ORLANDO, Fla. — The murder of an Army veteran in downtown has the city of Orlando changing what businesses can do in the downtown corridor.
The city allowed outdoor eating, tents, signage and events when COVID-19 hit, but that led to large crowds outside of businesses.
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They will also increase code enforcement staffing to ensure noise and occupancy is under control, which also means no outdoor speaker permits for the rest of the year.
The city is now planning to use $800,000 from the Community Redevelopment Agency for more police officers and cameras to keep people safe.
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And although businesses want safety measures, they said that pulling permits isn’t the answer.
“I’m compelled to speak in more of an overreaction, to an isolated incident that is brought forth by a few bad apples, the city’s response is a little bit extreme when we are talking about taking away all the sidewalk cafe permits,” bar owner Ryan Davis said.
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The city is meeting with some of the bar owners Monday night to try to find something that would make everyone happy and safe.