ORLANDO, Fla. -- Downtown Orlando is booming, with new businesses and a growing population.
But that success has also attracted more aggressive panhandlers.
- City of Orlando tries to address panhandling
- 'Downtown Ambassador Program' created
- Panhandlers say they're cautious about the program
To address the ongoing issue, the city is considering a program called the Downtown Ambassador Program.
The program would employ people called ‘Ambassadors’ to walk and bicycle downtown and help tourists find their way, help parts of the city that need to be cleaned, and work to curb aggressive panhandling.
A newer downtown business, Tin & Taco, agrees with the program.
“I think it is an excellent idea, because the Ambassador program it is going to help people that come down here for like Disney, Universal, that come from all over,” said Jesse Shelton, Tin & Taco Assistant General Manager.
But panhandlers are much more cautious about the program.
Cortines Beale said he would like that kind of help, but worries about others who panhandle.
“… it is kind complicated, because some people don’t like the help,” Beale said.
Thursday, the CRA Board gave their approval for the program, now it will go before the city for final approval on Tuesday.
It would be a two-year program that would cost $725,000 through an outsourced company called Block by Block.
“We saw it as a need. Certainly the increase in panhandling around downtown has created more demand, if you will, from business owners and stakeholders in downtown to do what we can,” said Thomas Chatmon Jr., Downtown Development Board Executive Director.