DOWNTOWN BUSINESS NEWS
Downtown Employee Appreciation Week Headshots
Downtown Orlando, you showed up in a big way for Downtown Employee Appreciation Week! With more than 6,500 attendees and over 100 giveaways, the week was an incredible celebration of the people who power our city. One of the highlights was the 2025 Downtown Employee Appreciation Week headshots, hosted at Discover Downtown. Thank you to everyone who joined us for the free photo session. Your energy and smiles made the day a true success. The headshots are now ready for download, so click here to grab your photos and relive the moment!

UCF Downtown Annual Report
The 2024–25 UCF Downtown Annual Report celebrates the campus’s five-year anniversary and the progress made since opening in 2019. The report highlights expanded student access, nationally ranked academic programs, impactful community-based research, and strong partnerships across Central Florida. These milestones demonstrate UCF Downtown’s continued commitment to student success and community impact. Read the full Annual Report here.

Finfrock Designs $83M Senior Living Expansion
Finfrock has designed a major expansion for Orlando Lutheran Towers that includes a 15-story, 128-unit independent-living tower and a 122-space parking garage. The $83 million project will replace a four-story assisted-living facility and add new amenities such as a restaurant and pool deck. Once complete, the new tower will stand alongside the existing Fountains building as part of the growing senior living campus downtown. Learn more about the expansion here.

JFS Hope Challenge
Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando is running its annual Hope Challenge through October 15. Every dollar donated will be matched up to $25,000 by the Pearlman, Minkow, and Bolton families, helping JFS meet rising community needs as demand for services has grown more than 30% since 2023. Contributions directly support programs like the Pearlman Food Pantry, counseling services, family stabilization, and senior transportation. Click here to donate!

Changes Coming to Ride DTO 
Beginning October 1, Ride DTO will add pooling to its service. Riders may now be matched with another passenger traveling in the same direction. The change is designed to cut down on wait times, improve efficiency, and make getting around downtown easier. As part of the launch, riders can use code Fall25 for three free rides during October.