Orlando

Orange County and City of Orlando Welcome Foreign Diplomats with Experience Florida 2019

Published

7 years ago

April 3, 2019

ORLANDO, Fla. – Orange County and the City of Orlando are honored to welcome representatives from 31 different foreign missions, as part of Experience Florida. Experience Florida is a four-day program for participants to network and strengthen economic, commercial, scientific and cultural relations between the countries they represent and Florida. The foreign diplomats will be provided the opportunity to visit and tour large area employers, local governments, economic development agencies in the areas of science, technology, environment, health, education, business development, and law enforcement.

Specifically, participants will visit the University of Central Florida Campus (UCF) and the College of Engineering, Orlando Health Orlando Regional Medical Center and the Orlando Health UF Health Cancer Center; as well as Universal Orlando with a presentation on Universal’s STEM programs. The event will be kicked off with a welcome reception at Universal’s Royal Pacific Hotel where notable attendees will be on-hand to welcome these esteemed diplomats. Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings is scheduled to speak at the reception.

Through the support and guidance of the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Foreign Missions and Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the Experience Florida program is in its third year, after successful events in May 2016 in Indian River County and the Port of Palm Beach in 2017.

Participating foreign diplomats will foster connections with representatives from the state and as a result, provide better support to their citizens living in or visiting Florida. Participants will also learn about regional business development opportunities, law enforcement capabilities and emergency management through the program, which provides for a mutual exchange and dialogue on policing, training, and technology in today’s rapidly changing environment.

Representatives from Iceland, Monaco, Germany, Turkey, the Bahamas, Canada, Chile, Belgium, Nigeria, France, Uruguay, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Mexico, Taiwan, Switzerland, Colombia, Brazil, Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, St. Lucia, Spain, Grenada, India, Austria, the Netherlands, Haiti, the Czech Republic, Peru, and Japan attended the event. In addition to the aforementioned locations, the participants will also visit the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, the Sheriff’s Emergency Operations Center, the Orlando Economic Partnership, Orlando City Hall, Orlando International Airport (MCO), and Disney World’s Emergency Operations Center and Disney Springs.

WHAT: Kick off Reception for Experience Florida event

WHEN: April 9, 2019 | 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m.

WHERE: Universal Lowe’s Royal Pacific Resort | 6300 Hollywood Way, Orlando, FL 32819

WHO: Orange County Government and City of Orlando to host 31 different foreign missions in partnership with the U.S. Department of State’s Office of Foreign Missions and Bureau of Diplomatic Security. Regional elected officials expected to attend.

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

Published

1 year 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

2 years 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

2 years 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.