David Barilla, Executive Director, Downtown Development Board

April 2026 — Invest: spoke with David Barilla, executive director of the Downtown Development Board, about the activity and collaboration leading downtown Orlando. “There is a clear recognition that downtown Orlando is continuing to position itself as a leader in Florida and the Southeast,” Barilla said, pointing to how infrastructure, placemaking, and business support are shaping a more connected urban core.

What key initiatives have had the biggest impact at the Orlando Downtown Development Board over the past 12 months?

One of the biggest milestones for us has been the formal construction start tied to our DTO Action Plan. That initiative is focused on setting up downtown Orlando for generations to come and redefining it around what people now want and expect from urban environments.

We went through a detailed process of data analysis, community engagement, and collaboration with stakeholders and professionals to shape a future vision for downtown. At its core, that vision is straightforward: it is about having a downtown that is vibrant, having a downtown that is walkable, and it is a place for everyone.

Earlier this year, we broke ground on the first project connected to that plan, which is the two-way conversion of Magnolia Avenue, one of the central corridor streets in downtown Orlando. It may not be the largest project on its own, but it is an important first building block. It creates the framework for broader changes to major arteries such as Orange Avenue, which is really the Main Street address in Central Florida, and Rosalind Avenue, both of which are set to be fully rebuilt.

We have launched a series of civic space investments. One of the things we found through this process was that in the post-pandemic environment, people place even more value on connection. They want places where they can meet friends, family, coworkers, and peers. In an urban setting, where living spaces are often smaller, the city itself becomes part of that living environment.

That realization led us to take a closer look at our public spaces. Our downtown is compact but dense, so instead of trying to make every park serve every purpose, we want each civic space to be distinct. Not every park needs a playground or an amphitheater. Each one should serve a unique need in an enhanced and intentional way so that people know where to go depending on the experience they want.

To make that work, connectivity is essential. We are expanding sidewalks, improving pedestrian walkways, and creating more comfortable and engaging connections between spaces. Someone should be able to come downtown, spend time at Lake Eola, move easily through the urban core along pedestrian-friendly streets, and continue to a destination like the Canopy project under I-4.

That project is especially exciting because it will be a first-of-its-kind digital mapping park. Underneath I-4, we are creating a space with one of the largest digital projection installations in the country. It will also include artistic trees meant to evoke Orlando’s traditional oak canopy while connecting that identity to the technology and modeling-simulation future that is becoming a larger part of downtown Orlando’s economy. It is really about bridging old and new.

What is encouraging is the response from the business and development communities. There is a clear recognition that downtown Orlando is continuing to position itself as a leader in Florida and the Southeast. We have seen that reflected in major announcements, including Travel + Leisure moving its headquarters downtown with more than 1,000 employees, as well as continued momentum from companies such as EA. We also recently announced a project involving Heatherwick Studio and a 20-acre redevelopment in the heart of downtown.

How have business needs changed when it comes to public space, accessibility, and mobility, and how has that shaped your programs and services?

Every business has its own priorities, but we have seen some common themes emerge, especially after the pandemic. One of the clearest shifts has been in how customers access businesses and how businesses think about service models.

For many food and beverage establishments, curbside pickup and delivery became much more important. Those options help restaurants expand their reach and fill in gaps between lunch, dinner, and weekend traffic. In a downtown environment, though, those services can be harder to support because you do not always have parking directly outside the door.

That is why, as part of our street redesign work, we are incorporating what we call dynamic curbs. The idea is to use curb space in a more flexible way based on time of day and business need. That same curb can function as pickup space, loading and unloading space, or parking depending on what is most useful at that moment. It is a practical way to help businesses operate more effectively while making the most of limited urban space.

Mobility has also been a major focus. We are committed to building a more pedestrian-oriented downtown, but we also have to be realistic. This is Florida. Some days it is simply too hot to walk, and sometimes people need a faster option.

That is why we launched Ride DTO, with DTO standing for Downtown Orlando. It is essentially a point-to-point mobility service similar to Uber or Lyft, but with five dedicated vehicles circulating exclusively within downtown. Riders can go where they need to for just $1. The service helps office workers reach lunch spots that may be farther than they want to walk, and it also helps connect people to the more than 2,000 events that take place downtown each year across our sports and entertainment venues.

In addition to mobility improvements, we have built out a strong set of incentive programs designed to support businesses directly. One of the biggest areas of focus has been food and beverage, particularly restaurants, because they play such a major role in creating street-level activity and shaping the experience of downtown.

Through those programs, we can incentivize up to $475,000 through a combination of rental abatement and build-out assistance. The goal is to help businesses enter the market on solid footing and give them a stronger chance of long-term success. We also have a retail incentive program, along with a facade improvement program that helps property owners enhance building exteriors and reinvest in the public-facing parts of downtown.

Those investments matter not only because they improve the appearance of the district, but because they strengthen the infrastructure that businesses and visitors interact with every day. Last year alone, we completed roughly 26 of these types of projects, representing millions of dollars invested alongside our business community.

Another important tool is our High Wage High Value Program, which is geared toward large relocations. That was part of our work with Travel + Leisure. When a major employer chooses downtown Orlando, we want to support that move in a meaningful way, both by welcoming them into the district and by helping create the conditions for long-term success.

Taken together, these programs reflect how we see downtown’s evolution. We are not only planning for growth in a physical sense. We are also trying to make sure that growth translates into a stronger experience for businesses, residents, workers, and visitors. That means listening carefully, identifying shared challenges, and putting tools in place that make downtown more accessible, more competitive, and more livable.

Ultimately, the changes we are making now are about positioning downtown Orlando for the future. We want a place that functions well, feels connected, and continues to attract the kinds of employers, destinations, and investments that move the region forward.