John Quiñones
County Commission

Season’s Greetings!  As we say goodbye to another year, take time to reflect on the goals achieved, learn from the obstacles conquered and anticipate new objectives for the future and the year 2013.  As this year adjourns, we will continue to focus on the many goals set forth and continue to face the next year with the same endurance and positive spirit that helped us through.    

For the past 12 months, it has been an honor to serve as Chairman of the Board as it has provided many opportunities to work more efficiently and productively on behalf of Osceola County residents.  I am proud of the accomplishments the Board and I have achieved together and look forward to working diligently to accomplish more.  At a special meeting held Dec. 3, Commissioner Frank Attkisson was elected as Chairman of the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners for the upcoming year, and Commissioner Fred Hawkins, Jr. was selected as Vice Chairman.  Together, we will continue identify trends and needs of our community for action.

I wanted to share a retrospective on the year coming to a close with a couple of projects accomplished during my term. The year started with the announcement of a future opening of Colt Manufacturing bringing new jobs to Osceola County.  Colt’s Manufacturing Company, LLC committed to creating 63 jobs in Osceola County for its new regional headquarters and product manufacturing center. As I mentioned at that time, this is one of the world’s top brands and it is a real coup for our economic development efforts and great asset to our community.

In the same light of stimulating our economy, we took a next step in eliminating Transportation Impact Fees. As a result, the county experienced an increase in new growth activity as it gave builders noticeable cost savings on commercial construction and level the playing field on competitive economic development projects.

A new residential curbside recycling program was launched. In the program’s first three weeks, more than 1.7 million pounds of recyclables were collected by Waste Management and WSI, which is equivalent to the timber resources needed to produce 85.3 million sheets of newsprint. The annual cost for curbside pick-up of solid waste and recyclables for Osceola County residents decreased by $16.80.

Another development was the Economic Industry Cluster Study made to identify industries most conducive to successfully create job opportunities for our citizens. The study was influential for implementing one of the commission’s strategic goals - to grow and diversify the county’s economy.  The targeted “clusters” included:  Life Sciences and Allied Health Services, Information Technology, Tourism, Entertainment and Recreation, Chemical Product and Plastic Manufacturing, and Food Manufacturing.

One of our legislative priorities was to place a satellite medical clinic in Buenaventura Lakes BVL. In August, the new after-hours Community Health Clinic opened its doors to support uninsured and underinsured Osceola County low-to-moderate-income families after-hours when the main health clinic is closed.  

In our efforts to reform county government, a Strategic Plan was implemented that leads us to 2013 and beyond. It encompasses the County’s vision, plan, and objectives for helping plan the future of Osceola County. The plan centers on “Grow and Diversify the County’s Economy, “Cost Effective, and High Performing County Government,” “Upgrade County Infrastructure and Transportation Network” and “Create Great Neighborhoods for the Future”.

We ended the year with a huge announcement that would possibly bring 12,000 jobs to the county.  The project is to be built on a portion of a property known as the Judge Farm and it will maximize opportunities for local contracting and local jobs.

We are very proud of what these developments represent to Osceola County and look forward to new ones. Carry on the spirit of the season by learning from the past, holding on to the courage of the present to face with optimism the future!   

John Quiñones is the Osceola County Commission chairman.