John Cortes running for seat 1 in Kissimmee

John Cortes has filed to run in Kissimmee Commission seat 1, now held by Art Otero, who is running for mayor.

Cortes last ran in 2010 for seat 2, which is now held by Wanda Rentas and which was vacant at the time due to the removal by the governor of then-Commissioner Carlos Irizarry from office

Commissioners in Kissimmee are elected at large and the elections are nonpartisan.

County offices to close May 13 for furlough day

With the exception of public safety and other specific operations, all Osceola County Board of County Commission offices and departments will be closed on Friday, May 13 in observance of an unpaid staff furlough day.

At its Sept. 20 meeting, the Board of County Commissioners approved 10 employee furlough days for the fiscal year beginning Oct.1. Friday will be the sixth furlough day.

Most BOCC departments and buildings, including libraries, Human Services, Road and Bridge, Animal Control, Permitting and others will be closed to the public.

The furlough days will be spread throughout the year to minimize the impact to residents, and will save taxpayers nearly $2.8 million, according to a county press release.

Winn-Dixie program to help in tornado relief

Jacksonville-based Winn-Dixie Stores announced Friday that shoppers in any of its 484 store locations throughout its operating area can help their neighbors affected by the tornadoes and severe storms that swept across the South last week by simply donating through the Neighbors Helping Neighbors program.

“Winn-Dixie is a part of these communities,” Mary Kellmanson, Winn-Dixie group vice president of marketing, said. “It’s only natural for us to put the weight of our organization against this tragedy. It’s simply what good neighbors do.”

Winn-Dixie customers will find Neighbors Helping Neighbors donation sheets available at all registers, where they can donate an amount between 50 cents and $500 directly to the American Red Cross. The cashier will scan the Neighbors Helping Neighbors donation sheet, which automatically adds the amount designated by the customer to the total bill.

Funds from the program will aid the American Red Cross in providing food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the communities affected by the storms that caused major damage in Alabama April 27 and 28.

The American Red Cross provides immediate response in more than 70,000 disasters each year through its Disaster Relief Fund. Disasters include fires, hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, and tornadoes.

City to host lake cleanup competition

The city of Kissimmee Parks and Recreation Department is hosting a Lake Tohopekaliga Cleanup Competition Saturday, May 14.

Residents and businesses are encouraged to form a team and assist with collecting trash at the lakefront. Registration of teams begins at 8 a.m. and the cleanup gets underway at 8:30 a.m.

Breakfast will be provided at no charge by Signature by the Lake and the event will wrap up at noon.

Teams will consist of four people in two canoes, provided by the city, while other team members collect debris along the shoreline. Prizes will be awarded to the team that collects the most garbage.

This community cleanup day is a result of the $1,000 stimulus check the city received from Reader’s Digest. The magazine recognized the city in January, during its 100 Cities in 100 Days RV tour. A resident nominated Kissimmee and requested a cleanup of the lake.

For more information or to register a team, call the Parks and Recreation Department at 407-518-2340.

City Centre to have new tenant

The city of Kissimmee last week announced that Community Based Care of Central Florida would move into City Centre, downtown Kissimmee’s premier commercial real estate development.

The not-for-profit child care agency will lease 25,000 square feet to provide services to Osceola County children. CBC’s employees will operate from the entire sixth floor and approximately one third of the fifth floor.

“This is a significant addition to the city’s downtown. The partnership with CBC will add jobs and contribute to the city’s objective to continually promote development opportunities in Kissimmee,” Mayor Jim Swan said.

City Centre is a mixed-use commercial and residential eight-story tower, which was recently acquired by Australian businessman Tim Majors.

“Community Based Care of Central Florida will be relocating and employing some 125 plus people to move into our building,” Majors stated in a press release. “The economic impact will be significant. As a member of this business community, I am proud that CBC chose our building and will themselves play a large role in the reshaping of downtown Kissimmee. This is a game changer for some of the small businesses in downtown Kissimmee.”

CBC will be fully moved in and operational by early August, following an extensive tenant build-out, according to the city press release.

Universal Resort has job fairs for variety of positions

Universal Orlando Resort is looking for more than 1,000 new employees to help its guests enjoy an extraordinary summer in its theme parks.

Employees are needed across the entire resort to work in areas such as attraction operations, entrance operations, food services, culinary, merchandise, parking and transportation and more. The positions include full-time, part-time and summer-specific roles.  New hourly rates begin at $7.75 – up from $7.25 – and can go as high as $10.75, depending on the position.

Job fairs will be held on-site at Universal Orlando Resort Human Resources today and Thursday, May 12.  Interested candidates should apply online at www.UniversalOrlandoJobs.com to be considered. Interviews will be scheduled for qualified candidates by invitation.