Downtown Orlando Safety Barricades
We’re coming off the first weekend of significant changes planned for downtown Orlando by city leaders to reduce violence. This follows the deadly mass shooting on Halloween night when two of the nine people shot died, and a woman was hurt after being trampled by people running for safety in the crowd of 75,000 people. City leaders are working to mitigate what they describe as a street party environment.
They’re moving forward with plans to reopen Orange Avenue to vehicle traffic on Friday and Saturday nights for the first time in years. Transitioning from pedestrian-only to allowing cars on the busy thoroughfare in the heart of the bar and nightclub district will be a gradual process. It started Friday evening when temporary gates and barricades were installed in the middle of the road. Eric Fuller joins Engage to share his account of the impact of the changes. He is the co-owner of Celine Orlando, an event venue downtown.
Online Sports Betting
Instead of heading to a casino cashier or sportsbook kiosk, you can place your gameday bet right on your smart phone. It’s been a year since mobile sports betting was made legal in Florida through the site Hard Rock Bet operated by the Seminole Tribe. With the ease of access comes growing concerns about problem gaming. The Florida Council on Compulsive Gambling reports a 110% increase in Florida online gambling help contacts since last year. Jennifer Kruse is the Executive Director. She joins Engage along with Rory Reid, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UCLA and a research psychologist.
Latina GDP
A new U.S. Latina GDP Report is out detailing research on the growing economic activity of Hispanic women. It shows Latinas contribute more than 1.3 trillion dollars to the country’s Gross Domestic Product which is a 50% increase over the last decade. The inaugural report detailing the economic contributions of Latinas is funded by Bank of America. Sheila Torres is a Senior Vice President at Bank of America based in Orlando. She joins Engage to discuss the factors influencing this growth and what it looks like on an everyday level in Central Florida.
Zambia’s Orlando Pride
More than 14,000 fans gathered at Inter&Co Stadium on Sunday to watch the beloved Orlando Pride take down the Kansas City Current three to two in a competitive playoff match that will see the Pride advance to the National Women’s Soccer League Championship against the Washington Spirit. Nearly 8,000 miles away, another group of Orlando Pride fans gathered in the Zambian capital of Lusaka to watch the game. Duncan Chitoshi joins Engage from the African country to talk about their hometown hero and what Orlando’s success means to them in Zambia.
