A quasi-judicial hearing will take place tomorrow morning as residents continue to fight against a developer attack on wetlands and protected species habitat that are part of the Wekiva River Basin. A plan by City Hall insiders calls for wiping out more than one hundred acres of pristine and virtually untouched… [read more]
UPDATE: The Orlando Municipal Planning Board approved both high-rise proposals on July 21, 2015 despite opposition from local residents at the hearing. There does not seem to be a high-rise development the City of Orlando will not approve right now, as mixed-use developments continue to be on the rise in… [read more]
Lawanna Gelzer, President of the NAN Central Florida Chapter, was featured on an Environmental Justice panel discussion, titled Killing US Softly: Environmental Threats To Our Future, during the three-day national convention in New York City earlier this month. Gelzer shed a little sunshine on the environmental concerns in downtown Orlando and Parramore… [read more]
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will use loaned money to demolish historic Tinker Field, pushing the city deeper into debt, after all other funding sources were ruled out. The mayor’s actions highlight the larger cost residents will pay in addition to losing a piece of history. Dyer’s planned demolition will cost $309,500… [read more]
Major local environmental issues including the Parramore contamination and Orlando brownfields will be discussed on an official panel at the 2015 National Action Network conference in New York City. Lawanna Gelzer, President of the NAN Central Florida Chapter, has been invited to join an Environmental Justice panel discussion, titled Killing US Softly:… [read more]
The division and further destruction of the Parramore community was outlined visually for the first time in an official map during a presentation by Project DTO at City Hall, an appointed committee of Mayor Buddy Dyer. The map further illustrates the gentrification efforts of Mayor Dyer and the City of Orlando… [read more]
As the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts continues celebrating its grand opening, it’s not hard to notice the project construction is not complete. The venue officially opened on November 6th, although the funding problems that have plagued the downtown venue also persist as construction extends. The Round Building’s slow, ongoing… [read more]
New development continues all around downtown Orlando and it appears a hotel boom is in full force. Construction is showing that developers and city leaders have no problem encroaching right up on existing businesses (or churches as the new plans for an MLS soccer stadium prove). Marriott is building a… [read more]
The Nap Ford Charter School received a big fat “F” from the state of Florida. The grades were released in the 2013-2014 School Accountability Reports from the Florida Department of Education. The Nap Ford Charter School actually ranks among the lowest performing elementary schools in the state, despite constant praise and financial… [read more]
Buddy Dyer’s “Creative Village” remains vacant, with the project’s developer admitting that the site would never end up like the proposed renderings and that they are having problems finding potential tenants. But Dyer is busy attempting to lure the University of Central Florida to expand its downtown presence more than 30… [read more]