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Orlando Opinions is a new podcast produced by PFT Media featuring The Daily City Editor Mark Baratelli sharing his opinions on 3-5 stories from the blog once a week. New episodes come on Mondays. The length is 5-10 minutes.
Episode 5 Summary:
In episode 5 of Orlando Opinions, Mark Baratelli discusses Orlando installing a plaque to commemorate historical houses they tore down, an affordable housing live talk that didn't address the root of Orlando's lack of affordable housing problem, how developers are ruining Orlando (and probably your city), and how the Fashion Square Mall in its entirety is for sale.
Episode 5 Script by Mark Baratelli, Editor of The Daily City:
Congratulations to Christal Hayes, a reporter for the Orlando Sentinel. She has accepted a job with Newsweek magaizne as a breaking news reporter. That’s a big deal so congratlations to Chrystal.
I was in attendence for a public talk put on by ReThinking the City featuring Kimberlee Riley from Ability Housing. The press release said she would “provide an overview of existing providers and availability of affordable housing, their funding mechanisms, and the work being done to "build strong communities where everyone has a home." What I learned that night was that the City has made assisting with the homelessness issue a priority, but IS NOT assisting with changing one of the CAUSES of homelessness: a lack of affordable housing. And how do you do that? Change zoning to force developers to give to the city their making money from. One of my running themes is always developers (and the city and county that doesn’t put developer roadblocks in place) are the cause of everything that makes our City bad. Why are our main thoroughfares covered in parking lots and shopping centers? Why are homes downtown being knocked down and replaced with unsightly duplexes and sometimes two houses on the same property? Why is Orlando numer THREE in the nation for having the lowest amount of affordable housing? Developers and the city and county that helps them.
In 2013 four 1920s-era homes lined E. Washington Street, the little cul-de-sac that pokes into Lake Eola Park adjacent to the playground. That same year three of the four were demolished by the City of Orlando. One of those houses belonged to 1946 Nobel Peace Prize winner John Mott. The City of Orlando, the entity that demolished the guy’s house and the two 1920s homes on either side of it will unveil the Mott Historical Marker Friday September 8th. Mayor Dyer and City Commissioner Patty Sheehan will be there. In 2016 the Historic Preservation Board unanimously voted to designate the only home that didn’t get demolished on Washington Street as an Orlando Local Landmark. After they demolished the other three 1920s houses. That house now serves as the City's Parks & Rec offices. We have pictures of the houses we lost to the City and the new historical marker on the blog. They’re lovely homes that I feel were wrongly taken away from our City.
The Central Florida Post, Citizens for Trump, and Seminole 4 Trump are bringing Milo Yiannopoulos and Roger Stone to Orlando for a private gathering Saturday September 9th. Tickets are on sale now and range from $75 to $250. The location is a secret and ticket buyers will be emailed the location as the event gets closer… because you know protesters would show up and give them hell. Yiannopoulos said "I look forward to meeting all the deplorable trolls that I proudly call my supporters and fans” and Stone said, "If you are not ready for the Stone Cold Truth about the Deep State, Globalism, and the establishment… you should stay home. This won’t be a “safe space” for the feelings of Anti-American leftists.” Also last week a banner was hung on the Conroy Road overpass on I4 that read “Our future belongs to us. End immigration now. Identity Evropa.” The group Identity Europa believes among many things that the civil rights issue of our time is "corporate censorship of those who refuse to bow to the anti-White political narrative." I share these two stories not to scare anyone but to alert locals that this stuff is happening in your city! Your city. Orlando. People in your city are bringing Milo and Stone to Orlando...people are handing banners that say “End Immigration Now." It’s coming to us now…
The Orlando Fashion Square Mall property is up for sale by Cushman & Wakefield. The price is not disclosed publicly but according to the Orange County Property Appraiser's website, the 2017 tax year value for the property is $30,111,061. It comes with a mall building, some department stores, a warehouse, a parking garage, a 19242 sq ft pond, a 420 sq ft pedestrian bridge valued at $97,465 and a "better quality fountain” valued at $3,000. Maybe you can execute those 2013 plans that included a hotel. The mall site is subject to a long term ground lease that expires in November 2092. Seritage owns a former Sears parcel that is being redeveloped with new improvements to feature Orchard Supply Hardware, Floor & Décor and Longhorn Steakhouse. The land area that is the subject of this offering totals ±49.89-acres and benefits from entitlements that allow for massive density, including over one million, 175 hotel rooms and 236 residential units.
- Instead of 236 residential units we do 500 micro apartments?
- Instead of parking lot-surrounded out parcel restaurants we do a giant food hall with a ton of local restaurants.
- Instead of a mall model we do the retail component Market model like East End Market and Plat Street Market and Chelsea Market in New York City.
- How about some Park land with one of those giant crystal lakes that are actually swimming pools?