In a wide-ranging interview with WDBO’s Joe Kelley, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer revealed that Downtown Orlando’s Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts has been named to Architectural Digest’s ‘The 11 Most Beautiful Theaters in the World’ edition.
In the latest episode of our podcast, we sit down with Orlando’s longest-serving mayor, Buddy Dyer, who has recently celebrated another election victory. With nearly 21 years in office, Mayor Dyer has seen the city transform, and he shares his unique insights into the successes, challenges, and future plans for Orlando.
From the Black Lives Matter mural to the development of Lake Nona, Mayor Dyer illustrates how collaboration and partnership have been the keystones of Orlando’s achievements. He takes us through the city’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how these values are represented in the public spaces and initiatives throughout the city.
The conversation then pivots to the heart of Orlando—downtown. Mayor Dyer discusses the changes brought by the pandemic, the strategies to revitalize the area, and the city’s approach to homelessness. He emphasizes the importance of making downtown a neighborhood where people want to live, work, and play.
Listeners will also get a sneak peek into the future of Orlando’s venues, including the Kia Center, Camping World Stadium, and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. Mayor Dyer reveals plans for upgrades and enhancements that will ensure these venues remain state-of-the-art and continue to attract visitors and residents alike.
Moreover, Mayor Dyer touches on the sensitive subject of the Pulse Memorial, sharing his commitment to seeing the project through before the end of his term.
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in urban development, community building, and the power of local government to make a positive impact. So tune in to hear Mayor Buddy Dyer’s vision for Orlando and the best years of his mayoral tenure that are yet to come.
Don’t forget to subscribe and share this episode with your network. Let’s delve into the story of Orlando, a city that’s as dynamic and forward-thinking as its leadership.
Orlando’s longest-serving mayor joins Joe Kelley to discuss the future of Downtown Orlando, the Black Lives Matter mural on Rosalind Avenue, the planned park underneath I-4 and the many different Orlando venues - Kia Center, Camping World Stadium, Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
While the news of the Dr. Phillip’s Center’s addition to the ‘Top 11 in the World’ list dates back to summer, Mayor Dyer is obviously excited about the distinction:
So I think this is well known. If not, I’m letting out a little secret here, but Steinmetz hall was completed two years ago, and architectural Digest ranked the Dr. Phillips Performing Arts Center primarily because of Steinmetz as one of the eleven most beautiful, • • • um, performing arts center in the world. So we’re there. There were only three in America. Um, • • • and we’re in company with places like the Sydney Opera House. So I think that’s a pretty good validation of what we’re doing here. So one of the last physical pieces in the building • was creating a jazz club. So, um, • • • it’s going to be called Judson’s, and it’s after one of the donors who subsequent Judson Green, who was a former president of Walt Disney World, he and his wife made the primary contribution related to this. But that will be opening in February. So it’s the completion of the last performance space. And it’s a jazz club that’s on the northern side of the building. So that will open the same weekend as the Pro bowl and that, uh, we host the Olympic marathon here.
Regarding the post-COVID future of Downtown Orlando, Mayor Buddy Dyer says:
“So we are just like every major downtown in America, probably, I could say around the world as well. Um, that Covid has • • • changed the equation for your downtown. • And we think we’re ahead of the curve on a lot of people, because we have recognized that what downtowns were, in terms of 100% business district is not what they’re going to be in the future. Um, to your point, you loving to live downtown, we are thinking now downtown more as a neighborhood and a place to attract people. • • Specifically, if we’re talking about the downtown workers, those who could work remotely or work in the office, um, • we want to make sure that downtown is a place that they’d rather come to work and be in the downtown than stay at home all the time. So, creating amenities that appeal to the workers that come downtown, • uh, creating amenities that appeal to people that want to live downtown, but then also attracting every age, every, • um, • • • • type of individual to our downtown with all types of surprise things.”