Safety changes come to downtown Orlando after Halloween mass shooting

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Updated  November 15, 2024 10:53pm EST
FOX 35 Orlando
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Orange Ave. blocked off as downtown safety measure

Downtown Orlando will begin to see safety changes this weekend as the city works to reduce the "street party atmosphere" that has defined the area. The first phase of the changes will see barriers along Orange Avenue to keep pedestrians on the sidewalks while allowing traffic through.

ORLANDO, Fla. - Downtown Orlando will begin to see safety changes this weekend as the city works to reduce the "street party atmosphere" that has defined the area. 

Starting Friday night, Orange Avenue will reopen to vehicle traffic in an effort to address growing concerns about public safety.  

Typically, Orange Avenue and other side streets were closed to traffic on weekends, allowing pedestrians to freely roam. However, following the mass shooting on Halloween night that left two people dead and eight others injured, city officials are taking steps to change that dynamic.  

The first phase of the changes will see barriers along Orange Avenue to keep pedestrians on the sidewalks while allowing traffic through. Eventually, all lanes of traffic will be reopened. The city says these measures are part of a broader effort to curb the unsafe, party-like atmosphere that has been attracting large crowds downtown.  

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Ryan Davis, owner of Stagger Inn and several other bars in the area, supports the changes. 

"It seems to me that most of these problems always take place outside of the confines of the bars or Wall Street where you wanted fun," Davis said. "So, eliminating the excess people who shouldn’t be down there is a good step in the right direction."  

The changes come in the wake of the deadly shooting, which has prompted the city to reassess its approach to nightlife and public safety in the area.

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