Impact Update for Thursday, December 30 |
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Each week, we will distribute our Impact Update newsletter on Thursdays. We encourage you to share this information with friends, families, and business owners who may be able to take advantage of the resources, programming options, local highlights and industry news below.
Jason Siegel
President & CEO
Greater Orlando Sports Commission
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“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”
- Winston Churchill
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Local Resources.
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Visit these pages for the most critical local health and government updates:
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City of Orlando: COVID-19 Homepage | Testing Sites | Vaccine Sites
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Orange County: COVID-19 Homepage | Testing Sites | Vaccine Sites
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Osceola County: COVID-19 Homepage | Testing Sites | Vaccine Sites
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Seminole County: COVID-19 Homepage | Testing Sites | Vaccine Sites
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Lake County: Homepage
- City of Orlando:
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The Downtown Development Board (DDB) and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) created a webpage to assist with identifying grants and incentives that may be available to downtown businesses.
- Orange County:
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The #IGotMyShot mobile vaccination trailer continues to visit neighborhoods and businesses throughout Orange County. For next week’s schedule, or for more information about the #IGotMyShot campaign, visit ocfl.net/IGotMyShot.
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Booster shots are now available at the vaccination site at the Orlando International Airport. The site is open from Thursday - Monday, Noon to 6pm and is located on the third floor of the airport near the checkpoint for gates 70 to 129.
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Orange County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program remains open for individuals who are behind on rent or at risk of being evicted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, more than $15.3 million have been approved to keep 2,635 families in their homes. Recently, the City of Orlando announced it has depleted its current federal funds dedicated to its Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Orange County is stepping in to bridge the gap and will temporarily offer assistance to Orlando residents, effective now until further notice. Eligible residents include those living in unincorporated Orange County, Apopka, Bay Lake, Belle Isle, Eatonville, Edgewood, Lake Buena Vista, Maitland, Oakland, Ocoee, Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden and Winter Park. Residents can visit ocfl.net/RentalAssistance to review program details and to check if their address is eligible.
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CareerSource Central Florida is helping career seekers and displaced workers apply for the Reemployment Assistance program through the Department of Economic Opportunity.
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The Orange County Library System offers Right Service at the Right Time, a free online tool and public resource that is particularly useful to those who have had their income affected by COVID-19. The service provides a platform to easily find information on government-assistance and community-support programs.
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Osceola County:
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Osceola County is currently accepting applications for emergency utility assistance for households impacted by COVID19. Funding is available for electric, gas, and water utilities only. If you reside in Osceola County and your household is impacted, please click here to complete the application.
- Lake County:
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Lake County residents can reach out to the Lake County Department of Housing and Human Services for information on SHIP rental assistance. Click here for more information.
- Seminole County:
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If you have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and live in Seminole County, The Sharing Center is currently accepting applications for rent/mortgage and utilities assistance. Click here for program criteria and to learn how to apply.
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Covering Central Florida offers health coverage and a Special Enrollment Period for individuals who have been laid off related to COVID-19.
- Additional Resources:
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The US Small Business Association has compiled a database of private funding options to help small businesses. Browse the options available nationally, or input a zip code to explore location-specific funding.
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OUC has a Small Business Assistance Fund which provides up to $2,500 in utility assistance for small businesses facing financial hardship due to COVID-19. Aid is in the form of a credit adjustment on your next OUC bill.
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The US Small Business Association is accepting applications for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, which provides critical economic relief program for live venues, museums, movie theatres and more. Businesses interested in seeking assistance can contact Orlando Economic Partnership's BRACE team for guidance.
Stay Engaged.
“Our community will probably wind up investing, in the public and private sector combined, could be upwards of $40 million. This is a 600 to 800 Million dollar opportunity and piece of business for our community. So the return on investment, simple economic impact, it’s significant.”
-Jason Siegel, President & CEO
Greater Orlando Sports Commission
See 2026 FIFA World Cup story below...
Around The Horn.
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Speaking with Joe Byrnes from WMFE, Greater Orlando Sports Commission President & CEO Jason Siegel says he is “beyond bullish” about Orlando’s chances when the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup are selected next year.
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NBA players who test positive for COVID-19 now have a quicker path to return to play after the league completed a significant update to its health and safety protocols.
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From the Orlando Sentinel: Vaccinations, strict policies helped Florida schools survive another difficult football season under COVID-19.
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The Orlando Magic are nearing the halfway point of the season. From the Orlando Sentinel, here are three things that have gone well and three that haven’t.
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Fifty-three seconds were all Clemson needed to turn a 6-3 halftime lead into a double-digit advantage as the Tigers outlasted Iowa State, 20-13 in the Cheez-It Bowl on Wednesday night at Camping World Stadium.
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For the second time in his career, UCF coach Gus Malzahn was named a finalist for the Steve Spurrier First Year Coach Award by the Football Writers Association of America. The award goes to the best coach in his first year at a school.
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Apopka 4-star defensive lineman Kaven Call announced his verbal pledge to Coach Gus Malzahn and the UCF Knights on social media on Christmas Day, saying that UCF “checked all the boxes” for him.
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John Madden, the Hall of Fame coach turned broadcaster whose exuberant calls combined with simple explanations provided a weekly soundtrack to NFL games for three decades, died Tuesday morning, the league said. He was 85.
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NCAA Volleyball continues to grow, with nearly 1.2 million viewers tuning in to watch Wisconsin defeat Nebraska in the championship match on ESPN2. That tally makes it the most-viewed women’s college volleyball match ever on ESPN’s networks.
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The Jacksonville Jaguars will begin setting up and interviewing candidates this week — the NFL now allows teams to start the process during the final two weeks of the regular season — and owner Shad Khan is expected to cast a wide net in search of his fifth head coach in the past decade.
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After shutting down for a week, the NHL resumed play Tuesday with three games on the schedule amid hopes that its extended holiday break caused by a rash of positive COVID-19 test results will set the stage for the league to complete its season.
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Martha Earnhardt, the matriarch of one of NASCAR’s best-known families, passed away last weekend. She was 91.
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People found guilty of online racist abuse against footballers will be banned from attending games for up to 10 years under new laws, Britain's Home Secretary Priti Patel said.
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From Forbes: You may have heard that sports is suffering from a ratings decline in virtually every corner of the television world. That is, with the exception of places like the WNBA, which saw television ratings jump significant once more, part of a story of growth this season as the league returned to home venues.
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The Wekiva High football team was loaded three years ago, and those highly-touted Mustangs players are proving the Class of 2018 was not a bunch of hype. Tyler Davis, a junior defensive tackle at Clemson, was selected to the first team all-ACC this year, and Brandon Hill, a redshirt sophomore safety at Pittsburgh, was a second team all-ACC pick.
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In The News.
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The Downtown Orlando Partnership has announced the return of its immersive series of workshops, Connect DTO. Now in its fifth year, the ConnectDTO program exposes residents and urban leaders to behind-the-scenes experiences and educational sessions, tours, and small group setting conversations with City of Orlando leaders. Session topics include real estate, art and culture, sports and entertainment, lodging/hospitality, technology and innovation, quality of life and more.
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Walt Disney World will reopen Typhoon Lagoon on Jan. 2, the company announced Tuesday. The water park has been closed since the beginning of the resort’s pandemic shutdown in March 2020.
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Austin Russell, the 26-year-old Orlando tech genius and billionaire, is plunging into the philanthropy sector with a personal donation of $70 million in stock to create a charitable fund in Central Florida — though it has yet to be determined how the money will be spent. The nonprofit Central Florida Foundation is partnering with Russell to set up the fund and decide how to use it.
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While SpaceX and United Launch Alliance have been sending rockets up at an increased pace the past several years, the Space Coast is about to get much busier with more commercial rocket companies set to join the launch party.
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From the Orlando Sentinel: Orlando Philharmonic tackles unique music that ponders homelessness, inequality.
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A whopping 277 manatees were counted in Blue Spring State Park on Christmas Eve, likely the busiest day until 2022, as temperatures are forecast to be sunny and warm until New Year’s Day.
Executive Opportunity Spotlight.
Fun & Games.
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