Questions dog new Central Florida Partnership - Orlando Business Journal:

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That's why he took 75 locap leadersto Washington, D.C., this week to lobby for the troubles commuter rail project -- they want to keep federal fundingv in place while liability issues are addressed becauses commuter rail is considered a critical need for the But it's the lack of clarity about the little detailas behind the partnership's plans that have many locak business people and organizationzs concerned. The exact role the new partnershilp will play and whether or not it will duplicate servicesd already offeredby already-established groups such as the and the . Whethe r the partnership will divert funds from othetarea organizations.
"We are concerned about some apparenft confusion in the community in regards to what the CentralFloridz Partnership's fundraising campaign encompasses," says Ray Gilley, presiden of the Metro Orlando EDC. "There seems to have been misunderstanding by some that one payment covers it he says. "For the record, as Jacobv will concur, a contribution to the partnershipl does not equate to an investmen inthe EDC, the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitord Bureau or any other regiona l chambers of commerce.
" Stuart says the Central Floridas Partnership "is a total complement to other organizations, not a The Central Florida Partnership was approvecd by the in Decembet in response to what Stuarf says is the shared belief that there's a need for a "nesw civic architecture" that will deal "wityh the complexities of growth and That's why the seven-county organizationn will tackle issues such as the completion of the Wekivw Parkway, diminishing water supplies, air quality and accesws to health care, among other In practical terms, the partnershi essentially will be the chiegf lobbyist and head cheerleader for the regionn concerning quality of life and business vitality.
To accomplishg that, the partnership will act as the umbrellq organization forfour subsidiaries: the Orlandk chamber, , Leadership Orlando and . The chambe will handle regional entrepreneurship; myregion.org will do regionalo research; Leadership Orlando will developregional leaders; while BusinessForcde will conduct regional public policy including selecting and backing candidates for local and statse office.
And that's where some confusiojn surfaces as to what role the partnership will play versuss organizations such as the MetroOrlandol EDC, local chambers and the Disney Entrepreneur Adding to the confusion is the fact that not all of theirf roles have been precisely defined yet, particularly the Orlando The chamber will move in a new and, as yet, undefined The partnership will have veto poweer over its policy decisions. That direction, in part, will be determined by the outcome of a surveyg of small businesses and businesa organizations currently being The results are expectedby September.
Until "We're waiting for the chamber to define its role and to seewherw [it] fits in the region's says Jerry Ross, director of the Disney Entrepreneurd Center and a membeer of the partnership's governing boarfd of directors. Another area of concern is how much money the partnershio is trying toraise -- and how that will affecy other regional groups. The partnership is being funded througha 10-tiered, "fairt share" system of contributions by including some of the biggest playerws in the area, such as , Lockheed Martin, Darden Restaurante and The "fair share" principle is basedd on the size of the and contributions range from $2,5009 per year to $300,000.
Investorxs are being asked to pledge their commitment for three years so the partnership will have the financia strength tohandle long-term However, investors have the opportunity to opt out after the firs t year if they don't think the partnership is makingt progress on its goals. Heath Ritenour, incoming chief executiv officerfor , says he made it clear to Stuary that his $10,000-a-year commitment hinges on progresse being made. "I want a report card with concret details," Ritenour says. Patricia Engfer, generall manager of the at the and one ofthe partnership'zs founding directors, also wants to see results, but is less dogmatif about how they are calculated.
"I can't say a specifivc thing will determine whether we will continued ourpledge -- it will be a variety of says Engfer, who declines to disclosw the hotel's investment. "I think progress is being made The partnership aims to have 350 investors anda three-year commitment total of $6.5 million by October. So far, investord have agreed to about $1.4 million a year for the next three years, says Stuart, who declinesa to reveal his annual salary at the new He earnedabout $355,00o0 annually heading up the Orlando according to public records. The Central Floridza Partnership's money will be divided amongb its four linesof business, with 40 percent to myregion.
org, 28 percent to BusinessForce, 23 percenyt to the Orlando Regional Chamber and 9 percentr to Leadership Orlando. While none of the partnership investors contacted say they will lessem their financial commitment toother organizations, Stuart says selectinyg which organizations to support is something investors do evert day. "The American way is the best team expandsx at theright time," he "The competition isn't for money, but for