The Information Moving Our City
Edition No. 4 | Friday, July 17, 2026
By Marcos A. Tejeda
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
The Sun Post News
In the first editions of Kissimmee 360, we raised a central question: Is Osceola County growing too fast?
Beginning today, we are taking this column in a more investigative direction.
Less general discussion.
More names.
More numbers.
More specific projects.
And greater attention to the public officials and government agencies responsible for the decisions shaping our community.
Because when we talk about growth in Kissimmee and Osceola County, we are not talking about something abstract. We are talking about decisions made at public meetings, multimillion-dollar budgets, transportation projects, development approvals, and public investments that directly affect how residents live, work, commute, and do business.
Today, we begin putting some of those decisions under the microscope.
City
Downtown Kissimmee Is Changing — and Public Investment Is Playing a Major Role
Downtown Kissimmee is currently experiencing significant public and private investment as city leaders work to revitalize the historic commercial district.
One recent example came on July 9, when the Downtown Kissimmee Community Redevelopment Agency announced approval of a $76,000 Pioneer Project Incentive Program grant for the redevelopment of the historic building at 30 Broadway.
According to the City, the underused former bank building is expected to be transformed into a 3,020-square-foot restaurant operated by Souza & Martins Savory Bites under the name Nosso Quintal Brazil.
This is precisely the type of project Kissimmee 360 intends to follow.
The question is not simply whether redevelopment is good or bad.
We want to know:
How much public money is being invested?
What commitments does the private developer make in return?
How many jobs could be created?
Will the project increase surrounding property values?
And what measurable economic benefit will taxpayers ultimately receive?
These are questions local journalism should be asking.
Follow the Money
Kissimmee’s Budget Shows the Scale of Local Government
Understanding growth requires understanding money.
The City of Kissimmee’s fiscal decisions affect everything from police and fire protection to streets, parks, development services, infrastructure, and economic development.
That means residents should pay close attention not only to the total city budget but also to where capital dollars are being directed and which projects receive priority.
The City maintains public information on permits, development, business activity, public safety services, government meetings, and major projects, giving residents several avenues to follow decisions affecting their neighborhoods.
At The Sun Post News, we intend to examine those numbers more closely.
When a multimillion-dollar project is approved, we want to identify the funding source.
When costs increase, we want to know why.
And when taxpayers are promised a specific outcome, we want to return later and determine whether that promise was fulfilled.
Osceola County
Five Commissioners Help Decide the County’s Direction
At the county level, major policy decisions are made by the five-member Osceola County Board of County Commissioners.
The County’s current government directory identifies the commissioners as Brandon Arrington, Cheryl Grieb, Peggy Choudhry, Viviana Janer and Ricky Booth.
These are not merely ceremonial positions.
County commissioners make decisions involving land use, transportation priorities, infrastructure investments, housing initiatives, economic development and numerous other issues that directly influence Osceola’s future.
From this point forward, when Kissimmee 360 reports on a significant County Commission decision, our goal will be to tell readers more than what happened.
We want to report who proposed it, who supported it, who opposed it, how commissioners voted and how much it will cost.
That information belongs to the public.
Transportation
Stop Saying “We Need Better Roads.” Let’s Identify the Roads.
Traffic is one of the most common complaints among Osceola residents.
But saying “traffic is getting worse” is not enough.
Osceola County maintains transportation programs and project information covering road improvements, traffic impact projects, transportation studies, traffic capacity and long-term capital planning. The County also works within a broader regional transportation network involving multiple government and transit entities.
Our reporting will therefore begin focusing on individual projects.
Which road is being widened?
How much will it cost?
Where does the money come from?
When was the project originally scheduled?
When is construction expected to finish?
Has the cost changed?
Those questions matter to the resident sitting in traffic every morning.
Downtown
Public Incentives Must Produce Public Value
The redevelopment of 30 Broadway provides an interesting case study for Downtown Kissimmee.
The $76,000 incentive represents public participation in a private redevelopment project intended to revitalize an underused historic property.
That does not automatically make the investment good or bad.
The appropriate question is whether the investment achieves its stated purpose.
If public incentives help transform vacant or underutilized properties into successful businesses, create jobs and increase economic activity, taxpayers may ultimately benefit.
But those results should be measured.
Kissimmee 360 intends to revisit projects like this after the ribbon-cutting ceremonies are over.
Because accountability should not end when a project is announced.
Business
Growth Is Creating Opportunities — But Local Businesses Must Have a Place in the Future
Historic Downtown Kissimmee remains home to an important community of independent merchants, restaurants and service businesses.
Organizations such as Kissimmee Main Street work specifically to support businesses and preserve the historic commercial district while encouraging continued economic development.
As larger investments arrive, an important question will be whether longtime local businesses can continue participating in the area’s economic growth.
Rising property values can strengthen a commercial district.
But rising rents and operating expenses can also place pressure on smaller businesses.
A successful revitalization strategy must therefore be judged not only by the buildings it renovates but also by the economic ecosystem it creates.
Public Participation
Monday’s County Commission Meeting Is an Opportunity to Pay Attention
Osceola County’s official website is currently highlighting the opportunity for residents to request to speak at the July 20, 2026 Board of County Commissioners meeting.
This matters.
Government accountability does not begin after a controversial decision is made.
It begins before the vote.
Residents can follow meeting agendas, review proposals and participate in the public process.
Our responsibility as journalists is to help explain what those decisions mean before they disappear into hundreds of pages of government documents.
Publisher’s Perspective
Osceola County’s growth has many decision-makers.
City commissioners.
County commissioners.
Government administrators.
Developers.
Transportation agencies.
State officials.
Federal agencies.
The problem is that when a road remains congested, a public project runs over budget or infrastructure fails to keep pace with development, responsibility can become difficult to identify.
That is where local journalism becomes essential.
If a project costs $30 million, we should know who is paying for it.
If construction is delayed, we should know why.
If commissioners approve a major development, residents should know how each commissioner voted.
And if infrastructure improvements were promised as part of that growth, someone should return years later to determine whether those promises were kept.
That will be the direction of Kissimmee 360 moving forward.
Less reporting from 30,000 feet.
More reporting from City Hall.
More attention to County Commission meetings.
More examination of budgets.
More tracking of individual projects.
And more effort to follow the money.
Because behind every government decision are the families and businesses that call Kissimmee and Osceola County home.
Next Investigation
Who Is Making the Decisions That Will Shape Osceola’s Future?
In our next edition, we will put the spotlight directly on the Osceola County Board of County Commissioners.
We will examine the five commissioners, the districts they represent, the major development and infrastructure issues before them, and the decisions that could shape the county for years to come.
Our objective is to begin building something that is often missing from local news coverage:
A public record of accountability.
Not simply what was decided.
But who made the decision.
About Kissimmee 360
Kissimmee 360 is an exclusive editorial column published by The Sun Post News and written by Marcos A. Tejeda, dedicated to investigating and analyzing the decisions affecting Kissimmee, Osceola County and Central Florida.
Our commitment is evolving:
Follow the projects. Identify the decision-makers. Examine the numbers. Track the votes. Hold government accountable.
Because covering our community means helping residents understand not only what is happening today, but also who is making the decisions that will define tomorrow.
Inform. Investigate. Explain. Hold Accountable.
