Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Scott PowersFebruary 21, 2017

Facing the increasingly obvious conclusion that its 30-year-old animal services shelter is no longer adequate, Orange County is moving ahead with plans to replace it, but a new one could cost up to $35 million and take several years. The Orange County Board of Commissioners heard that news Tuesday while also reviewing information that showed […]

Peter SchorschFebruary 13, 2017

Searching for the best way to teach our nation’s children, many communities see charter schools as one of the most effective ways to help students otherwise struggling to make it in public education. Nevertheless, the pursuit of alternative solutions does not sit well with some, particularly those in the media who view charter schools a […]

Scott PowersFebruary 10, 2017

No one has identified Orlando as one of the “sanctuary cities” providing safe havens for undocumented immigrants while sustaining conservatives’ wrath and potential funding cuts from President Donald Trump‘s orders, but when the question comes up, Orlando responds with a puzzle. “While it’s not clear exactly what the definition of a “sanctuary city” is, it is clear […]

Scott PowersJanuary 21, 2017

By the end of this year Orlando’s gleaming new $211 million train station should be virtually finished at Orlando International Airport, but it may be many years before trains start rolling in – if at all. The Greater Orlando Aviation Authority is building a train station based on a vision of the future in which […]

Associated PressJanuary 19, 2017

The week after Donald Trump was elected president, Dr. Mai-Phuong Nguyen and two dozen other Vietnamese-Americans active in liberal causes gathered in a circle of folding chairs, consoling one another about an America almost beyond comprehension. Now, days before Trump takes the oath of office, Nguyen sits in a restaurant booth in Orange County’s neon-lit […]

Peter SchorschJanuary 12, 2017

Central Florida Republican Rep. Mike Miller is calling for part of an Orange County highway to be renamed in honor of the late golfer Arnold Palmer. Miller, who represents Winter Park, filed HB 225 this week, which would call a portion of State Road 408 between Kirkman Road and Clarke Road “Arnold Palmer Expressway.” A […]

Scott PowersJanuary 4, 2017

Wednesday is the day that Orange County’s voters figured they had turned their sheriff, tax collector, property appraiser, clerk of courts, supervisor of elections and comptroller into non-partisan, term-limited county officials – but it’s not happening. And it is unclear if it will ever happen. Late Tuesday Judge Bob Leblanc of Florida’s 9th Circuit Court […]

Scott PowersDecember 20, 2016

The number of visitors to Florida choosing to stay in private homes through the Airbnb home-sharing app continues to explode and has topped 1.5 million for the 2016 year, the company announced Tuesday. With Florida attracting more than 100 million visitors a year Airbnb still represents a tiny fraction of the market. But it now […]

Scott PowersDecember 2, 2016

Orlando has been named “Gay City of the Year” by the gay travel site GayCities.com, which praised the City Beautiful for its outpouring of compassion and unity following last summer’s horrific massacre at the Pulse nightclub and then noted Orlando had been a strong city for gays all along. “GayCities honors the city & community […]

Scott PowersDecember 2, 2016

The horrific Pulse nightclub massacre, the specter of Zika virus, and the uncertainty of politics and national policies aren’t slowing down tourists coming to Orlando. At least not enough to hurt. The Orange County Tourist Development Council received sparkling reports Tuesday showing record receipts from tourist taxes in the past fiscal year and forecasts that […]

Tag: Orange County
Image via AP.

New Orange County animal shelter would cost $25-35 million

ProPublica hit piece will deliver ‘inaccurate, untruthful’ attack on Orlando charter school

Is Orlando a ‘sanctuary city?’ What’s a ‘sanctuary city?’

Orlando is building the train station, not sure when or if trains will arrive

Donald Trump’s America: Families differ as Ronald Reagan country changes

Mike Miller files bill to rename Orange County Hwy. ‘Arnold Palmer Expressway’

Orange County’s charter amendments falling silently; despite election, no changes in county offices

Airbnb housing in Florida doubles again in 2016, reaches 1.5 million

Orlando named ‘Gay City of the Year’ by gay travel site

Orange County and Orlando get rosy tourist numbers, forecasts