Property Owners Demand City of Orlando Return Historic Church Street Bricks

In a petition to City Hall, property owners are demanding the City of Orlando return historic bricks that were removed by Mayor Buddy Dyer from Church Street. Dyer deviated away from the long-held and public plans when he had the bricks removed in December. This is the latest hot-button issue to put increased pressure on the Dyer administration.

Property owners of land situated on West Church street have joined together in the petition to demand:

“We, the undersigned property owners of land situated on West Church Street, west of Westmoreland and east of Orange Blossom Trail, hereby agree that we, individually and collectively demand, urge and insist that the surface of the right of way – vehicular lanes be the bricks that were removed from West Church Street. And that these brick used be only the best, most perfect bricks that were laced on the pallets, after the inferior bricks had been set aside.”

Back in December, WFTV Channel 9′s report on the issue began reminding viewers, “The city promised the people of Parramore a beautiful brick-lined street from the Amway Center to the Citrus Bowl, but it doesn’t appear that that’s going to happen.”

In fact, Dyer and his administration have no plans (and likely no money) to bring the bricks back to West Church Street…right now. But the property owners aren’t backing down and the latest petition shows that.

They are also taking aim at the City and assertions being purported by city staff including Director of Urban Development Walter Hawkins and City Project Manager Stephen Wiedenbeck.

The property owners collectively said they “vehemently disagree” with assertions from those city staffers who said that the entire process has been open and that all stakeholders and property owners have been invited to attend meetings on the issue. The same staffers also claimed that the city made all property owners aware of the plans for years. The petition ends directly taking on these comments made by the City saying, “Regarding these assertions, we the undersigned unequivocally agree that these assertions are not true!”

This is still a developing issue with more to come as the pressure increases on Mayor Dyer and his Church Street redevelopment & Citrus Bowl construction.