SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — With businesses closing and workers battling unemployment, local economies around Central Florida are hurting, just like in Casselberry.   

One city leader who says the city has millions of dollars to stimulate the economy, but the pandemic is forcing them to put those projects on hold.   

Charter Communications has temporarily opened its live stream free to the public. You can watch Spectrum News via our live stream on your desktop or laptop without a subscription by visiting our website and clicking “Watch Live” in the upper right. Charter also is temporarily offering free broadband and wifi access for 60 days to teachers and families with K-12 or college students. To enroll, call 1-844-488-8395. The company also will open more than half a million wifi hotspots across the country.

Casselberry’s residents are like many others around Central Florida — worried about the economy and their livelihood.   

“I’m not going to lie. I bite my finger nails now because all you hear is gloom and doom,” said Tony Jelneck, who along with his family, has been living in Casselberry for more than a decade.   

He’s a small business owner who is waiting on payments from clients and the sudden drop in the economy has him concerned.  

But Casselberry’s city manager, Randy Newlon, says the city is poised to inject millions of dollars into the local economy, hopefully giving it a boost. 

“The city is really in a groove right now and we’re trying to keep that pace up,” he says.

But keeping up the pace might prove difficult during the coronavirus pandemic.  Nearly $70 million of projects are in the pipeline but are stuck there.

There is $24 million for parks, $8 million for new water meters, and $10 million to replace the police station. But those projects cannot be awarded until the city commission holds public meetings.     

“We have a duty to pursue these projects as soon as we can. The economy is in a pause as well,” said Newlon.

Cities in Seminole County are facing similar challenges. Sanford is holding phone conferences and Oviedo is separating the city council from residents.

Newlon says Casselberry leaders are looking at all options.   

For Jelneck, knowing that city leaders are working on the issue gives him some peace mind. He says when all of this is over, he is expecting a big surge in the local economy.  

“When you see your local government, your local city willing to invest in technology, new parks, it really makes you feel good and hopeful that things are still moving,” he said.

Casselberry’s next city council meetings is scheduled for the end of the month. Leaders are hopeful they will have a solution before that meeting.