Kissimmee welcomes new Economic Development Director Tomerlin

The City of Kissimmee recently announced the selection of Tom Tomerlin as its new Economic Development Director.

Tomerlin takes over the position vacated by the City’s first Economic Development Director, Belinda Kirkegard, who became the President of the National Entrepreneur Center in Orlando earlier this year.

Tomerlin is the former Economic Director for the City of Sanford and a native of Central Florida. He earned his Ph.D. in applied economics from the University of Florida and his master’s degree, also in applied economics, from Clemson University in South Carolina.

Tomerlin said he sees a lot of similarities and some differences between Kissimmee and Sanford.

“Both are gateways to the greater Orlando area, have airports, have historic downtown districts and main arteries running through them,” Tomerlin said. “At the same time, we have an opportunity to make Kissimmee’s downtown, with almost everything within walking distance of the SunRail station, a leisure traveler destination,” Tomerlin continued.

Another area Tomerlin sees as an opportunity for the city is the area around Florida’s Turnpike and the Tupperware SunRail station as a transportation-orientated destination, similar to the downtown but to host business-to-business (B2B) type services. Tomerlin views the Kissimmee Gateway Airport and the U.S. 192 Community Redevelopment Agencies (CRA) as two other economic engines that can drive development in the city.

“The 192 CRA has the most challenges, and over the next ten years also the biggest opportunities for the city,” Tomerlin said. “We look at job creation, but we need to emphasize quality over quantity, we need to attract the kind of growth that pays at least a family- sustaining wage,” he said.

Tomerlin’s selection coincides with a proposed reorganization of the Economic Development Division into a new city Economic Development Department, incorporating staff from the city’s two CRAs for the Downtown and the 192 corridor, currently part of the Development Services Department. Tomerlin would be the director of the new department. The reorganization was unanimously approved by the City Commission at a first public hearing last week, and can be finalized after an upcoming second hearing.

“This takes the staff of the Economic Development department, which has been in the manager’s department and places it in its own department,” City Manager Mike Stiegerwald said. “We had planned to do this, and now that we have the new director in place, we’re doing it now.”