A fake fight: Florida Republicans posture in immigration battle | Commentary

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/4 7:40A Scott Maxwell

The sudden civil war between Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and GOP legislators is fascinating for two reasons. First, it’s intense and unprecedented. Republicans have total control over this state. Yet instead of working together, they’re...

Bill filed to cement Black history museum in St. Augustine

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/4 4:34A Florida News Service

A state senator has filed a bill to solidify a controversial task force decision placing a Florida Black History Museum in St. John s County, edging out a proposed Eatonville location. The bill, SB 466, would create a Florida Museum of Black...

Update: Michael Jordan’s son, a former UCF basketball player, arrested on cocaine possession charge...

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/4 3:34A Cristóbal Reyes

Marcus Jordan, son of NBA legend Michael Jordan and a former University of Central Florida basketball player, was arrested in Maitland early Tuesday morning on a charge of cocaine possession after his...

Year of Thornton Park themed pop-ups opens with Mardi Gras — and Tornatore’s chef

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/4 1:00A Amy Drew Thompson

Chef Denny Tornatore is cooking Cajun food now. Well, not exclusively. And not even for very long, actually.  But what fans of Tornatore s brand of red-sauce Italian can count on every weekend are...

More dense fog in effect as advisory lasts until 10 a.m.

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/4 12:15A Garfield Hylton

Another morning of dense fog with decreased visibility going late into the morning. An advisory for the fog conditions remains through 10 a.m., according to NWS Melbourne. Visibility throughout east Central Florida is at a quarter-mile or less....

Like this Central Florida weather? There’s more to come, thanks to La Niña

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/3 10:30P Martin E. Comas

After a wintry kickoff to 2025, with Central Floridians sporting thick coats and toting umbrellas, Orlando’s weather is about to become warmer and drier. You can thank La Niña. La Niña , which means small girl in Spanish, is a climatic condition...

Clean bills of health: Which Central Florida restaurants had perfect inspections in January?

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/3 5:11A Garfield Hylton

After 2,001 restaurant inspections across Central Florida in January, only 177 had no issues for the entire month, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation. Brevard had the highest percentage of...

Star sighting: Tamron Hall at Magic Kingdom

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/3 3:51A Dewayne Bevil

Talk show host Tamron Hall helped Walt Disney World kick off its Black History Month observation with a visit to Magic Kingdom theme park with family members. Hall and five relatives, including her son, rode through the park as part of a parade...

More dense fog for Monday morning that should dissipate around 9 a.m.

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/3 12:27A Garfield Hylton

Central Florida is under an advisory for dense fog on Monday morning. The advisory lasts until around 9 a.m., according to NWS Melbourne. Visibility is at a quarter-mile or less. Temperatures peak around 83 degrees in the southern parts of...

‘Super Kid’: West Orange High student named special guest for NFL Pro Bowl

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/2 10:30P Steven Walker

West Orange High School student-athlete Tyler Boyd loves to talk to anyone who will listen. But when the NFL invited him to this year s Pro Bowl, he was speechless, his coaches said. It took the...

Musical milestones: Bach Festival at 90, Sinclair at 35

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/2 10:00P Matthew J. Palm

John Sinclair is ready to celebrate the Bach Festival s 90th installment this month — and he s marking a major musical milestone of his own. Sinclair will celebrate his 35th year as the Bach Festival...

Point-In-Time Count provides HUD data on local homeless in order to drive funding

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 2/2 12:15A Ken Jackson

This story is part of a collaborative initiative of independent local news outlets working towards a more informed and engaged Central Florida. It originally appeared in the Osceola News-Gazette . In order for the federal government to assist...

Central Florida housing prices hit record high in 2024

Orlando Sentinel (Brinkmann On Business) 2/2 12:00A James Wilkins

Housing prices in Central Florida hit a record high in 2024 and the supply of for-sale homes jumped, creating a more active real estate market than in recent years— at least for buyers who could afford to enter it, end-of-the-year data shows. The...

Orlando hotel occupancy dips in 2024, influenced by inflation, inventory, Epic Universe

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/31 5:07A Dewayne Bevil

Orlando’s hotel occupancy was down for the bulk of 2024, as it added more hotel rooms and attracted fewer visitors. More of the Orlando area s 130,000 rooms were booked in the final three months of...

Winter Park Police to start new program aimed at helping homeless

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 1/31 3:42A Beth Kassab | Winter Park Voice

This story is part of a collaborative initiative of independent local news outlets working towards a more informed and engaged Central Florida. This story was produced by the Winter Park Voice. Winter Park will launch a new program on Monday...