{"id":190562,"date":"2026-03-13T19:20:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-13T19:20:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/190562\/"},"modified":"2026-03-13T19:20:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-13T19:20:08","slug":"this-weeks-regional-perspective-march-13-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/190562\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week’s Regional Perspective | March 13, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Welcome to the\u00a0Regional Perspective,\u00a0where I share stories that bring the\u00a0Orlando 2045 Vision<\/a>\u00a0to life and highlight the progress shaping our region\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

1) Regional Leadership Conference\u00a0\u2013 We\u2019re just two weeks away from the 2026 Regional Leadership Conference, and registration is filling up quickly. If you haven\u2019t secured your spot, now is the time. This year\u2019s speaker lineup includes an impressive mix of national and regional leaders including:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Karen Irwin, Universal Studios Orlando<\/p>\n

Bret Perkins, Comcast<\/p>\n

John E. Tyler, FDOT District 5 and SunRail\u00a0<\/p>\n

James Lima, JLP+D (James Lima Planning + Development)<\/p>\n

Sheena Fowler, Orlando Economic Partnership<\/p>\n

Carolina Cruz-Neira, University of Central Florida<\/p>\n

Karl Melo, KPMG<\/p>\n

Expect insights that explore innovation, economic mobility, and the future of our region.\u00a0Register your table today<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2) Kay Rawlins retiring after 15 years of impact\u00a0\u2013 Kay Rawlins, a beloved leader and co-founder of Orlando City SC and the Orlando Pride, is officially retiring today after 15 years of transformative service. Her influence on our sports community, youth initiatives, and charitable programs has left an extraordinary legacy that will continue to shape our region for years to come. I am so thankful to have gotten to know Kay, as have many of you. I can\u2019t think of a better ambassador for Orlando!\u00a0
\u00a0
3) Announcing Brooke Hill as Orlando Film Commissioner\u00a0\u2013 We\u2019re excited to promote our very own Brooke Hill to the role of Orlando Film Commissioner. Brooke has been leading our strategy for regional film, television, and digital media productions and overseeing our permitting operations. Her appointment strengthens our commitment to growing the creative economy and attracting major productions to the Orlando region.\u00a0Link to press release<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

4) OEP staff promotions\u00a0\u2013 I\u2019m also excited to announce the promotion of two team members whose work has contributed to the advancement of our Orlando 2045 vision and our economic development efforts. First, Sara Reynolds is now our Director of Research and Strategy. Sara was instrumental in launching our\u00a0Top 30 MSA Comparison Tool, powered by Duke Energy<\/a>\u00a0and our talent gap report. Pedro de Melo Rodrigues, is now our Associate Director of Economic Development where he plays a key role in our economic development lead generation efforts, including our company proposals and foreign direct investment.\u00a0Congratulations\u00a0to both. Our OEP team is critical in delivering top-notch services and results for our investors and community.<\/p>\n

5) Sheena Fowler named\u00a0OBJ\u00a0Women Who Mean Business\u00a0honoree\u00a0\u2013 A huge\u00a0congratulations\u00a0to Sheena Fowler, OEP VP of Innovation, who has been recognized by the\u00a0Orlando Business Journal\u00a0(OBJ) as one of the\u00a02024 Women Who Mean Business. Her leadership in innovation and the creative ecosystem continues to elevate our region\u2019s profile and economic opportunities. Other OEP investors honored include: Ekta Desai, SchenkelShultz, Monica Wonus, CBRE, Shannon Clark, Florida Citrus Sports, Jennifer De Salvo Haddad, UCF (UCF Global), and Lisa Messina, Visit Orlando.\u00a0Read the full list here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

6)\u00a0Share your thoughts on transportation in Central Florida\u00a0\u2013\u00a0MetroPlan Orlando and UCF are conducting a regional transportation survey to understand the transportation needs of those traveling in Orange, Osceola, and Seminole counties. The survey is open until April 10th and can be accessed\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Programs & Events<\/p>\n

Regional Leadership Conference\u00a0presented by Universal Orlando Resort\u00a0\/\/ Mar. 27 \/\/\u00a0REGISTER TODAY<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

2026 Washington, D.C. Advocacy Trip\u00a0presented by BakerHostetler\u00a0& supported by TECO \/\/ May 19-21 \/\/ SAVE THE DATE<\/a> (Open to OEP Investors at the Ambassador, Director, and Governors Council levels ONLY)<\/p>\n

ICYMI<\/p>\n

Orlando Featured on Major National & International Broadcasts:\u00a0Visit Orlando recently secured two high-impact broadcast features on \u201cThe Kelly Clarkson Show\u201d and Canadian Global News\u2019 \u201cThe Morning Show.\u201d These placements showcased the breadth of Orlando\u2019s experiences from multigenerational travel, outdoor adventure, major attractions, to hidden gems, boosting visibility during the spring travel season and inspiring future visitation throughout 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Orange County Commission Oks $35 million in bids for Olympics, NBA<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Orlando Sentinel\u00a0<\/p>\n

Disneyland Resort president named Disney Experiences Chairman, to oversee Walt Disney World<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Orlando Business Journal<\/p>\n

AdventHealth plans downtown pedestrian bridge, 14-story hospital tower<\/a>\u00a0\u2013\u00a0Orlando Business Journal\u00a0<\/p>\n

Are we entering a new phase in how places promote themselves?<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 LinkedIn<\/p>\n

Onward,<\/p>\n

\"Tim-ONLY-sig_100px.png\"
Tim Giuliani
ORLANDO ECONOMIC PARTNERSHIP<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Welcome to the\u00a0Regional Perspective,\u00a0where I share stories that bring the\u00a0Orlando 2045 Vision\u00a0to life and highlight the progress shaping…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":129656,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[139,141,140],"class_list":["post-190562","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-orlando","tag-orlando","tag-orlando-headlines","tag-orlando-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190562","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=190562"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/190562\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/129656"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=190562"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=190562"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=190562"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}