AIR DATE MARCH 24, 2022
Title: 311 in Orange County, FL
When non-emergency issues arise that do not warrant a 911 call, 311 is available to Orange County residents. Emily and her guests share what is included in this service and how to submit a report.
Guests and Locations
Orange County Neighborhood Services Division, Manager – Jason Reynolds
Orange County 311 Service Center, Supervisor – Brandy Davis
What You Should Know About 311 Non-Emergency Calls in Orange County
When non-emergency issues arise that do not warrant a 911 call, 311 is available to Orange County residents. When you call 311, they will direct your call to the appropriate county service.
The specialist on the end of the line will help you with whatever non-emergency issue you have, whether it be animal concerns or neighborhood inquiries.
Hear words of advice about 311 from Jason Reynolds (manager of Neighborhood Services Division) and Brandy Davis (training and development coordinator for Orange County 311).
What Is 311?
Brandy opens the discussion, “311 provides an array of services. So, our most popular is animal services. People call us because they want to adopt animals, they want general information about animals, they found an animal, they want to report it, as well as code enforcement, and that has to do with what’s going on in your neighborhood.
If your neighbor’s not keeping up with their yard- they have junk vehicles, they’re operating a business out of their home- and you want to report that, we’re here for that. And then in your neighborhood, when you’re walking, you know, sidewalks may be cracked and uneven, or you may see a pothole driving to work. You may see a traffic route that’s out; that’s us, we can help you with all those things. And then we also serve as just a government information line.”
What Is the Neighborhood Services Division?
Jason sheds light on this question, “Earlier this year, the Neighborhood Services Division and Code Enforcement merged into one division called Neighborhood Services. As a result, we are a full-service Neighborhood Services Division. What I like to say is we engage and strengthen neighborhoods through gaining compliance with codes, community development and outreach, and neighborhood planning.”
When Do Residents Get Directed to 311 in Orange County?
“311 is Orange County’s information line, and that to me is the best resource available to residents of this community to address their issues, specifically with the issues of this division. We deal with them for code violations, and we advertise that number as the best, fastest, and most effective way for them to report a code violation and have a code inspector there to determine the status of that violation,” Jason continues.
Code Enforcement
If you see something in your community and are unsure if it is a code violation, just call 311. The 311 smartphone app allows you to take pictures or videos to include along with the code violation report.
“When you call 311, you’ll reach an operator. Of course, they will ask you questions. Be as specific as possible about the violation or the alleged violation that you’re seeing. Leave your name and telephone number to follow up if needed. After that violation is taken into 311, it is routed to the code inspector for that particular area. Usually, that happens within a day,” says Jason.
Legally, there is a two-week due process for all alleged code violations.
How to Get Involved with 311
The best way for residents to engage with the Neighborhood Services Division is to join their electronic newsletters and simply send an email address to their division email address asking to be on the newsletter.
They send out two publications, depending on which list you’re on, with information from across the county and the community to provide residents with the most current information about what’s happening and relevant to them.
You can also join their annual community conference. Jason adds, “We bring together neighborhood leaders, and community leaders, and neighborhood advocates, or people in the community who just want to be engaged, and we have workshops through the day to educate them about being effective neighborhood leaders and bringing them information.”
Brandy ends, “Our hours of operations are Monday through Friday, from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM, and we’re also open on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 to 5:00.”
