Climate Resilience, Smart Growth & Water Protection
Audit Verdict · Within Authority
Stormwater infrastructure, resilient capital projects, septic-to-sewer work, and water-conservation incentives are core city functions even with some state growth-management constraints.
City can act directly, subject to budget, staffing, and execution quality.
The Promise
Expand green stormwater infrastructure, flood mitigation, wetlands protection, smart growth, neighborhood risk assessment, water-quality work, septic-to-sewer conversion, and conservation.
Analysis
This is mostly standard city infrastructure work: stormwater, sewer, drainage, and capital planning. State law narrows some code and growth-management choices, but it does not remove the core delivery lane.
Legislative Record
She has secured state funding for local water-quality projects through legislative appropriations.
Implementation Barriers
A portion of the inventory depends on agencies where the mayor has limited board representation, informal influence, or no direct management authority.
- SunRail is owned and operated by FDOT; weekend service requires state funding
- LYNX is a regional board where the mayor holds one of five seats
- Orange County Public Schools and UCF are independent entities outside mayoral control
Many pledges across the audited inventory arrive without cost estimates or recurring funding sources — even as the existing city budget is already heavily committed.
- No cost estimate for universal childcare, transit pass subsidies, or a new disability office
- No funding source for expanded CVI, legal aid, or business disruption insurance
- Ignores personnel-heavy budget: 62% of general fund is payroll and 55% goes to public safety