ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando City Council held a workshop Monday on improving the economy downtown while also improving safety.
Around 90 to 100 business owners concerned about their businesses losing money showed up. They said they’re fed up with so many shootings downtown.
“It’s the police’s job to police the streets. It’s not the business owner’s job to police the streets. We’re doing everything we can to make our venue safe as much as we can,” said Matty Bullitt, who owns several bars.
Even Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith says the violence is taking a toll on his officers, saying 46 officers have been hurt downtown, with four officers severely hurt.
“It’s a lot for us to go through as a department,” he said.
City officials say 23 people have been shot downtown since 2021.
In order to keep customers, business owners are paying after-midnight sales permits, allowing alcohol to be sold until 2 a.m. But they say they can’t afford to keep paying it.
“We’re paying $1,000 a week per venue. It’s $200,000 a year,” Bullitt said.
Smith said his department has “exhausted everything,” saying, “I don’t think we need more officers, I think we need a better way of dealing with downtown.”
Smith says they’re looking at ways other departments handle areas with nightlife. He said Orlando is different from bigger cities.
“We have a concentration of nightclubs and bars that’s a very, very small area. We just got to figure a way to come together and work on making a safe environment for everybody,” he said.
Mayor Buddy Dyer said Monday’s workshop was about collecting input. He says he will work on a plan over the next two months.
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