Orlando considers reviving downtown ambassador program
A pack of “ambassadors” soon may patrol downtown on foot or by bicycle, helping stranded drivers jump their car batteries, giving visitors directions and even dealing with aggressive panhandling, officials say.
Orlando officials are preparing to revive the downtown ambassador program — cut a decade ago amid the recession — through Block by Block, a national company that has similar initiatives in bustling business districts and nightlife hotspots around the country.
“They’ll provide an enhanced sense of safety and hospitality, and that’s needed,” Downtown Development Board Executive Director Thomas Chatmon said. “We have a challenge, as most downtowns do, with aggressive panhandling, and we need to curb that.”
The proposal will be considered by the Community Redevelopment Agency Advis-
ory Board on Thursday, and if approved, will come before the City Council on May 29.
Orlando previously used such a program, which the city ran, from 2007 until 2009.
A staff of 15 to 20 ambassadors will be on the streets from about 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day and will be outfitted with uniforms, bicycles, cellphones and one SUV. The overall budget is about $725,000 annually for the two-year agreement, city records show. The ambassadors will be hired by Block by Block and must pass a criminal background check.
They will also receive de-escalation training from the Orlando Police Department, defibrillator training from the Orlando Fire Department and will have information about resources available through the Health Care Center for the Homeless.
Mayor Buddy Dyer said the return of the concierge-like ambassadors was recommended as part of Project DTO, a visioning process for downtown completed in 2015.
He said the ambassadors will help with public engagement and will add more eyes on the streets.
“We’re always looking at ways to enhance the downtown experience,” Dyer said. “Ambassadors were one of the things we thought would enhance both the business person coming downtown and the visitor coming downtown for various events.”
He also said they will help the city combat an uptick in aggressive panhandling.
“Part of the enforcement of panhandling, somebody has to see it happen,” Dyer said.
Last year Orlando made sweeping changes to its rules for begging, banning people from giving or receiving donations from cars stopped on roads or exit ramps; it also forbade soliciting bank customers at ATMs or “captive audiences” in line outside concerts or venues.
“Particularly aggressive panhandling is undesirable, and we’re looking to mitigate that in a proactive and positive way,” Chatmon said.
Block by Block President Blair McBride said his ambassadors are taught to interact with the homeless population and to “see if that person has a need we can help with.”
Chatmon said as part of the agreement, the ambassadors — who do not have the authority to write citations or make arrests — will be available as witnesses in court if they see criminal activity while on the job.
“When a law is being broken, they’ll be the first to reach out to OPD to get OPD on the scene to address that,” Chatmon said. “When the law isn’t being broken, but there is unwanted behavior, they’ll be there to encourage those individuals not to continue with that unwanted behavior.”
If the program is approved, officials say the ambassadors probably won’t be on the streets until fall.
Much of their job will entail meeting everyday needs downtown, McBride said. That could include walking with somebody to the car late at night or providing an umbrella for somebody walking on a rainy day.
“So many times, it’s a reassuring presence,” McBride said. “They just want to be reassured that the downtown area is safe.”