City officials are looking to eradicate graffiti in the downtown area.
During the Community Redevelopment Agency Advisory Board meeting on Wednesday, May 31, Downtown Orlando (DTO) officials announced the beginning of a new “Take Action Against Graffiti Program.”
The program is pat of the Downtown Orlando Community Redevelopment Area Plan, which outlines the “importance of education and social fabric to downtown Orlando.”
One of the strategies listed in the plan in regards to strengthening the social fabric focuses on the perception and reality of public safety with improvements to lighting and other safety standards in downtown Orlando.
The program assists property owners and business owners in the removal of abatement of graffiti on private property in downtown Orlando. The program is part of a multi-pronged approach to combat graffiti by city officials, which includes a prevention program, reporting of occurrences, and quick removal from affected properties.
Under the program, eligible property owners and business owners can be reimbursed up to 80% of the cost of graffiti removal and/or the installation of mitigative measures that will “abate occurrence of graffiti in the future.”
Applicants may receive up to a maximum of $4,000 per calendar year, per property, as part of the program.
As part of the mitigation, the city will look to add graffiti-resistant coatings on paint where appropriate, and plant vines, shrubs and thorny plants adjacent to buildings and along free-standing walls and fences.
The mitigation will also include the addition of lighting improvements around a building, as well as adding permitted and approved murals.
The city has provided a list of criteria for qualifying businesses. To review those criteria, or to report graffiti for possible removal, visit the Report Graffiti webpage through the city of Orlando.