PARK HAS BEEN A FIXTURE IN THE COMMUNITY SINCE IT ORIGINALLY OPENED BACK IN 1925.
>> GINGER: WELL, IN JANUARY OF
2020 NEW 6 MADE YOU A PROMISE
TO TACKLE. ALL TOPICS WHEN IT
COMES TO CENTRAL FLORIDA’S
GROWING POPULATION IN A SERIES
Epic Stuffed Crust! CALLED BOOMTOWN.
>> THEN THE PANDEMIC HIT. YOU
KNOW WHAT HAPPENED? IT STOPPED
EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE
PEOPLE STILL MOVING HERE. NEWS
SIX’S NADIN YANES LET OUR
BOOMTOWN COVERAGE AND NOT
BEING IT’S TIME TO JUMP BACK
INTO THIS. ABSOLUTELY, MATT,
WE’RE KEEPING OUR PROMISE TO
SHED LIGHT ON THIS PROBLEM
SEEMINGLY MADE WORSE BY THE
PANDEMIC. OUR HOUSING SUPPLY
RIGHT NOW IS AT A HISTORIC LOW
WHILE THE HOUSING PRICES ARE
AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH.
CONTINUING OUR COMMITMENT TO
YOU TO HIGHLIGHT THESE
CHALLENGES AND FIND SOLUTIONS
BECAUSE, MATT, AS YOU SAID,
PEOPLE HAVEN’T STOPPED MOVING
TO CENTRAL FLORIDA.
>> ORANGE COUNTY MAYOR JERRY
DEMINGS SAID AT THE BEGINNING
OF 2020 WE WERE FIRING ON ALL
CYLINDERS AT THAT POINT. MORE
THAN 1000 PEOPLE MOVING INTO
ORANGE COUNTY EACH WEEK AND
EVEN MORE INTO CENTRAL FLORIDA
PUTTING PRESSURE ON OUR
CURRENT INFRASTRUCTURE FROM
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION HOUR AND
A 2 HOURS WHERE WE HIGHLIGHTED
THIS MOM WHO TOOK A 7 HOUR
ROUND TRIP ON 4 BUSES JUST TO
GET TO AND FROM HER $12 AN
HOUR JOB DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN.
WE ALSO SHOWCASE THE STRUGGLES
OF FINDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING
SOMETIMES WE’LL DO LIKE
SHOWING A SINGLE DAD WITH 4
ADOPTED KIDS WHO EAT ON A TINY
FOLDOUT TABLE IN THE KITCHEN
BRINGING KEY COMMUNITY
STAKEHOLDERS TO A TOWN HALL TO
TALK SOLUTIONS ORLANDO
>> YOU KNOW, IT’S NOT THE
LITTLE METRO THAT COULD
ANYMORE. IT’S NOT NOT FULLY
GROWN UP IT’S GOT BIG. AND SO
WE HAVE TO START PLANNING AND
THE GROWTH IN THE SIZE OF OF
OUR REGION BECAUSE IT’S NOT
LIKELY TO STOP GROWING THIS
TOWN HALL HAPPENING ON MARCH
11TH AND THEN THE PANDEMIC
HIT.
>> LEADING TO STATE SHUTTING
DOWN FOR MONTHS. BUT FLORIDA.
ONE OF THE FIRST TO REOPEN AND
IT DID STOP PEOPLE FROM COMING
HERE. HE SAID THERE ARE 1000
PEOPLE MOVING HERE EACH WEEK
TO THE PANDEMIC. STOP THEM
FROM COMING. NO, I DON’T THINK
THIS STOP THEM AT ALL. NOW THE
PRESSURE TO FIND AFFORDABLE
HOUSING IS HARDER THAN EVER TO
REALTOR ASSOCIATION SAY OUR
HOUSING SUPPLY IS AT THE
LOWEST IN HISTORY. THE MEDIAN
COST PER HOUSE IS AT AN
ALL-TIME HIGH AT $300,000.
THAT’S UP 15% FROM MAY OF 2020
WE REOPEN AT A MUCH FASTER
PACE THAN MANY OF THE OTHER
METROPOLITAN AREAS AROUND THE
COUNTRY. BRINGING IN NEW
BUSINESS AND NEW JOBS. BUT
MORE PEOPLE BY 2050, IT’S
PROJECTED THAT WE WILL HAVE.
>> ANOTHER 700,000 PEOPLE HERE
WITHIN OUR COUNTY WHICH WOULD
PUT US OVER 2 MILLION WITHIN
THE 30 YEARS. SO THAT MEANS
THAT WE’RE GROWN, WE HAVE TO
PREPARE FOR THAT GROWTH.
>> AND SO NEWS. 6 IS COMMITTED
TO SEE HOW OUR COMMUNITY
LEADERS NOT JUST PREPARE FOR
THAT GROWTH BUT ALSO DO SO
RESPONSIBLY WHILE WE CONTINUE
TO LOOK AT WHAT SOLUTIONS ARE
OUT THERE TO BATTLE THE
CHALLENGES THAT COME WITH BOOM
TOWN. THAT ALSO LEADS US TO
EPISODE 2 OF SOLUTIONARIES.
THIS IS A NEW DIGITAL
NEWSCAST. SHOWCASING PEOPLE IN
OUR COMMUNITY LOOKING FOR
SOLUTIONS TO ISSUES JUST LIKE
THIS.
>> WE NEED YOUR HELP WE ARE
WANTING HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE
EXPERIENCING TROUBLE WITH
MAYBE CURRENT HOUSING MARKET
OR ARE YOU PAY MORE THAN 30%
OF YOUR INCOME ON RENT OR
MORTGAGE. UH, WE HAVE A SURVEY
UP RIGHT NOW ON CLICK ORLANDO,
DOT COM. YOU CAN E-MAIL ME. MY
E-MAIL ADDRESS IS RIGHT THERE
ON HOW THIS POPULATION GROWTH
IS AFFECTING YOU OR
INFRASTRUCTURE SEEMS STREAMED.
NOW CAN’T IMAGINE ANOTHER
700,000 PEOPLE. YEAH. AND IF
YOU WANT TO SEE JUST HOW THE
BOOM IS HAPPENING. JUST LOOK
AT THE DIFFERENT LICENSE TAGS
YOU SEE ON THE ROAD. THOSE
PEOPLE ARE HERE AND THEY’RE
HERE TO STAY. BUT AERIAL TOUR
TODAY SAID THAT AND THEY’RE
NOT LEAVING STAYING HERE. AND
WE KNOW THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE
FEEL IT. I MEAN, WE HAVE A NEW
EMPLOYEE WHO IS LIVING IN AN
AIR BNB RIGHT NOW BECAUSE HE
CAN’T DEPARTMENT SO OF COURSE,
WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU GUYS.
IF YOU GUYS TROUBLE WITH ANY
OF THIS HOUSING ISSUES ARE
POPULATION GROWTH. GO AHEAD.