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Hunger, Hospitality and Trafficking Dominate Orange County Board Meeting

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FILE - Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings listens intently during the public comment portion of Tuesday's Board of County Commissioners meeting. File photo: Leyton Blackwell/Florida National News.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – The Orange County Board of County Commissioners saw hunger, hospitality and human trafficking as the main conversation during its August 20th meeting.

The board signed a proclamation to recognize September as Hunger Action month. The board also gave an award to representatives from the Recycling Improvement Program.

In the public comments, 24 speakers signed up to speak, the vast majority coming from two organizations; Organize Florida and the hospitality worker’s union.

Organize Florida and the hospitality workers union had the same concerns to bring up to the board. These concerns were all about the new Universal Studios park that is set to be built. The two organizations want the Board of County Commissioners to not give Universal millions of dollars to build the park unless there is an agreement between the County and Universal to guarantee good jobs for the people of the area that the park is going to be located in. People from both organizations also brought up their concerns about the increase in housing and rent prices in the neighborhoods that are going to be by the new theme park.

A resident from Organize Florida brings up her concerns about the new Universal Studios park. Photo: Leyton Blackwell/Florida National News.

A resident from Organize Florida brings up her concerns about the new Universal Studios park. Photo: Leyton Blackwell/Florida National News.

Following public comment, the legislative affairs official shared the upcoming 2020 legislation session details with the board and audience. The board shared with residents in the audience which bills they supported for the upcoming session and which ones they opposed.

Director Ronald Stucker of the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation then talked to the board and residents about what the Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation is and what they do. He talked about the crime areas the Bureau focused on: large national and international crime that happens in Central Florida, including drug trafficking and human trafficking. Director Stucker showed pictures of some of the operations to end drug trafficking and human trafficking in the area, and told stories about the criminals and victims of these crimes, which captivated the board and residents in the audience.

The next meeting of the Orange County Board of Commissioners is set to take place on September 10, 2019.

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Leyton Blackwell is a contributing photojournalist for Florida National News. | info@floridanationalnews.com

Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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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.

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NFL

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

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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.

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Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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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.

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