Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

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 […]

Scott PowersNovember 29, 2016

A $5 million plan to add mid-block crosswalks and other improvements to pedestrian and bicycle safety in the major roads serving the University of Central Florida was unanimously approved Tuesday by the Orange County Board of Commissioners. The plan aims at making sidewalks, bike paths and crosswalks more appealing and safer for the 50,000 UCF […]

Scott PowersNovember 28, 2016

Orange County planners are set to present their proposal Tuesday for helping make the University of Central Florida a safer and easier place to walk or bike around. The proposal comes out of a two-year Pedestrian/Bicycle Safety Study effort to try to address the difficulties faced by tens of thousands of college students and university […]

Scott PowersNovember 28, 2016

Lew Oliver has chaired the Orange County Republicans for decades with little serious opposition but now the leader of Donald Trump‘s campaign in the county, Randy Ross, is taking on the venerable chairman. Ross, 51, of Orlando, declared his candidacy over the weekend for chairmanship of the Orange County Republican Executive Committee after a general […]

Associated PressNovember 28, 2016

When Randall Baker began renting out a pair of College Park cottages through Airbnb, he says he thought he had done everything right. He had a business license through the state and tax receipts from the city and county. But after a neighbor complained, Orlando code enforcement determined Baker was violating zoning rules. Though he […]

Scott PowersNovember 23, 2016

As Orlandoans gather round dinner tables with family and close friends, let us start by being thankful that those of us who can be are there to gather. Let’s give thanks for a community that found comfort, faith, and strength in each others arms during the dawn following our darkest day, and for the commitment […]

Larry GriffinNovember 17, 2016

The Orlando Political Observer, a local political news site, has changed hands — now it’s owned Doug Kaplan, a Winter Park-based pollster and president of market research firm Gravis Marketing. Kaplan purchased the Orlando Political Observer from founder Frank Torres, according to a story on the site written by Torres himself. Kaplan assured readers in the OPO story […]

Terry RoenNovember 16, 2016

Nine miles of aisles of rocking rides, super-sized inflatables, and a preview of the future through virtual reality goggles are just some of the enticements at the 98th annual Attractions Expo. More than 30,000 buyers and engineers from amusement parks, water parks, family entertainment centers, zoos, aquariums, science centers, museums, and resorts jammed the International Association […]

Tag: Orange County

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

Orange County Commission approves UCF pedestrian plan

Orange County pedestrian safety plan set for UCF area

Donald Trump’s local chair Randy Ross challenges Lew Oliver for Orange County GOP leadership

Orlando grapples with Airbnb, other rental networks

Orlando’s cornucopia of thanks runneth over for area leaders

Orlando Political Observer purchased by Doug Kaplan-led group

Attractions Expo gives a glimpse of the future of entertainment