Can the Mayor Actually Do This?

PromiseDirect Mayor AuthorityCouncil RequiredState PreemptionExternal Agency RequiredFunding Source NamedYear-One DeliverableAudit Finding
Affordable Housing & Homelessness SolutionsPartial - zoning, CRA tools, permitting, city land dispositionCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumZoning, adaptive reuse, and city housing programs are executable, but rent stabilization, tenant mandates, and TOPA-style tools remain preempted or legally fragile.
Economic Prosperity & Anti-Poverty SolutionsNarrow - procurement standards, voluntary certification, partnershipsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumFinancial empowerment, workforce partnerships, and voluntary certification are deliverable, but binding living-wage mandates on contractors are preempted once HB 433 takes effect.
Public Transit Expansion, Walkability & Traffic ReliefOne LYNX board seat; advisory role on SunRail; full control of city streetsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowHighNot identifiedLowDig-once street upgrades and a city-funded pass pilot are feasible, but systemwide transit expansion depends on FDOT, LYNX, Orange County, and Tallahassee.
Small Business Support & EmpowermentPermitting, procurement, language access, micrograntsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumMost operational support tools are within city control, but local wage or hiring mandates on contractors do not survive state preemption.
Diversifying Orlando's EconomyConvening, advocacy, land use, optional incentivesCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumPartnership-building and zoning support for maker industries are feasible, but job-growth zones tied to local-hire mandates are preempted and overlap with existing regional entities.
Reimagining & Revitalizing Downtown OrlandoCRA tools, zoning, city outreach programs, code enforcementCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumCRA activation, housing incentives, and outreach are executable, but local-hire conditions and some homelessness-response tools are constrained by state law.
Community Safety, Crime Prevention, & Gun Violence PreventionOPD oversight, city budget, public information, partnershipsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumCVI, non-police crisis response, and gun-safety education are feasible, but firearm regulation and a pre-HB 601 civilian review model are not.
Preventing Sexual Violence, Intimate Partner Abuse & Human TraffickingCity HR, city-funded social services, partnerships, training programsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighCity HR policies, training, awareness campaigns, and survivor-service partnerships are deliverable even though criminal enforcement remains largely outside city control.
Strong Public Schools & Early EducationCrossing guards, Safe Routes infrastructure, partnership fundingCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowHighNot identifiedLowCrossing guards, Safe Routes, and afterschool partnerships are workable, but school staffing and Pre-K delivery require OCPS and state action.
Universal Childcare & Support for FamiliesZoning, partnerships, city facilities, optional subsidy fundingCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowHighNot identifiedLowFamily resource hubs and navigation support are feasible, but city-run universal childcare is structurally outside municipal reach.
Public Health & Disability ServicesCity facilities, partnerships, ADA compliance, mobile programsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumMobile units, disability services, access audits, and crisis-response teams are feasible, but school nursing, coverage expansion, and harm-reduction policy run through other entities.
Supporting Orlando's Seniors & Aging in Place with DignityPublic works, senior programming, capital budget, emergency management, partnershipsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighMost operational elements sit inside city budget and service authority; the main limits are state and federal funding streams for long-term care.
Preventing Displacement & GentrificationZoning, city land disposition, CRA tools, code enforcement, public data publicationCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumCity land, legal aid, dashboards, and incentive-based affordability are workable, but binding tenant, registry, and anti-speculation tools face statutory or preemption barriers.
Protecting Orlando's Natural Beauty & Climate FutureSee items 15-17City Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumThis is a framing plank rather than a standalone implementation program; the operative constraints appear in the clean-energy, resilience, and zero-waste sections that follow.
Clean Energy & ElectrificationCity fleet and facilities, OUC board seat, permitting, city EV deploymentCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumFleet electrification, city-facility efficiency, and EV infrastructure are feasible, but fuel bans and broader grid-decarbonization mandates remain outside city power.
Climate Resilience, Smart Growth & Water ProtectionStormwater utility, comprehensive plan, capital projects, sewer infrastructureCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighStormwater infrastructure, resilient capital projects, septic-to-sewer work, and water-conservation incentives are core city functions even with some state growth-management constraints.
Zero Waste, Circular Economy & Environmental JusticeCity operations, contracts, city events, partnershipsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumComposting, city-event waste reduction, and circular-economy pilots are feasible, but broader plastic and food-container regulation is preempted.
Recreation & Parks: Investing in Joy, Health & CommunityFull city authority via parks and recreation, capital budget, community engagementCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighParks, programming, amenities, and trail connections sit squarely inside city authority and are constrained mainly by capital and operating trade-offs.
Hurricane Preparedness and ResponseEmergency-management authority, declarations, city emergency operationsCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighEmergency planning, communications, shelter coordination, debris response, and post-storm support are core mayoral functions.
Trade, Travel, & Economic DevelopmentConvening, advocacy, sister-city programs, GOAA board representationCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowHighNot identifiedLowTrade delegations and workforce partnerships are feasible, but airport expansion and route decisions require GOAA action.
Equality, Inclusion & Protecting Civil RightsCity HR, ordinances, partnerships, ADA compliance, participatory-budgeting designCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.MediumMediumNot identifiedMediumLanguage access, reentry support, accessibility, and city workforce policies are deliverable, but immigration non-cooperation and legally aggressive ordinance expansion face state challenge risk.
Reimagining the Tourism Development Tax for Orlando's FutureNone directlyCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.HighMediumNot identifiedMediumThe mayor has no direct control over TDT allocation; reform depends on Tallahassee and Orange County.
Arts & Athletics: Elevating Orlando's Cultural and Recreational LifeCity budget, parks and recreation, public-art programs, film-permittingCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighArts funding, recreation investment, youth sports, film-permitting, and public art sit inside city authority even though the biggest event-hosting ambitions need partners.
Animal Welfare & Compassionate CommunitiesCity ordinances, parks, partnerships, emergency planningCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighMost animal-welfare tools sit inside ordinances, parks, and emergency planning, though shelter outcomes still depend on Orange County coordination.
Government Accountability, Transparency & Term LimitsExecutive action, agenda setting, budget, IT, ethics rulesCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighTransparency, dashboards, meeting access, participatory budgeting, and civic-tech tools are executive choices; term limits and election-date changes need a charter referendum.
Volunteerism & City Engagement: Powering Change Through PeopleOperational - mayor's office staffing and budgetCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighThis is operationally straightforward and depends mainly on staffing and budget, not legal permission.
Supporting Public EmployeesBudget proposal and HR policy, subject to council approvalCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighPay, leave, training, and HR modernization are within city power subject to council budget approval and SB 256 labor constraints.
Data-Driven Governance & Measuring SuccessAdministrative, executive action, budget-process designCity Council appropriation, departmental implementation, and procurement sequencing may be required depending on scope.LowMediumNot identifiedHighPerformance goals, dashboards, open data, and results-based budgeting are administrative tools the mayor can implement directly.
Accountability

Prepared and reviewed as civic research.

Prepared by
OrlandoFirst.city Research Desk
Reviewed by
Editorial review
Published
2026-04-24
Last reviewed
2026-05-03
Last updated
2026-05-03