ORLANDO, Fla -- Orlando leaders met with officials from the Orlando Hospitality Alliance Jan. 26, to discuss plans to improve safety in downtown Orlando.

The meeting comes after the Orlando City Council discussed proposed safety ordinances at Monday’s meeting — ones that would temporarily ban new nightclubs and also require businesses to get a late-night alcohol sales permits.

According to a city official, Thursday’s meeting was more of a listening session to hear ideas.

Alliance founder and executive director Dominique Greco said the organization created its own proposal, which would include a 5% surcharge on sales at nightlife businesses in Orlando’s downtown entertainment area to help pay for safety measures. 

Alliance officials estimate the move would bring in roughly $3 million and help fund added police presence in the downtown are. That’s $900,000 more than OPD’s current downtown surge budget — and alliance leaders added that the additional funds could be used at the department’s discretion.

“The money that we are trying to pull together within the downtown entertainment area would be to pay for certain safety measures including the police force,” said Greco.

During the first reading of the city’s ordinance, District 1 Commissioner Jim Gray said even with more incentives, it is hard to get officers to work in downtown Orlando.

“We have an extremely high concentration of bars with the operators ignoring the rules, such that we now have an environment so unsafe that police, fire, and code enforcement officers aren’t willing to work," Gray said. "Double overtime pay and additional perks don’t entice them, so they have to be ordered to work downtown details."

Greco said she believes the additional funds could help bring other officers, specifically for the entertainment area.

“We would really like to have dedicated entertainment, community-style policing officers who focus on knowing their routes, knowing the businesses they serve,” she said. “Really being on a personal level and having that same group of people in and out of downtown, where when you work with off duty, that is not really the same type of experience.”

She said when it comes to this new proposal, there’s flexibility on the funds and what could be included.

“The idea is definitely out there and being looked at and researched by city staff and the attorneys,” Greco said. “To figure out, is that a better way to get more money for dedicated safety precautions in downtown where we are being told that right now based on the density of people coming to downtown on a given weekend night that the city is spending about $40,000 extra to make this possible.”

A spokesperson for the city of Orlando sent Spectrum News a statement after Thursday’s meeting that said the session was, “Another opportunity for staff to hear directly from these downtown businesses and stakeholders as to their ideas and suggestions on ways the ordinance could be further tweaked.”

The city spokesperson explained further meetings are planned and conversations about the original ordinance brought up in Monday’s meeting will continue moving forward. As for the Orlando Hospitality Alliance’s proposal, the Greco said she believes city leaders went into the meeting with open minds, but did not explain if this proposal or any parts are actually being considered.