Posted inElections
Florida voters have until Monday to register for August primary election
July 20 is also the deadline to change your party affiliation ahead of the 2026 primaries.
McKenna Schueler
General news reporter for Orlando Weekly, with a focus on state and local government and workers' rights. You can find her bylines in Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, In These Times, and Facing South.
Posted inOrlando Area News
Ocoee creates speed limit, new rules for electric bikes and scooters
The Orange County school district is also considering options for regulating e-bike and e-scooter use on campus.
Posted inLabor
They keep SeaWorld visitors safe. They’re fighting for safety on the job themselves.
Security guards at SeaWorld unionized last year to address low pay and understaffing. SeaWorld has refused to meet them halfway at the bargaining table.
Posted inNews
Florida invests $500K in ‘deceptive’ hotline program to deter abortions
It’s yet another investment by the DeSantis administration in delaying and eliminating abortion care for pregnant Floridians.
Posted inOrlando Area News
Over 5,000 petitions call on Disney to drop property tax lawsuits that could drain money from Orange County schools
The school district that is already in a financial crisis and has been forced to close schools over declining enrollment and budget concerns.
Posted inImmigration
Orange County’s revised ICE agreement now in effect, limiting immigrant detention
The revised agreement limits how long the Orange County Jail is obligated to hold people for ICE while remaining compliant with state law.
Posted inFlorida News
DeSantis vetoes funds for financial literacy, food insecurity in Orlando, and more
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed more than $800 million’s worth of state funding requests from Florida lawmakers in the final state budget signed on Monday.
Posted inFlorida News
New Florida law will require transparency in restaurant service charges
The new law targeting hidden or obscured fees takes effect July 1, 2026.
Posted inNewcomers Guide
State of play: Accessing gender-affirming care in Orlando
Here’s what you need to know if you’re new to Florida or are interested in seeking gender-affirming care in a state that has made it harder to do so.
Posted inImmigration
Maxwell Frost urges Senate to extend TPS for Haitians after Supreme Court ruling
“The administration has chosen to rip away legal protections from people who follow the rules, so they can fuel a sinister mass deportation agenda.”
Posted inNews
John Morgan announces name of new political party
More than 35,000 entries for the contest were submitted from across the country.
Posted inOrlando Area News
Anna Eskamani would explore city program to fight wage theft if elected Orlando mayor
At least a half-dozen municipalities in Florida already have wage recovery programs, but not in Orlando or Orange County.
Posted inNews
LYNX offers free bus rides to cooling centers this week in Orange County amid scorching heat
Free bus rides are activated when the heat index (“feels like” temperature) reaches 103 degrees.
Posted inOrlando Area News
Disney EPCOT workers accuse third-party restaurant operator of wage theft
Four workers employed by the Patina Group at Epcot’s Italy Pavilion have threatened to file a lawsuit over the issue.
Posted inNews
Disney Springs restaurant operator owes back pay to wrongfully fired worker, says NLRB
The order pertains to a complaint over the 2024 firing of former Pizza Ponte server and union activist Julissa Ruiz
Posted inOrlando Area News
Leftover Disney property tax settlement money set aside by schools could go back to teacher salaries
Orange County Public Schools has set aside $119 million to settle property tax lawsuits filed against the county by Disney World and other corporations, should the plaintiffs prevail.
Posted inOrlando Area News
Maxwell Frost reelected for another term after facing no opposition
The progressive Orlando Congressman used the victory to roast Elon Musk, sharing a photo of him raising a middle finger to a 2024 tweet from Musk predicting that Frost would be kicked out of office
Posted inLabor
Florida bill to deter voluntary union recognition came from a Midwest think tank, records show
It’s yet another example of how anti-union activists from out of state are trying to undermine worker power in Florida.
Posted inEducation
News orgs urge Orange County schools to change policy that ‘chills First Amendment-protected speech’
The call-to-action is part of an initiative that spotlights policies that restrict the reasonable flow of pertinent information to the public.
Posted inLabor
Blue-collar city workers on Florida’s Space Coast form new union
This comes after the state dissolved the workers’ former union as part of a massive purge following the passage of a reform law in 2023.