Orlando

Associated PressOctober 6, 2016

Voldemort couldn’t stop Harry Potter, but Matthew did. Three of the world’s most popular tourist attractions, Universal Studios (home to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter), Walt Disney World and SeaWorld all made a rare decision to close their theme parks Thursday ahead of Hurricane Matthew’s arrival. Soggy tourists rushed to cram in a few […]

Scott PowersOctober 5, 2016

Cautioning that “we’ve been through this before” — a reference to the dark period during and following 2004’s Hurricane Charley — Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs advised Central Florida residents Wednesday to prepare for major Hurricane Matthew damage and the prospect of several days with limited services, including power, afterwards. Jacobs was joined by U.S. Rep. John Mica […]

Scott PowersOctober 5, 2016

Political yard signs are probably not great things during a 100-mph wind and at least one candidate, state Rep. Rene Plasencia, is scurrying Wednesday to pull his before Hurricane Matthew menaces Florida’s Atlantic coast. Plasencia, a Republican from Orlando running in House District 50 — which covers far-east Orange and north Brevard County all the […]

Scott PowersOctober 5, 2016

Betsy VanderLey has won the endorsement of the International Drive Chamber of Commerce in her bid to win a seat on the Orange County Commission in the Nov. 8 election. The chamber picked VanderLey over her opponent, Bobby Olszewski, for the District 1 seat covering western Orange County. “The International Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce […]

Scott PowersOctober 5, 2016

Orange County Property Appraiser Rick Singh is under attack by a new electioneering communication organization alleging he may be involved in a variety of misconduct ranging from nepotism to perjury. The allegations, mostly based on old legal actions involving Singh, are being spread on a website called trickyrick.com, sponsored by an ECO formed in Orange […]

Scott PowersOctober 4, 2016

The Florida Democratic Party is snowing mailers into Florida’s 7th Congressional District supporting challenger Stephanie Murphy and attacking Republican incumbent U.S. Rep. John Mica, who slammed the campaign Tuesday as “distortions.” In the past week or so, four FDP mailers have gone out, including two that attacked Mica for a deal involving an old federal […]

Scott PowersOctober 4, 2016

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer‘s annual State of the City Address has been postponed until after it’s certain the city is OK. The mayor’s office announced Tuesday it and the Downtown Orlando Partnership are postponing the speech that was scheduled for Wednesday, as Hurricane Matthew continues its uncertain march past or into Florida later this week. […]

Scott PowersOctober 4, 2016

Republican state Rep. Mike Miller and his House District 47 Democratic challenger Beth Tuura punctuated an otherwise friendly debate with some sharp jabs over guns, Medicaid expansion, and business incentives Monday in Orlando. At a debate hosted by the Tiger Bay Club of Central Florida, Miller began on the hot seat, with a question about whether […]

Scott PowersOctober 4, 2016

The next state senator representing the Orlando-based Senate District 13 is likely to be concerned about guns and mental health, and supportive of the LGBT community and advocating environmental protection; though Republican Dean Asher and Democrat Linda Stewart part ways on economic matters. Asher, a Realtor and self-described political moderate, and Stewart, a former state […]

Scott PowersOctober 3, 2016

Democratic congressional candidate Stephanie Murphy has picked up another national ally in her quest to win Florida’s 7th Congressional District, a political action committee intending to end the election influence of super PACs. End Citizens United picked Murphy’s as one of of seven congressional races nationally it will support, and the only race in Florida. Murphy, a […]

Orlando
Image via AP.

For tourists, storm is Hurricane Who Shall Not Be Named

Teresa Jacobs advises all to prepare for Matthew and 3 days of post-hurricane ‘in-home sheltering’

Rene Plasencia pulling yard signs in preparation for Hurricane Matthew

Betsy VanderLey picks up I-Drive Chamber endorsement in Orange commission race

Orange Property Appraiser Rick Singh under attack from shadowy ECO for past legal issues, name change

Florida Democrat Party mailers for Stephanie Murphy irk John Mica

Buddy Dyer postpones state of city speech due to Hurricane Matthew

Beth Tuura, Mike Miller battle over guns, Medicaid, business incentives

Progressive Democrat Linda Stewart, moderate Republican Dean Asher disagree mainly on priorities in debate

End Citizens United PAC to support Stephanie Murphy in CD 7 race