Orlando City Council plans to discuss downtown safety measures

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orlando City Council plans to discuss major safety solutions in the downtown area at Monday’s meeting.

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While these suggestions have been in the works for months, the recent violence has pushed the plan along. And the first reading comes after seven people were shot in July, which led to mass chaos and increased fear.

City leaders are looking to propose changes in parking lot safety, noise and more restrictions inside bars and clubs.

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Data shows downtown crowds are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels. According to a city report, the highest number of downtown weekend visitors in 2019 was 72,000 people.

The report also calls for more crowd control and suggests that more people in downtown areas might present more opportunities for crime.

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Orlando resident Kayla Estridge said action starts with accountability. She said she believes businesses should be responsible for keeping the downtown areas safe.

“If a restaurant can’t protect their own patrons, then what are they doing open?” Estridge said.

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Mayor Buddy Dyer said the city has been actively working on solutions.

“We have started more enforcement,” he said. “So, we have taken guns away from people that have brought guns downtown.”

If the report passes, the city would require overnight parking lots to add more lighting and security, limit the amount of noise at venues and force overnight bars and clubs to submit safety plans to the city.

The discussion will take place at 2 p.m. Monday.

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