced an agreement with the Florida Housing Finance Corporation, providing $140 million for the construction of new affordable workforce housing to help address housing shortages worsened by Hurricanes Irma and Michael. The Rebuild Florida Workforce Housing Program will provide funding to create quality resilient affordable housing units. Details may be found here.
AMERICORPS The State will receive $7.1 million from the Corporation for National and Community Service to fund 10 AmeriCorps programs in Broward, Duval, Martin, Miami-Dade and Orange counties. Organizations receiving the funding raised $6.6 million in matching dollars. Over 600 AmeriCorps members in Florida will spend a year working with education-based organizations to mentor at-risk students. Upon completion of their terms, Corps members are eligible to receive grants to cover their college costs.