By Christine Moore, Orange County District 2 Commissioner

I was recently discussing with a woman improvement done by the People of Southern Apopka and Orange County government during the Corridor of the Year competition.  

“I’m not interested in beautification – only crime reduction,” she said frankly.  

I remembered that I haven’t been talking enough about the crime reduction value of the Corridor of the Year contest. Our work is just that, crime reduction and protecting property values. 

How could I have forgotten to share law enforcement safety standards known as CPTED or Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design? One CPTED tip says to cut tree limbs up a minimum of six feet and hedges down under three feet. If you have traveled on Clarcona or Old Dixie roadways in the past month, you might have noticed our large piles of tree debris.  

I wish we had the funding to add solar lighting for residents, but alas, that must be the responsibility of the property owner. However, our teams spend a tremendous amount of time advocating for new LED street lighting and reporting burned out lights. You can report as well through the Duke Energy tool on its website. We advocated for repaired sidewalks and infrastructure improvements. 

The People of Southern Apopka have been runners-up twice. Judges will be out observing on Nov. 1. The winner will receive pole banners, road resurfacing, and significant recognition. 

Corridor of the Year standards include:  

• No visible trash 

• Tree limbs trimmed up 6 ft 

• No weeds at the base of trees 

• Sidewalks pressure washed and edged 

• Grass mowed 

• Yards free of debris, inoperable vehicles and junk 

• Fence lines free of weeds and limbs 

The teams have held monthly cleanups since February, attracted volunteers from a variety of sources, and cajoled property owners to make improvements. I have seen tremendous value from this work.  

We have attracted private sector investment, reduced crime, viewed fewer homeless in the area, and most importantly, experienced the return of community pride. Southern Apopka created fence art saying, “Love Where You Live.”  

To date, neither of the two Apopka teams have won the contest, but I have seen tremendous growth in engagement in the community. The People of Southern Apopka improved Clarcona Road from GH Washington south to Keene Road.  

The People of Northern Apopka are cleaning up Old Dixie through Old Plymouth. The team stained and decorated two fences, cleaned up the church property and buildings, and erected a cup art installation on a nearby chain link fence. While they have struggled to get the cooperation of large retailers like Lowe’s – the section around Dayspring Church has improved greatly.  

I hope you are following the progress of the Corridor of the Year contest and will consider joining one of the people group teams. Call 407.836.5850 for more information.