Cover Story
Kissimmee’s Silver Spurs Rodeo has been kicking up dust for 77 years
It’s nearly go time. A rodeo cowboy paces on the platform near the metal chute. Inside awaits a bucking horse that he’s never even met. The horse kicks wildly inside the close quarters, making high-pitched ringing noises with every pummel. The cowboy psychs himself up for the moment that he holds on for dear life…
Uncomfortable Brunch to screen Spike Lee’s ‘Bamboozled’ at the Enzian on Sunday
Outré cinema purveyors Uncomfortable Brunch are hosting a screening of Spike Lee’s Bamboozled this Sunday. So why don’t you skip church and/or drag yourself out of bed to a midmorning of challenging film instead? Bamboozled, released in 2000, was Lee’s experimental, satirical takedown of network television in the tale of a televised minstrel show, and though it…
Disney’s massive I-Drive LED installation will feature ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Toy Story’ art
Last week, The Walt Disney Co. confirmed plans for massive digital art installation on International Drive. It is one of the largest presences Central Florida’s largest employer and theme park operator has committed to off of its Reedy Creek Improvement District in nearly half a century and, thanks to public documents, the story of how…
Proposed camo ‘Florida Native’ license plates will let you be the best kind of Florida Man
There’s no shortage of choices when picking out a license plate in Florida, but it’s only human to never be satisfied. Despite the state’s Cheesecake Factory-sized menu of options, a constant stream of newly proposed plates is always on offer. One newly proposed tag will allow long-time residents to be the best kind of Florida…
Kennedy Space Center is slowly returning to normal, and that means attractions are in the works
After a year of uncertainty, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is slowly returning to normal. The Brevard County attraction recently moved into the next phase of its reopening. With summer crowds returning, hours have been extended and dining options expanded. Spaceperson, the awkwardly named walk-around character, is also making more appearances throughout the day.…
Legal Public Notices 7/07 issue
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices Extra Space Storage will hold a public auction to sell personal property described below at the location indicated: July 16, 2021 at the times and location listed below. The personal goods stored therein by the following: 12:00 PM Extra Space Storage 1101 Marshall Farms RD, Ocoee 34761 (407) 516 7221: Michael Parker -…
Joel Greenberg asks judge for more time to rat out Gaetz, other associates ahead of sentencing
Former Seminole County Tax Collector Joel Greenberg is asking for more time to talk to the feds ahead of his sentencing on federal charges. Greenberg pleaded guilty to a range of charges including sex trafficking and fraud earlier this year. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to cooperate with federal investigators looking into…
Amway Center kicks off a series of job fairs on Wednesday to staff up for growing event schedule
In a prime-time signal that things are ramping up to normal gear in live entertainment, the Amway Center is kicking off a three-date series of summer job fairs tomorrow from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. to beef its staff back up in time for its growing events calendar of concerts, sporting events and family shows.…
Port Canaveral has been busy fixing up Disney Cruise Line’s terminal during pandemic hiatus
In 2019, Port Canaveral began a massive upgrade to Cruise Terminal 8, the home of Disney Cruise Line. The project was slated to include nearly $47 million in upgrades and be ready for Disney’s new ships that were to call the port home beginning this year. Last year’s global pause in cruising put those plans…
Orlando homeowners are among the most cost-burdened in the nation
The city of Orlando is among the U.S cities with the highest housing costs for homeowners, according to a report from LendingTree. The report looked at the 50 largest metro areas and ranked them by the share of homeowners who spend 30% or more of their monthly income on housing costs. That’s the federal standard…
Orlando theater company Descolonizarte Teatro presents an evening of Colombian and Venezuelan cowboy tales this weekend
Local LatinX theater troupe Descolonizarte Teatro present Casos y Cachos Llaneros: Oral Stories from the Colombian and Venezuelan Plains this weekend at the Lowndes Shakespeare Center. An evening of “tall tales” and storytelling traditions of the “cowboys of the Colombian and Venezuelan Plains,” the monologues will be melded to visual effects, performances, sound effects and…
Elsa expected to make landfall in Florida as Category 1 hurricane
Forecasters are now saying Tropical Storm Elsa is expected to be a Category 1 hurricane when it reaches Florida’s West Coast. According to the National Hurricane Center’s 2 p.m. update, Elsa is currently moving north, about 190 miles south of Tampa, at a speed of 9 mph with sustained maximum winds of 70 mph. This…
Florida artist wants credit for being creator of invisible sculpture made of nothing
In May, Italian artist Salbatore Garau auctioned off literal air for $18,000, calling it an “immaterial sculpture.” Now, a Gainesville artist is arguing that he was the first to create a sculpture out of nothing. Back in 2016, performance artist Tom Miller told The Gainesville Sun he was the first to create a three-dimensional sculpture…
CDC’s warning against pooping in pools makes a splash
Diarrhea and swimming don’t mix! Follow CDC’s Steps for Healthy Swimming to help protect yourself and those you care about from illness at the pool. https://t.co/nA0chO6Q9E #HealthySwimming pic.twitter.com/bIraeTY2bd — CDC (@CDCgov) July 2, 2021 Swimming pools are just about the only way to make Central Florida bearable from July to August. But before any Orlandoans…
Soul singer Ron Artis II headlines indoors show at the Plaza Live this month
The Plaza Live is reopening its door to indoors live concerts later this month, and one of the first headliners will be Ron Artis II and the Truth. Artis caught the eyes and ears of the likes of Mick Fleetwood, Jack Johnson and Jake Shimabukuro early in his musical endeavors and went on to collaborate withe…
COVID-19 infections trending in wrong direction in Orlando area
After a month of reduced infections, the COVID-19 positivity rate is on the rise again in Central Florida. According to the state Department of Health’s most-recent weekly report of coronavirus numbers, all six counties in the Orlando metro are trending upward in infection rates, hitting a two-month high. Orange County crossed back over the 5% positivity…
Chilean singer and pop star Myriam Hernández announces show at Osceola Performing Arts Center this fall
Chilean singer and superstar Myriam Hernández is set to embark on a North American tour dubbed ‘Singergia’ in October, and one of her performances will take place in the Orlando area. Hernández, a Billboard chart-topper and romantic balladeer going back to the early 1990s, will play the Osceola Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Oct. 23 as…
Here’s where to get sandbags in Central Florida ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa
Several Central Florida counties are offering sandbags to their residents as Tropical Storm Elsa bears down on the state. Orange County is not currently distributing sandbags and appears to have no plans to do so. However, all the surrounding Central Florida counties are allowing residents to fill bags ahead of possible flooding. Marion County Marion…
Ahead of Tropical Storm Elsa, western coast of Florida placed under federal state of emergency
Warnings and watches expanded Monday to include parts of the Florida Panhandle as Tropical Storm Elsa prepared to pummel the state with wind, rain and storm surge. President Joe Biden issued a federal emergency declaration in Charlotte, Citrus, Collier, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Lee, Levy, Manatee, Miami-Dade, Monroe, Pasco, Pinellas and Sarasota counties, the White…
Polk County Sheriff wants to keep qualified immunity, in spite of not knowing how it works
In a shock to no one, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) thinks the doctrine of qualified immunity—which can protect police officers from accountability for misconduct—should be kept in place. That’s right. The same sheriff’s office that refuses to wear body cameras despite a fatal May 2021 police shooting that led to community outcry for…
Will’s Pub to ‘pig-pick it up’ tonight with their Ska-BQ
Sure you can waste your time shooting off early fireworks like you’re the LAPD or something, but why not consider ‘picking it up’ and venturing out to tonights’s Ska-BQ at Will’s Pub? Tonight at 8 p.m. Will’s will be awash in sonic checkers as Control This, 69 Fingers, Colorblind Dinosaurs and El Periodico Soundsystem throw a…
‘Freedom Week’ provides sales tax holiday on concert tickets, outdoor gear
Florida has a new summer-centric tax holiday. Freedom Week, which started on Thursday and runs through July 7, will provide partial or full sales tax exemptions on entertainment, sporting goods and other hot-weather items. Perhaps most interesting, particularly for readers of Orlando Weekly, the sales tax exemption applies to tickets to movies, concerts, fairs and…
Engineers warned Kissimmee condo HOA of possible breezeway collapse months before county alerted residents
The management group of a Kissimmee condo off Osceola Parkway was warned by engineers in April that several of its breezeways could collapse. Many residents are just now finding out about the danger, after the engineering firm passed on their concerns to Osceola County officials. Images Condominiums in Kissimmee was inspected in April by the…
Rapper Lil Baby and friends roll into Orlando’s Amway Center this summer
Rapper Lil Baby is heading out on the road this summer with his “Lil Baby & Friends” package tour featuring Moneybagg Yo and Lil Durk. And don’t you worry, there’s an Orlando date in the mix. The trio roll into the Amway Center downtown on Friday, Aug. 13, and tickets for the gig go on sale Friday,…
World’s Largest White Castle had 20 health code violations in first inspection after opening
If the lines around the World’s Largest White Castle have kept you away from the burger behemoth on Daryl Carter Parkway, get ready to nod smugly. In the restaurant’s first health inspection after its opening bonanza, the restaurant received 20 health code violations, including nine high-priority infractions. Nine of the violations from the June 25…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ allies caught off guard by vetoes of juvenile records expungement, civics education bills
Supporters of two bills that sailed through the Legislature this year to bolster civics education and help expunge juvenile arrest records were left puzzled after Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the bipartisan measures Tuesday. The bills did not receive a single “no” vote when heard in committees or on the House or Senate floor during the…
Florida’s cap on contributions to ballot initiatives blocked by a federal judge
Delivering a second punch to the Florida Legislature in two days, a federal judge on Thursday blocked a new law that would cap contributions to political committees backing ballot initiatives, saying the law runs afoul of the First Amendment. The law, passed by the Republican-dominated Legislature this spring and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, would…
With Florida in its sights, Elsa strengthens into a hurricane
Elsa is now a Category 1 hurricane, and it’s moving quickly. According to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. update, the Tropical Storm strengthened into the first hurricane of the 2021 season early Friday morning. With sustained 74 mph winds, and 86 mph gusts, Elsa is currently about 20 miles west-southwest of Barbado, moving west-northwest…
Confused homing pigeons in Florida shut down I-95 exit
Another day in Florida, another crazy wildlife story. On Tuesday night, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office began receiving phone calls from drivers who said that white doves were wreaking havoc on an exit along Interstate 95. After state troopers, sheriff’s deputies and animal control workers went to the scene, they found that a crate of…
Walt Disney World brings back early admission for resort guests
Walt Disney World has a lot on its mind as the 50th anniversary celebration draws near. But that doesn’t mean they’re skimping on the little details that park guests have come to love. The park just announced that they’ve reinstated a minor perk for guests of the park’s resorts that has been on-hold since the…
Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando wants to know if your pet is the cutest in the city
Pet Alliance of Greater Orlando knows a thing or two about cute animals. If you think you have the most photogenic furball in Central Florida, they’re offering the chance to prove it. The rescue has partnered with Quantum Leap Winery for a contest that will end with one Orlando pet on a wine label. The…
Florida rep. Matt Gaetz invites Britney Spears to testify before Congress about conservatorship
Politics means occasionally finding yourself on the same side as some real weirdos. So it goes with Britney Spears fans, who now have embattled congressman Matt Gaetz in their camp. Following a week of heartbreaking testimony and a judge’s denial of the singer’s request to remove her father’s legal conservatorship over her $60 million estate,…
Florida passes law creating tracking system for sexual assault kits
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis recently signed “Gail’s Law,” legislation that would create a tracking system for sexual assault kits and a framework through which survivors can check on the status of tested and untested kits. The bill was named for Gail Gardner, an Orlando area woman who was assaulted in 1988 and waited more than…
Orlando is in Tropical Storm Elsa’s potential path
Tropical Storm Elsa formed Thursday morning, and Orlando is now within the cone of uncertainty. According to the 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Elsa is packing 45 mph winds and is currently located roughly 680 miles east-southeast of the Windward Islands moving west at 28 mph. Forecasters expect the system to pass…
Judge blocks Florida’s social media deplatforming ban
Calling it “riddled with imprecision and ambiguity,” a federal judge Wednesday blocked a new state law targeting social-media behemoths such as Facebook and Twitter that can strip politicians and other users from their platforms. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle issued a preliminary injunction as he sided with online-industry groups NetChoice and the Computer & Communications…
Florida’s transgender athlete ban challenged in lawsuit on behalf of trans middle schooler
A 13-year-old Broward County soccer player and her parents are challenging a a new state law that bans transgender female athletes from participating on girls’ and women’s sports teams, arguing that it is unconstitutional and “ignores basic medical science” about trans students. The measure (SB 1028), one of the most hotly debated issues of the…
Taste of Chengdu in Baldwin Park will close Sunday and reopen in August with a new concept
It’s rare that a restaurant shutters because it’s slammed on a nightly basis, but that’s precisely what Taste of Chengdu will do this weekend after Sunday dinner service. The Baldwin Park location has been perpetually packed since opening last August, but a recent rift among Taste of Chengdu’s servers and management created an untenable situation,…
185-pound Burmese python captured in Naples might be heaviest in Florida history
Naples biologist Ian Bartoszek said it took a lot of sweat and a little blood to catch the two heaviest Burmese pythons on record in Florida. On June 10, the Conservancy of Southwest Florida published the largest study of invasive Burmese pythons. The study, which began in 2013, focused on tagging pythons with radio trackers…
Walt Disney World announces return of in-person running events
Doctor Who and the MCU be damned. The two most intense fandoms on Earth are Disney nuts and running nerds. So, it’s fair to say that a year off of running events at Disney bottled up a ton of energy with nowhere to go. Luckily, we won’t get to see what happens when an ultra-fit…
Colonial Lanes purchased by Mathers Social Gathering owners to ‘bring back bowling to downtown’
There’s been a massive hole (er, gutter) in Orlando’s social life since dive bar/bowling alley par excellence Colonial Lanes closed three years ago. According to a new report from Orlando Business Journal, pinheads can stop pining for the past. The team behind Aloha Beautiful and Mathers Social Gathering have purchased what’s left of the space,…
Gigantic oak tree falls at College Park’s Kerouac House
College Park literary hub the Kerouac House dodged a bullet big time on Tuesday, when a massive oak tree fell in the front yard, just missing the main house. Though not as catastrophic as it could have been, the House and property will still need a good amount of repair work. According to a Facebook…
Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes Florida auto insurance reform bill
Pointing to possible negative impacts for the insurance market and drivers, Gov. Ron DeSantis late Tuesday vetoed a long-sought effort by legislators to end the state’s no-fault auto insurance system. The bill was one of four DeSantis vetoed Tuesday. He signed 94 others, including measures to impose new use-of-force training requirements for law enforcement officers…
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoes participatory civics curriculum shortly after mandating conservative talking points in public schools
Shortly after mandating that Florida public schools teach about the “evils of communism” in their civics courses, Florida governor Ron DeSantis vetoed a bill that would have created a participatory civics curriculum, encouraging students to get involved in local politics. Florida Senate Bill 146 would have required civics education in Florida high schools and created…
Corner Pizza Bar to move into vacant Market on Magnolia space in downtown Orlando
The unlucky space at 150 S. Magnolia Ave. in downtown Orlando — once home to Frank ‘N Steins and then food hall Market on Magnolia — will see a new tenant this summer ready to try their luck. As reported by the Orlando Business Journal, the Corner Pizza Bar is moving into the building downtown, vacant since late last year, with a…
Criminal case against COVID-19 whistleblower Rebekah Jones to continue
A Leon County circuit judge Tuesday refused to dismiss a criminal charge against former state COVID-19 data analyst Rebekah Jones, who has been accused of illegally accessing a Florida Department of Health computer system. Judge Francis Allman issued a one-page order denying Jones’ motion to dismiss the case but did not explain the decision. Jones,…
Winter Park Biscuit Co. brings a meatless mix of Southern comfort to East End Market
We’ve become a city known for its plant-based restaurants — research firms and organizations from WalletHub to PETA have proclaimed Orlando as being one of the best for vegan eating. Over the past 15 years, the annual Central Florida Veg Fest has planted seeds of the meatless gospel in the community, with an assist from…
Crumbl Cookie is coming to Winter Park and we’re pretty happy with the way that cookie crumbled
Plus more local food news
Concert picks this week, June 30-July 6: Rabbit in the Moon returns to Florida!
Rabbit in the Moon: Few electronic dance acts have the stage reputation of these Tampa sons. Like Florida’s own Prodigy, these house music legends have rightfully earned a major cult following as one of the biggest live sensations to ever emerge from the garage rave circuit. Unlike the typical EDM events that require elaborate light…
Things to do in Orlando, June 30-July 6: Fireworks, Flosstradamus, Futuristic Caveman Official
Our selections of the best stuff to do this week. Thursday, July 1Stephen Christian & Christian McAlhaneyTwo core members of alt-rock stars Anberlin play an acoustic duo date on International Drive. 8 p.m., $20-$100. Tin Roof, 8371 International Drive, tinrooforlando.com Friday, July 2 Ska-BQSure, you can waste your time with fireworks, or you can celebrate…
Florida Gov. DeSantis and Texas Gov. Abbott are in a race to the bottom trying to capture the MAGA zeitgeist
‘Anything you can do, I can do Trumpier’
New Orlando releases: albums from Stucco and Matthew Fowler, a new-old tune from Ray Brazen
LOCAL RELEASES With the Welzeins, Orlando polymath Russ Nordstrom rocks hard. On his own, he’s a little weirder. And Stucco, Nordstrom’s relatively new personal project, is where he really lets that flag fly. He writes, performs, records and mixes all Stucco material himself, convening others (currently members of Timothy Eerie) only for live shows. On…
‘Zola’ gives proper life to A’Ziah King’s viral Twitter epic — as the lived experience of a Black woman, not a cartoon for the male gaze
“You wanna hear a story about how me and this bitch fell out? It’s kinda long but it’s full of suspense.” That was the tweet that introduced A’Ziah King, aka @Zola, to the world. And in a 140-character world in which threads had yet to become an art form, it was full of suspense (especially…
Orlando artist and UCF professor Robert Rivers takes home this year’s top honors in OMA’s ‘Florida Prize’ exhibition
Robert Rivers is still in shock. A good befuddlement, but still. The longtime Maitland resident and UCF professor of art — grading for the semester finished mere minutes before Orlando Weekly rings him — just days ago took home the top honors in this year’s Florida Prize in Contemporary Art exhibition-cum-competition at the Orlando Museum…
