Happy New Chinese Year (Year of the Rat). The rat symbolizes intelligence, being adaptable, and observant. Thank you, Ruben Saldana and his team from Ru Camp for your commitment to the youth.
9th Annual Dragon Parade
Acts of Love & Kindness Movement
In honor of the Acts of Love and Kindness movement, my team and I recently spent some time playing board games with the young people at the Zebra Coalition, an organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth. To find out how to get involved with the coalition, click on the link below. They currently have an amazon wish list with a variety of products that you can donate to help meet their needs. #ActLoveGive https://www.zebrayouth.org/donate/
The Holiday shoe drive “Krafts and Kicks” for Union Park, Winter Park, and Bithlo families
The Holiday shoe drive “Krafts and Kicks” for Union Park, Winter Park, and Bithlo families was a success thanks to the donations that we received! I hope we all rejoice in the spirit of giving and making beautiful memories today. Merry Christmas from your Commissioner Emily Bonilla and District 5 staff!
County OKs controversial incentives for Universal’s road project: Here’s why & what’s next
Commissioner Emily Bonilla, who voted against the incentives, wanted to place additional requirements on the county incentives to require job creation milestones and other indicators to track progress, but her ideas weren’t used. Any changes to the agreement would have required going back to negotiate with Universal.
Orange County advances controversial Split Oak parkway extension
Emily Bonilla — who along with Maribel Gomez Cordero were the two Orange County commissioners to oppose the project — brought up multiple issues she had with the project. She expressed concern about the fact the project development and environment study was not provided before the meeting, and thought the route may affect non-wealthy families negatively in favor of the gated communities near the forest. Bonilla said during the meeting that she preferred a proposed mitigation route that would have brought the roadway closer to the communities near Split Oak, but would have affected the forest less. “I feel we should go back to the drawing board and get a route that is more reasonable,” Bonilla said. “I am not in support of it.”
Report: Universal seeking another $348-million in ‘high-crime-zone’ tax credits
Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla said such support should focus on entities that need public assistance.
Winter Park approves terms of $6M tourist tax grant for Canopy project
The county approved the city’s application in April despite an opposing vote from County Commissioner Emily Bonilla, who represents Winter Park and said she wasn’t convinced the community project met the tourism requirements for the cash.
Founder of County’s First Hispanic Women’s Business Association Goes Extra Mile to Mentor Others
James’ community involvement started decades ago. She organized the first Hispanic women’s business organization in Orange County 40 years ago and was the first to identify the need for such a group to advance the interests of Hispanic business women in the region. As a female entrepreneur in Orange County, she mentors others and stresses the importance of integration. “Orange County is proud to support the growing number of women-owned Hispanic businesses,” said Orange County District 5 Commissioner Emily Bonilla. “The local economy is composed of mainly small companies, so entrepreneurs play a pivotal role in our economic development ecosystem – and Mercy James is an exceptional citizen in District 5.”
Fiesta Cultural 2
We had SO much fun celebrating #HispanicHeritageMonth with you all at our second annual Fiesta Cultural. Special thank you to all the talented performers we had and my staff who surprised me with a beautiful cake for my birthday showcasing my Puerto Rican and Dominican heritage. We are looking forward to next year! Let us know in the comments what you would like to see at next year’s event.
Local officials discuss the need for more affordable student housing
Bonilla shared her story as well as her own views on the issue. She said the situation has worsened for students through the years, as tuition costs have risen sharply and graduate students are often burdened with paying back student debt. “The increase in tuition has gone up so much and so fast,” Bonilla said. “And when you are out of college most of your income goes to paying off that student loan, which increases your chances of needing affordable housing even more after you graduate. So, you’re in this perpetual situation and there doesn’t seem like there’s any way out.”