Orlando

Orange County Building Division Fast Tracks Habitat Homes with Speedy Permitting

Published

8 years ago

March 13, 2018

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando recently partnered with five builders to build five homes for future Habitat homeowners in just five days. The annual “Builders Blitz” was held the week of Feb. 5 to provide families affordable homes at the new Arbor Bend subdivision in South Apopka.

In order to accomplish such a feat, the non-profit required more than 100 inspections to be complete before the five-day deadline. Each home usually has more than 20 inspection requirements – including various building, plumbing, mechanical and electrical permits.

Permitting and inspections for a home usually takes three to five months. Habitat Greater Orlando’s goal was to complete the project in only five days.

The Orange County Building and Safety Division stepped up to the challenge to help Habitat Greater Orlando. The permitting and plans review teams assessed and issued permits to ensure that all deadlines would be met. The Division’s inspectors were also on-site during the project to certify that the Habitat Greater Orlando homes’ construction were up to all specs and codes.

“There is no way we could have been able to build these affordable homes without the tremendous and tireless efforts of the inspectors at the Orange County Building Safety Division,” said Leigh Newton, Senior Director of Construction & Real Estate for Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando. “Inspectors were available around the clock and stayed late to make sure that once the drywall was up, the inspection could be done and the HVAC could be installed, so it could be a seamless process. We are so thankful for all their assistance.”

The homes are part of Arbor Bend, Habitat for Humanity of Greater Orlando’s third planned community in the Orlando area, which will feature 34 homes upon its completion in 2019. The single-family homes will range from three to five bedrooms.

Orange County is utilizing $724,000 of INVEST funds for construction activities related to the site development of Arbor Bend as part of Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs’ commitment to affordable housing initiatives.

Known as INVEST in Our Home for Life, Mayor Jacobs’ $300-million-investment program provides for affordable housing, public safety, infrastructure, parks, pedestrian safety, road construction and transportation improvements — all without raising taxes.

“This neighborhood will do so much more than provide homes to families in need of an affordable place to live,” Mayor Jacobs said. “It will restore hope, bring stability to the families and have a positive ripple effect on the entire community.”

During the weeklong event, professional builders and subcontractors all came together to donate building materials, supplies and hours of labor to help change the lives of five Orange County families who will call Arbor Bend home.

“We were happy to help with the expedited permitting process to ensure that the permitting and inspections were done in a high-quality manner and up to par to meet the deadline,” said Orange County Building Official Shane Gerwig. “Habitat helps bring our residents more affordable housing and we are glad to come together to make the dream of homeownership a reality for more Orange County families.”

Related Topics:Habitat Homes Orange County Government

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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.