2 min read February 2022 — Osceola County is one of three Hispanic-majority counties in Florida, owing to its large Puerto Rican American population. In an interview with Invest:, County Manager Don Fisher discussed lessons learned during the pandemic, the impact of relief funds, infrastructure needs, relocations, sustainability, labor shortages, supply chain disruptions and the outlook for the county.
What have been some of the main takeaways and lessons learned over the past 18 months?
We learned that we can be more flexible than we’ve usually been. The use of technology allowed us to be more productive than before, as we could have more meetings in shorter windows by eliminating travel times. We also found advantages in remote work. For instance, we had planned some additional buildings for the county campus, but we don’t seem to need them anymore given the use of teleworking. Conversely, it also showed the power of being in person as collaborating to spark ideas through spontaneous meetings around the so-called watercooler no longer existed. We are still trying to see how we can become more resilient to disruptions in the future, to see how we can do better and make our constituency safer.
What was the impact of the relief funds on the community?
We knew that not all businesses were going to be successful in their PPP loan applications. We used the federal relief funds to help businesses that might have not received the loans. Additionally, we took 20% of the revenues received by the local chambers of commerce and developed a program to help them give businesses guidance regarding best practices and protocols. We have heard all the stories about how PPP allowed businesses to stay open and our focus was on what we could do in addition to the relief funds.
What are the infrastructure needs as the region consolidates an economic recovery?
We are primarily driven by tourism and agriculture. Since we rely heavily on tourism, we had a hard time during the pandemic and unemployment rose to 31%, one of the highest in the country and certainly the highest in Florida. We have invested in diversifying our economy, with an investment in NeoCity, a 500-acre campus with 109,000 square feet of clean fabrication facilities. We are partnered with universities, the Department of Defense and SkyWater Technology to attract high-tech jobs in the semiconductor industry. This gives us the ability to work aggressively to diversify our county. At the same time, we are investing in road development, and are using $5 million to expand one of our affordable housing projects and $14 million for affordable housing near the Poinciana SunRail station.
What has been the impact of relocations on the local economy?
Osceola is ranked as one of the fastest-growing counties in the country. We are growing twice as fast as Orange County and Seminole County, which are growing 2-3% and 1-2%, respectively, while we are experiencing a yearly 5% growth. As people relocate here, it is difficult to keep up with the infrastructure. We are investing around $2 billion in road widening and road improvement projects. Another $1.5 billion investment is being done by our partners at the Florida Expressway Authority, Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise and Florida’s Department of Transportation.
What steps are being taken toward environmental sustainability as infrastructure expands?
The county has adopted a Comprehensive Plan that incorporates environmental and climate change considerations. We’ve created a Sustainability Department and the director reports directly to the county manager’s office. She works daily with all the departments and monitors how we can do everything more sustainably. Additionally, the county has a voter-approved environmental lands program. Citizens voted to purchase and maintain environmental lands in the community. We own thousands of acres and have approved a plan to have sustainable development past 2040. Local businesses are embracing sustainability as a value. We have entitled more property from the Comprehensive Plan than any community in the country. The business community appreciates what it does for our economy.
How have labor shortages and supply-chain disruptions impacted businesses and what are some of the strategies to mitigate their effects?
Labor shortages have been an issue in the hospitality industry. We haven’t had any problems as a county organization but we have implemented some incentives, similar to those in the private sector. We are seeing local businesses react and find ways to hire and retain talent. A dollar a year will be added to the minimum wage until it reaches $15 an hour.
We are also seeing the effects of supply chain disruptions. Prices have gone up and many industries are having issues completing their projects. We have a unique problem in the clean fabrication facility, as nitrogen is needed to make semiconductors. Since in the process of making nitrogen, oxygen gets made, all of that was going to the hospitals. We had to contact the governor’s office and get his help to address this issue. We are now looking to expand a nitrogen processing plant in Osceola as part of our remedies to support the microelectronics industry.
What is your outlook for Osceola County for the next three to five years?
I think we have a bright outlook. The county is in the perfect position to take advantage of tourism reopening. We’ve had some record numbers as families are looking to travel safely and our vacation rentals are the best alternative. We are at the forefront of the semiconductor industry, which will see over $55 billion in federal funding. We have a robust economy with activity not only in tourism but also in agriculture and development. We are also ready to diversify into the high-tech industry.
Keeping pace with infrastructure needs is our main priority. We are making the federal government aware of the opportunity to invest funds in microelectronics in the county and are leveraging our partnerships within the greater Orlando area, as we are among the seven counties that work together for the success of Central Florida.
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