Orlando

Charlie Crist Holds ‘Say Gay’ Round Table with Jim Obergefell, LGBTQ+ Community Leaders

Published

3 years ago

March 24, 2022

(l-r) Congressman and Florida gubernatorial candidate Charlie Crist, State Rep. Anna Eskamani, Winter Park High School student and LGBTQ+ activist Will Larkin, and State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith spoke at UCF Tuesday slamming the "Don't Say Gay" bill and answer students' questions. Photo: Crist for Florida campaign.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Following the Florida Legislature’s passage of “Don’t Say Gay,” Charlie Crist held a “Say Gay” Roundtable with University of Central Florida students and LGBTQ+ activists, including, Jim Obergefell, lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case that enabled same-sex couples to marry.

Along with Obergefell, Charlie was joined by Rep. Anna Eskamani, Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith, Florida’s first LGBTQ+ Latino legislator and Central Florida Outreach Coordinator for Equality Florida, and Will Larkin, the Winter Park High School student who led the school’s “Don’t Say Gay” walkout.

“‘Don’t Say Gay’ is a heinous piece of legislation that silences teachers in their own classrooms and takes away the safe spaces of millions of LGBTQ+ students who may have no where else to turn,” said Charlie Crist. “It’s wrong. It’s unconscionable. And it’s hurting Florida’s students, teachers, and LGBTQ+ community. ‘Don’t Say Gay’ does not belong in Florida’s schools.”

“Gay Gay Gay. This bill is terrible, hateful, harmful, and creates a hostile environment for teachers, for students, for full staff and that’s the last thing lawmakers should do. As lawmakers we should be fighting to protect people. We don’t do that by making it illegal to acknowledge that queer people exist,” said Jim Obergefell.

“This legislative session, in the year 2022, I found myself in a state of disbelief that in these modern times we were still fighting against and protesting against homophobia and transphobia,” said Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith.

“This bill is really scary, and not just from a legislative standpoint on what it would do to schools, but the rhetoric it’s been spreading is really frightening. It writes into law a decades old stereotype that LGBTQ+ people are groomers and that puts queer people in danger,” said Will Larkin.

Florida National News live streamed the entire panel. To catch our livestream, just click play on the video above.

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

7 days ago

March 9, 2025

Mike Brodsky

Russell Henley wins the 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Russell Henley wins his first red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. This is Henley’s fifth win on the PGA Tour.

Russell Henley is greeted by his family on the 18th green after winning the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

Henley finished at 11 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 70 today. Collin Morikawa finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Scottie Scheffler, finished today at 4 under par, tied for 11th place.

Scottie Scheffler tees off at the Arnold Palmer Invitational (Photo Credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.

NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Published

5 months ago

October 30, 2024

Mike Brodsky

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

Former UCF football players Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant have partnered with GMTM to launch their Search for Greatness Combine at UCF on Saturday, November 9th. They’re giving local athletes a chance to showcase their talents and explore new sports opportunities. Griffin will be inducted into the UCF Hall of Fame on Saturday, November 2nd, during halftime of the Arizona vs. UCF football game. He is remembered for his tenacity, setting an NFL Combine record with the fastest 40-yard dash by a linebacker, and playing four seasons in the NFL, overcoming the challenge of only having one hand. He is now training to make the USA Paralympic Track and Field Team and hopes to compete in the 2028 Olympics. Joey Grant, the co-founder and CEO of GMTM, is a former UCF team captain, playing mostly Center for the Knights from 2011-2015.

Participation at the upcoming combine is free and invite-only, targeting athletes over the age of 18. To be considered, athletes must submit a highlight video via GMTM’s platform, showcasing their athleticism. GMTM will evaluate submissions and invite the most promising athletes to participate in the combine. The goal for this year’s event is to get 1,000 athletes to submit videos and be part of the combine process. Athletes chosen will receive personalized invites with further instructions, including event time slots and details. The athletes will be evaluated for their key athletic traits, to identify opportunities for them across multiple Olympic sports or professional sports programs. To learn more, or to apply for the combine, visit: https://gmtm.com/articles/the-search-for-greatness-at-ucf-with-shaquem-griffin-what-you-need-to-know.

Florida National News spoke with Shaquem and Joey about the combine, college football in the era of NIL and the transfer portal, and Griffin’s hall of fame induction. You can watch the full interview here:

Shaquem Griffin and Joey Grant interview

Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com and www.FloridaSportsChannel.com for more.

Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year ago

March 10, 2024

Mike Brodsky

Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN Sports) – Scottie Scheffler wins his second red cardigan at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, today, along with $4 million of the $20 million prize pool. The red cardigan was first awarded in 2017, in memory of Arnold Palmer who passed the year before. Scheffler first won the API in 2022.

Scottie Scheffler wins the Arnold Palmer Invitational. (Photo credit: Mike Brodsky, Florida National News)

The number one ranked golfer in the world, Scheffler finished at 15 under par for the four day tournament, carding a 66 today. Wyndham Clark finished in second place at 10 under par. API defending champion, Kurt Kitayama, did not make the cut, this weekend, finishing 7 over par after the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday.

This coming week, the top golfers head to TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, for the 50th anniversary of The Players Championship. The winner will walk away with $4.5 million of the $25 million up for grabs. This is the PGA Tour’s largest regular season purse. Stay tuned to www.FloridaNationalNews.com for more.