From the
Orlando Sentinel
City Council: Taxpayer-funded Universal bridge is good idea
By Mark Schlueb, Orlando Sentinel
6:42 p.m. EDT, March 25, 2013
Orlando leaders Monday defended their decision to spend $4.5 million on a pedestrian bridge for guests who stay at a new Universal Orlando hotel, calling it a good investment in one of the city's biggest employers.
In a series of votes Monday, the City Council approved using tax money from a Community Redevelopment Area to pay for $9 million in improvements around Universal Orlando, half of it for the pedestrian bridge over public streets that would connect the new Cabana Bay Beach Resort with Universal property.
The plan still needs a second council vote after a final public hearing, and the approval of the Orange County Commission. Both votes are scheduled in two weeks.
Essentially, the project would be funded by property taxes from Universal property. Critics have called it a corporate giveaway, but Mayor Buddy Dyer and commissioners said the city's investment will allow Universal to embark on a major expansion valued in the hundreds of millions — though that expansion is already under way.
Commissioner Patty Sheehan flatly rejected the notion the city was misusing tax money.
"This is going to create jobs and increase public safety," she said. "This definitely provides a public benefit."
The CRA was created in 1995 as a special taxing district to pay for construction of the Interstate 4 interchange at Universal Boulevard. It now generates about $8.5 million a year in taxes, and the debt payments on the highway interchange total about $3 million. The remaining $5.5 million is split between Orlando and Orange County.
The new improvements will add another $865,000 a year in debt, money that would otherwise be spent on general government services such as police or fire.
The bridge will be designed and built by Universal, and the city will pay the bill. It will connect public sidewalks but be used almost exclusively by Universal visitors. The bridge will help hotel guests reach Universal's theme parks safely.
"This allows us to not only go through the current expansion, but it sets us up for the future. … The partnership that we have is special, and I want to thank you for that," Universal lobbyist John McReynolds told commissioners.
At the same meeting, the council agreed to give Universal until 2023 to cash in $7.4 million in road impact fee credits. That vote allows the company to lock in 2006 impact fee rates, limiting its expense as it grows in the coming years.
mschlueb@tribune.com or 407-420-5417