Downtown ambassadors head out to lend a hand
New group patrols via foot, bike, truck
Donning gray uniforms accented with lime green, Downtown Orlando’s new ambassadors hit the streets Wednesday for their first day on the job.
The 17 ambassadors will patrol downtown to offer safety escorts, directions, report suspicious activity and curb aggressive panhandlers. They’ll work in shifts from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., though sometimes later depending on events downtown.
“We live, of course, in the most visited destination on earth…[and] a lot of those people come right here to downtown,” Downtown Development Board Director Thomas Chatmon said. “I think it goes to follow … that we’re expected to have worldclass customer service.”
They received the final piece of their uniform — matching gray Orlando hats — from Mayor Buddy Dyer before heading out for work.
Each ambassador is also outfitted with a tool belt including a walkie-talkie, flashlight, fanny pack and first-aid kit. They’ve also been trained in CPR, and to alert Orlando police and fire officials quickly if help is needed.
Chatmon said “ambassadors aren’t safety-enforcement officers” but can provide extra sets of eyes on crowded streets.
The ambassadors also have a tablet-like device that will track information about services each ambassador provides at a specific time and location.
They’ll be seen throughout downtown on foot, bikes or in a pickup truck done up with the downtown logo and contact information. Ambassadors can be reached by phone or text message at 407-902-4374.
Where they’re stationed each day and night will be determined by demand, including Orlando City and Magic games, Broadway-style shows at Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts and other of the 1,200 events held downtown annually.
The City Council in May approved the deal with Block by Block, a national company that has similar programs in more than 100 municipalities nationwide. The two-year pilot costs the Community Redevelopment Agency $725,000 per year.
Dyer said the ambassadors, who live locally, will perform a wide array of services, including helping to crack down on aggressive panhandling amid increasing reports of it.
After a series of court rulings found anti-panhandling laws elsewhere to be unconstitutional, Orlando last year repealed its ordinances limiting solicitation to blue boxes and nighttime panhandling.
There has been an “increase in not just panhandling but the presence of individuals on the sidewalks that used to be confined to the blue boxes,” the mayor said.
And with the heavy volume of residents, tourists and business owners who flood in and out of the area daily, he thinks they’ll be helpful in helping people navigate.
“As we grow, we have unique needs in our community,” Dyer said.