ORLANDO, Fla. — Mayor Buddy Dyer said Wednesday that he wants downtown Orlando to be an opportunity for all to enhance their quality of life.

In his State of Downtown address at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, Dyer said that the city is building off its original DTO initiative started before the COVID-19 pandemic. DTO 2.0 will take a three-prolonged approach to making downtown desirable for work, for play and for living.

"So how can we accomplish this? We do it by being brave and bold," Dyer said. "We do it by diversifying. We do it by leveraging private sector innovation, invention and partnership — not just to launch major projects but to help solve challenges as well." 

He said he wants to build downtown into a neighborhood for all Central Floridians.

That starts with keeping downtown safe, Dyer said.

To that end, the city has developed an after-midnight program with a partnership with late-night businesses to pay for an additional 30 off-duty police officers in addition to the 25 officers dedicated to the urban core. The city has also created a specialized unit of 11 officers who focus on preventing violent crime and added a DUI squad, Dyer said. That is more than 70 officers dedicated to keeping downtown safe, he said.

Partnerships and dedication will be required to stay the course, but "we will get it done," Dyer said.

The city also has ramped up enforcement of noise violations as well as increased lighting and improved parking safety.

Dyer said he knows homelessness and panhandling are a concern for many people and can lead to uncomfortable situations. Dyer said that is not acceptable. At the same time, the city cannot fail to help the vulnerable, he added. To address that issue, Orlando has enhanced its ambassador program to help those who need direct assistance get the resources and help that they need. The city also has invested in organizations such as the Christian Service Center and Salvation Army to enhance services for some of those who need help, Dyer said.

To make the city a place where people can live, the city has substantially increased the number of housing units, and now more than 20,000 people live downtown, the mayor said. When Society Orlando opens early in 2024, it will include hundreds more units and a giant e-sports arena and arcade, Dyer said. There are plans to add and preserve more, including affordable housing units, Dyer said. 

Arts, culture, small businesses and green spaces are more important than ever and offering a diversity of options is central to the city's plans, the mayor said. Downtown has been excited to welcome Fringe on Church Street and also will soon see the addition of the SAC Comedy Lab, Dyer said. He pointed out that Orlando continues to invest in parades for events such as Veterans Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Florida Puerto Rican Festival and Come Out with Pride. Downtown for the Holidays programming also features something for everyone, he said.

The city opened two new parks in the past two years, Luminary Green and Lake Lorna Doone Park, and is expanding and modernizing Lake Eola Park. Dyer said city officials are very excited about its newest park, Art Squared, which features a cafe, artists, a performance stage, covered seating and rotating food trucks. It will be bordered by Robinson Street and Orange Avenue.

Major sporting events such as the LSU-FSU football game, the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials, college football bowl games, the Orlando Magic, the Orlando City Lions and Orlando Pride and international soccer matches bring thousands of people into the city and entertain Central Floridians, too, Dyer said. To keep events coming, the city needs to upgrade the Amway Center and Camping World Stadium, Dyer said.

Orlando is also looking to attract more businesses downtown to diversify and strengthen the economy, Dyer said. Enhancing the quality of amenities and creating opportunities for innovation are important considerations when company officials decide where to locate, he added.

"We must constantly be focused on what's next and what's needed for our downtown to own the future," Dyer said.

Collaboration and partnerships are important to innovation and creating a physical focus for that is key, Dyer said. For that reason, the city plans to reimagine the Bob Carr Theatre, transforming it into a town square for Orlando's digital economy, the mayor said.

Dyer challenged Central Floridians to be part of the team and partnerships that contribute to creating "opportunity for all" as Orlando moves forward.