Senate Community Budget Issue Requests - Tracking Id #2361 Orlando Carnival Celebration
Requester:	Barbara Ashley-Jones		Organization:		Orlando Carnival Association, Inc.
Project Title:	Orlando Carnival Celebration		Date Submitted:		01/31/2000 6:47:10 PM
District Member:	Buddy Dyer		Service Area:		Regional
Counties Affected:	Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola, Seminole
Recipient:	Orlando Carnival Association, Inc.		Contact:		Barbara Ashley-Jones
	1100 N. Pine Hills Road		Contact Phone:		(407) 298-8892
	Orlando 32808-7125
Project Description:
The Orlando Carnival is an annual three-day event held over the Memorial Day Weekend. Events include a live show/dance and calypso competition; Children's Carnival and King and Queen Show; performances by musicians brought in from the Caribbean; with the highlight of the festival a parade along the streets of Orlando. Winners in the various categories of competition, both children and adults are awarded prizes. An international cultural celebration of multicultural life, music, food and artifacts, visual and performing arts, the Orlando Carnival has made the City of Orlando a "must visit" the last weekend in May. The festival attracts people from the continental United States, the Caribbean, and worldwide.
Services Provided/Benefit to State:
Initially, only residents with a Caribbean background participated in the Orlando Carnival. However, research indicates that each year, more and more Americans and people from other regions are benefiting from the Carnival because they consider the event an enhancement to their cultural experience. The State benefits economically as the major tourist industry is impacted. All hotel operate at full capacity, ground and air transportation, entertainment industry, restaurants and local businesses observe an increase in revenue. Previous Carnival records indicate an average of 60,000 national and international participants attending the Memorial Day Weekend celebration. Each individual spends an average of $850.00, generating approximately $3,060,000 in sales tax revenue for the State. In keeping with the overall purpose, the Orlando Carnival Association, Inc. presents the community as a whole with an educational experience in ethnic music, dance, food, art and entertainment. More importantly, it is the goal of the association to be able to award scholarships and other educational opportunities to area students.
Measurable Outcome Anticipated:
Establishing the Orlando Carnival will facilitate the following outcomes: develop the organizational structure for the Orlando Carnival to be equitable with other organizations in major metropolitan cities nationally and internationally; develop a model for teaching a global and multicultural perspective to increase the educational equity of children in our schools; recruit and train young adult ambassadors from elementary to high school levels in multicultural activities to help eliminate cultural prejudice, peer harassment and stereotyping in Central Florida schools; provide a support system for ethnic groups to increase their socioeconomic status and to assist more ethnic groups to participate in this annual event; increase harmony and unity among all nationalities in the community.
Amount requested from the State for this project this year:				$150,000
Total cost of the project:		$300,000

Request has been made to fund:			Operations
Is there Local Government or Private match for this request?				No
Was this project previously funded by the State?				No
Is future-year funding likely to be requested?				Unknown
Was this project included in an Agency's Budget Request?				No
Was this project included in the Governor's Recommended Budget?				No
Is there a documented need for this project?				Yes
	Documentation:	Improving America's Schools Act of 1994
Was this project request heard before a publicly noticed meeting of a body of elected officials (municipal, county, or state)?				No