I hope you and your loved ones remained safe during Hurricane Milton. Our hearts go out to the communities impacted by the storm. Here in Orlando, we are grateful to have an extraordinary infrastructure of public and private entities working together to resume the region’s operations quickly and safely for residents and visitors.
This week our tourism community stepped up in a big way. Evacuees from around the state found a haven in Orlando. I was proud to see tourism workers going above and beyond for guests—creating hurricane food kits; making sure there were special areas for pets; and even delighting children with character interactions. Fred Rogers, a former resident of our Winter Park, famously said, “Look for the helpers,” and we certainly have no shortage of helpers in our community.
Our destination also welcomed emergency workers from around the state, who made Orlando their home base to provide services following the storm.
At Visit Orlando, we closely work with Orange County Emergency Management before, during and after storms to monitor hotel occupancy and assess the destination. Now, we have transitioned to sharing Orlando’s post-storm story. Here are the key activities we are focusing on:
- Destination Status: Our staff has been in ongoing contact with numerous members before, during and after the storm. We also canvassed hundreds of member businesses to determine the post-storm status. The majority of businesses rebounded quickly. Orlando's major theme parks, the Orange County Convention Center and Orlando International Airport resumed operations today.
- Sharing our Story: We are actively sharing information about the resumption of normal operations in Orlando’s tourism community through our social channels and media updates. Additionally, we are working closely with meetings clients, including FABTECH, North America’s largest metal forming, fabricating, welding and finishing event, set to begin on Oct. 15 with 35,000 attendees.
Thank you for your continued support as we work together to ensure a swift and safe recovery for our community and visitors.
If you’d like to contribute or share information on hurricane relief efforts with your audiences, here are several resources:
- Donate Now - Online Donations | American Red Cross
- Emergency Disaster Services The Salvation Army
- Donate to the Florida Disaster Fund - Volunteer Florida
- Disaster Recovery Fund | United Way of Florida
- Tampa Bay Rapid Response Fund | Community Foundation Tampa Bay
- Tampa Bay | Central Florida | American Red Cross
- Sarasota County Disaster Recovery and Relief Fund
For any members or small businesses that may have experienced damage, The Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program has been activated, making $50 million available for businesses impacted by the hurricanes. Florida small business owners in need of assistance are encouraged to apply for the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program.