Orlando police chief defends downtown safety efforts amid business backlash

ORLANDO, Fla. — Editor’s note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal.

City officials and downtown business and property owners are at odds as the city clamps down on late-night activity in the urban core in an effort to control crowds and improve safety.

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Orlando Police Chief Eric D. Smith said the “experiment” of curtailing entry to city-owned parking garages is over. “You guys … didn’t like it. So, we stopped,” he said during a July 9 meeting at City Hall between city leaders and downtown business owners such as The Vintage Group, Court Street Concepts, Thriving Hospitality, Yeaimmeloevents and more.

The city’s weekend parking garage measure started May 10, limiting access to city parking garages after 11 p.m. on Fridays through Sundays. Many downtown business owners said that measure limited late-night access, which hurt the downtown club scene.

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