Orlando, Fla., city commissioners voted to allow construction to begin on the delayed $383-million Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, or DPAC, after board members stepped forward to personally guarantee a $16-million letter of credit that will replace tourist tax dollars if projected revenues of $43 million fall short.
“For more than 20 years this region has struggled to build a new performing-arts center,” says Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer (D). “But unwilling to give up and wanting the best for our community … civic and business leaders, the tourism community and government have rallied together to begin construction on the Dr. Phillips Center next month.”