LET IT THRIVE

The Parramore Community Deserves Attention Now To Realize Potential

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's proposal to appoint an urban development
director to focus full-time attention on improving the struggling
Parramore community is a smart move.

Parramore, which sits at the western edge of downtown Orlando, needs
action, not more talk. That needy and mostly black neighborhood has
been the subject of untold studies and plans. Yet progress has been
scant.

An urban development director can play a pivotal role in harnessing
the best ideas from the plans and then using city resources to move
forward.

The stakes are high. The multi-million-dollar projects under way to
revitalize downtown won't reach their full potential if Parramore
remains a community struggling with poverty, crime and drugs.

Considering what needs to be achieved, city commissioners today should
not hesitate to support Mr. Dyer's proposal. It's noteworthy that Mr.
Dyer wants to appoint Walter Hawkins, a longtime City Hall aide, to
that post. Mr. Hawkins, who lived in Parramore as a youngster,
understands the issues and how City Hall works, so he certainly has
the experience to get things done.

Top priorities should include:

Parramore's crime reputation. Drugs and prostitution are a major
concern. They create an atmosphere of lawlessness that invites a
variety of other crimes ranging from robbery to homicide. They scare
away families with children and prospective investors. Mr. Dyer's
recent call to create drug-free and prostitution-free zones can help.
Those designations subject repeat violators to tougher penalties,
which can be a deterrent. Also critical to stabilizing the
neighborhood is figuring out the best strategies for using the police
and code inspectors being hired for Parramore.

Homelessness. The existence of at least three homeless shelters in
the neighborhood also contributes to Parramore's reputation as an
unsafe community. Moving some of Parramore's homeless services to
other parts of Orlando -- somewhere on Orange Blossom Trail, for
instance -- is politically difficult. But it's necessary for Parramore
to improve.

Affordable housing. Most of the people who live in Parramore today
are there because they can't afford to live elsewhere. And much of the
housing in that neighborhood is in poor condition. Shaking Parramore's
slum image requires providing housing for a variety of income levels.
The CityView highrise on West Church Street is one effort to address
that. Much more is needed.

Cooperation. Relations have soured between Mr. Dyer and Commissioner
Daisy Lynum, who represents Parramore. Both need to bend and work out
this relationship. Else, Parramore will be the inevitable victim.

Parramore deserves to thrive. Now is the time for that to happen.