Kissimmee swears in Martinez, Eady Sept. 13
On Tuesday, Sept. 13, the City of Kissimmee will host a swearing-in ceremony at City Hall for newly elected officials to take the oath of office for the City of Kissimmee Commission prior to or during the 6 p.m. City Commission meeting.
Commissioner-elect Angela Eady will be sworn into Seat 2, and Commissioner-ele c t Janette Martinez will be sworn into Seat 4. This ceremony will mark the commencement of a new four-year term. _e City Commission Meeting will also recognize Vice Mayor Felix Ortiz and Mayor Pro- Tem Jim Fisher.
Small businesses eligible for grant to combat lingering COVID effects
Is your small, local business still feeling the lingering impacted of COVID-19? If so, the Osceola County Housing and Community Services Department’s Microenterprise Assistance Program provides nancial aid to qualifying small businesses from a $1.4 million funding source. The program offers pro-profit businesses with five or fewer employees a one-time $5,000 grant to qualied businesses located within unincorporated Osceola County to prevent, prepare for and respond to coronavirus on a rstcome, rst-ready basis. A total of approximately $1.4 million is available. Applicants must possess a business license and must be current on all County taxes, assessments, and fees to participate. They also must be income eligible, with a threshold of 80 percent of below the Area Median Income has calculated by HUD. Applicants must have no outstanding Safety Code Enforcement violations, be free of violations within the last 12 months prior the application date, and businesses must meet HUD’s microenterprise definition: a pro-profit businesses with five or fewer employees, including prospective owner(s). _e applicant must own at least 51 percent of the business and income, and must show evidence that the business was not failing prior to the pandemic.
Eligible activities include:
• Providing a COVID resilience measure (i.e., touchless appliances in restrooms; reconguration of furniture/flooring/ spacing; updating air quality system)
• Salaries of current employees
• Outstanding rent/ mortgage and utility expenses for commercial More information, including income requirements and an application can be found at bit.ly/3wTOXyF. Osceola County Housing and Community Services reserves the right to request additional income verification to properly qualify applicants.
Frank Stallworth named Kissimmee Postmaster
Frank Stallworth has come a long way from a casual carrier in Central Islip, N.Y., to Kissimmee, where he has been named local U.S. Postal Service Postmaster.
His career began in 1987, when he traveled south to Maryland, North Carolina and finally Florida as he climbed the postal ladder, becoming a clerk, supervisor and manager before his latest appointment as Postmaster. _e role includes managing USPS’ retail and delivery services in the city. “So, I know a lot about ‘Delivering for America,’” he says. “Kissimmee has 362 employees making 127,541 deliveries and working in ve retail units.”
“Del ive r i ng for America’ means ensuring all mail and parcels are delivered daily, saving money for Postal Service by working within a budget, and increasing revenue through Business Connect,” says Stallworth.
“I learned pride in the Postal Service from my mom,” he says. “She was a postal employee and made me take the postal exam every time it was o red. Now my son is a letter carrier in New York City.”
During his time in Maryland, he gave back to his community as a middle school girls basketball coach, and in North Carolina he served as referee for high school basketball. Nowadays, he cycles 25 miles a week.
“_e Postal Service has allowed me and my wife of 22 years, Karen Stallworth, to raise Stephon, Briahanna, and Mckenzie,” he says. “It a rded us the means to send them to college and live in several di rent parts of the country.”
“Every employee in Kissimmee, no matter their assignment, is ‘Delivering for America,’” he says with a smile. “Every day.”
FEMA improves Osceola’s Flood Insurance Program rating
Improvements in Osceola County’s _oodplain management activities will result in lower flood insurance premiums for some residents. Beginning Oct. 1, owners of insurable buildings/structures located in a FEMA-mapped _ood zone will be eligible for up to 25 percent discount o insurance policy premiums through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Insurance agents should be familiar with this reduction. FEMA subsidizes the cost reductions due to the County’s participation in the NFIP Community Rating System. In 2021, Osceola County became a Class 5 community – joining 170 other Class 5 communities nationwide.
“This is potentially very signicant for anyone who participates in the NFIP. _e ability to lower premiums can make a di rence in the lives of homeowners who may be struggling because of the pandemic and in_ation,” said Osceola Commission Chairman Brandon Arrington. “_e work that goes into getting these types of results are amazing and I’m extremely proud of our team for working so diligently in this area.” Improved public information, preservation of open space, establishment of up-to-date land development codes, developing warning plans and long-term _ood control plans as well as outreach to major stakeholders led FEMA to improving Osceola County’s rating from a 6 to a 5. _e new classication resulted in a collective savings of more than $600,000 for Osceola County residents, o_cials said.
As part of the program, Osceola County will conduct a test of the Flood Alert Warning System before the end of the year. _e purpose is to assess the County’s alerting capability for residents in special _ood hazard areas.
WMFE 90.7 relaunches “Spotlight”
WMFE 90.7-FM, the NPR affiliate serving the Orlando area and nine counties across Central Florida with sister station WMFV, has re-launched a revamped version of its weekly arts, culture and entertainment segment “Spotlight”. The segment, hosted by WMFE’s All Things Considered host Nicole Darden Creston, airs at 4:45 p.m. on Thursdays. “Spotlight” will relaunch as both a four-minute radio segment and an extended podcast. The segment will explore Central Florida’s arts scene from a unique perspective and amplify voices not often heard. Topics might range from a discussion about how art creates empathy to news about the inner workings of a local theater or museum to segments that just make you laugh. “Spotlight” will also share performances from creators of all stripes.
WMFE recently launched a revamped version of its economic segment, now hosted by local Morning Edition host Talia Blake, on Tuesdays at 7:45 a.m. and focuses on how economic issues are impacting the people of Central Florida. Since re-launching the segment three months ago, Blake has tackled issues of housing, driver’s license suspension and the impact of the high cost of education.
