ORLANDO, Fla. — The city of Orlando is dispatching “ambassadors” to curb aggressive panhandling and walk you to your car.
The uniformed, CPR-trained team will work during the morning, day and night to help, carrying radios, First Aid kits and iPads.
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Part of an ambassador's job will be to document interactions with homeless people and any cases of aggressive panhandling.
“We are going to refer them to the appropriate resources,” said Ambassador Operations Manager Michael Mitchell, who noted the ambassadors won’t necessarily ask homeless people to move if they are not breaking any laws.
In May, at least 20 homeless people were arrested during a four-day period.
Meet the @citybeautiful’s new ambassadors. They’ll be waking the streets for you to answer questions and work as safety escorts 7am-11pm. They’ll also work with @OrlandoPolice to report crimes and curb aggressive panhandling @WFTV pic.twitter.com/tSlmEx4BHz
— Racquel Asa (@RAsaWFTV) August 1, 2018
The ambassador program is costing the city $1.5 million for the next two years to pay for 17 positions and equipment. At least one of the positions was filled by a veteran. After that two-year period, the city will assess how much longer to consider the program.
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said it would cost the city more to fund a police position.
“An OPD position is more expensive than an ambassador position, so we think this is a good use of that funding,” Dyer said.
Ambassadors are “dressed” for their 1st shifts on @citybeautiful streets. You can call or text them at 407-902-4374 @WFTV pic.twitter.com/nDYF9EroGJ
— Racquel Asa (@RAsaWFTV) August 1, 2018
In addition to working with homeless people, ambassadors can also walk people to their cars if they don’t feel safe.
The ambassador program is good news for downtown business owners like Stacey Papp, who opened a jewelry shop this year.
“Now that this program is rolled out and people feel confident about it, they know where their money is going,” Papp said. “I think you are going to see a lot more people coming.”
To contact an ambassador, call or text 407-902-4374 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m.
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