HOUSTON – Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner reflected on his past eight years in office during the State of the City 2023 Address on Wednesday.
The mayor discussed how the city was affected by seven federally declared disasters while he was in office, but city officials worked hard to help the city recover.
“We are diverse, but at the same time we work everyday to be inclusive. We are greener, more compassionate, more united, and more forward-moving than we can ever imagine,” Turner said.
Several programs were created like One Safe Houston and Resilient Houston. The city also became a national leader on reducing homelessness and provided summer jobs for more than 20,000 students.
The mayor also talked about current projects. The Inwood Forest Stormwater Detention Basin Project groundbreaking was held in 2023 and is expected to help protect about 4,400 buildings and structures from flooding near White Oak Bayou.
A new municipal court building is projected to be built with funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the city after it was damaged from Hurricane Harvey. The Interstate 45 expansion project is also moving along.
During the event, the mayor thanked Houstonians for their support and city officials.