Ambassador programs are used throughout the country to promote hospitality and provide additional community policing. Their headquarters will be inside the Centroplex Garage.
The City's Community Redevelopment Agency is asking the City for a license to lease the office space inside the Centroplex Garage at 400 W Amelia Street for the new downtown Ambassador Program. This goes before City Council Monday July 9th.
The downtown Ambassador Program, a direct, on-the-street connection to safety escorts for workers and residents, will be helping visitors navigate their way to all the venues for events, connecting vulnerable individuals to critical social services, and curbing aggressive panhandling.
The program is operated in partnership by Block by Block (Mydatt Services, Inc.) and the City's CRA. The contract with Block by Block for downtown ambassador services is for an initial term of two years in an annual estimated amount of $725,000.
The CRA will partially assign the License to Block by Block for a two year term commencing on July 9, 2018 and ending on June 30, 2020. The term may be extended for one (1) additional year. CRA will pay $5,319.96 annually for rent and $2,820 annually for utilities, pest control and janitorial service.
City Staff was receiving increasing feedback from businesses and stakeholders expressing concerns related to downtown and felt a pilot ambassador program would help identify, assess, prioritize and respond to these concerns.
Orlando City Council voted May 29th to create the downtown Ambassador Program. The program aims to have Ambassadors on the streets of Downtown Orlando this fall.
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