LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK
TEACHERS KNOW, David Kay, chair, Interfaith Council of Central Florida: Teaching is a tough job, yet teachers willingly — even happily — face the day-to-day challenges in order to serve their students and community. The job of elected officials should be to support teachers, making sure that they and public education succeed. Elected school boards play perhaps the most crucial role. But not everyone running for a seat on your local school board has the best interests of teachers at heart. These elections are typically low-profile and it can be easy to miss red flags. Don’t let buzzwords or sound bites make your decision for you — ask the teachers.
TWIN PANDEMICS, Khalid Muneer, broker/ owner Jupiter Properties Central Florida: The CDC has now to address monkeypox in addition to the COVID-19 variants that are now affecting more and more people. Within the next few weeks, we will see the CDC putting more emphasis on education to control monkeypox before it becomes a serious issue.
OIA’S NEW TERMINAL C, Pamela Nabors, president/CEO, CareerSource Central Florida:
Orlando International Airport’s (OIA) new state-of-the-art Terminal C is set to open in September — long-awaited great news for Orlando. The new terminal will add 15 gates and serve as a hub for the Brightline train running from Orlando to Miami, scheduled to start in late 2023. Our region’s travel and tourism sectors are critical to the economy, and this new terminal/transportation hub will welcome an additional 10-12 million travelers annually and create thousands of new jobs in all industries.
THIS IS THE XFL, Brendan O’Connor, editor in chief, Bungalower.com: After a few failed attempts, the XFL, an American professional football minor league, is coming to Orlando, and it’s co-owned by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. I can’t wait to finally smell what he’s been cooking. Orlando’s unnamed team will be coached by Terrell Buckley, who comes to the gig following coaching at the University of Mississippi. He’s a former NFL player and Super Bowl champion. It’s all scheduled to kick off in February 2023.
WHIMSICAL, JOYFUL ART, Beverly Paulk, founding member, Central Florida Foundation and The Orlando Philharmonic: The Playfully Artistic exhibit at the Albin Polasek Museum in Winter Park is fun for both adults and children. The nonprofit Florida Sculptors Guild’s members recently provided me a “mentalhealth” hour of whimsy and laughter in air conditioning. Members’ different talents filled the spaces with amazing, beautiful art. One piece reached the ceiling with dozens of game pieces and balls masterfully placed. Some imaginative pieces used recycled items to create cool bugs and wall art, some were traditional bronze and aluminum, many were clever such as long-legged horses. One display was even huggable. Visit through Aug. 21 to enjoy.
SURPRISE! MANCHIN AGREES, Gloria Pickar, president emerita, League of Women Voters of Orange County: U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin finally agreed to support reducing carbon emissions through the Inflation Reduction Act, allocating $370 billion to combat climate change. It has a good chance of passing. This is good news for Florida with our 1,350 miles of coastline and 3.5 million residents at risk for sea-level rise and more frequent and intense hurricanes. Thirteen of the top 20 U.S. cities at highest risk for sea-level rise are in Florida. This bill will better protect 20% of Floridians from the clear and present danger of increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide. Advocate for passage of this bill.
THE UNIVERSITY CLUB, Larry Pino, attorney and entrepreneur: The University Club of Orlando, which, until 1992, didn’t allow women or minorities to join, has elected its first Black president — 44-year-old Michael Lane. Housed in a new downtown facility with membership challenged since the pandemic, it is reaching out to build a membership more diverse, younger, and with far more females. Since the membership application process continues to require multiple layers of approval skewed heavily toward legacy, time will tell how successful President Lane’s efforts will be, but, in the meantime, his election as the president of this iconic institution in Orlando is clearly a positive step forward.
MONEY CORRUPTS POLITICS, Joanie Schirm, GEC founding president; World Cup Orlando 1994 Committee chairman:
When the Citizens United Supreme Court ruling gave the green light for corporations, nonprofit corporations, labor unions, and more to flow unlimited money to political candidates, campaign fundraising exploded. Now I see how years of dark money have negatively affected federal, state and local elections. On the national stage, Gov. Ron DeSantis is running simultaneously for Florida governor and presumably 2024 president, for which he has some $130 million in his PAC. His $13.44 million state campaign that also benefits from Citizens United received $3.5 million in state matching funds, originally set up to reduce the big-money influence and help underfunded candidates. Let’s repeal Citizens United and the state matching funds program.