Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Orlando pauses MWBE program after new federal grant language; council members pledge to redesign support for small businesses
Summary
Mayor Dyer said the city has paused its minority- and women-owned business enterprise (MWBE) program after new language appeared in federal grant agreements; several commissioners expressed disagreement with the pause and called for rapid, inclusive redesign.
Mayor Dyer announced at the Orlando City Council meeting June 9 that the city has temporarily paused its minority- and women-owned business enterprise program after “new language” was added to federal grant agreements the city must sign.
The change, Dyer said, required city certification that the city “does not operate any programs that favor anyone based on race and gender,” and the city attorney recommended suspending the program while staff and outside counsel review compliance. "Because this new language was added, our city attorney recommended that we pause our WMBE," Dyer said.
The announcement came during the mayor’s regular update. Dyer said the city and the airport rely on federal grants for multiple services and that federal funding has been a significant part of recent budgets. He said the city has…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
