"Orange County has named 44 Central Florida businesspeople as part of its new planning group to help restart the local economy.

'All of the individuals and their companies on the task force were greatly impacted by the stay-at-home order and forced to shut down,' Demings said. 'These are some of the best and brightest minds in our community and will work with a single goal in mind. The group will come up with recommendations to reopen Orange County, including the approach to ease restrictions while ensuring the safety of the public.'

Task force members from Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties include those from the hospitality industry, finance and real estate, among others.

The group will be co-chaired by Orlando Economic Partnership President Tim Giuliani and Visit Orlando President George Aguel.

The rest of the group will include:

• Senior Vice President of Ambulatory Services for Advent Health Dr. Scott Brady
• Alfond Inn General Manager Jesse Martinez
• Black Business Investment Fund (BBIF) President and CEO Inez Long
• CareerSource Central Florida President and CEO Pamela Nabors
• Central Florida Auto Dealers Association CEO Evelyn Cardenas
• Church Street Entertainment Managing Partner Doug Taylor
• Darden Restaurants Inc. (NYSE:DRI) Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Dave George
• The Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS) Senior Vice President of Resort and Transportation Operations Thomas Mazloum
• Don Julio’s Mexican Kitchen Owner Florencio “Larry” Rodriguez
• Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts President and CEO Kathy Ramsberger
• Florida Department of Health in Orange County Director Dr. Raul Pino
• Highwood Properties Vice President Steve Garrity
• Henry’s Barber Shop Owner John Henry
• Johnny Rivers Grill & Market Owner Johnny Rivers
• Lake County Agency for Economic Prosperity Executive Director Brandon Matulka
• M.C. Spa & Nail Spa Founder and CEO Mary Chau
• Mosaic Hair Studio Owner Mike Van del Abbeel
• National Entrepreneur Center Executive Director Jerry Ross
• Nelson, Mullins/Broad and Cassel Shareholder Wayne Rich
• Orange County Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Jenkins
• Orlando City Soccer CEO Alex Leitao
• Orlando Health Medical Chief Quality Officer Dr. George Ralls
• Orlando International Airport CEO Phil Brown
• Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins
• Orlando Shakespeare Theater President Douglas Love-Ramos
• Orlando Venues Chief Venues Officer Allen Johnson
• Osceola County Kissimmee Chamber President/CEO John Newstreet
• Prospera President and CEO Augusto Sanabria
• Rejoice in the Lord Ministries & President, African American Council of Christian Clergy CEO Pastor Roderick Zak
• Rosen Shingle Creek General Manager Dan Giordano
• SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment (NYSE: SEAS) Vice President of Operations Brad Gilmour
• Seminole County Government Deputy County Manager/Chief Administrator for Community Relations and Economic Development Tricia Johnson
• The Mall at Millennia General Manager Steve Jamison
• Truist Financial Corp. (NYSE: TFC) Central Florida Regional President Sandy Hostetter
• UCF Rosen College of Hospitality Management Dean Youcheng Wang
• Unicorp National Development President Chuck Whittall
• Universal Orlando Resort Executive Vice President of Resort Operations Rich Costales
• Vineyard Wine Bar & Healthy Bistro Owner Deborah Linden
• VMD Ventures CEO Harold Mills
• Walmart Inc. (NYSE:WMT) Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations Monesia Brown
• Wawa Senior Director of Florida Operations and New Market Development Todd Souders
• YMCA of Central Florida President and CEO Dan Wilcox

Demings said the science and data will dictate any potential reopenings, and he doesn't have a set timetable for when businesses might start reopening up to a greater extent.

"That plan could require some form of social distancing, could include reviews on occupancy, to where we could look at occupancy levels," Demings said. "It could include temperature screenings at certain types of businesses, it could also mean additional sanitary protocols for certain businesses, [like] to require them to wear a mask or gloves."

The task force comes as Orange County has more than 1,135 confirmed coronavirus cases and 21 related deaths as of April 17, according to the Florida Department of Health. Statewide, Florida has 24,119 cases and 686 related deaths."

Read the rest on the Orlando Business Journal.