The controversial Orlando case involving Noel Carter ended today with a sense of some justice, as Carter was able to walk freely out of the courthouse after the judge withheld adjudication. Most importantly, Carter will not be a convicted felon. Florida Statute vests judges with the authority to withhold...
UPDATE: A federal jury awarded Refus Holloway $15,500 after he was kicked and punched by an Orlando police officer while being handcuffed in the Parramore community. Despite the negative narrative about the historic African-American neighborhood pushed by Orlando police at trial, after two days of deliberation, the jury ruled...
UPDATE: Noel Carter was found guilty of 2 of 4 charges, including battery on a law enforcement officer. Sentencing will be September 26th. Carter is currently out on bond.
Noel Carter is an educated, successful member of the community who found himself in downtown Orlando as a tourist on a...
In order to provide an update on the progress of the investigation into the Pulse nightclub shooting, the FBI released an excerpt from the timeline of events inside the Pulse nightclub during the early morning hours of Sunday, June 12, 2016. Out of respect for the victims of this...
Orlando is a resilient community. We are Orlando Strong.
The community response to the attack on Pulse, the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, has been incredible. Orlando is showing its love (#OrlandoLove) and it is showing its strength (#OrlandoStrong).
Central Florida’s tourism industry is also not likely to suffer as...
According to multiple reports, the Orlando terrorist shooter who attacked the LGBT nightclub Pulse, resulting in the worst mass shooting in U.S. history, was gay.
A former classmate of Orlando shooter Omar Mateen’s 2006 police academy class said he believed Mateen was gay, saying Mateen once asked him out. WFTV...
Omar Mir Seddique Mateen has been named as the gunman who killed at least 50 people and wounded 53 others at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando. The massacre is now the worst mass shooting in U.S. history.
Mateen was later killed by police after taking hostages at the LGBT club....
The violence in Orlando continues to spiral out of control. Orlando residents are shocked waking up to hear about another shooting in Orlando this morning. There are already daily reports of shootings and "The Voice" singer Christina Grimmie was shot and killed by a gunman at The Plaza Live...
Our community, Parramore, has and continues to be a story of tradition, pride and cohesion. Throughout our community’s history we have suffered, yet persevered, through oppression, subjugation and institutional racism. Indeed, since its inception, our beloved Parramore and her people were seen as bottom feeders meant to serve and...
by Ezell Harris Jr., Director of Floridians Monitoring Law Enforcement (FMLE)
As I prepare to move out of Orlando/Orange County after 22 years of residing here, I am confident that with the ever-growing crime wave among unemployed young black males and the irrational thinking of our local elected officials, we "can" and will hit...
A damning letter sent by the Orlando Citizens' Police Review Board is putting new pressure on the Orlando Police Department as well as Mayor Buddy Dyer over ongoing problems of excessive force in addition to the city's failure to properly investigate its own and provide answers to the public. In the scathing letter...
There is a lot of rhetoric and misinformation circulating around Orlando as the City Council prepares to decriminalize marijuana possession. One local organization even jumped out immediately claiming a "social justice victory" and labeling the proposed ordinance as one of the top reform issues "most affecting local families." But...
There is outrage spreading across downtown Orlando today as the City announced six Cygnets, or baby swans, from Lake Eola Park were stolen from their nest last night. The baby swans were reportedly only 1 day old and their mother was heard crying near her nest.
"Some scumbag stole six...
The City of Orlando is looking to follow the lead other Florida cities have taken to decriminalize the possession of marijuana under 20 grams, proposing a civil citation instead of arrest. Yes, Orlando is finally joining a wave sweeping the state and country on this issue.
According to city officials,...
The ruthlessness with which Buddy Dyer has built downtown Orlando has been utterly breathtaking.
Glistening and gleaming, the city's skyline reveals its future like a prophesy, bearing the signature of its greatest manipulator yet, the Honorable John Hugh "Buddy" Dyer.
Orlando's 32nd mayor has not wasted time.
In 13 years, he has recreated...
In a total affront to the Orlando Police Department and Mayor Buddy Dyer's administration, the Citizens' Police Review Board voted unanimously to reject the internal affairs recommendation to exonerate Officer James Wilson for excessive force. In fact, Chair Henry Lim even said Officer Wilson should have been charged with...
According to records obtained from City Hall, Orlando Commissioner Regina Hill enjoyed an expensive 5-day trip to Washington DC last month, all charged to her taxpayer-funded expense account. Commissioner Hill justified her five days of city-paid travel by claiming she needed to attend the 2016 Congressional City Conference, in...
Citing the safety of employees and guests, Universal Orlando Resorts continues to add security to its Orlando parks, even backstage. Metal detectors and a large increase in security employees are now noticeable security enhancements for guests arriving to the parks, but there are changes for Universal employees as well.
Universal...
This week, Mayor Buddy Dyer's office responded to questions about whether he supports decriminalizing marijuana possession and if he would be open to approving a ordinance for the City of Orlando similar to what Tampa just did. After hearing back from Dyer's press secretary, all City Commissioners were asked...
Tampa has officially decriminalized the possession of small amounts of marijuana. This week, Mayor Bob Buckhorn signed an ordinance, which was approved by the City Council on a 5 to 1 vote, allowing Tampa police officers to issue a civil fine for people caught with up to 20 grams...
According to documents filed in bankruptcy court, Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill shockingly admits that the home she owns at 1790 Baywood Avenue, which is located outside of the city limits and facing foreclosure, is her “primary home.” In Hill’s voluntary petition for individuals filing for bankruptcy, Official Form 101, the Commissioner...
Orlando City Soccer has made several adjustments to the design plans for the new Major League Soccer stadium proposed for downtown after the Appearance Review Board deferred a decision last fall. Since the November deferral, the ARB staff worked with the team on design plans for the Church Street stadium and several...
So everyone's taking about this year's Zora Festival.
Last weekend, the Association for the Preservation of the Eatonville Community, (PEC) successfully produced the 27th Zora Neale Hurston Festival of the Humanities in Eatonville, Florida
A nine day, myriad of events that included it's first ever live streaming event in partnership with...
Maitland, Florida – January 24, 2016 -The 27th annual Zora Neale Hurston™Festival of the Arts and Humanities (ZORA! ™ Festival) officially kicked off with Dinner “Inspired by Zora,” a buffet-style feast based on the book Zora Neale Hurston on Florida Food by highly regarded author, food anthropologist and Babson...
This month, the troubled house owned by Orlando City Commissioner Regina Hill will be sold at auction per a new court order issued just days before Christmas. On December 22nd, the Ninth Judicial Circuit court issued a notice of foreclosure against Hill in an ongoing case. The Commissioner told media...
