Orlando comedian Kam Patterson joins the cast of Saturday Night Live Credit: courtesy image

With a dramatic shakeup at the White House (and chronically chaotic news cycle) kicking off the year, 2025 was a turbulent one, to say the least. The desire to turn off the news, block political content on social media, and cozy up close to a loving pet, soothing cup of tea or a bottle of something stronger was real.

But politics and Trump’s return to the White House aside, Orlando Weekly staff also got the chance to report some genuinely heartening stories this year. This holiday season, as we’re mulling over the events of the last year, we wanted to share some of those with you.

Orange County wipes out more than a half-billion dollars of medical debt

Through a partnership with the nonprofit Undue Medical Debt, Orange County government managed to relieve a total $515 million in medical debt held by more than 300,000 local residents. The county announced an initial round of $472.5 million in debt relief back in May, and the second round of $42.9 million in relief was announced in late October. The medical debt relief initiative was funded by a small portion of COVID relief funds distributed under the Biden administration. It was made possible through buying up debt for pennies on the dollar from local hospital systems and third-party collection agencies. No one formally had to apply for the program — instead, Undue Medical Debt worked with hospitals and collection agencies to identify and purchase the debt. Each dollar invested erases about $100 of medical debt, according to the nonprofit. Undue Medical Debt has partnered with more than two dozen other local state governments across the U.S. 

Orlando child actress shines bright in Wicked: For Good

Eight-year-old actress and Orlando native Scarlett Spears did her community proud in her big-screen debut in the highly anticipated sequel Wicked: For Good this November. In the film, Spears plays the young version of Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. Luckily, Spears, who is in the third grade and homeschooled, had seen the first Wicked; she had also seen the original 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz. At first, she didn’t understand why the movie started in black and white. “I asked my mom, and she said, ‘You’ll see, just wait,’” Spears says. “Then I got to see the colors. It was so beautiful. I wish I could go there myself.” And dear readers, she did!

Orlando receives perfect score on inclusive LGBTQ policy

Orlando joined Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, Miami, St. Petersburg, Tampa and Wilton Manors this year in receiving a 100% score in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual report evaluating cities on how inclusive their municipal laws, policies, and services are. The Human Rights Campaign is one of the largest LGBTQ+ civil rights groups in the nation. “With federal and state governments too often leaving LGBTQ+ people behind, cities and towns are stepping up and embracing inclusion and equality,” said Kelley Robinson, president of the Human Rights Campaign.

Orlando opens new period pantry

Yes, we’ll say it: Bleeding monthly, and having to shield that from the rest of the world because of social norms is mentally, physically and financially expensive. The Wall Street Journal reported last year that the cost of period products, specifically pads and tampons, was rising faster than food prices. (You thought egg-flation was bad.) The good news is that Orlando now has three “period pantries,” offering anyone in need free tampons, pads and related menstrual products. You can find one sponsored by Stand With Abortion Now outside Orlando’s abortion clinic (the Orlando Women’s Clinic in SoDo), another one outside State Rep. Anna Eskamani’s office in Lake Eola Heights — created by high schooler Boey Cho — plus another of Cho’s located in the Mills 50 thrift store Out of the Closet.

Orange County moves forward with effort to revive local film industry

Orange County officials are working on a modest film tax incentive program that would be funded by a sliver of the county’s pot of tourist development tax (TDT) revenue. The goal is to revive the local film industry in Orange County, promote good jobs for film industry professionals, and promote visitation to Orange County through film. A half-dozen other municipalities in Florida similarly have their own film incentive programs, generally supported by labor unions that represent industry professionals. Orange County’s program will offer up to a 20 percent rebate with a cap of $1 million for film and TV productions that spend at least $400,000 locally — on local labor, catering, hotel rooms, equipment and other production-related expenses. It will also offer up to a 10 percent rebate for TV commercial productions — capped at $50,000 — that spend at least $250,000 locally. The rebate is only provided following completion of the project, and applicants must apply for the rebate and be approved. The program is kicking off with an annual financial commitment of $5 million over the next five years.

Orlando comedian Kam Patterson joins cast of Saturday Night Live

West Orlando comedian Kameron Patterson was tapped by NBC this year to join the cast of Saturday Night Live, the long-running sketch comedy show. Patterson, 26, made his debut Oct. 4 on the show’s Season 51 premiere, along with four other new cast members: Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Ben Marshall and Veronika Slowikowska. Patterson got his start on the stage of Orlando’s Night Shade Lounge, where Wilberto Miller hosted a weekly comedy night, All Jokes Aside. Patterson worked the Orlando open mic scene religiously until he moved to Austin in 2023, forging a path to national recognition when he became a regular that year on the “Kill Tony” podcast and started touring with comedian Tony Hinchcliffe.

Transgender runner from Orlando raises money to help fund gender-affirming care

Orlando-based runner Simran Chugani did the community proud this year by using their participation in New York City’s annual marathon to raise funds for gender-affirming care for transgender folks. Chugani (they/them) set up a fundraiser for the run with Point of Pride, a trans-led organization that provides direct support and financial assistance to transgender people. Florida lawmakers in 2023 banned gender-affirming treatments for minors under 18 (even with parental consent) and restricted access to gender-affirming care for adults. Chugani, an Orlando transplant who now calls Florida their “forever home,” set a goal of raising at least $5,000 this year to increase access to gender-affirming care for adults, specifically. They ultimately surpassed their goal, raising $5,415 total.

Se7en Bites hosts Pride parking space painting event

Inspired by Orlando’s battle with the state over the formerly rainbow-painted Pulse memorial crosswalk, Se7en Bites owner Trina Gregory launched Parking Spaces for Pride: A Rainbow Connection. Through this community project, Gregory opened up 49 of her restaurant’s private parking spaces to local artists who were invited to transform the pavement into colorful art installations. The “49″ was a direct reference to the 49 people killed during the 2016 mass shooting at Pulse, a gay nightclub. Gregory emphasized the celebration was not a memorial to the Pulse tragedy, but was inspired by the Florida Department of Transportation’s decision to paint over the rainbow colors of the crosswalk outside of Pulse. According to Gregory, the spots will be repainted every other year. “This isn’t just about paint — it’s about community, visibility and love,” she said in a social media post. 

Orlando launches ‘dignity bus’ program to offer overnight shelter for homeless

Over the summer, the city of Orlando partnered with the nonprofit Christian Service Center to provide overnight shelter and accommodations to a rotating group of homeless people through a city-funded program involving retrofitted Greyhound buses. Modeled after a program in Vero Beach, the Dignity Bus offers no-cost shelter for up to 42 people per night on two Greyhound buses the city purchased and rehabbed for $175,000 each. The buses offer individual sleeping pods with a mattress, sheets, a light, a charging outlet and a curtain for privacy. They also contain a restroom and have air conditioning. Orlando has an estimated housing shortage of nearly 9,400 units, and at least a couple hundred people are left without shelter each night. 

New drop-in center for homeless youth opens in Pine Hills

A new drop-in day center offering basic amenities like showers, laundry, computers and case management for homeless youth and young adults opened in Pine Hills this spring, just a few miles west of downtown Orlando. The day center is operated by Service and Love Together (SALT) Outreach, another Christian-led social services nonprofit. The new drop-in center is designated for young adults aged 16 to 24. At this point, it’s funded primarily through a grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, awarded under the Biden administration.

Hilton hotel workers score wage increases, stronger job protections in new union contract

After roughly a year of contract talks and several rallies to publicize workers’ demands, hundreds of hotel workers at Hilton’s Buena Vista Palace and DoubleTree Universal hotel got a new union contract providing stronger job protections as well as immediate pay raises. The workers at those two hotels — including housekeepers, bartenders, cooks, room service waiters and others — are represented by UNITE HERE Local 737, a hospitality union that also represents about 18,000 workers at Disney World. Pay rates under the new contract went up immediately, according to the union. The union also managed to negotiate more affordable healthcare, a dental plan mostly paid for by the employer for the first time, job protections for immigrant workers, and 20 percent automatic gratuities on all guest checks for servers and bartenders.

Winter Park Playhouse secures permanent home on Orange Avenue

The city of Winter Park formally purchased the Winter Park Playhouse’s space at 711 N. Orange Ave. this year, after receiving grant funds through Orange County’s collection of TDT revenue. The nonprofit professional musical theater has called the spot home for the past 23 years, but their future came into question in February 2023, when the building’s owners decided to sell the property. To preserve the nonprofit’s place in the community, the city of Winter Park partnered with the theater to apply for TDT funds, citing the $1.9 million economic impact and 30,000 guests it attracts each year. Winter Park was in turn allotted $8 million by Orange County to purchase and renovate the space.

Titusville public works employees launch effort to build new union

Public works and utility workers in Titusville, a comfortable neighbor of Orlando, launched an effort this year to rebuild a union, following the state’s dissolution of their previous one. A state law passed in 2023 made it easier for the state to decertify, or essentially dissolve, labor unions in Florida’s public sector, and with that, workers’ union contracts that provided workplace safety protections, guaranteed wage increases and job security. In Titusville, the city’s blue-collar workers were previously represented by the Laborers International Union of North America. Now they’re reorganizing with the Orlando-based International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 606. “Every person that works for a company deserves the right to have representation,” union official Todd Provost told Orlando Weekly. “I don’t care if it’s a Disney cast member, if it’s a construction worker, if it’s a public employee. Everyone deserves the right to be represented by somebody to fight for them.”

Orlando’s daily dose of what matters. Subscribe to The Daily Weekly.

This article appears in Dec. 24-30, 2025.