After an annual address celebrating Orange County’s achievements and diversity, Mayor Jerry Demings weighed in Friday on Florida’s political climate, cited this week by two groups as reasons they cancelled conventions here.
“It is something we could have done without,” Demings said of the spate of legislation trumpeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-controlled Legislature but derided by critics as anti-LGBTQ.
“We are the United States of America and we are that country that has been inclusive and welcoming for people around the world,” the mayor said after his fifth annual State of the County speech inside the Orange County Convention Center. “That’s how we have built ourselves as arguably the strongest nation in the world. That is how we have built this community.”
His remarks were amplified by fellow Democrats, Orange County commissioners Nicole Wilson and Mike Scott and U.S. Rep Maxwell Frost, who shared the microphone during a post-speech, press conference.
Their criticism, more pointed, was aimed at legislation approved by lawmakers and signed by DeSantis to target the Walt Disney Co., restrict the use of pronouns in schools, ban medication and surgical treatments for transgender youth and limit classroom instruction on gender identity in schools.
Frost said DeSantis, a Republican presidential hopeful, was trying to “out-Trump Trump,” a dig at the Florida governor’s bid to replace former President Donald J. Trump as the front-runner for the GOP nomination.
2 groups cancel Orlando conventions as worries over political climate grow
Wilson, whose southwest Orange district includes Disney properties and communities where many of the company’s local employees live, said many constituents are uneasy about new state rules.
“I want our residents to know we’re here for them,” she said.
In his speech pledging “to take Orange County to the next level,” Demings said new construction topped $3 billion last year and theme parks and other attractions hosted 74 million visitors.
He made special mention of Disney’s latest attraction, “TRON Lightcycle / Run,” billed as the fastest ride in the Magic Kingdom, and drew chuckles from the audience as he swayed like a wave-riding surfer while describing SeaWorld Orlando’s newest ride, “Pipeline,” a stand-up rollercoaster.
The mayor recalled Hurricane Ian as a challenge “only Mother Nature could deliver” and praised the response of fire-rescue teams, who rescued 1,700 residents and their pets from flood waters.
He described other challenges facing the county, including a housing shortage.
Amid a statewide housing crisis, the mayor said, the county opened an Office of Tenant Services that has assisted 1,200 tenants and landlords; helped develop 2,000 affordable housing units; and distributed $40 million in emergency-rental assistance to keep 15,000 people in their homes.
He noted both Universal and Disney are moving forward with affordable housing projects.
Guests entering the theatre were greeted by a life-sized digital, talking hologram of Demings, welcoming them to the State of the County and invited them to take a “selfie” with him.
“I hope to inspire your imagination and curiosity,” the digital mayor said.
To conclude his 90-minute address, Demings brought to the stage FusionFest performers, a group of dancers representing the late November festival, which celebrates arts, cultures and foods of the world.
“We are a caring and welcoming community that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion,” Demings had said earlier in his speech to loud applause. “We are a community where Blacks, whites, Jews, gentiles, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians, LGBTQ+, and all law-abiding people are welcomed.”
Afterward, the mayor said the emphasis on diversity was intentional.
“That is the strength of our community. That’s who we are,” he said. “We wanted today to be an immersive experience, but also because we are beginning to see some impact from those who want to do business here, it’s also a message to them: We are the same community that we have always been.”