The Honorable Ashley D. Bell, the White House Policy Advisor for Entrepreneurship & Innovation made a special trip to Orlando this week to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with the Central Florida Urban League, which calls for the CFUL to lead to efforts in the development of Orlando’s 12 Opportunity Zones.

The CFUL, alongside its local partners: the Small Business Administration, the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metro Orlando and the Black Business Investment Fund of Florida, will be working alongside local businesses and investors to breathe new life into the city’s low-income communities.

“Opportunity Zones have the potential to be a game-changer for our community,” said Glenton Gilzean Jr., President and CEO of the Central Florida Urban League. “This program mirrors our vision for Central Florida as our goals is to create new opportunities for our community. The public-private partnership brought forward through this program is critical if we are to truly empower those in need with the resources and tools to better themselves and those around them.”

In all, the State of Florida has 427 communities which have been designated as Opportunity Zone.