09/11/2026
A local business is more than the place where people work, eat or gather. Behind it are jobs, families, neighbors and a responsibility to the community it serves.
Speaking with Telemundo 31 about Hurricane Milton, I Love Orlando Café owner Carlos Croes reflected on what it means to prepare a small business for moments when an entire city is facing uncertainty.
For Croes, preparation is not simply about protecting equipment or securing a building. It means making sure employees are informed and safe, anticipating what may happen before conditions deteriorate, protecting what has taken years to build, and being ready to reopen and serve the community when it is safe to return.
That sense of responsibility has become part of how I Love Orlando Café operates in the heart of Downtown Orlando.
For Carlos, Orlando is not simply where he owns a business. It is where he has chosen to invest, create opportunities, build a team and become part of the everyday life of a community he deeply values.
Hurricane Milton was another reminder that strong communities are built not only through major institutions, but through the people and small businesses that remain present, take responsibility for those around them and continue moving their neighborhoods forward — even after difficult days.
From our team at I Love Orlando Café, we remain committed to doing exactly that: showing up, taking care of our people and continuing to contribute to the Orlando we are proud to call home.
Thank you to Telemundo 31 for giving local businesses a voice and allowing our story to be part of a much larger Orlando story.
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