ORLANDO, Fla. — A program that helps minority and women business owners has been suspended in the city of Orlando, as well as the Greater Orlando Airport Authority.
“We don’t have a choice. We do have to follow the law,” said program director Janerro Coulter.
Coulter talked about why the city’s Minority Woman and Business Enterprise program was suspended. He said it’s what the city had to do to accept a $37 million grant from the Federal Aviation Administration for airport improvements.
Under the Trump administration, the certification language changed to where no program should discriminate either positively or negatively on the basis of race or gender.
“We are going to implement a small business program and then everybody currently in our MWBE program is going to be in the small business program,” Coulter said.
Orlando’s Minority and Women Business Enterprise offers contracting opportunities to 616 business owners in the city. Many are shocked that it’s being suspended.
Shawn Ford of the Ford Design Group said, “It scares me. For one thing, if it’s going to be suspended on a local level and other municipalities and entities follow suit, it could pretty much put me and other businesses like me out of business.”
“I think it’s really sad to do that, suspend it like that. It’s our only backbone for getting jobs,” said James Goins, owner of ABC Land Clearing and Development.
Coulter says those in the Minority and Women Business Enterprise program won’t have to do a thing. They will be automatically enrolled into the new business program with other small businesses.
“For the incoming businesses they’ll have access to opportunities that they didn’t have before. It’s a win-win for them.”
But Ford is concerned, saying, ”Without minority requirements, we wouldn’t get invited to be a part of large local and national projects.”
Orange County officials say Mayor Jerry Demings will meet with senior staff about the same issue in the next few weeks.
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