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Tag: Orlando

  • Disney lawsuit judge removes himself from case but not for reasons cited by DeSantis

    Disney lawsuit judge removes himself from case but not for reasons cited by DeSantis

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    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge overseeing the First Amendment lawsuit that Walt Disney Parks filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis and others is disqualifying himself, but not because of bias claims made by the Florida governor.

    Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker said in a court filing Thursday that it was because a relative owns 30 shares of Disney stock. Walker described the person as “a third-degree relative,” which typically means a cousin, a great-aunt or great-uncle, or a great-niece or great-nephew.

    The governor’s lawyers had filed a motion to disqualify Walker last month because he had referenced the ongoing dispute between the DeSantis administration and Disney during hearings in two unrelated lawsuits before him dealing with free speech issues and fear of retaliation for violating new laws championed by the governor and Republican lawmakers.

    Disney had opposed the governor’s motion, saying the judge had shown no bias.

    The judge on Thursday called DeSantis’ arguments “without merit.” DeSantis declared his candidacy for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination last week.

    Under the code of conduct for federal judges, Walker wasn’t required to look into the financial interests of third-degree relatives but did so and decided that “disqualification from this proceeding is required under the circumstances,” he said.

    Disney’s share price was in the $90 range on Friday, so the value of the relative’s holdings would be around $2,700. In his decision, the judge said that the value of the holdings didn’t matter but rather any impact he could have on the investment because of a ruling.

    “Even though I believe it is highly unlikely that these proceedings will have a substantial effect on The Walt Disney Company, I choose to err on the side of caution — which, here, is also the side of judicial integrity — and disqualify myself,” said Walker, who was nominated to the federal bench in 2012 by President Barack Obama.

    The feud between DeSantis and Disney started last year after the company, in the face of significant pressure, publicly opposed legislation concerning lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity in early grades that critics called “Don’t Say Gay.”

    As punishment, DeSantis took over Disney World’s governing district through legislation passed by lawmakers and appointed a new board of supervisors. Before the new board came in, the company signed agreements with the old board made up of Disney supporters that stripped the new supervisors of design and construction authority.

    In response, the Republican-controlled Florida Legislature passed legislation allowing the DeSantis-appointed board to repeal those agreements and made the theme park resort’s monorail system subject to state inspection, when it previously had been done in-house.

    Disney filed the First Amendment lawsuit against the Florida governor and the DeSantis-appointed board in April, claiming violations of free speech and the contracts clause. The DeSantis-appointed board, known as the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, sued Disney in state court in Orlando seeking to void the deals the company made with the previous board.

    DeSantis on Thursday named Tampa attorney Charbel Barakat to the oversight board to replace Michael Sasso, who resigned last month around the same time the governor appointed Sasso’s wife, Meredith, to the Florida Supreme Court.

    ___

    Follow Mike Schneider on Twitter at @MikeSchneiderAP

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  • Frustrated coastal home buyers contend with low inventory, high demand

    Frustrated coastal home buyers contend with low inventory, high demand

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    Orlando, Florida — Chrissy and Cole Robinson are finally unpacking in their newly purchased home after a daunting search in Northern California’s Silicon Valley.

    “There were 15 other offers on this house,” Chrissy Robinson told CBS News. 

    Silicon Valley home prices have seen some of the steepest declines in the nation, dropping 11.8% between April 2022 and April 2023, per Redfin. As a result, it’s drawing in buyers despite higher mortgage rates, according to real estate agent Kelly Dippel.

    “There’s more buyers than available homes,” Dippel said.

    The average 30-day mortgage is now at 6.91%, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

    “People that have locked in these low interest rates, are they really gonna wanna sell their house and buy something else for close to 7%?” Dippel explained. “They’re gonna hang on.”

    A four-bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home in San Jose, California, was listed for $1.5 million, an eye-popping number for most of the country. But in Silicon Valley, Dippel said, it’s “priced competitively.”

    California home prices jumped during the pandemic, but now, with tech industry layoffs and remote work, they have declined as some have chosen to move east to more affordable states, subsequently driving up home prices there.

    In Orlando, Florida, it has been a seller’s market, as home prices keep rising and inventory keeps falling.

    Orlando home shopper Avel Ramirez said he has had no luck so far.

    “I’m looking basically an hour out, into cities and towns that I don’t even know about,” Ramirez said.

    In the Orlando metropolitan area’s Orange and Seminole counties, the median price for a home jumped about 24% in two years, from $347,119 in March of 2021, to $431,875 in March of this year, according to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.

    Buyers are advised to prepare to settle, bring cash offers and close quickly.

    “We’re saying them gone within three to five days,” Orlando real estate agent Heather Pryor said of the time homes are sitting on the market. 

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  • NAACP and other civil-rights groups issue Florida travel advisories

    NAACP and other civil-rights groups issue Florida travel advisories

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    Ron DeSantis signs the Parental Rights in Education bill, known as the “Don’t say gay” bill, in March at Classical Preparatory School in Shady Hills, Fla.


    Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/AP/file

    ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The NAACP over the weekend issued a travel advisory for Florida, joining two other civil rights groups in warning potential tourists that recent laws and policies championed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida lawmakers are “openly hostile toward African Americans, people of color and LGBTQ+ individuals.”

    Don’t miss: Disney scraps plans on roughly $1 billion investment at new corporate campus in Florida 

    The NAACP, long an advocate for Black Americans, joined the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), a Latino civil-rights organization, and Equality Florida, a gay-rights advocacy group, in issuing travel advisories for the Sunshine State, where tourism is one of the state’s largest job sectors.

    The warning approved Saturday by the NAACP’s board of directors tells tourists that, before traveling to Florida, they should understand the state of Florida “devalues and marginalizes the contributions of, and the challenges faced by African Americans and other communities of color.”

    An email was sent Sunday morning to DeSantis’s office seeking comment. DeSantis is expected to announce a run for the GOP presidential nomination this week.

    See: Busy, and bellicose, legislative session winds down in Florida. Now it’s decision time for DeSantis.

    Florida is one of the most popular states in the U.S. for tourists, and tourism is one of its biggest industries. More than 137.5 million tourists visited Florida last year, marking a return to pre-pandemic levels, according to Visit Florida, the state’s tourism promotion agency. Tourism supports 1.6 million full-time and part-time jobs, and visitors spent $98.8 billion in Florida in 2019, the last year figures are available.

    The NAACP’s decision comes after the DeSantis’s administration in January rejected the College Board’s Advanced Placement African American Studies course. DeSantis and Republican lawmakers also have pressed forward with measures that ban state colleges from having programs on diversity, equity and inclusion, as well as critical race theory, and also passed the Stop WOKE Act that restricts certain race-based conversations and analysis in schools and businesses.

    In its warning for Hispanic travelers considering a visit to Florida, LULAC cited a new law that prohibits local governments from providing money to organizations that issue identification cards to people illegally in the country and invalidates out-of-state driver’s licenses held by undocumented immigrants, among other things.

    See: DeSantis criticizes Trump for implying Florida abortion ban is ‘too harsh’

    Also: Writers group PEN America and publisher Penguin Random House sue over book ban in Florida

    The law also requires hospitals that accept Medicaid to include a citizenship question on intake forms, which critics have said is intended to dissuade immigrants living in the U.S. illegally from seeking medical care.

    “The actions taken by Gov. DeSantis have created a shadow of fear within communities across the state,” said Lydia Medrano, a LULAC vice president for the Southeast region.

    Recent efforts to limit discussion on LGBTQ topics in schools, the removal of books with gay characters from school libraries, a recent ban on gender-affirming care for minors, new restrictions on abortion access and a law allowing Floridians to carry concealed guns without a permit contributed to Equality Florida’s warning.

    “Taken in their totality, Florida’s slate of laws and policies targeting basic freedoms and rights pose a serious risk to the health and safety of those traveling to the state,” Equality Florida’s advisory said.

    Read on:

    U.S. Border Patrol says illegal crossings are down dramatically since lifting of Title 42 asylum restrictions

    2024 Republican hopefuls rush to defend Marine who put New York subway rider in fatal chokehold

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  • Pipeline: The Surf Coaster rolls into SeaWorld Orlando

    Pipeline: The Surf Coaster rolls into SeaWorld Orlando

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — Ready to hang 10! Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, a first-of-its-kind roller coaster is opening May 27th at SeaWorld Orlando.

    What You Need To Know

    • Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, a first-of-its-kind roller coaster is opening May 27th at SeaWorld Orlando

    • The coaster gives you the thrilling sensation of surfing — as riders are put in an upright stance — similar to that of a pro surfer

    • The ride includes gnarly twists and turns and an adrenaline-pumping “wave curl” inversion

    Excited screams are music to the ears of Rob McNicholas, who is one of the minds behind the attraction that pays tribute to surf culture.

    “It’s a proud dad moment I will say today… you know hearing the screams after years of working on this and better yet hearing their reactions afterward, people are blown away by it,” said McNicholas, Vice President of Operations at SeaWorld Orlando.

    The coaster gives you the thrilling sensation of surfing — as riders are put in an upright stance — similar to that of a pro surfer as you rush along nearly 3,000 feet of track at speeds reaching 60 miles an hour.

    The ride includes gnarly twists and turns and an adrenaline-pumping “wave curl” inversion.

    McNicholas explained this ride is unlike any experience before it.

    “It will still exceed your expectations because you don’t know what to expect in regards to the unique seat restraints and how it actually moves up and down,” he said. “It can go two inches up and two inches down so when you launch you are going up and down your legs come off the ground and the best advice I can say is just let it go.”

    While riders are upright for the whole ride, McNicholas says this isn’t a stand-up roller coaster. Instead, its unique seats make for a much more comfortable ride that makes you feel like you’re shredding, with five airtime movements.

    “Our operators come by and they check your restraint, and then they have an RFID watch that they will tap on the side and that is where — based on your height — it will lock the column two inches up two inches down based on your height,” said McNicholas.

    McNicholas explained they did everything they could to make this as realistic as riding a surfboard as possible, even going so far as flying to Switzerland to check out the coaster in the factory.

    “I wanted to see what it would feel like on my feet so in the factory, I took my shoes and my socks off and I stood there and I am rubbing my feet to make sure it is comfortable because we are in Florida people are going to have flip flops and toss them to the side,” said McNicholas.

    He is stoked for more daring riders to take on this adrenaline-pumping experience again and again.

    “I think they will because it is so good,” said McNicholas.

    The ride officially opens to everyone on May 27th, but Platinum and Gold Pass Members can ride now — with future preview dates opening to other Pass Members.

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    Nicole Griffin

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  • Come to Jeep Beach 2023 for fun, and ticket to win one helps community

    Come to Jeep Beach 2023 for fun, and ticket to win one helps community

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    DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Jeep Beach 2023, the world’s largest Jeep event, wraps up its 20th year this weekend in Daytona Beach.

    What You Need To Know

    • Sunday is the last day for Jeep Beach 2023 in Daytona Beach

    • The event features obstacle courses, vendors, concerts, food and activities for kids

    • A Jeep Beach parade will be held right on Daytona Beach on Sunday

    • As part of the event, tickets can be purchased to win a drawing for a new Jeep

    The event is dedicated to all things Jeep, with obstacles courses to cruise through, concerts, vendors selling industry merchandise, all kinds of food and drink, activities to keep children busy and a Jeep Beach parade Sunday on Daytona Beach.

    Jeep Beach 2023 activities will continue through Sunday in Daytona Beach. (Spectrum News/Joh Ficurilli)

    Everett Flaitz, an electrician and Jeep enthusiast who last year won the iconic event’s drawing for a new Wrangler, calls Port Orange home after moving to Volusia County five years ago from Ohio.

    “We love the warm weather, the beaches and — uh, uh — we don’t have to worry about shoveling snow,” Flaitz said as he cruised in his Wrangler, Jeep’s most popular model.

    Flaitz bought a ticket, didn’t think anything of it, and then he heard the words, “You are the winner!”

    “I’ve never won anything in my life — so it’s incredible we won this,” said Flaitz, who had purchased another Jeep for his wife just before they won in 2022.

    Now they have two Jeeps.

    It’s not just “a” car to get from Point “A” to Point “B,” he said.

    “You can just use them on the beach, go off-roading or just drive ‘em around as your everyday vehicle,” Flaitz said.

    So, how exactly did he enter to win? He bought a $50 ticket.

    What’s most rewarding to Flaitz is knowing the proceeds from the drawing stay local.

    “That $50 you spend to win the Jeep, it goes to charity,” he said as he drove his yellow Jeep on the powdery sands of Daytona Beach.

    Jeep Beach organizers’ goal this year is to give away $1 million to charities in Volusia and Flagler counties. The funds raised go to programs, not overhead costs, they said.

    It’s not too late to get in on this year’s drawing on Saturday. The $50 ticket for a shot at this event’s Jeep can be purchased online.

    The 2023 Jeep being given away this year is a flamboyant red called “punk’n,” and it comes with special Jeep Beach badging that pays homage to Daytona International Speedway and the 20th anniversary of Jeep Beach.

    It also comes with a trailer from tinycampers.com that is fully equipped, with features such as a kitchen, a TV and creature comforts inside. Its roof extends to an A-frame, so you can put the children on top and mom and dad on the bottom during off-road adventures.

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    Ybeth Bruzual

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  • Video: Panelist’s reaction to DeSantis’ threat against Disney has guests in stitches | CNN Business

    Video: Panelist’s reaction to DeSantis’ threat against Disney has guests in stitches | CNN Business

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    ‘My stomach is hurting from laughing’: Hear panelist’s reaction to DeSantis’ threat to Disney

    CNN panelists react to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis floating the idea of building a competing theme park next to Disney World in Orlando.

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  • 2 adults, 1 young child shot and killed in suspected domestic violence incident in Orlando, police say

    2 adults, 1 young child shot and killed in suspected domestic violence incident in Orlando, police say

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    Three people, including one young child, were shot and killed in a suspected domestic violence incident in Orlando early Sunday morning, authorities said. The suspected shooter was also killed.

    The incident happened at around 2:25 a.m. local time in Orlando’s Parramore neighborhood, the Orlando Police Department said in a statement. Officers initially arrived at the scene in response to a reported domestic violence call, and heard shots fired inside the home shortly after they got there, according to the statement.

    “The suspect came out of the house and shot at officers who returned fire,” the police department said. The suspect was then transported to a hospital and confirmed dead.

    Officers found two adults and one child suffering from gunshot wounds when they entered the home, according to Orlando Police. The child was transported to a local hospital and confirmed dead, the police department said, noting that both adult victims were also killed.

    Neither of the two police officers involved in the shooting response sustained injuries, according to the police department. Both officers were placed on paid administrative leave after it happened, as various local and state agencies opened investigations into how the response was handled.

    “As with all officer involved shootings, FDLE [the Florida Department of Law Enforcement] will conduct an independent review of the incident, followed by the State Attorney’s office,” the police department said. Orlando Police will additionally conduct an internal investigation of its own. Footage from the two responding officers’ body-worn cameras will be made available to the public within the next 30 days, according to the police department.

    Orlando Police chief Eric Smith did not share any identifying details about the victims or their ages at a news briefing held about three hours after the shooting took place. Smith told reporters that it was unclear at that time whether the suspected shooter had a criminal history.


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  • Sugar sand in Clearwater perfect medium for sculpting, finding love

    Sugar sand in Clearwater perfect medium for sculpting, finding love

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    CLEARWATER, Fla. —Susanne Ruseler is bending sand to her artistic will.

    She’s spraying a mound of it down with water.

    “Otherwise, the sand is all fluffy really and it doesn’t stick together,” she explained.

    Then she can pack it — pound it into shape with a trowel.

    Now it’s ready to sculpt for the Pier 60 Sugar Sand Festival on Clearwater Beach.

    Ruseler is working on her part of the “A Blast from the Past” theme.

    “This part of the sculpture is about the moon landing,” Ruseler explained.

    She is just standing behind a pretty good huge, rounded mound, with a cylinder of sand a couple of feet high sticking out of it.

    Ruseler is from the Netherlands — a biologist turned sand sculptor.

    And astronaut Neil Armstrong — is somewhere in that packed cylinder of sand.

    “So it’s gonna be a little figure I haven’t carved that yet. You can’t see it,” said Ruseler.

    She’s got some reference photos, but she’s got to interpret them for the medium.

    She can extend an arm too far without support, so hands need to be at the astronaut’s side.

    “I have to figure it out a little bit and I want to do the footstep,” said Ruseler, referring to an iconic photo of a footstep left on the moon from an astronaut’s boot.

    It was her first steps — turning her hobby in her profession — that changed her path in life.

    “I meet my colleagues all over the world,” Ruseler said. “It’s really nice. You see, it’s like a little family. You travel around, you meet in Japan or in Italy.”

    Or in love.

    Her partner and husband is fellow sculptor Canadian David Ducharme.

    “We live in our luggage,” Ducharme said, laughing, working on sand flowers.

    These traveling artists tackle joint projects and solo trips — coordinating their schedules, committed to their art — and each other.

    “Any conventional relationship is pretty challenging ‘cause there’s a lot of time away,” said Ducharme.

    “We work together quite a lot. It goes generally very well,” Ruseler said, laughing, shaveling said. “It’s really nice to travel together and to work together, yeah.”

    It’s one time building a relationship on a foundation of sand works.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Cool down at Gatorland’s Central Florida splash park

    Cool down at Gatorland’s Central Florida splash park

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — As the temps heat up, one Central Florida splash park is advertising itself as the place to cool down.

    “A splash park in Central Florida? I don’t know how you go to a theme park without a place to cool off,” said Gatorland President and CEO Mark McHugh.

    He showed Spectrum News new water features, like a massive dumping barrel.

    Elsewhere at Gator Gully Splash, he pointed out coconut palm sprayers, frogs that flood and well-placed Adirondack chairs to let the adults lean back.

    “Get a cold beverage from our Gator Gully general store and let the kids run off that energy off,” McHugh said.

    The 110-acre park started as a roadside attraction and is about stirring up memories of old Florida while showering guests with new experiences.

    Now through the end of March, Florida residents get half-off a single day admission ticket to Gatorland. The splash park is included in the price of admission.

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    Julie Gargotta

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  • Disney World deal with union will raise minimum wage to $18 an hour

    Disney World deal with union will raise minimum wage to $18 an hour

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    Unions for service workers at Walt Disney World reached a tentative deal with the company on Thursday that would raise the starting minimum wage from $15 to $18 an hour by year-end in a pact that could set the basement for starting pay throughout central Florida’s sprawling tourism industry.

    Disney World service workers who are in the six unions that make up the Service Trades Council Union coalition planned to vote next Wednesday on the contract proposal after rejecting an earlier offer that fell short of the $18 hourly minimum wage last month. The agreement covers around 45,000 service workers at the Disney theme park resort outside Orlando. Workers could see their hourly wages rise between $5.50 and $8.60 by the end of the five-year contract if it’s approved, union leaders said.

    “Securing an $18 minimum hourly rate this year, increasing the overall economic value of Disney’s original offer, and ensuring full back pay for every worker are the priorities union members were determined to fight for,” said Matt Hollis, head of the coalition of unions. “Today, we won that fight.”

    Mickey gets a raise

    Disney said in a statement that the tentative deal also included “industry-leading” benefits in health insurance coverage and tuition reimbursement.

    “Our cast members are central to Walt Disney World’s enduring magic, which is why we are pleased to have reached this tentative agreement,” Jeff Vahle, president of Walt Disney World Resort, said in the statement.

    The contract with the service workers covers the costumed performers who perform as Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters, bus drivers, culinary workers, lifeguards, theatrical workers and hotel housekeepers, representing more than half of the 70,000-plus workforce at Disney World. 

    The contract approved five years ago made Disney the first major employer in central Florida to agree to a minimum hourly wage of $15, setting the trend for other workers in the region dominated by hospitality jobs.

    The contract proposal with the largest group of workers at the resort comes at a precarious time for Disney World. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the GOP-controlled Florida Legislature recently passed legislation giving the Republican governor the power to appoint the governing board of the district that oversees government services for the 27,000-acre (11,000-hectare) resort. The board previously had been controlled by Disney.


    Florida governor signs bill putting Disney district under state control

    00:28

    The takeover of the Disney district began last year when the entertainment giant, facing intense pressure, publicly opposed the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” legislation, which bars instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through third grade and lessons deemed not age-appropriate.

    DeSantis has built a national reputation as a culture warrior ahead of an expected GOP presidential run.

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  • DeSantis to expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law to all grades

    DeSantis to expand ‘Don’t Say Gay’ law to all grades

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    TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ′ administration is moving to forbid classroom instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in all grades, expanding the controversial law critics call “Don’t Say Gay” as the Republican governor continues to focus on cultural issues ahead of his expected presidential run.

    The proposal, which would not require legislative approval, is scheduled for a vote next month before the state Board of Education and has been put forward by the state Education Department, both of which are led by appointees of the governor.

    The rule change would ban lessons on sexual orientation and gender identity from grades 4 to 12, unless required by existing state standards or as part of reproductive health instruction that students can choose not to take. The initial law that DeSantis championed last spring bans those lessons in kindergarten through the third grade. The change was first reported by the Orlando Sentinel.

    DeSantis has leaned heavily into cultural divides on his path to an anticipated White House bid, with the Republican aggressively pursuing a conservative agenda that targets what he calls the insertion of inappropriate subjects in schools.

    Spokespeople for the governor’s office and the Education Department did not immediately return an emailed request for comment.

    White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre condemned the proposal saying “It’s wrong, it’s completely, utterly wrong.” She called it “part of a disturbing and dangerous trend that we’re seeing across the nation” of targeting LGBTQ people.

    Last year’s Parental Rights in Education Act drew widespread backlash nationally, with critics saying it marginalizes LGBTQ people and their presence in society. President Joe Biden called it “hateful.”

    DeSantis and other Republicans have repeatedly said the measure is reasonable and that parents, not teachers, should be broaching subjects of sexual orientation and gender identity with their children.

    Critics of the law say its language — “classroom instruction,” “age appropriate” and “developmentally appropriate” — is overly broad and subject to interpretation. Consequently, teachers might opt to avoid the subjects entirely for fear of being sued, they say.

    The law also kicked off a feud between the state and Disney, one of the state’s largest employers and political donors, after the entertainment giant publicly opposed the law and said it was pausing political donations in the state.

    At the governor’s request, the Republican-dominated Legislature voted to dissolve a self-governing district controlled by Walt Disney World over its properties in Florida, and eventually gave DeSantis control of the board. The move was widely seen as a punishment for the company opposing the law. The board oversees municipal services in Disney’s theme park properties and was instrumental in the company’s decision to build near Orlando in the 1960s.

    Disney later this year will host a large conference on LGBTQ workplace representation with the group Out & Equal, continuing a longstanding relationship with the organization.

    DeSantis has faced calls from at least one Republican presidential contender to go even further than the existing law, with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley last month saying the prohibition could be more stringent and extended into later grades.

    The proposed rule change this year also signals the governor’s willingness to bypass even the compliant state legislature and instead leverage state boards in order to accomplish his high-profile political goals. Late last year, at DeSantis’ urging, state medical boards voted to ban children from receiving hormones or undergoing surgeries to treat gender dysphoria.

    “Everything he does is about what can further his own career ambitions,” said Brandon Wolf, press secretary for the LGBTQ advocacy group Equality Florida. “And it’s clear he see the anti-LGBTQ movement as his vehicle to get him where he wants to go.”

    ___

    Associated Press reporter Aamer Madhani contributed from Washington.

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  • Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival offers tour of world cuisines

    Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival offers tour of world cuisines

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Busch Gardens is offering a culinary trip around the world without ever leaving the Tampa Bay area.

    What You Need To Know

    • Busch Gardens Food and Wine Festival is currently running weekends through May 21

    • Executive Chef Matt Maslowski explains the global food and wine pairings chosen for the festival 

    •  Concerts are also part of the event, with acts like 38 Special and Elvis Crespo 

    It’s the Busch Garden’s Food and Wine Festival, which will run on weekends through May 21.

    The festival will include concerts and a view of the park’s Serengeti and the newly opened “Screaming Swing” the Serengeti Flyer.

    Executive Chef Matt Maslowski says kitchens have a lot in common with theme parks.

    “Lot of moving parts like a roller coaster,” he said, laughing. “You build a strong team to make sure everything runs smooth. But it’s just that trying to take things out of the natural theme park atmosphere when it comes down to food and take it to another level.”

    From baklava in Greece to tuna poke in Hawaii, food from around the world is there to try, plus the drink pairing that makes what Maslowski calls “an orchestra in your mouth.”

    Concerts Coming Up:

    • Sunday, March 25:  Rodney Atkins
    • Sunday, March 26: Flo Rida
    • Saturday, April 1: Jeremy Camp
    • Sunday, April: +Live+
    • Sunday, April 9: The Fab Four
    • Saturday, April 15: 38 Special
    • Sunday, April 16: Mitchell Tenpenny
    • Saturday, April 22: Air Supply
    • Sunday, April 23: Gabby Barrett
    • Saturday, April 29: Hoobastank
    • Sunday, April 30: Walk The Moon
    • Friday, May 5: The Como La Flor Band
    • Saturday, May 6: Celia Vive
    • Sunday, May 7: El Gran Combo
    • Saturday, May 13: Toño Rosario
    • Sunday, May 14: Grupo Niche
    • Saturday, May 20: Elvis Crespo
    • Sunday, May 21: Luisito Ayala y la Puerto Rican Power

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Art Garage Sale welcomes all creators

    Art Garage Sale welcomes all creators

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Art lovers celebrate! Trashy Treasures Art Garage Sale is upon the Tampa Bay area, in Dunedin.

    What You Need To Know

    • Dunedin Fine Art Center’s Trashy Treasures Weekend

    • Sat.: 6 p.m. – 8 p.m., admission $10, Free hot dog and drink 

    • Saturday night dress code is your version of a Trashy Treasure

    It’s time for Trashy Treasures, the one night, one day art garage sale at the Dunedin Fine Art Center. Saturday night, there’s a party selling donated art mostly through a live auction. And then on Sunday, it’s art plus everything used to make it.

    It’s one of the biggest fundraisers of the year for the DFAC.

    “So if you are a student of art, if you are an artist you don’t want to miss being here on Sunday because that is art, brushes, canvases and paints, fabric, galore,” said Catherine Bergmann, the Center’s Curatorial Director.

    Adrian Smith is an artist and teacher in addition to being the Gallery Shop Manager at DFAC. Like the other members of the DFAC, Smith is filled with gratitude.

    “It’s so fun for me as an artist to be in here and look at all the supplies and see what we have and see what people have been so gracious to donate to us,” said Smith.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • SeaWorld goes all green for St. Patrick’s Day

    SeaWorld goes all green for St. Patrick’s Day

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    ORLANDO, Fla. — For the second year in a row, SeaWorld Orlando is going green all weekend long for St. Patrick’s Day.

    What You Need To Know

    • SeaWorld celebrates St. Patrick’s Day all weekend during the Seven Seas Food Festival

    • The park has added Irish themed food and festivities this weekend

    • The celebrations runs through Sunday

    • The Seven Seas Fest ends in May

    “It was absolutely something that we saw that no one else was really doing so we added it to our festival to once again keep that Seven Seas Festival fresh, and every weekend you come back there is something new to experience,” said Kyle Smith, Manager of Creative Show Operations at Sea World.

    The celebration is a feast for the senses with some fresh bites from the Irish market, like Irish Coddle and the Shamrock Sour, which is made with Jameson Irish Whiskey. 

    “It is amazing you’ve got to come and taste it,” said Smith.  

    Once your belly is full, you’ll be ready to do your own jig, watching performers who will transport you to the Emerald Isle.

    “We’ve added entertainment with traditional Irish dancing we have some schools coming in that are local to the Orlando area and showcasing their talents for all of our guests coming into the park,” said Smith. “We also have some added stilt walkers, some traditional Irish musicians roaming the parks well to add in to the fun.”

    Like the saying goes, everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day and SeaWorld hopes these festivities will help bring people together.

    “Festivals like St. Patrick’s Day, Mardi Gras, Cinco de Mayo, it is something for people to bond over whether it is food and drinking, whether it is dancing, the festivals and the season just brings people more joy,” said Smith. 

    All this makes for a party you don’t want to miss.

    “Grab an Irish dish or an Irish cocktail and green beer and come on out,” said Smith.

    If you can’t celebrate today, don’t worry, the celebration runs through Sunday. After that, SeaWorld will add a special Cinco De Mayo party to close out the Seven Seas Food Festival in May.


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    Nicole Griffin

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  • Tampa fabricator makes magic at childhood zoo

    Tampa fabricator makes magic at childhood zoo

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    TAMPA, Fla. — Chris Pino is responsible for the shrink machine at Zoo Tampa’s Bugtopia, currently open until April 30.

    What You Need To Know

    • Bugtopia at ZooTampa through April 30th

    • 13 Anamatronic super-sized insects

    • Chris Pino, owner of Wood Valley Group, made everything else

    • Shrink machines allow little ones to experience insect life

    It’s the only way to get small enough to see these insects up close.

    “We have an unshrinking machine as well,” Pino said, smiling.

    Pino is the owner of Wood Valley Group in Tampa, and he can fabricate pretty much whatever you could imagine, size-changing machines included.

    So when the 13 massive insects of Bugtopia came to life at Zoo Tampa, Pino and his crew went to work — from making a super-sized soup can to a huge shoe.

    Children will literally be walking through these giant facades into little learning centers.

    Pino has created these and other fanciful objects to further immerse children into a bug’s world.

    It’s his form of magic.

    “I love it. That’s the best part about my job, to see the reaction of all the guests,” said Pino.

    And Pino isn’t handling these pieces for just any zoo. This is the zoo of his childhood.

    It’s where he first experienced what would become his career — making kids believe in magic a little longer.

    “It’s awesome. I loved doing these events because I loved them as a kid, and now I get to produce them,” said Pino.

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    Virginia Johnson

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  • Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport; suspect in custody, feds say

    Explosive found in checked luggage at Pennsylvania airport; suspect in custody, feds say

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    A Pennsylvania man is in custody after an explosive was allegedly found in his checked baggage at Lehigh Valley International Airport on Monday, court documents show. Mark Muffley, 40, was taken into custody by the FBI later that night.

    During routine screening by Transportation Security Administration agents, Muffley’s bag set off an alarm indicating it contained suspicious items, according to a criminal complaint. TSA personnel found a “circular compound, approximately three inches in diameter, wrapped in a wax-like paper and clear plastic wrap hidden in the lining of the baggage,” the complaint said.

    The “immediate area” of the airport where the device was found was then evacuated “out of an abundance of caution,” TSA said in a statement.

    The FBI was then contacted and an explosives expert found that the cylinder was filled with flash powder and a type of powder “consistent with a commercial grade firework.” The device also appeared to have had a “hobby fuse” — a type of fuse that burns slower than a “quick fuse” — added on, the complaint alleges.

    An FBI agent determined that the powders were “susceptible to ignite from heat and friction and posed a significant risk to the aircraft and passengers.”

    A surveillance image allegedly showing Mark Muffley. 

    U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania


    A can of butane, a lighter, a pipe with white powder residue, a wireless drill with cordless batteries and two taped-together ground fault circuit interrupter outlets were also found in the luggage, the complaint said.

    Muffley was booked to fly to Orlando, but never boarded the flight, the complaint said. Security footage showed him leaving the airport shortly after he was paged on the airport’s public address system, according to the complaint.

    The FBI arrested Muffley at his home in Lansford, Pennsylvania. He is due in court Thursday, where he will appear virtually for a probable cause and detention hearing.

    —Pat Milton contributed reporting.  


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  • Florida governor signs bill putting Disney district under state control

    Florida governor signs bill putting Disney district under state control

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    Florida governor signs bill putting Disney district under state control – CBS News


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    Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill giving him more control over Walt Disney World’s self-governing district. The bill is seen as a punishment for the company’s opposition to Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law.

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  • Child and TV news reporter among 3 killed in Orlando shooting rampage

    Child and TV news reporter among 3 killed in Orlando shooting rampage

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    Child and TV news reporter among 3 killed in Orlando shooting rampage – CBS News


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    A 9-year-old girl and a local TV news reporter were among three people killed in a series of shootings in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday. Newly-released police bodycam footage showed the arrest of the suspect. Manuel Bojorquez has the details.

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  • 9-year old and TV reporter among 3 dead in shootings near Orlando: CBS News Flash Feb. 23, 2023

    9-year old and TV reporter among 3 dead in shootings near Orlando: CBS News Flash Feb. 23, 2023

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    9-year old and TV reporter among 3 dead in shootings near Orlando: CBS News Flash Feb. 23, 2023 – CBS News


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    Three people — including a child and a TV news reporter — were killed in a series of shootings near Orlando. A suspect is under arrest. A Jan. 6 rioter who threatened Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Chuck Schumer on social media was sentenced to 38 months in prison. And Lady Gaga’s former New York City apartment is up for rent – for $35,000 a month.

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  • 9-year-old girl, TV news staffer among 3 killed in Orlando shootings

    9-year-old girl, TV news staffer among 3 killed in Orlando shootings

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    A 9-year-old girl and a local TV news journalist were among three people killed and two others wounded in shootings in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday, authorities said.

    Keith Melvin Moses, 19, has been arrested in connection with the shootings, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said in a news conference. Moses is expected to be charged in the shootings, Mina said.

    Moses allegedly shot and killed a woman in her 20s on Wednesday morning, Orange County Sheriff John Mina said, and police were called later in the day to two additional shootings near the scene. 

    At one home, a 9-year-old child and her mother were shot, Mina said, while at another scene nearby, staffers from Spectrum News 13 who were covering the previous shooting were shot near their vehicle.

    Mina said the deadly rampage began at 11 a.m. local time when deputies responded to a shooting and discovered a woman in her 20s who had been fatally shot. 

    Moses was an acquaintance of that victim, he said. Then, shortly after 4 p.m., deputies received another call regarding two additional shootings near one another.

    In one location, deputies located a reporter and photographer for Spectrum News 13 — who were on the scene to cover the homicide which had occurred Wednesday morning — shot in or near their news vehicle, Mina said. 

    Mina said it is unclear why the Spectrum News 13 crew members were targeted, or if the suspect even knew whether or not they were media members, because the news vehicle wasn’t obvious. 

    After being taken to a hospital, one of the News 13 employees died from their injuries, Mina said. Spectrum News 13 said on its website that they were not yet releasing any information on the journalists who were involved in the shooting.

    Authorities also discovered a woman and her 9-year-old daughter inside a nearby home who had been shot. Mina said the 9-year-old child died while her mother was continuing to “fight for her life.”

    “It is unclear why the suspect entered that home,” Mina said. The sheriff said they didn’t yet know if the suspect had any connection to the news crew, or the mother and daughter. 

    Mina said that Moses has a lengthy criminal history that includes gun charges and charges for aggravated battery and assault with a deadly weapon, burglary and grand theft. 

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