Listening Sessions
We’re less than two months out from the November elections where voters will elect a new President of the United States, members of Congress, state legislatures and critical local positions. This year to help guide our election coverage, Central Florida Public Media has been doing a lot of listening. News Director and Managing Editor LaToya Dennis joins Engage to discuss the surveys and meetings we’ve conducted across our coverage area.
Orlando Health Preparedness Drills
This week, Orlando Health South Seminole Hospital did a full-scale preparedness exercise for a catastrophic event. Several agencies were involved including EMS, fire rescue, and law enforcement. Eric Alberts, Assistant Vice President of Emergency Management for Orlando Health, joins Engage to explain how they train and the types of scenarios they are recreating.
Volusia County Beach Safety
Central Florida beaches are a big draw heading into the long Labor Day Holiday weekend. Tammy Malphurs, Director of Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue, says they have a minimum of 15 million visitors that come onto their beaches each year. Her department oversees the seasonal and full-time lifeguards tasked with protecting swimmers. So far this year, they’ve rescued more than 1,800 people from the water. Malphurs joins Engage to discuss Beach Safety and what the upcoming holiday means for her department.
DTOLive!
Downtown Orlando is about to get a new look and sound thanks to the DTOLive! initiative from The City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board and United Arts of Central Florida. DTOLive! will pack multiple downtown venues with area musicians, artists and performers of all types at eleven locations. Organizers hope to draw traffic into the downtown corridor during the daytime and evenings to encourage community interaction and drive foot traffic into downtown businesses. David Barilla, Executive Director of the City of Orlando’s Downtown Development Board & Community Redevelopment Agency, joins Engage to parse out what can be expected from the DTOLive! programming.
