Impact Update for Thursday, January 6 |
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Each week, we will distribute our Impact Update newsletter on Thursdays. We encourage you to share this information with friends, families, and business owners who may be able to take advantage of the resources, programming options, local highlights and industry news below.
Jason Siegel
President & CEO
Greater Orlando Sports Commission
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“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go. They merely determine where you start.”
- Nido Qubein
American-Jordanian businessman and motivational speaker
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Local Resources.
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Visit these pages for the most critical local health and government updates:
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City of Orlando: COVID-19 Homepage | Testing Sites | Vaccine Sites
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Orange County: COVID-19 Homepage | Testing Sites | Vaccine Sites
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Osceola County: COVID-19 Homepage | Testing Sites | Vaccine Sites
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Seminole County: COVID-19 Homepage | Testing Sites | Vaccine Sites
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Lake County: Homepage
- City of Orlando:
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The Downtown Development Board is now accepting applications to support events located in the Community Redevelopment Area of Orlando. Click here for more information, applications close on Tuesday, Feb. 1 at 11:59pm.
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The Downtown Development Board (DDB) and Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) created a webpage to assist with identifying grants and incentives that may be available to downtown businesses.
- Orange County:
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The #IGotMyShot mobile vaccination trailer continues to visit neighborhoods and businesses throughout Orange County. For next week’s schedule, or for more information about the #IGotMyShot campaign, visit ocfl.net/IGotMyShot.
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Booster shots are now available at the vaccination site at the Orlando International Airport. The site is open from Thursday - Monday, Noon to 6pm and is located on the third floor of the airport near the checkpoint for gates 70 to 129.
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Orange County’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program remains open for individuals who are behind on rent or at risk of being evicted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To date, more than $15.3 million have been approved to keep 2,635 families in their homes. Recently, the City of Orlando announced it has depleted its current federal funds dedicated to its Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Orange County is stepping in to bridge the gap and will temporarily offer assistance to Orlando residents, effective now until further notice. Eligible residents include those living in unincorporated Orange County, Apopka, Bay Lake, Belle Isle, Eatonville, Edgewood, Lake Buena Vista, Maitland, Oakland, Ocoee, Orlando, Windermere, Winter Garden and Winter Park. Residents can visit ocfl.net/RentalAssistance to review program details and to check if their address is eligible.
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CareerSource Central Florida is helping career seekers and displaced workers apply for the Reemployment Assistance program through the Department of Economic Opportunity.
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The Orange County Library System offers Right Service at the Right Time, a free online tool and public resource that is particularly useful to those who have had their income affected by COVID-19. The service provides a platform to easily find information on government-assistance and community-support programs.
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Osceola County:
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Osceola County is currently accepting applications for emergency utility assistance for households impacted by COVID19. Funding is available for electric, gas, and water utilities only. If you reside in Osceola County and your household is impacted, please click here to complete the application.
- Lake County:
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Lake County residents can reach out to the Lake County Department of Housing and Human Services for information on SHIP rental assistance. Click here for more information.
- Seminole County:
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If you have been impacted by the COVID-19 crisis and live in Seminole County, The Sharing Center is currently accepting applications for rent/mortgage and utilities assistance. Click here for program criteria and to learn how to apply.
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Covering Central Florida offers health coverage and a Special Enrollment Period for individuals who have been laid off related to COVID-19.
- Additional Resources:
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The US Small Business Association has compiled a database of private funding options to help small businesses. Browse the options available nationally, or input a zip code to explore location-specific funding.
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OUC has a Small Business Assistance Fund which provides up to $2,500 in utility assistance for small businesses facing financial hardship due to COVID-19. Aid is in the form of a credit adjustment on your next OUC bill.
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The US Small Business Association is accepting applications for the Shuttered Venue Operators Grant, which provides critical economic relief program for live venues, museums, movie theatres and more. Businesses interested in seeking assistance can contact Orlando Economic Partnership's BRACE team for guidance.
Stay Engaged.
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For more than three decades, the City of Orlando's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission has joined with corporate and community partners to plan and promote a variety of programs and events that celebrate his life and legacy. Check out the 2022 schedule of events coming up in January.
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The Orlando Museum of Art will host a special dinner with renowned Florida-based photographer Clyde Butcher on Friday, Jan. 7 at 6pm. Attendees will have the opportunity to dine with the photographer while surrounded by large format prints of his photographs of Florida landscapes.
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Join the Orange County Regional History Center on Friday, Jan. 7 at Noon for an exclusive peek inside their collection showcasing seven fascinating artifacts, one from each of the seven counties in their collecting region. This free online 'Lunch & Learn' event will feature OCRHC staff sharing the stories behind these objects and about the work they do to collect and care for the items that help share Central Florida’s continually unfolding story.
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From ice cream to ice chalk, celebrate the winter solstice with some (literally) cool sensory STEM experiments from the Orlando Science Center! Explore the chemistry behind some ice-citing concoctions, learn a trick to make your friends think you can freeze time, and more.
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The Orange County Regional History Center’s exhibition highlighting the achievements of the Downtown Development Board is open until Jan. 30. Through a timeline of important events and photographs, visitors have the chance to see the growth of the City Beautiful.
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The Orange County Public Art Review Board, in cooperation with the Orange County Planning Department, is looking for two and three-dimensional artwork submissions for an exhibition called "Postcards from the Future." Click here for more information on the exhibit and how to apply. Deadline to enter is Jan. 12, 2022.
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Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.
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Universal Orlando's Florida resident specials include discounts on vacation packages.
“It’s really cool. I want to win games, but it’s cool to be recognized for all the work... A lot of people are involved in how we work and how we get better every day.”
-Franz Wagner,
Orlando Magic Forward
See Orlando Magic story below...
Around The Horn.
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Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner was named the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for games played in December, the league announced Tuesday.
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Orlando's VRBO Citrus Bowl was the most watched non-New Years Six college football bowl game this year at 6.6M, with the Cheez-It Bowl, also hosted in Orlando's Camping World Stadium, coming in at no. 3 on the list with 4.9M viewers.
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Former five-star and Maryland transfer linebacker Terrence Lewis has committed to UCF, he announced on social media Monday. Lewis was the No. 1 linebacker in the country and the No. 21 overall prospect nationwide coming out of high school in 2021, according to 247Sports.
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The Florida High School Athletic Association revamped boys basketball districts this season, changing numbers and altering regional landscapes. But the FHSAA’s first set of 2021-22 power rankings, unveiled Tuesday, show that Orange County’s Metro Conference can still boast the “District of Death” label.
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Novak Djokovic — after being denied entry and having his visa canceled by Australian Border Force officials who rejected his evidence to support a medical exemption from the country’s strict COVID-19 vaccination rules — now waits for a court ruling on his deportation after arriving for the Australian Open.
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The National Hockey League and 20 of its teams are suing five of their insurance providers, alleging the companies have breached contracts by refusing to reimburse more than $1 billion worth of losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The NBA announced Monday that a total of 21 games have been impacted due to the recent surge of COVID-19 cases: 11 that were previously postponed, another eight future games that were changed because of the postponed games being rescheduled and two more that are being played at a different time on the same day.
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Becky Hammon is headed back to the WNBA as a head coach. The veteran San Antonio Spurs assistant took the lead spot with the Las Vegas Aces.
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NCAA Football reporter Brandon Marcello reports that EA Sports aims to have their NCAA Football revival title released next year. In a tweet, he says that Collegiate Licensing Co. CEO Cory Moss expects the game to be out by Summer 2023.
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With just one month to go before the Beijing 2022 games open, Olympics.com is highlighting 30 young medal favorites and rising stars – 15 women and 15 men – to watch in every sport at the Olympic Winter Games.
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From the Orlando Sentinel: NFL looks at contingency sites for Super Bowl LVI in case of potential COVID-19 issues.
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La’Quanza Glover, an Edward Waters University women’s basketball player is believed to be the first woman at a HBCU to sign a name, image and likeness deal when Jacksonville-based Global Freight & Commerce signed her to a deal earlier this month.
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The 2022 Winter Classic on New Year's Day became the most-watched cable NHL regular-season game of all time. The TNT broadcast drew 1.362 million viewers, which also makes it the most-watched NHL game thus far for the 2021-22 season on any network.
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Two lopsided semifinals games on New Year’s Eve led to the lowest ratings ESPN has seen during the College Football Playoff era. ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU averaged 16.9 million viewers for Alabama’s 27-6 win over Cincinnati and Georgia’s 34-11 rout over Michigan, per the Sports Business Journal. That’s below the previous low of 17 million in 2016 — the most recent time the semifinals were staged on New Year’s Eve.
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Trading card giant Topps - just a few months after losing out on a deal to renew its longtime licensing deal with Major League Baseball to sports apparel startup Fanatics - is now selling its collectibles and cards business to... Fanatics.
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Troy Aikman is not afraid of challenges, overcoming a 1-15 record his first season with the Dallas Cowboys to win three Super Bowls and going from TV rookie to longest-tenured NFL game analyst. Now Aikman is taking on Bud Light with a new light beer called EIGHT, named for his old jersey number.
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LaLiga has launched an official store on Amazon, becoming the first soccer league to have its own dedicated ecommerce portal with the online retail giant. More than 1,600 licensed products are now available in the UK, Germany, Italy and France via LaLiga’s official store.
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In The News.
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Orange County Comptroller Phil Diamond announced that Tourist Development Tax collections received by Orange County for the November 2021 TDT collection month were $25,051,900, which is a 183.9% increase over November 2020.
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Nonprofit community development corporation, Orlando Economic Partnership, has hired a firm to develop a “digital twin” for the City of Orlando, in what is being seen as the first of its kind in the country. The 40 square-mile virtual clone of Orlando will be used by the city to carry out more detailed city planning activities and will be a tool for simulation programs.
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The Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts is providing a wondrous new reason to visit downtown Orlando with the long-awaited Steinmetz Hall, an acoustically remarkable space set to open on Jan. 14, 2022. To mark the occasion, the Dr. Phillips Center is hosting a two-week Grand Celebration Season featuring performances by The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, superstars such as Jennifer Hudson and Lyle Lovett, and the best of Orlando’s performing arts, with much more to come in 2022.
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Orlando-based Darden Restaurants said its previously announced plan to increase wages was moved up to be effective Jan. 1, 2022. The move will raise minimum hourly pay for restaurant employees to $12, including income earned through gratuities; putting restaurant team members' average earnings at about $20 per hour, Darden Chairman and CEO Gene Lee said in a prepared statement.
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In 2021, Lake Nona welcomed new businesses and families to the neighborhood, celebrated hometown world-class athletes, met the first babies born in Lake Nona, marveled at new community artwork, rode autonomous shuttles to new destinations, spent the night the world's most tech-savvy hotel, made lasting memories during community events, and so much more. Take a look back at the community's 21 favorite moments from 2021.
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Governor Ron DeSantis awarded $9.7 million to Osceola County and Valencia College to help build out the county’s emerging semiconductor industry. The money from the governor’s Job Growth Fund includes $6 million to build a road that will connect south Osceola County to the NeoCity district, DeSantis said at a news conference in Kissimmee, which he added would create 500 jobs.
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The Wells’Built Museum of African American History and Culture, which celebrated its 20th Anniversary last February, is looking to expand its footprint in 2022. Plans include renovations for the Wells’Built Museum and the adjacent Wells House, which were built in the 1920s. Plans also include the construction of a new building where the former South Street Casion used to be located by the museum, that will house a new theater, exhibits, and conference rooms.
Executive Opportunity Spotlight.
Fun & Games.
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