2019 Year in Review

Dec 25-31, 2019 / Vol. 36 / No. 4
Don’t Miss a Moment. Join 30,000 locals who stay current on Orlando news, culture, and events. Get our free daily newsletter. Sign up Don’t Miss a Moment. Join 30,000 locals who stay current on Orlando news, culture, and events. Get Orlando Weekly’s free daily newsletter. Sign up The past year did not spark joy. Let […]

Legal Public Notices 1/8 issue

Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices AUCTION Extra Space Storage – Store 8138, 1001 Lee Rd. Orlando FL. 32810 Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 1001 Lee Rd. Orlando , FL. 32810 (407) 489-3742, January 30th, 2020 @…

Michael Jordan apparel store headed to downtown Orlando

Michael Jordan, that guy who came to the City Beautiful to have his butt handed to him in 1995 by Svelte Shaq and the Magic – and who went on to be the greatest basketball player ever and sell billions of dollars worth of apparel, or whatever – has a store coming downtown Orlando. The…

Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez will lead Florida’s 2020 census committee

Gov. Ron DeSantis has appointed Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nunez to lead the state’s 2020 U.S. Census efforts. Nunez will chair Florida’s Complete Count Committee, whose members were also named Monday. The 19-member committee will coordinate with the U.S. Census Bureau in conducting the constitutionally required census between March and June. The census is conducted every…

Vice President Mike Pence headlining ‘Latinos for Trump’ event in Kissimmee

More Latinx people voted for the Trump/Pence ticket during the 2016 presidential election than any other racial minority. That’s one reason Vice President Mike Pence is being dispatched to Kissimmee to rally Latinx supporters of President Donald Trump. Central Florida has a large population of Puerto Rican and other Latinx residents, and Kissimmee experienced especially rapid…

Florida’s welcome centers no longer give tourists free orange juice

The orange, and the liquid goodness squeezed from each one, are symbols of Florida. That’s why some state welcome centers once gave out complimentary orange juice, greeting travelers on the Florida roads with an OJ toast. It became a tradition starting in 1949, as northeastern Florida “hospitality houses” grew into welcome centers near Jacksonville and Jennings. That…

Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2019

Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. Mansplaining Convention Coming To Florida If you can’t understand the men in your life, you might want to attend Orlando’s upcoming mansplaining convention. – LINK How would you feel…

Warmer winter causing fire ants to flourish in Volusia and Flagler counties

Snowbirds aren’t the only ones enjoying the warm weather. Due to the unseasonably hot winter, ants – fire ants in particular – have migrated, multiplied and spread across Flagler and Volusia counties, say agricultural experts. They’re mating and procreating like it’s spring, instead of harvesting resources and storing energy for a cold winter. “They think…

Florida kids jump Florida man allegedly trying to kidnap one of them

A Florida man allegedly attempted to grab and abduct a child standing near the entrance of the Viaport Mall arcade in Leesburg. This Florida man, though, evidently didn’t account for a group of Florida kids trying to intervene. The attempted kidnapping victim’s friends – a flock of 10 kids and teens, including an 18-year-old – jumped the…

Leslye Gale’s O-Town Lowdown on Magic 107.7 for Monday, Jan. 6, 2019

Every morning on Magic 107.7 FM, Leslye Gale discusses the most interesting Orlando Weekly stories of the day on “Chad & Leslye.” Check out Leslye’s picks today. Cool Weather Brings Whales Along Our Coast The cooler weather is bringing near daily whale sightings along the Volusia-Flagler coast. – LINK A local Sanford apartment complex is collecting…

Band of the Week: Chalet Girl

Welcome to Orlando Weekly’s “Band of the Week.” Every week, we highlight one of our favorite local bands. This week, we’re pleased to bring you Chalet Girl. Chalet Girl is playing the Final Punk on the Patio on Tuesday, Jan. 7 with Flashlights, Like Father, and No Handouts. Just the facts: Who’s in the band?Lili…

Florida’s first reported panther death of 2020: Cat was killed by car

A 2-year-old female panther was found dead Thursday near the Spirit-of-the-Wild Wildlife Management Area in Hendry County, says the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Wildlife officials say the cause was an apparent vehicle strike. Last year, 23 of the 27 reported Florida panther deaths were caused by car strikes. There are some 230 panthers…

Manatee County man says he was awakened by burglar sucking his toes

The night before Christmas was certainly stirring for one Manatee County resident awakened by a toe-sucking burglar. The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office says a man awoke Christmas Eve to a man sucking his toes. According to the incident report, when the victim asked the assailant what he was doing, the alleged culprit said he “was…

Hillsborough County group wants to memorialize local lynching victims

A group of Hillsborough County leaders want residents to acknowledge and remember the five Black lynchings on the county’s record, with memorials to the victims. The group, including Tampa City Council Chair Luis Viera and Hillsborough County state Rep. Fentrice Driskell, reports Spectrum News 9, have been meeting in Allen Temple A.M.E. Church in Tampa. According to the Equal Justice Initiative,…

Florida Chamber of Commerce actively opposing amendment to legalize recreational marijuana

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has taken an initial step toward intervening in a lawsuit in which a political committee is seeking more time to collect petition signatures for a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana. The Florida Chamber opposes the proposed amendment and has backed increased restrictions on signature gathering, including in…

SeaWorld once again offers free admission for Florida preschoolers

SeaWorld’s newly-released 2020 Preschool Card is now the cheapest and best way for your little ones to experience all those captive fish. Available for registration exclusively for Florida residents, the Preschool Card grants any children ages 5 or below free visits to SeaWorld through the end of the year. Advance registration for the Preschool Card…

New Orlando music venue peek: The New Standard

THIS LITTLE UNDERGROUND The Commonheart at the New Standard, Dec. 30 There’s no more proper way to break in a new year than with something completely fresh. Now you’re about to see the word “new” dropped a conspicuous amount of times but, trust, it’s apt. This brings us to new music joint the New Standard.…

A Florida woman is selling a chicken tender shaped like a manatee for $5,000

Last December someone spent $120K on a banana duct-taped to a wall at Miami’s Art Basel, so it shouldn’t be much of a shocker that a Florida woman is now selling a manatee-shaped chicken tender for $5K on Facebook Marketplace. Posted yesterday by Riverview resident Melinda Britt Disbrow under “Antiques and Collectibles,” the high-priced poultry…

Orlando home prices more than doubled in the last 10 years

Orlando’s median home price was $114,369 in 2010, and $259,723 at the close of 2019. That’s a 127 percent spike over the last decade, which is one of the biggest jumps of any housing market in the country, according to numbers by real estate listing site Redfin. Although an increase in housing value is encouraging in…

Rockabilly enigma Unknown Hinson returns to Orlando in February

Psychobilly mystery man Unknown Hinson has announced a lengthy run of tour dates stretching through January and February, and in and amongst a smattering of Florida shows, there is a triumphant return to Will’s Pub. The “400-year-old hillbilly vampire” recently threw down at November’s Adult Swim Festival as part of the “Squidbillies 10 Man Bunkhouse Stampede.”…

Reconfigured West Coast punk legends Radolescents bring Cali punk to Orlando

Reconfigured West Coast punk legends Radolescents are coming to ring in the New Year right, and that’s by playing the frantic and furious anthems on their 1981 classic “Blue Album” from start to finish. Radolescents are a band consisting of members pulled from throughout influential Calif punks Adolescents’ long career arc – this particular incarnation…

Recreational marijuana advocates sue for more time to collect ballot signatures

Arguing that a new law violates constitutional rights, supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize recreational marijuana filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking more time to submit petition signatures to get on the November ballot. The political committee Make It Legal Florida filed the lawsuit in Leon County circuit court targeting the constitutionality of…

M&M World’s move to Disney Springs is a major blow to Florida Mall

Since the 2015 transformation from Downtown Disney to Disney Springs, the Disney-owned shopping village hasn’t slowed down in its attempt to become the ultimate shopping destination. With more than a million square feet of commercial space, Disney Springs ranks among the largest retail centers in all of Florida. Now, a new store will help cement it as…

Don’t miss the final Punk on the Patio, happening Tuesday, Jan. 7

Correction: An earlier version included an inaccurate date. Apologies! For the past four years, the Punk on the Patio series has been carrying on the tradition of floor shows established by the likes of Bar-BQ-Bar and the Social’s old back-door shows. After their fourth anniversary earlier this year, though, they’re hanging it up. The final…

Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried and NRA’s Marion Hammer tangle over gun case

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried and National Rifle Association lobbyist Marion Hammer sparred Friday after Fried’s lawyers filed a court brief arguing that an NRA-backed gun law is unconstitutional. Hammer, the gun-rights group’s longtime Florida lobbyist and former national president, sent a memo to NRA members accusing Fried of thinking “it’s OK to deliberately violate…

Rick Scott’s former lawyer to represent Florida Christian schools’ lawsuit to use loudspeakers for prayer

Jesse Panuccio, who served as general counsel to former Gov. Rick Scott, will represent a Tampa Christian school in a long-running legal fight about whether the Florida High School Athletic Association should have allowed a prayer before a championship football game. Panuccio, who also served as director of the state Department of Economic Opportunity under…

Florida electric utility ballot measure tops 600,000 signatures

Backers of a proposed constitutional amendment that would overhaul Florida’s electric-utility industry continue to move closer to a key threshold for getting the issue on the November 2020 ballot. As of early Thursday afternoon, the state Division of Elections had tallied 615,968 valid petition signatures for the proposal, spearheaded by the Citizens for Energy Choices…

Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried breaks with Gov. DeSantis, sides with cities and counties on gun law

As lawyers for Gov. Ron DeSantis and Attorney General Ashley Moody defend a state law dealing with local gun regulations, Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried is backing cities and counties that argue the law is unconstitutional. Fried’s attorneys Tuesday filed a brief arguing that the 1st District Court of Appeal should uphold a circuit judge’s decision…

‘Uncut Gems’ opens in Orlando this week

Opening Wednesday, Dec. 25:Little Women I’m not ashamed of having really enjoyed the 1994 film version of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel. I mean, it has everything – like a young Kirsten Dunst throwing epic shade, and Christian Bale dodging a bullet by getting to marry Samantha Mathis instead of Winona Ryder. This latest version…

Virgin Trains finally talks Disney, State Rep. Anna Eskamani picks up 2020 opponent, and other news you may have missed

Virgin Trains USA finally says they’re talking to Disney about a new WDW station: Virgin Trains USA, formerly known as Brightline, is in talks with Disney Co. about a rail station at Disney World. The possible stop is part of the proposed rail line between Orlando International Airport and Tampa. “We are continuing to explore…

Legal Public Notices 12/25 and 1/1/20 issues

Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below belonging to those individuals listed below at the location indicated: 2728 W 25TH St, Sanford, FL 32771 407-708-3327, January 20, 2020 @ 4:00 PM Ephesian Alexander- Bed, dresser, tires and table. Javier Bermudez- Bed, TV and stand, toys. Ericka…

Savage Love: Open Ended

I’m a mid-20s cis straight man. After my girlfriend and I finished college, she moved overseas to start her job. We’ve broken up twice and gotten back together twice. We are interested in opening up our relationship, but I have reservations. She wants the freedom to throw herself into her new world without the constraint…

Meet Peppy and Dexter! You can adopt them right now in Orange County

Meet Peppy and Dexter! Peppy (A440051) and Dexter (A440052) are a bonded pair. These sweet kitty brothers were surrendered by their owner because they could no longer care for them – now they’re looking for their forever home. According to their former owner, Peppy and Dexter are friendly with men, women and children. They do get…


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