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Task Force Recommends Streamlining the Process for Orange County Businesses to Reopen

Photo: Mike Petrucci
Photo: Mike Petrucci

The Bringing Back Tourism Work Group met Thursday morning ahead of the full Orange County Economic Task Force in the afternoon.

Three more tourism companies in Orange County got initial approval to reopen this morning with new health and safety guidelines and occupancy limits in place.

UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management Dean Youcheng Wang is co-chair of the committee.

He said the group is making great progress toward reintroducing tourism to the region. 

But he said with the sheer number of applicants coming in daily, the county might have to streamline the review process.

“Eventually probably we need to come up with a general guideline which can be applicable to all these smaller attractions right and then if everybody is doing X, Y, Z, then basically they are fine. And if the county and the mayor's office still needs to review and approve them if that is a requirement then we’ll just go through that route," Wang said.

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Wang says the group has already given the initial go ahead for fourteen businesses in Orange County to open their doors to the public. 

Wyndham Destinations Frank Goeckel is a member of the group.

Goeckel recommended scheduling meetings once a week instead of every time a business submits a plan. He says they've been meeting more regularly to get through the first round of applicants.

"Once we get through the initial presentations, I would suspect we could schedule a regular cadence and if that was then just once a week. And if someone came in the day after we just had our meeting well they unfortunately would have to wait seven days. But if someone came in the day before we're going to have our regularly scheduled meeting well then they could be there the very next day," Goeckel said.

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The Orange County Economic Task Force will meet today at 2 when Universal is expected to present their plan to reopen the theme parks. 

Theme parks need county and state approval before reopening. 

If you'd like to listen to the story, click on the clips above.

Danielle Prieur covers education in Central Florida.