As Phase 1 of Florida’s economic reopening continues, Orlando bars, pubs and nightclubs that earn half their sales or more from alcohol are supposed to remain closed. Some Orlando bars are taking the directive seriously, while others are using self-described loopholes to circumvent the public safety orders. Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order states that nightclubs…
Orlando music promoter Montgomery Drive has often surprised with events that bring new sounds from around the world to our city – thinking in particularly of Hijokaiden at Will’s Pub in 2016 – and later this month that continues in cyberspace with the virtual event Digital Scene 2.0. Combining up-and-coming acts from around Florida like Miami’s Laboratory…
Grand Collab prime mover and veteran Orlando MC Shinobi Stalin has just unleashed his new solo album Sun of Ozone, available in both digital and CD format, and it’s a damn fine listen. Easily up there with early works like 2008’s reputation-cementing debut Zombie Skool. Stalin’s smooth and confident flow, coupled to production that bridges…
As the city was gradually shutting down in March, Terri Binion and Beth McKee headlined an emotional pay-per-view livestream from the Blue Bamboo Center for the Arts. This was a show that in many ways kicked off a gradual movement of livestreamed shows locally, and one half of that duo – revered songsmith Terri Binion – is…
Orlando Legals Legal Public Notices IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE EIGHTEENTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR SEMINOLE COUNTY, JUVENILE DIVISION SATE OF FLORIDA Case No. P18-DP-20 IN THE INTEREST OF: D.A.T., a female child, D.A.T., a female child SUMMONS AND NOTICE OF ADVISORY HEARING FOR TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS, STATE OF FLORIDA To: Darrell Darodney…
U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle decided more than six months ago that Florida cannot deny the right to vote to felons who have served their time behind bars and are genuinely unable to pay “legal financial obligations” as required by a controversial state law passed last year. But as a trial in a challenge to…
Approximately 2,300 corrections workers have had to self-quarantine or self-isolate due to potential exposure to COVID-19, Department of Corrections Secretary Mark Inch said Tuesday. The corrections workers “have had to sit in ‘time out’ ” after answering questions that revealed they could have been exposed to the highly contagious novel coronavirus, Inch said. “I know…
The Swamp Sistas, a multi-genre local femme music collective led by Beth McKee, have announced the date of their 9th annual La La showcase and, yeah, it’s a livestream. Can’t be helped. But damn, this is an amazing and eclectic lineup sure to impress even once removed. The lineup is packed, with a lot of…
Tourism-related businesses that reported laying off employees over a three-week period because of the coronavirus pandemic reduced staff by an average of 73 percent, according to an industry survey released Tuesday. Also, the group Destinations Florida found that many travel-related businesses aren’t getting requested federal stimulus assistance to help deal with the crisis. “We knew…
Winter Park author Owl Goingback has won the Bram Stoker Award for “superior achievement in a novel” for Coyote Rage, which is set in Central Florida. His eighth book, Coyote Rage, was published on Feb. 6, 2019, and is set in the city of Sanford, at Orlando’s Greenwood Cemetery and at Big Tree Park in Longwood. The Bram Stoker…
Jahnaezha McFadden had packed everything she needed for spring break. She stuffed a bag with enough clothes, shoes and toiletries to last her a week. But two days before she was set to get on a bus home to Orlando on March 13, the spread of the coronavirus prompted Florida State University officials to ask…
Cholo Dogs, the wrestling-inspired Mexican hot dog concept run by former ring brawler Franco Furtero, will move into the Market on Magnolia. The “ween slinger” will take over the space vacated by That Noodle Spot and join Da Kine Poke and 081 Wood Fired Pizza inside the urban bar/eatery June 1. Cholo Dogs operated as…
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday defended his administration’s efforts to get the state’s much-maligned unemployment system to handle the unprecedented surge in applications caused by the coronavirus. Meanwhile, Democrats blasted the management of the system, which has had nearly 40 percent of applicants rejected and more than 200,000 claims unprocessed. With more than 1 million…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day? Working from home with my day gig as a youth advocate. Searching for new music and old music that I missed out on the first time. I have a fairly big record collection and there are some records that I have purchased…
Kabooki Sushi’s Henry Moso will have to wait another year to earn a James Beard Foundation Award nod. The 29-year-old who earned a nomination for Rising Star Chef of the Year wasn’t among the James Beard Foundation Award finalists announced on Twitter today. Instead, Will Aghajanian and Liz Johnson (Catbird Seat, Nashville), Irene Li (Mei…
Local literary imprint Burrow Press will be holding the newest edition of their literary reading series – Loose Lips – online this week, but fear not, the usual constellation of Orlando’s literary lights (and beyond) will be present and accounted for, just socially distanced. This “Stay at Home” edition will see Burrow Press publisher Ryan Rivas joined…
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer announced changes to city code to help local businesses reopen under new state guidelines, including allowing restaurants to turn parking lots and sidewalks into outdoor seating space. “Together we were able to control the spread of this virus and now begin to reopen our economy responsibly and move into a new…
Orlando-area State Rep. Amy Mercado announced on Monday she has filed to run for Orange County Tax Appraiser. Mercado posted the news on Facebook from the supervisor of elections’ office Monday at noon, wearing a face mask. The two-term representative was first elected in 2016 and again in 2018, and was allowed to run up…
Bowing to the inevitable, Record Store Day 2020 as one big, mass gathering of vinyl junkies packed into record stores all around the country is not happening. However, you can still support your favorite mom-and-pop record emporiums and the bands offering RSD-exclusive releases, just in a socially distanced kinda way, as there will now be a…
Sad news from College Park, as Downtown Credo announced Monday they are closing their first-ever location, at 706 W. Smith Street. The name-your-own-price coffee shop “is permanently closed and will not reopen,” said the company in an email. They plan to continue operations at their other two Orlando locations, in the Health Village and the North Quarter.…
Just as we were starting to think, “OK fine, I guess livestream shows will do for the moment,” we get a Facebook notification that Golden Pelicans are playing a farewell set on Facebook Live from an empty Will’s Pub this Friday. It’s going to be a weird week. Golden Pelicans drummer, Total Punk/Mind Meld Records CEO…
Miramar-based Spirit Airlines is the latest carrier to require passengers and attendants to wear masks over their mouths and noses, as it tries to reinstill confidence in air travel during the coronavirus pandemic. “Guests will be expected to bring their own face coverings and will be required to wear them both at the airport and…
Gov. Ron DeSantis said he will hold a news conference Monday to address the state’s much-criticized CONNECT unemployment compensation system. “The system just totally broke. It’s not a good system. We’re going to deal with that,” DeSantis said Sunday during an appearance at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach. Since March 15, the state…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house and stay positive during these times? Staying positive through all of this has been tough some days. I try to not give myself too hard of a time, though, and just make sure I’m doing productive things other days. I’ve been cooking a lot, working…
Barber shops and hair salons are still on the sidelines as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ reopening of select businesses during the coronavirus pandemic begins Monday. DeSantis laid the foundation for the reopening of personal grooming businesses during a roundtable with barbers and hair stylists in Orlando on Saturday. But the governor said more consideration of employee…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? During this time of quarantine I have devoted much of my time to being creative. I am a hairstylist so I find myself expressing myself through any creative means I can. I have always said I…
Six out of 10 inmates tested for COVID-19 at Sumter Correctional Institution and Tomoka Correctional Institution have tested positive for the highly contagious disease, Florida Department of Corrections officials said in a press release Friday. The number of inmates who have tested positive for COVID-19 at the two prisons has soared over the past few…
Gov. Ron DeSantis this week unveiled a somewhat muddled set of plans to lift the statewide stay-at-home orders and initiate a phased reopening of businesses, beginning on Monday, May 4. The first phases of his “Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step” plan include reopening retail establishments at 25 percent capacity and restaurants with socially distanced outdoor seating. Gatherings of…
Servers and other employees won’t be counted toward limits on occupancy when restaurants reopen Monday under coronavirus guidelines, the state’s top business regulator said. Also, Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation Secretary Halsey Beshears on Friday advised restaurant owners to use as much outdoor space as possible under federal Centers for Disease Control and…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? Tyla: I’m a photographer and filmmaker. When the restrictions began, that meant not being able to complete existing projects or keep appointments. To maintain sanity, to sharpen skills and pass these skills along, my family and…
As Gov. Ron DeSantis begins to slowly reopen the state, recommendations issued by a task force offer a glimpse into what Florida could look like as it emerges from the coronavirus shutdown. The final report from DeSantis’ Re-Open Florida Task Force, released on Thursday, includes plans for theme parks, restaurants, nightclubs, hair salons, casinos, vacation…
This is one in a series of essays from friends and allies of Orlando Weekly readers in support of our recently launched Press Club. Faiyaz Kara moved to Orlando from Toronto, Canada; he became Orlando Weekly’s restaurant critic in 2006. He’s now arguably the best-known food writer in the city. When I rode Toronto’s subways…
Updated May 4 | Seminole County Schools responded that a total of 1.45 percent of students are still unreached, with a breakdown by school level below. Friday may be National School Principals’ Day, but many Orange and Seminole county principals are busy trying to locate students who went missing in mid-March, when the coronavirus campus…
Lakeland-based grocer giant Publix reported $11.2 billion in sales over the first fiscal quarter of 2020, with an estimated $1 billion as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a press release from the company, sales through March 28 were up 16.1% from $9.7 billion during the same quarter last year. The first fiscal…
Speaking at a press conference Friday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that state parks will begin reopening on Monday, May 4. DeSantis made today’s announcement at Little Talbot Island State Park in Jacksonville, claiming outdoors areas are low risk environments. “When you’re talking about open spaces with appropriate social distancing, that’s a very low-risk environment,”…
Curtis Bryant registered to vote in September, thanks to a Florida constitutional amendment aimed at restoring voting rights to felons who have completed the terms of their sentences. But the 39-year-old father of three has yet to cast a ballot. He’s afraid that voting might put him back behind bars, Bryant told a federal judge…
Bandcamp, the online hub for digital music and merchandise, is once again waiving all of its service fees today. If you purchase digital music or merchandise on the site today, Bandcamp won’t take a cut, which is a nice little boost for musicians with releases on the site. So maybe now would be a good…
Up-and-coming young dream-pop outfit Tidepools are set to take over the Social’s socials, as part of the venue’s new weekend Instagram livestream performance series, Sunday Music Mass. The inaugural headliner was local psych-rock heatseekers Timothy Eerie, and the Social has a weekly lineup finalized through June. Expert Timing, URL and Raising Cadence are all set to…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? I work for Gatorland, “the Alligator Capital of the World,” and since the park is closed we’ve been very busy bringing Gatorland to the people through various live interactive forums. School of Croc is our Facebook…
LET’S DO THIS! You didn’t think we were skipping the Best of Orlando this year, did you? Look, just because the world has gone clownshoes doesn’t mean we don’t still celebrate the City Beautiful. In fact, maybe this year, The Year of Our Viral Overlords 2020, it’s more important than ever to hang on to,…
Updated May 1 | Corrected to reflect Dictor will appear next on the Nov. 3 ballot, and to include additional information on Greenberg’s campaign contributions, private blockchain company and official contracts. _ Despite coronavirus shutdowns, former radio host Lynn “Moira” Dictor announced she has qualified for the 2020 ballot to challenge Seminole County Tax Collector Joel…
A very good boy named Brody interrupted yesterday’s weather forecast by WTVT’s chief meteorologist, Paul Dellegatto, and this is exactly the kind of television we need right now. As you can see in the video, Brody apparently knocked over Dellegatto’s computer, which disabled the weather graphics, but resulted in the meteorologist being forced to welcome…
Windermere grilled cheese restaurant 33 & Melt announced on Thursday that they plan to reopen on Monday, along with other establishments in the first phase of Florida’s statewide partial reopening. “We will continue to offer take-out only until May 4th at which time we will reopen at 4pm to celebrate,” wrote restaurant founder and operator Carrie…
As Florida suffers through record unemployment due to the coronavirus shutdown, a new study says the Sunshine State has in fact experienced the nation’s largest increase in job losses due to the pandemic. New data released by the U.S. Department of Labor Thursday morning shows Florida is the No. 1 state experiencing unemployment effects due…
At his Thursday morning coronavirus update, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings discussed the ambiguities of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order to partially reopen the state on Monday, and stated that the nightly local curfew on nonessential activities would continue. “The nightly curfews will remain in effect. We will look at that for an indefinite period…
Update, 11:30 a.m. | Orange County mayor Jerry Demings said at his Thursday morning press conference that he believes Universal could delay the project by as much as a year, due to delays to road construction and site development. “There’s an awful lot that has to occur with site development in the ground before you…
For those who enjoy libations on the darkly ornate side, haunted downtown watering hole Cocktails & Screams is offering their specialty spooky cocktails in to-go batches and kits for those who wish to engage in a little mixologist-as-mad scientist action. On Wednesdays and Saturdays the bar will be opening the doors of their Pine Street crypt…
County elections workers are “butting our heads against the wall” trying to figure out if convicted felons are eligible to vote under a Florida law that is the subject of a nationally watched trial this week, a Central Florida supervisor of elections told a federal judge on Wednesday. The law, passed by Republican legislators last…
Voicing support for the state’s struggling citrus industry, Florida Republicans and Democrats are opposing a federal decision to allow the importation of certain fruits from China. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio and U.S. Sen. Rick Scott on Tuesday sent a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue asking him to reverse a decision to…
Updated at 7 p.m. On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced that the state will begin lifting stay-at-home orders starting Monday, May 4. His plan, which he calls “Safe. Smart. Step-by-Step,” will involve gradually lifting lockdowns in key areas around Florida over the next few weeks, and allows restaurants and shops to reopen with limited…
At first, Publix employees weren’t allowed to wear face masks or gloves because they could “scare away customers.” Now, the Lakeland-based grocery chain is selling their own branded masks. The green reusable face masks are being sold on their online shop for $15.95 for two, or $67.79 for ten masks. You can also buy a…
Today, Florida congressman Matt Gaetz, a racist ascot that’s somehow animorphed into the shape of a congressman, filed a bill that would deport “illegal aliens” during a national emergency involving a pandemic. The “Protect American Nationals During Emergencies by Mitigating the Immigration Crisis Act,” or the PANDEMIC Act, would require the removal of “aliens in…
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio joined the ranks of fellow Republican Senator Rick Scott, claiming the estimated 26 million unemployed people in the U.S impacted by the coronavirus pandemic don’t actually want to return to work because they make too much money. On Wednesday, the Rubio spoke about the Paycheck Protection Program on Fox and Friends,…
First-term state Rep. Joy Goff-Marcil picked up a new challenger on Tuesday, when Republican Bob Cortes filed to run against the incumbent Democrat. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because Cortes was once the state representative for District 30, which includes parts of Winter Park, Maitland and Altamonte Springs, for four years. He was unseated…
Are you a fan of the theatrical arts? Do you hunger for more buzzed-revisiting of great moments in our history and culture because you’ve sheltered in place right through the entire Drunk History series? Orlando Shakes has your Friday night covered, in a joint effort with the Bear & Peacock Brewstillery, Bungalower, Orlando Fringe, and the…
One of Tampa’s sports bars known for wings and beer just shuttered permanently because of the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the first to do so for the Central Florida-based chain. Gator’s Dockside in Tampa, located at 5840 E. Fowler Ave., announced yesterday in a Facebook post that they have closed “due to COVID-19…
The vast majority of people convicted of felonies in Florida can’t afford to pay court-ordered fees, fines, costs and restitution, public defenders testified Tuesday during a high stakes voting-rights trial. Payment of such “legal financial obligations,” a requisite for felons to regain the right to vote under a state law passed last year, is the…
Hey Mr. DJ, stream that song
It’s been over a week since Walt Disney World furloughed the majority of its cast members, and on May 3 they’ll be joined on the unemployment rolls by Universal Orlando’s part-time team members. That’s a devastating development for the tens of thousands of affected workers, but at least they’ll keep their health insurance and other…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? Playing music, drawing, small art projects, pretty much more of what we normally do. Do you have any takeout recommendations? What Will’s Pub is doing right now is pretty great. He’s doing takeout craft cocktails at…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? I spend most of my time playing with and teaching my 2- and 4-year old children. It’s hard not to be positive with their energetic nature and sunny dispositions! However, I do have a lot of…
Any new hobbies you’re finally getting a chance to work on? Sam: I have started writing again. It has always been a hobby of mine but I kind of faded away from it over the last couple years. I have spent a lot of time rereading and revising old work I started but never finished,…
Wendy (daughter) and Bernie (mother) live in Metrowest. What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? It would be great to talk about the masks you’re making. I teach a knitting class, “Hearts to Hands,” at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church and we donate baby…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? I miss my family and friends as much as everyone else. With that out of the way, I have enjoyed the additional solitude to catch up on deep-cleaning inside and out of my home. Helps me…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? My job typically has me traveling out of town almost every week, so this has been a hard adjustment for me. Thank goodness for structure. I had to overhaul my day and set up an entirely…
What are you doing to stay productive around the house throughout the day to stay positive during these times? I seem to be more productive than ever. Ohhh, I’m not one of those making Beef Wellington or learning Mandarin Chinese, but I’m enjoying doing things I’ve never done and not having to rush! Like live…
