Florida has had 51 mass shootings since Pulse: Since a gunman shot and killed 49 people at the gay nightclub Pulse on June 12, 2016, the state of Florida has experienced a total of 51 mass shootings, according to data from the nonprofit Gun Violence Archives pulled last week. In those 51 incidents, 118 people have died and 280 were injured. The GVA and the U.S. Congressional Research Service define a "mass shooting" as "four or more shot and/or killed in a single event [incident], at the same general time and location, not including the shooter."
Police: Gunman killed 4 children at beginning of Orlando hostage standoff: The gunman who killed four children at an Orlando apartment last week likely shot them at the start of his 21-hour standoff with law enforcement. Detectives believe Gary Wayne Lindsey Jr. fired at the children while they slept in their beds around the time Lindsey was confronted by Orlando Police officers Sunday. Officers responded to Westbrook Apartments that night after a woman reported her boyfriend, 35-year-old Lindsey, had battered her. Police say that when officers confronted Lindsey, he shot at them, hitting Officer Kevin Valencia in the head. Lindsey then barricaded himself in the apartment with his girlfriend's children, and for almost a day, law enforcement officials tried to negotiate a peaceful surrender and pleaded for the safety of Irayan Pluth, 12; Lillia Pluth, 10; Aidan Lindsey, 6; and Dove Lindsey, 1. Around 9 p.m. on Monday, a SWAT team discovered Lindsey had shot and killed the kids before killing himself.
Disney donates to almost everyone, including nearly $1 million to Putnam: Disney Worldwide Services Inc. has donated to many political campaigns, including about $809,423 to Putnam's Florida Grown super-PAC since 2015, according to public records. So far in 2018, Disney has given Putnam nearly $270,000. Gun reform activists with the group National Die-In have signaled they might target the theme park giant with a "die-in," similar to the one held at Publix stores after it was reported that the Lakeland grocery chain gave an unprecedented $670,000 to the GOP gubernatorial candidate over the last three years. Some have argued donating to Putnam is like giving directly to the National Rifle Association because of the Agriculture Commissioner's history of attempting to loosen Florida gun restrictions.
Orlando's Camping World Stadium could host World Cup 2026 matches: FIFA has awarded North America the 2026 men's soccer World Cup tournament. Sixty of the tournament's 80 games will be played on U.S. soil, and Orlando's Camping World Stadium is one of the 23 possible venues included in the bid. "We're thrilled that the United bid has been a success and are so excited about the possibility of the city of Orlando serving as a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup," Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer says.