The future doesn’t look good for local history in Orlando. As the Tinker Field controversy continues, it looks like Bob Carr Performing Arts Center — or the old Orlando Municipal Auditorium — is also on Buddy Dyer’s chopping block. According to the City of Orlando’s Creative Village Master Development Plan,… [read more]
Take a look at Orlando’s historic Tinker Field re-imagined as a VIP parking lot for the Citrus Bowl. In this rendering from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer’s “Community Venues Master Plan: Phase 3” from 2006, residents get a glance of how the city will remember 100 years of local history.
Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs did it again – stealing the show, flipping the issues and winning the day at the County Commission meeting this week. It’s no surprise that Mayor Jacobs quickly sent out a “Special Edition” Orange County Connect email where she began her victory lap. At the… [read more]
The NY Times ran a great piece about how major US cities are mobilizing to help residents threatened by gentrification, balancing their redevelopment and growth with important protections. Initiatives are focusing on reducing or freezing property taxes for local homeowners so they are not forced out by development, creating more neighborhood… [read more]
UPDATE: Tanjila Lippett, mother of Karvas Gamble, Details Orlando Police Shooting That Killed Her Son (VIDEO) It’s happening again. The Orlando Police Department is facing a new lawsuit as the Florida Civil Rights Association announced the Notice to Sue over the shooting death of Karvas Gamble, Jr. The police-involved shooting was a… [read more]
Yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech at historic Tinker Field during King’s only visit to Orlando. I was proud to go down to Tinker Field to remember the moment. The West Orlando News coverage is a must-read, including quotes from Dr. Charlie Jean Salter who… [read more]
Is Dyer’s secret Venues debt more than just a problem for local taxpayers and future budgets? It appears that Buddy Dyer has violated the Florida Constitution with these secret debt loans and the entire Venues Agreement could now be in jeopardy as well. The financial house of cards in Orlando… [read more]
As I was looking into state funding sources connected to the Citrus Bowl renovations as a way to possibly stop or delay the destruction of historic Tinker Field, I happened to find some very concerning details of Buddy Dyer’s secret debt connected to the Orlando Venues projects. In fact, to… [read more]
I’m not sure how comforting it must be for Orange County taxpayers to learn that Tax Collector Scott Randolph is using some fuzzy math, with wrong numbers that simply don’t add up. In a newly recovered record that Randolph presented to the Board of County Commissioners, it appears he is… [read more]
If you love Orlando history, beware of Commissioner Robert Stuart’s status quo idea for Tinker Field. It is nothing more than a nicely worded version of Buddy Dyer’s destruction plan. After expressing a desire to help come up with a solution at the Jan. 27th City Council meeting, Commissioner Stuart wrote… [read more]