Orlando creates new Small and Local Business Program

FL News - Published May 06, 2026

The Orlando City Council has voted, on April 20 of 2026, to adopt a new Small and Local Business Enterprise (SLBE) Preference to replace the Minority and Women Business Enterprise (MWBE) Program. The Council had previously voted in 2025 to close and replace the MWBE program with a race- and gender-neutral program but the most recent vote sets forth procedure creating the new program.

The ordinance creating the program strikes existing references to the MWBE program, replacing them with references to the SLBE program, and establishes that businesses shall be certified for the program, and solicitations shall be applicable to the program, according to "Policy and Procedure" as created by the Council. The ordinance further establishes that the program shall be applicable to City solicitations issued on or after June 1 of 2026.

An "Agenda Item" document for the City Council specifies that eligiblity for the City's Small Business Certification will require a business to have fewer than 100 employees and to have annual gross receipts of less than $13.1 million if they are in the construction industry, among other criteria. Eligible Local Businesses must be headquartered wholly within the city limits of Orlando to be certified. For the purposes of competitive sealed bidding and RFQs, SBEs will receive a bid point preference of 4 percent on eligible contracts, and LBEs a preference of 5 percent.

Find the ordinance passed by the Council at https://pub-orlando.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=47320.

Find the Agenda Item describing eligibility requirements at https://pub-orlando.escribemeetings.com/FileStream.ashx?DocumentId=47322.

Read more about the City Council's earlier vote in 2025 to replace the MWBE program with a new SLBE program at https://dbegoodfaith.com/item.php?item_type=news&news_id=2539.