The Latest Breaking News from Central Florida

Charles H. Bronson State Forest is a hidden gem in Central Florida

It was a quiet morning as dawn was breaking over the horizon, sunlight just barely peeking through the clouds when I pulled up to one of my favorite sights: an empty trailhead.

Tribune News Service · Apr 17, 2023

As Central Florida gun violence escalates, pediatricians call for public health over politics

ORLANDO, Fla. — In the span of a little over a month, Central Florida has been left reeling by a spate of several gruesome gun deaths, many of them young children.

Orlando Sentinel · Apr 8, 2023

Florida’s brutal drought worsens; Orlando has hottest start to year on record

ORLANDO, Fla. — With less than 2 inches of rain this year, Orlando is enduring its second driest stretch from Jan. 1 to April 5 since the late 1800s and also its hottest on record for that period.

Orlando Sentinel · Apr 6, 2023

South Florida mayors back bid to dissolve travel visa backlog

More than a half dozen South and Central Florida mayors have hopped aboard a national travel industry campaign to persuade the U.S. State Department to speed up visa application interviews abroad for international travelers.

Tribune News Service · Feb 21, 2023

Legoland parks reach Certified Autism Center status

As of next month, all Legoland resorts in North America — from Central Florida to Southern California and over to upstate New York — will be Certified Autism Centers.

Orlando Sentinel · Feb 13, 2023

Florida’s struggle to teach Black history has become a battle over who controls the past

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — For 71 years, the survivors of Rosewood controlled their history. They guardedly discussed their stories only at family gatherings, haunted by the threat of retaliation in their rural Central Florida communities.

Tribune News Service · Feb 9, 2023

Florida counties tally Hurricane Ian costs to recoup millions from FEMA

ORLANDO, Fla. — Four months after Hurricane Ian plowed through the state, Central Florida governments continue tallying the costs and assembling reports for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, hoping to recoup a chunk of the tens of millions of dollars spent on getting rid of debris, evacuating residents from flooded…

Orlando Sentinel · Jan 27, 2023

Puerto Ricans fleeing to Florida

The state's affordable housing crisis has made it almost impossible for storm victims to get back on their feet

Salon · Dec 16, 2022

Mulling the merch, from Disney ears to Earl the Squirrel's jaws

ORLANDO, Fla. — If you've got shopping on the brain — and who doesn't this time of year? — Central Florida attractions are basically enablers for you. But let’s not go crazy. We can just browse a while as a Disney executive talks about what’s hot (How can Crocs still…

Orlando Sentinel · Dec 5, 2022

‘Strange World’ animator inspired by Disney World attraction

ORLANDO, Fla. — Like many kids who grew up in Central Florida, Michael Woodside had an annual pass to Walt Disney World. But little did he know that his family’s frequent visits to the theme parks would lead him out of this galaxy and to a “Strange World” as part…

Orlando Sentinel · Nov 22, 2022