On Tuesday, June 18, The Osceola Chamber welcomed Osceola County’s Florida state legislators for an update on the spring 2024 legislative session and their outlook for next fall in a panel discussion moderated by Walt Disney World Senior Government Advisory Manager Leticia Adams. The program also featured words from Congressman Darren Soto on federal successes for the county, and a report on the work of the Florida Department of Transportation’s 5th District from FDOT Director of Development Jack Adkins.
For the second year in a row, we were thrilled to welcome our Chamber members and community partners to the fabulous Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center for this annual event. As always, the program included lunch, and this year’s pan-seared beef filet with aged cheddar gratin potatoes and a carrot puree was excellent as always.
The program kicked off with a welcome from Chamber President/CEO John Newstreet and the National Anthem sung by Ulysses Escobar, who is an active member of the Chamber with his business Elev8 Mortgage. 2024 Chamber Chairman, and Osceola Magic Vice President, Carlos Velez took the stage next to recognize elected officials and thank our awesome sponsors for making the event possible. He compared the support of sponsors at community events to the teamwork required on the basketball court.
The Presenting Sponsor for the Osceola Update was Disney, as has been the case for many years, and Walt Disney World Senior Government Advisory Manager Elizabeth Watkins took the stage to thank our elected leaders for their dedication and share some of the latest updates at the Disney parks, including the soon-to-open Tiana’s Bayou Adventure. She then introduced U.S. Congressman Darren Soto, whose jurisdiction includes all of Osceola County. He reported on his successes in Washington including advancements for NeoCity.
After a short break to begin lunch service, Florida Department of Transportation, District 5 Director of Development Jack Adkins gave a detailed presentation on ongoing transportation projects that touch Osceola County, and the outlook for desired projects in the future. He noted the County’s record growth and its impact on our transportation needs.
Rebekah Hurd, Manager, Government Advocacy Central Florida Division with AdventHealth, who also volunteers her time as the Chairman of the Chamber’s Government Advisory Committee, explained the role of that Committee in recommending actions to the Chamber board of directors, as well as the importance of civic engagement. She applauded the work of the Chamber’s seven Coalitions in building the Chamber’s connections within Osceola’s diverse population and announced plans to bring the National Civics Bee to Central Florida in the spring.
The marquee moment of the Osceola Update, however, is always the moderated panel discussion between members of the Osceola Legislative Delegation. Our representatives include Senator Victor Torres (District 25), Representative Kristen Arrington (District 46), Representative Paula Stark (District 47), and Representative Tom Keen (District 35), who were present on this year’s panel, which was moderated by Disney’s Adams. Representative Carolina Amesty (District 45), the fourth state house representative whose district includes part of Osceola County, had to drop out of the panel at the last minute due to a conflict. The representatives detailed their accomplishments in the last session. They all stressed that the best way for the business community to engage with them heading into next session is to come see them now with requests or ideas. Representative Stark noted that “early engagement is great,” and Representative Arrington added that the reps “all have open door policies.” Senator Torres, who has termed out, thanked the crowd for the opportunity to serve.
The Osceola Chamber’s 2024 Osceola Update was sponsored by Walt Disney World Resort, Gaylord Palms, AdventHealth, Universal Orlando Resort, HCA Florida Healthcare, Orlando Health, Duke Energy, Encore, ABC Paving & Sealcoating, BankFlorida, Old Town, Overstreet Law, Tavistock, Gatorland, Toho Water Authority, the School District of Osceola County, and Skywater/IMEC.
Dr. Aida Dorsainvil and the team at Multilingual Psychological Services, LLC recently opened a beautiful, brand new clinic in Hunter’s Creek where they offer mental health services in five languages. Learn about their multitude of services below.
A Unique Approach
Individual therapy is a process through which clients work one-on-one with a trained therapist—in a safe, caring, and confidential environment—to explore their feelings, beliefs, and behaviors, work through challenging or influential memories, identify aspects of their lives that they would like to change, better understand themselves and others, set personal goals, and work toward desired change. MPS offers this service in English, Spanish, and Russian.
Family therapy at MPS Mental Health Clinic goes beyond individual concerns. MPS therapists act as facilitators, guiding open communication and healthy conflict resolution within your family unit. By examining family dynamics as a whole, they can identify patterns that may be contributing to challenges. Through these sessions, you’ll learn valuable communication skills and develop strategies to work together more effectively. This supportive environment fosters stronger bonds and empowers your family to navigate challenges and create a more fulfilling home life.
Couples therapy sessions provide a safe and confidential space for you and your partner to work with a qualified therapist on improving these key areas. Together, you’ll learn to communicate more effectively, develop a deeper understanding of each other’s perspectives, and identify unhealthy habits that might be hindering your relationship. MPS therapists use evidence-based approaches tailored to your specific needs. They believe couples therapy can be a powerful tool for building a stronger, more fulfilling relationship. MPS also offers convenient online therapy sessions for Florida residents. You and your partner can now connect with a licensed mental health professional from the comfort and privacy of your own home. Online couples therapy sessions provide the same safe space, qualified therapists, and effective communication-building techniques – all accessible through a secure video platform. Let’s work together to build a stronger, healthier relationship, on your terms.
Psychological testing evaluations can provide valuable insights, helping MPS understand what’s underlying your challenges. This information is then used to develop a personalized treatment plan designed to address the specific issues you’re facing, leading you on a path to greater well-being. These are also used prior to undergoing bariatric surgery to ensure candidates are mentally prepared, and for immigration petitions to provide evidence of mental health impacts.
The trauma-sensitive yoga group offers a gentle, nurturing approach tailored specifically to women who have faced trauma such as difficult childhood experiences, domestic violence, C-PTSD, chronic stress and anxiety, etc. The trauma-sensitive yoga group is crafted just for you, prioritizing your comfort and safety on the path to healing and empowerment.
Offering workshops for professionals and businesses can help businesses improve their employee well-being, enhance job satisfaction, and boost overall productivity. Our clinicians can present on stress management techniques, work-life balance, mindfulness, sleep hygiene, communication skills, burnout prevention & recovery, healthy habits for remote workers, and many more.
A forensic evaluation is a detailed assessment conducted by a qualified mental health professional to provide the court with information on an individual’s psychological state as it pertains to legal matters.
Find Multilingual Psychological Services’ new office at 13538 Village Park Dr., Suite 220, Orlando, FL or visit their website to learn more or make an appointment.
Osceola County government and the City of St. Cloud government are preparing to adjust mobility fees and fire impact fees under “extraordinary circumstances.” While The Osceola Chamber has not taken an official position at this time, we request more time to conduct a peer review study and we seek our members’ input on this critical matter.
Mobility fees, by definition, are a one-time charge on new development to pay for off-site transportation improvements that are necessitated by that new development. For illustrative purposes, the owners of a new house drives two cars. Those cars will create more traffic on our roads, so developers pay fees to help manage impacts from those two cars. These costs increase the purchase price of the new house because these costs are incorporated into the costs of building that house. The same goes for building a hospital or grocery store – since cars will travel to these places, they help pay mobility fees for the roads that make it possible. Fire impact fees help address current demands and expand fire and emergency medical services for future needs, including building fire stations and buying fire trucks.
The Osceola Chamber’s Growth Management Task Force (GMTF) maintains an interest in this issue because these fees help the government manage impacts from growth, but these fees also increase costs to developers which increases costs to the consumer. On June 3, 2024, at 2:30 pm and 3:30 pm in the county commission chambers, workshops will be held to discuss a recent study requested by the County. Another workshop will be held on June 10, 2024 and these fees will be considered by a vote on July 1, 2024. This is a very fast timeline, especially considering the request for “extraordinary circumstances.”
Normally, the County can increase these fees by a phase-in option which may not increase the fees by more than 50% and may not increase fees more than once every four years. To qualify as “extraordinary circumstances,” which allows the government to increase by any amount they deem appropriate, the government must 1.) show the extraordinary circumstances are supported by a demonstrated need study, 2.) they must hold two publicly noticed workshops dedicated to the extraordinary circumstances necessitating the need to increase fees above phase-in limitations, and 3.) they must adopt the fees by a 2/3 vote of the governing body. A 2/3 vote is four of the five commissioners in Osceola County and four of the five council members in St. Cloud.
Stakeholders within the Chamber’s GMTF seek more time to conduct a peer review study to confirm the findings from the County’s report. While the full list of proposed fees can be found in the studies HERE and HERE, some examples of the proposed changes to mobility fees include: single family home 150% in Osceola County, 224% in St. Cloud; mobile home 255% in Osceola County, 560% in St. Cloud; condo/townhouse/multi-family (apartments) 129% in Osceola County, 256% in St. Cloud. There are some decreases though, like: health/fitness/athletic club -10% in Osceola County, -47% in St. Cloud; and places of worship -8% in Osceola County, -29% in St. Cloud. The range for fire impact fees goes from -50% for hospital/clinic to 176% for hotel/motel.
As “Champions for Business and the Osceola community,” we understand current challenges. Osceola County is growing rapidly and everything is more and more expensive. Our vision is to “lead a prosperous regional economy,” and we will continue to work with all parties to find solutions that help more than hinder our quality of life and the success of our businesses and workforce.
