Orange County

County Comptroller Phil Diamond said tourist development tax collections for September were more than $24 million, a 48.6 percent increase over the same period in 2021.

The move comes just months after the district pulled the book from classrooms and libraries.

Epidemiologist Elena Cyrus echoes other experts in saying recent COVID numbers are no where near previous surges and the dominant variant is less severe than previous ones.

Democratic lawmakers say the dissolution of the Reedy Creek Improvement District will be increased taxes for residents of Orange and Osceola Counties.

Dr. Raul Pino, who biecame a trusted info source for Orange County during the COVID pandemic but was put on leave during a state investigation in an email he sent, has accepted a position as director of the county's Health Services.

Six men in the county have been diagnosed with meningitis this year, and three men in their 30s have died from the illness. It's the most cases the area has seen in five years.

A panel of the 5th District Court of Appeal upheld an Orange County circuit judge’s dismissal of a lawsuit in which bars sought damages for what is known as “inverse condemnation.”

The Florida Department of Health placed Dr. Raul Pino on leave in January after he sent an email to his staff citing its low COVID-19 vaccine rates and encouraging employees to get the shot.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings says he’s hopeful that county medical director Dr. Raul Pino will soon return to work.

In the email to his staff, Dr. Raul Pino wrote: “I have a hard time understanding how we can be in public health and not practice it.” The state is working to determine whether any law was broken.

A week ago, Mayor Jerry Demings said Gov. Ron DeSantis was missing in action as COVID case numbers shot up in the state. The governor said he was with his wife as she underwent cancer treatment.

Orange County leaders plan to open a third testing site ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations. Meantime, Mayor Jerry Demings says Floridians should be outraged.