Community Profile

Livability

Throughout this process, I learned so much about my city. However, I went into this with a mindset that I wanted to evolve as a healthcare leader. In my time as a healthcare strategy leader, I have learned of serious healthcare disparities, right here in my back yard. I really wanted to hone in on what causes those disparities, from historical inequality to income disparities, why is one community suffering from poor health outcomes, while others right down the road are thriving. It just didn’t make sense to me, what’s causing this? Well, three points topped almost every list I’ve seen, and that stays true with individuals I was able to talk to throughout this process. These are, access to education, income inequality due to an obvious racial wealth gap, and lack of mental health resources.

Access to education has been a true barrier for underserved communities in Orlando for some time now. This is often traced back to a long history of segregation laws and discrimination, leading to a continued lack of investment in these communities. The racial wealth gap in Orlando is glaringly obvious, and often leads specific communities to suffer from poor healthcare outcomes, leading to citizens avoiding healthcare all together, a vicious cycle, I know. Mental health resources in recent years have been few and far between for those who cannot directly afford it. However, Orlando is working to bridge that gap through non-profit investment and government intervention. Mental health has been a struggle for Orlando’s citizens, leading to an increase in homelessness, drug abuse, and crime. Recent investments from Orange County and a local mental health service centers are improving this drastically. We expect to see a decrease in drug abuse and homelessness in the data soon according to multiple non-profit leaders I spoke with, including the CEO of AdventHealth Orlando who sits on various mental health focused boards.

Walkability of Orlando is something we have struggled with. In my opinion, walkable cities are vital for human life. Since the dawn of time, humans have relied on community to live. Cities centered around a water source, a local city center, or other industries are what makes the world go round, Orlando unfortunately is not very walkable. There are various pockets of neighborhoods that maintain some semblance of walkability, but they are small, and few and far between. We are a car centered city, and remember earlier when I mentioned we also have the deadliest stretch of highway in the country? Yeah, it’s not a great combination. Investments in walkable areas are underway, but we’ve also had empty promises from investors in recent years. I won’t hold my breath, and for now, I’ll continue to preach the importance of walkable cities to anyone that will listen.

Livability: This is the question of the hour. Is Orlando a livable city? Yes, and no. Not a great answer, huh? Well, I think it depends on who you ask. Ask the stranger browsing Lululemon on Park Avenue in Winter Park, and the answer would be a resounding yes! Now ask the EVS attendant at the hospital I work at? Well, let’s just say she laughed in my face. Years and years of income disparities building up, lack of investment in our urban core, and now an influx of people with fewer new jobs, and there is potential for disaster. Lack of walkable areas, a homeless crisis in the areas that are walkable, and health disparities plaguing the city have proven to me that this is a tough time to live in Orlando for a lot of people.

Transplants moving from elsewhere since the pandemic have brought some economic prosperity to new neighborhoods, but some would say that they’re gentrifying neighborhoods that didn’t ask for it. There’s a fine line between gentrification and investing in underserved communities, and Orlando really likes to toe that line (we often spill into gentrification). Some of these neighborhoods are getting such heavy investments that its forcing the local community out, thus leading to a cycle of displacement for families that have lived here for decades.

The weather in Orlando is an interesting one. I’ve had my fair share of complaints regarding the weather here, mostly the humidity. However, we have bigger fish to fry, hurricanes. Hurricanes have been a way of life in Florida for as long as anyone can remember, but we’ve been hit hard in the past 25 years or so. Hurricane season runs from June 1st to November 30th every. single. year. So, we have to deal with the threat of hurricanes for half the year, every year. You know the saying, I need a six month vacation, twice a year? That couldn’t be more true. We need a vacation from hurricane season, and we rarely get it. From the need to prepare for hurricanes and the individual investment that takes including time off work, children not in school, boarding up your windows and buying sandbags, to the aftermath of dealing with insurance companies, rising premiums, potential injuries including death, and more, we are constantly living in fear of hurricanes down here in Florida. Luckily, we don’t have too much flooding here in Central Florida, but our neighbors to the north (Jacksonville/St. Augustine) and our neighbors to the south (St. Petersburg/Tampa) struggle with very serious flooding risks as well.

According to various citizens I interviewed (including my old boss, who leads a non-profit here) Orlando has a culture of empowering citizens for good. From non-profits to entrepreneurship, citizens are encouraged to build something new, and reinvest in the community. Citizens are empowered to build, and with building, comes shared prosperity amongst citizens. We need a balance of the right investments at the right time, but I do think Orlando is getting better at that. Orlando has struggled with empty promises from large scale investors promising walkable neighborhoods, new restaurants, new entertainment districts, etc, and have often been let down. However, recently more and more of these plans seem to be coming to fruition, including a new project near the Kia Center downtown that will add of apartments, offices, bars and restaurants, shopping, and entertainment all in one area near the arena and various stadiums.

Overall, my original sentiment seems to be true, it depends on who you ask, but Orlando is a livable city in my opinion. In order to have a livable community, you have to have a sustainable habitat, healthy people, cohesive and resilient communities, empowered citizens, and shared prosperity, and while some of these are a work in progress, we’re getting there. Orlando is not without fault, I don’t believe any city is, but it’s the people’s ability to adapt and power through hardships that make it what it is, and Orlando citizens are nothing if not resilient.