Former mayor Bill Frederick described two sets of challenges that shaped Orlando’s physical growth: engineering solutions to wastewater capacity and political negotiations to fund a downtown arena.

On infrastructure, Frederick explained that after Disney’s arrival the city risked a building-permit moratorium because developers could not demonstrate wastewater capacity. "If you didn't have enough wastewater capacity, you couldn't get a building permit," he said, and described hiring engineers, reusing irrigation practices from agriculture, and building rapid infiltration basins. He said the city purchased about 1,600 acres to build a discharge basin that improved effluent quality and avoided a moratorium.

On the arena, Frederick said the funding was county-controlled and that county officials resisted initially. "The funding was entirely controlled by the county, and the county hated me," he said, describing protracted negotiations with county and state actors and a legislative session that eventually produced support for a downtown arena. That project, Frederick said, helped secure a professional sports franchise and catalyzed downtown development.

Both accounts are presented as recollections of technical and political choices; specific acreage and budgetary decisions cited in the interview are speaker-provided and may require archival verification for reporting purposes.