Orlando

Orange County Mayor-Elect Jerry L. Demings Announces Four Key Staff Appointments

Published

7 years ago

December 3, 2018

Orange County, Fla. – Today, Orange County Mayor-elect Jerry L. Demings announced four key staff appointments to his new administration. The appointments include:

Byron W. Brooks, A.I.C.P., County Administrator: Previous work: For the past 13 years, he has served as Chief Administrative Officer with the City of Orlando, where he oversees all departments and 3,600 employees as well as an operating budget of $1.3 billion. He has more than 32 years of experience in the public sector. Other positions of note: Orange County Deputy County Administrator, serving Orange County Government for 14 years; Executive Director of LYNX; Education: M.A., Clemson University; B.A., Furman University.

Roseann Harrington, Chief of Staff: Previous work: Vice President of Marketing, Communications and Community Relations at the Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC). She joined OUC in 1986 and has been responsible for all internal and external corporate relations including: communications, media relations, marketing, customer education, advertising, community relations, stakeholder engagement, employee involvement, e-commerce and economic development. Education: M.B.A., Rollins College; B.A., Loyola University.

Carol Burkett, Deputy Chief of Staff: Previous work: For the past 13 years, she has served as Director of Orange County’s Drug Free Coalition and worked as the staff liaison for drug-related task forces and coordinates other special projects for the county. She has worked for state and local government for a total of 24 years. Other positions of note: Assistant to the Public Safety Director for Orange County; Interim Manager of Public Safety Communications for Orange County. Education: B.S., East Tennessee State University.

Jeff Williamson, Communications Manager: Previous work: Since 2010, he has served as Public Information Officer and Spokesman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, and has more than 22 years of professional experience in communications. Other positions of note: Williamson worked as an award-winning broadcast news journalist in various markets including WJHG-TV, Panama City Beach, SNN; the New York Times Cable News Station in Sarasota; and WVLT-TV in Knoxville, TN. Education: Ph.D., sociology from the University of Central Florida; M.A., New York University; B.A., Oakwood University.

“I am pleased to make these key staff member appointments and have the utmost confidence in this dynamic team’s abilities,” said Mayor-elect Demings. “All of these talented individuals are outstanding veterans of prior public service and will be an asset to the leadership of Orange County Government and to the more than 1.3 million residents of Orange County who we serve.”

As Orange County Mayor-elect, Demings will oversee a budget of $4.4 billion and more than 7,500 employees. Orange County is the fifth-largest county in Florida in terms of population.

Mayor-elect Demings will be sworn in as the first African-American Orange County Mayor on Dec. 4, 2018. The Orlando native is no stranger to trailblazing as he served as Orlando’s first African-American Police Chief, the first African-American Director of Public Safety in Orange County and was elected the first African-American Sheriff and Constitutional Officer in the history of Orange County. For more information about the 2018 Oath of Office, visit www.ocfl.net/oath.

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.