With less than a week remaining until Orlando residents head to the polls to vote in their mayoral election, Steve Dixon, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Buddy Dyer, is pitching a plan to reduce crime and improve economic conditions throughout the city.
In a recent video, Dixon cited Orlando’s crime stats on violent crime, noting they far exceed the state average. He vowed to improve law enforcement to ensure a better quality of life for locals.
“For many years, Central Florida has been the third highest in the nation for human trafficking calls,” Dixon said. “Florida ranks third in the U.S., for violent crimes, and Orlando is 2.2 times the Florida state average. That means Orlando is the number one large city in Florida for violent crime and one of the highest in the nation..
“I will command our law enforcement to aggressively enforce the law. I will get drugs off the street and dealers in jail. I will aggressively pursue and prosecute human and sex traffickers and bring them to justice. Our children must be protected. I may not be able to control the southern border, but I will get control of our streets,” Dixon added.
Dixon faces an uphill challenge against Dyer, who was first elected mayor in 2003. Dyer was elected to the Florida Senate in 1992, during the final days of President George H.W. Bush’s administration. During his time in Tallahassee, Dyer led Democrats in the state Senate.
Dixon has vowed to reduce city taxes and utility costs, which have risen during Dyer’s two decades as mayor. Dixon also pledges to broaden the city’s economic focus beyond tourism. He is labeling himself the “Make Orlando Great Again” candidate, basing his “MOGA” message as a parody of Donald Trump‘s “Make America Great Again” motto.
If elected, Dixon said he would pursue policies to bring businesses to Orlando.
“A high priority of my administration would be to shrink our city government and its bloated budget, which has mushroomed since Dyer came into office. In the 90’s, we used to talk about the high-tech corridor from Tampa to Jacksonville. Whatever happened to that? Orlando broke that by focusing only on tourism for decades. I think it’s time to revive that idea and to make Orlando the epicenter of a new, improved, high-tech corridor. I will create an environment for growth and opportunity that will raise the standard of living and quality of life for everyone in our community,” he said.
