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Tag: Orange County (FL)

  • Veterans from Polk assemble floats for annual Orlando’s Veterans Day Parade

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — A group of Central Florida veterans is working on a special project together — assembling floats for Orlando’s 26th annual Veterans Day Parade on Saturday.

    What You Need To Know

    • Orlando’s 26th annual Veterans Day Parade is Saturday, Nov. 8

    • This year, the parade is relocating to Lake Nona from downtown and steps off at 11 a.m.

    • Festive Floats, based in Polk County, has a group of veterans who works on floats for the parade


    Bob Collins spent 22 years in the Navy. He enlisted in September 1971 and worked as a boiler operator before retiring in March 1993.

    Collins works for Festive Floats, a company based in Fort Meade in Polk County. This week, he worked on wiring electrical boxes for a float so speakers and lights can get plugged in.

    “After my military days, I’ve been a stationary engineer now for about the last 25 years working in hospitals, doing basically the same thing I was doing in the military,” Collins said.

    This year, Festive Floats co-owner Billy Attix said his team is working on floats for Commissioner Jim Gray and the Orlando Veteran Affairs office.

    “We’ve been working on the Veterans Parade for about three weeks,” Attix said. “We’re customizing some of our floats to make it military-based to honor those who have served, those who have lost their life.”

    The parade is a long-running event for residents to remember and honor those who served our nation.

    “We’re able to give back to the good, give back to humanity, bring that smile that somebody needs. Just an escape for five minutes of your normal life,” Attix said.

    Collins said he enjoys pulling the floats and seeing people have a good time, while connecting with other veterans along the way.

    “It’s kind of an honor, it really is, especially driving in the parade with the veterans on it and the Wounded Warrior people,” Collins said. “They do a lot of good work for the veterans.”

    The long-standing tradition is moving from downtown Orlando to Lake Nona for the first time.

    This year’s Veterans Day Parade will step off at 11 a.m. Saturday. The route starts at Laureate Park Elementary School and will finish at the Lake Nona Town Center.

    A ceremony and more activities for families will follow.

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    Emma Delamo

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  • PHOTOS: Protesters gather across Central Florida for nationwide demonstration

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — Thousands of protests took place nationwide Saturday in what organizers called “No Kings Day.”

    The protests come in response to President Donald Trump’s military birthday parade. 

    Organizers said they want to defend democracy. Several people rallied in cities across Central Florida to participate in the demonstrations.

    Take a look at our photo gallery below:

    One demonstration got underway in Orlando late Saturday afternoon.

    “This is time for us to come together as a country and we need to heal, we need to work together,” attendee Sandra Henry said.

    Also part of the crowd, Democratic State Representative Anna Eskamani of Orange County.

    “The energy is wonderful,” she said. “I mean this is such a reflection of who we are as central Floridians.”

    Eskamani also said she is using this time to enhance voter registration efforts.

    Other cities in Central Florida also saw demonstrations, including where Casselberry hundreds of people showed up Saturday morning.

    “There are more of us than there are of them,” attendee Beth Reeser said.

    The Orlando demonstration is expected to run until 7:30 p.m.

    As those protests took place, supporters of President Trump came together to celebrate Flag Day, as well as President Trump’s 79th birthday.

    “I just believe that we should be out here showing support for our president, because a nation divided cannot stand, that is Abraham Lincoln’s words,” Madeira Beach resident Matthew Harris said. “I’m a good conservative. I don’t call myself Republican, I don’t call myself anything. I’m a patriot, whoever is good for our country, that’s who I vote for.”

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    Devin Martin, Spectrum News Staff, Meteorologist Mallory Nicholls, Curtis McCloud

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  • Nonprofit founded by Central Florida woman fills critical needs in Four Corners

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    CLERMONT, Fla. — Hands of Hope America founder and chief executive officer Evelisse Bookhout’s history as an at-risk youth led her to start the nonprofit in the Four Corners community to fill the critical needs of residents.

    She created Hands of Hope America in 2019 after discovering gaps in needs like childcare, education and food security in the Four Corners area.

    What You Need To Know

    • Hands of Hope America founder Evelisse Bookhout is a veteran who grew up as an at-risk youth 

    • For that reason, she said she wants to help advocate for youths in Lake, Polk, Osceola and Orange counties

    • The nonprofit started with a food pantry and has grown to offer mental health counseling, after-school tutoring and adult English classes

    • Bookhout said Hands of Hope seeks to bring together governments, nonprofits and community leaders to work across county lines to provide critical services to residents

    The nonprofit started with a food pantry and has grown to provide wraparound services like free mental health counseling, after-school tutoring and adult English classes in Lake, Polk, Osceola and Orange counties.

    Now the organization serves thousands of families from its centralized location in Clermont, seeking to empower low-income families.

    She said her heart is with the children.

    “Being the example out in the community, being able to advocate for what we believe our community needs,” Bookhout said.

    Hands of Hopes’ needs assessment, which will be released this month, showed there is a lack of collaborative funding and efforts across county lines, leaving many residents without critical services, Bookhout said. 

    Pressing concerns across all four counties include major gaps in housing, food security, healthcare, employment services, education and transportation, the assessment revealed.

    She and her team of interns discovered public transportation times are limited, and they don’t connect from one county to another. 

    “Right now, we are calling for collaborative partners to be able to work together to continue to serve the need here in this community,” Bookhout said.

    A centralized community center to link families with an after-school program and bigger space for kids also is needed, she said.

    Right now, children play in the building’s parking lot. 

    “There isn’t much for the kids to do, so we have a lot of violence and drug use within our youth in our community, and I think it’s because parents need to work. They have to provide, and so parents are not around when kids get home from school,” said Rose Sterling, a case manager at the nonprofit.

    Sterling learned about Hands of Hope’s services through one of its food distribution events.

    “We have three boys, and kids weren’t really playing outside. My son is on the autism spectrum, and he was really struggling mentally,” Sterling said. “He needed friends.”

    She brought her son to one of the nonprofit’s summer programs, and he immediately started building leadership skills and making friends. 

    “Being able to give back to not only the community, but the place that gave me so much hope,” Sterling said.

    Next steps for Bookhout and the organization include more advocacy for those who need a hand.

    Bookhout, who didn’t have a lot of as she was raised by a single mom, said the community’s needs fuel her work.

    “Those experiences have truly shaped my passion for serving the community, and it’s something I’ll continue to do as long as I can,” Bookhout said.

    To help meet those needs, Bookhout said a unified vision, clear communication and resource sharing is required. She said she and the organization will work to bring together county governments, nonprofits and leaders to meet the needs of the growing population.

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    Maria Serrano

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  • Runners experience Disney magic in park’s annual Marathon Weekend

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — Over 30,000 runners are experiencing the magic Sunday as Walt Disney World welcomed its annual marathon event.

    This marked the 32nd year of the event, and it’s one of the largest races in Central Florida.

    What You Need To Know

    •  Walt Disney World’s Marathon Weekend ran from Jan. 9 – 12

    • This marked the 32nd year of the event, and it’s one of the largest races in Central Florida

    • Clermont resident Marielle Despres was the championship winner for the women’s group

    • RELATED: Runners gear up for Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend


    At 4:30 a.m., the first group of runners started a 26.2 marathon, and another group started 30 seconds afterwards.

    The marathon is part of Walt Disney World’s Marathon Weekend.

    Adam Ball, the vice president of ESPN Wide World of Sports and Disney Water Parks said this Marathon Weekend shows just how the local community and participants from around the world come together and support one another.

    “Anybody can do it, whether it’s your first time,” he said. “We have so few people here who’ve never won a race before. We have people that it’s their 20th marathon today. And so really, anyone can do it when you’re local, whether you’re from the other side of the country, or another country.”

    Marielle Despres was the championship winner for the women’s group. She’s from France, but now lives in Clermont.

    Despres trained for the marathon for two months with her husband and her three kids as her support system.

    “Each time I do trainings, they were with me and saying, ‘Let’s go, let’s go.’ It was amazing,” she said.

    The first race was a 5K held on Thursday, followed by the 10K on Friday morning.

    The event weekend continued with the half marathon on Saturday and the marathon on Sunday.

    And after an early and long morning, Despres only had two things on her mind: to rest and enjoy her day.

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    Destiny Wiggins

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  • Orange County launches interactive polling wait time map

    Orange County launches interactive polling wait time map

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    ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — Orange County continues its trend with historic early voting numbers, with some 95,000 people casting ballots over the past four days.

    Another 87,000 voters have done the same by mail.

    At a press conference on Friday, the county announced some enhancements to early voting.

    What You Need To Know

    • Orange County Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean says his office has launched an interactive map that gives the wait times, in real time, at 22 polling locations

    • Plans are underway to expand voting locations and will be posted on the Supervisor of Elections website
    • Get voting information with our guide

    • View the interactive map below


    Orange County Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean says his office has launched an interactive map that gives the wait times, in real time, at 22 polling locations.

    This way, voters can decide on where they want to vote depending on lines.

    Officials say voters should have wait times no longer than 15 – 30 minutes when going to vote.

    There have been some polling locations where voters had to wait an hour-and-a-half to cast their ballot, and the county wants to prevent that as Election Day draws near. Plans are underway to expand voting locations.

    “We have seen an unprecedented amount of turnout over the past four days,” said Orange County Supervisor of Elections Glen Gilzean. “And my office, I’m using the powers under the executive order to expand multiple sites across Orange County.”

    Those 10 new sites are expected to be announced soon and will be posted on the Supervisor of Elections website.

    View the interactive map below:

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    Spectrum News Staff

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  • Orlando condo association to see monthly dues rise in 2025 to make repairs

    Orlando condo association to see monthly dues rise in 2025 to make repairs

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — One day after Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated he would be open to a special legislative session to deal with condo costs, questions remain about whether lawmakers will be able to craft a solution that avoids pricing people out of their homes.

    What You Need To Know

    • Questions remain about whether lawmakers will be able to craft a solution that avoids pricing people out of their homes when it comes to increasing condo costs
    • A new law requires all condos to undergo increased inspections and repairs after the deadly Champlain Towers building collapse in Surfside

    • Residents at the Fairview Vista Condominiums will be seeing their monthly dues go up hundreds of dollars ahead of the January deadline to make repairs

    • RELATED: Gov. DeSantis wants special session to address rising costs for condo owners


    It all comes back to the law the governor signed back in 2021 that required all condos to undergo increased inspections and repairs after the deadly Champlain Towers building collapse in Surfside.

    “If there was no issue with condos, it would still be something that may be difficult to afford, just the normal payments and the normal fees,” said DeSantis during a press conference.

    Members of one local condo association say their dues are going up as a result of the law.

    The Fairview Vista condos overlook Lake Fairview in Orlando.

    When they were being built and sold in 1980, lifelong College Park resident Phyllis Tuell scooped one up.

    “I’ve lived on this lake, learned to ski on this lake, I’ve lived in College Park all my life,” she said. “When they were being built, I had a realtor friend that was selling them and when I came over here, I bought it.”

    Dues, she recalls back then, were about $100 a month.

    Forty-four years later, her monthly dues this year have been $587.33.

    But come 2025, they will go either to $857.91 or $917.12/

    “They have to fund the non-structural reserves. They haven’t been funded enough, apparently,” Tuell said.

    One that hasn’t been funded at all, as it is now following new legislation that passed in 2022. New requirements to ensure condo associations maintain their buildings and have enough reserve funding.

    A new line item is now in the Fairview Vista budget for 2025, called the Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS), and it has to have $280,000 in it next year.

    The elements that SIRS considers is:

    • Roofing
    • Flooring
    • Load bearing walls
    • Fireproofing and fire safety
    • Exterior painting and water proofing
    • Plumbing
    • Electrical systems
    • Windows
    • Other elements over $10,000 that have an impact on the structural integrity of the building

    Erik Perez practices HOA and condo law in south Florida. He said the recent legislation is going to have a clear cause and effect for condo owners.

    “Population at this stage probably doesn’t understand the effects of all this. But I can assure you next year, when they see those increases, they certainly will,” Perez said. “Often times, the optics are more important than the practical aspects of something. The optics are the legislation is doing everything it can to protect homeowners. The practical concerns are now everyone is going to spend way more money than they wanted to spend.”

    Like Tuell, who will spend close to $1,000 a month moving forward on condo fees.

    “It does sting, 100 percent,” she said.

    The condo board sent out a recent letter that reads, in part:

    “There’s no easy way to say it, though. Mandatory reserve funding and rising operational costs will have a significant impact on Fairview Vista in 2025 and the years to come.”

    The Fairview Vista budget also shows other line items on the operational side of the budget did go up as well with things naturally costing more.

    However, for the reserves, residents will be contributing a total of either $458,000 or nearly $400 thousand, depending on how they choose to fund the reserves next month.

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  • Orlando condo association to see monthly dues rise in 2025 to make repairs

    Orlando condo association to see monthly dues rise in 2025 to make repairs

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — One day after Gov. Ron DeSantis indicated he would be open to a special legislative session to deal with condo costs, questions remain about whether lawmakers will be able to craft a solution that avoids pricing people out of their homes.

    What You Need To Know

    • Questions remain about whether lawmakers will be able to craft a solution that avoids pricing people out of their homes when it comes to increasing condo costs
    • A new law requires all condos to undergo increased inspections and repairs after the deadly Champlain Towers building collapse in Surfside

    • Residents at the Fairview Vista Condominiums will be seeing their monthly dues go up hundreds of dollars ahead of the January deadline to make repairs

    • RELATED: Gov. DeSantis wants special session to address rising costs for condo owners


    It all comes back to the law the governor signed back in 2021 that required all condos to undergo increased inspections and repairs after the deadly Champlain Towers building collapse in Surfside.

    “If there was no issue with condos, it would still be something that may be difficult to afford, just the normal payments and the normal fees,” said DeSantis during a press conference.

    Members of one local condo association say their dues are going up as a result of the law.

    The Fairview Vista condos overlook Lake Fairview in Orlando.

    When they were being built and sold in 1980, lifelong College Park resident Phyllis Tuell scooped one up.

    “I’ve lived on this lake, learned to ski on this lake, I’ve lived in College Park all my life,” she said. “When they were being built, I had a realtor friend that was selling them and when I came over here, I bought it.”

    Dues, she recalls back then, were about $100 a month.

    Forty-four years later, her monthly dues this year have been $587.33.

    But come 2025, they will go either to $857.91 or $917.12/

    “They have to fund the non-structural reserves. They haven’t been funded enough, apparently,” Tuell said.

    One that hasn’t been funded at all, as it is now following new legislation that passed in 2022. New requirements to ensure condo associations maintain their buildings and have enough reserve funding.

    A new line item is now in the Fairview Vista budget for 2025, called the Structural Integrity Reserve Study (SIRS), and it has to have $280,000 in it next year.

    The elements that SIRS considers is:

    • Roofing
    • Flooring
    • Load bearing walls
    • Fireproofing and fire safety
    • Exterior painting and water proofing
    • Plumbing
    • Electrical systems
    • Windows
    • Other elements over $10,000 that have an impact on the structural integrity of the building

    Erik Perez practices HOA and condo law in south Florida. He said the recent legislation is going to have a clear cause and effect for condo owners.

    “Population at this stage probably doesn’t understand the effects of all this. But I can assure you next year, when they see those increases, they certainly will,” Perez said. “Often times, the optics are more important than the practical aspects of something. The optics are the legislation is doing everything it can to protect homeowners. The practical concerns are now everyone is going to spend way more money than they wanted to spend.”

    Like Tuell, who will spend close to $1,000 a month moving forward on condo fees.

    “It does sting, 100 percent,” she said.

    The condo board sent out a recent letter that reads, in part:

    “There’s no easy way to say it, though. Mandatory reserve funding and rising operational costs will have a significant impact on Fairview Vista in 2025 and the years to come.”

    The Fairview Vista budget also shows other line items on the operational side of the budget did go up as well with things naturally costing more.

    However, for the reserves, residents will be contributing a total of either $458,000 or nearly $400 thousand, depending on how they choose to fund the reserves next month.

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    Asher Wildman

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  • Orange County leaders approve property tax increase for fire services

    Orange County leaders approve property tax increase for fire services

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County leaders voted to move forward with an increase in a millage tax rate that would generate more money for county fire services.

    The tax hike could mean homeowners will have to pay several hundred dollars more in taxes per year. Commercial business owners could be looking at paying more than homeowners.

    What You Need To Know

    • Orange County leaders voted to move forward with an increase in a millage tax rate that would generate more money for county fire services

    • The tax hike could mean homeowners will have to pay several hundred dollars more in taxes per year

    • The Orange County Fire Department is asking county leaders to increase the millage tax to help pay for new equipment, fire stations and additional firefighters

    • The tax hike is not final: the county will send out notices to property owners in August and hold public hearings on Sept. 5 and 19. County commissioners could approve the increase at the public hearing on the 19th


    In a budget workshop, Orange County Fire Chief James Fitzgerald explained to Orange County commissioners why his department needs more money.

    “Taking care of the public, making sure as well our firefighters are making competitive wages and benefits to reduce the issue we have with turnover,” said Fitzgerald. “I want them to have safe apparatus and safe equipment.”

    County commissioners voted to approve the first county fire and EMS property tax increase in 17 years, which will send an increase of nearly $70 million to the department, allowing it to hire on nearly 167 more firefighters and fund four new fire stations. The millage tax increase would amount to $150 more for a home valued at $250,000 per year. 

    All commissioners voted yes on the measure, except for one: District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe. Uribe said she didn’t have more than about a day to decide on the increase.

    “Maybe I would support it, but I don’t like that it was just put on me,” she said.

    A spokesperson for Orange County Government said the fire chief and other county officials met with Uribe and other commissioners back in March and again in early July, where they informed them of the fire department’s need for more funding.

    Uribe says she wishes the county had engaged the community more before voting on the issue.

    “It wasn’t what the vote was for, it was how it was presented, how it lacked complete, zero input from our community,” said Uribe.

    But the county said the tax hike isn’t final.

    In August, they will be sending out notices to anyone affected — including property owners who live and own businesses outside of Orlando and other cities — in the unincorporated parts of Orange County. 

    The county will hold two public hearings: one on Sept. 5 and another on Sept. 19. At the second public hearing, county commissioners could vote to approve the tax increase.

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    Jeff Allen

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  • 1 dead in Orange County neighborhood shooting, deputies search for suspect

    1 dead in Orange County neighborhood shooting, deputies search for suspect

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County deputies are searching for a suspect involved in a shooting that left one man dead early Sunday morning.

    Deputies responded to the 7900 block of Sapphire Lane at 12:12 a.m. Officials said upon arrival, they found a man in his 30s who had been shot.

    The man was transported to a hospital where he later died from his injuries. 

    The shooting remains under investigation. Deputies are asking for the public’s help in identifying a person of interest.

    Orange County deputies are asking for the public’s help in identifying this person of interest in the investigation. (Photo Courtesy: Orange County Sheriff’s Office)

    Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crimeline at 800-423-8477.

     

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    Spectrum News Staff

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