Orange County Mayor discusses efficiency at State of the County Address

ORLANDO, Fla. — Mayor Jerry Demings gave the State of the County Address, emphasizing the importance of working together efficiently.

On Friday morning, Demings gave the State of the County address, highlighting Orange County’s growth in many areas.

Building together through efficiency was the message of Friday’s address. Demings said he thinks the county needs to get used to doing more with less.

He said they expect budget cuts at the federal level to eventually trickle down to impact state and local governments.

With that, he said there is a mission to continue to focus on a culture of excellence and innovation while building better through efficiency in the county.

“I believe Orange County is a good local government,” Demings said. “We strive for perfection but we’re not there yet. We’re trying to improve on our efficiency.”

In some ways, that means environmental sustainability now preserving an additional 23,000 acres of sensitive land and reusing 100% of the county’s wastewater.

It will also allocate funds where they are most needed, such as $1 billion toward public safety and $100 million to improve area roads.

Sixty transportation projects were completed this year.

Demings also touted record tourism numbers and a booming sports industry.

Success brings its own set of challenges and even with $160 million committed to affordable housing, he believes more public-private partnerships are necessary.

“If we bring the housing cost down for low-wage owners, effectively, that gives them more discretionary income to do other things with,” Demings said. “If we improve their skill sets through education, we’re able to uplift their ability to earn a greater amount of money.”

The mayor said that to continue being efficient, the county will use technology more, like artificial intelligence, in the future.