The nine-day celebration benefits the Orlando Museum of Art and its educational programs.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Festival of Trees will return to the Orlando Museum of Art Nov. 14–22, celebrating its 40th anniversary with designer-decorated trees, visits with Santa, holiday workshops and evening parties.

Presented by the Council of 101, with AdventHealth as platinum presenting sponsor, this year’s festival carries the theme “Forty Seasons of Joy.” Its design inspiration comes from the ruby, a traditional symbol of a 40th anniversary.

The museum will feature more than 50 designer-decorated trees, along with wreaths, tablescapes, holiday vignettes, a Gingerbread Village and a Holiday Boutique, according to organizers.

“Whether you’re bringing the children to meet Santa, gathering friends for a festive night out or finding inspiration for your own holiday decorating, there’s a way to make the season your own at Festival of Trees,” said Elizabeth Benoist, president of the Council of 101.

Hours, Tickets and Museum Support

The festival will be open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Nutcracker Café will operate from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

General admission costs $23 for adults and $15 for children ages 3–12. Seniors, active-duty and retired military personnel, first responders and educators qualify for $15 admission with valid identification.

Guests can purchase designer trees, wreaths and gingerbread creations, enter drawings for tabletop displays and participate in a silent auction. Proceeds support the museum and its educational and lifelong-learning programs.

“We’re excited to welcome guests back for another memorable celebration that supports the Orlando Museum of Art and the important role it plays in enriching our community through art and education,” Benoist said.

Santa Breakfasts and Family Celebrations

Breakfast with Santa returns Nov. 14, 15 and 21 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Families can reserve tables for four, six, eight or 10 guests, with prices ranging from $185 to $460.

The breakfasts include a hot meal, crafts, face painting, photos with Santa, balloon artists and early access to the festival.

The Reindeer Romp Children’s Holiday Party takes place Nov. 20 from 6:30 to 9 p.m., with VIP admission beginning at 5:30 p.m. Activities include photos with Santa, story time with Mrs. Claus, face painting, holiday sing-alongs and reindeer stilt walkers.

Tickets cost $35 per adult or child of any age, or $40 for VIP admission. Dinner will be available for purchase at the café.

Holiday Parties and Evening Events

The celebration begins before the public opening with the Opening Night “TreeView” Party on Nov. 13 from 7 to 10 p.m. The evening includes entertainment, food offerings and a ceremonial tree lighting. Guests receive a welcome glass of sparkling wine and two drink tickets; a cash bar will also be available.

Other evening events include:

Decorating, Beauty and Entertaining Workshops

The festival’s workshops offer ideas guests can bring into their own holiday celebrations.

The makeup workshop is limited to 25 guests, who should bring a hand or stand mirror. Participants in Baubles & Branches may bring their own ribbon or use materials provided.

Special-event tickets are priced separately from general admission and include festival admission, according to organizers.

Special Days Honor Seniors and Community Heroes

Salute to Seniors takes place Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., offering guests ages 60 and older $15 admission and special entertainment.

Heroes Day, scheduled for Nov. 22 during the same hours, offers $15 admission with valid identification to active-duty and retired military personnel, first responders and educators.

New Café Operator Supports Hunger Relief

Plate Above Catering, a catering company of Second Harvest Food Bank of Central Florida, will operate The Nutcracker Café this year.

Organizers said the partnership connects the festival’s support for arts education with local hunger relief efforts.

Tickets, special-event details and updates are available at councilof101.org. Follow @FestivalofTreesOrlando on Facebook and @councilof101oma on Instagram.

Separate $250,000 state appropriation will help launch a dual enrollment nursing program.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (FNN) — Bethune-Cookman University’s College of Nursing and Health Sciences has secured nearly $5.2 million in federal funding from the Health Resources and Services Administration, marking the university’s first funding award from the agency, according to B-CU.

Separately, a $250,000 appropriation from the state of Florida will help launch the university’s new dual enrollment nursing program.

Bethune-Cookman Secures Nearly $5.2 Million in Federal Health Funding

First HRSA Funding for B-CU

The university described the federal award as a first for the institution. The information provided identifies the College of Nursing and Health Sciences as the recipient but does not specify the award’s programs, spending timeline or anticipated number of participants.

Bethune-Cookman Secures Nearly $5.2 Million in Federal Health Funding

State Funding Supports Nursing Program

The state appropriation will support the launch of B-CU’s dual enrollment nursing program. It is separate from the nearly $5.2 million in federal funding.

Endorsements and community visits highlight the competition for Black support, while advertising purchases remain an unanswered question.

ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN) — Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly are courting Black voters through endorsements, community appearances and organizing efforts, but how much their political operations are spending with Black-owned media remains unverified in the reporting reviewed for this article.

Donalds has secured support from Eatonville Vice Mayor Angela Thomas and Gainesville City Commissioner Cynthia Moore Chestnut, a longtime Democrat. Jolly has assembled a statewide coalition of Black elected officials, religious leaders and policy advisers ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

The endorsements show how individual leaders are approaching the governor’s race. Advertising records would help answer a separate question: How much business are the political operations seeking Black votes directing to Black-owned publishers and broadcasters?

Donalds Gains Endorsements

Thomas endorsed Donalds on Oct. 19, the same day Jolly visited Eatonville for a get-out-the-vote event, according to News 6.

“I am honored to have Vice Mayor Angela Thomas’s support,” Donalds wrote in the Facebook statement announcing her endorsement.

“Eatonville’s story of self-governance is one of the proudest in Florida’s history, and her leadership carries that legacy forward today.”

Donalds connected her support to his message about individual freedom and local decision-making.

“That’s the kind of trust in communities I’ll bring to Tallahassee — letting Floridians run their own lives, not Tallahassee,” he wrote.

Chestnut’s endorsement brought a prominent Black Democratic voice into Donalds’ camp. In a statement published by WCJB, she acknowledged policy disagreements with him while defending her decision to cross party lines.

“I want to see a Black governor of Florida in my lifetime,” Chestnut said.

She also encouraged voters to question Donalds directly about public education, property taxes, voting rights and economic opportunity.

Donalds would become Florida’s first Black governor if elected. Support from individual officials, however, does not establish a statewide shift among Black voters.

Jolly Builds a Black Leadership Coalition

Jolly’s campaign announced a Black leadership coalition Sept. 10 that includes former Jacksonville Mayor Alvin Brown, state Sens. Shevrin Jones and Tracie Davis, former state Sen. Arthenia Joyner and Pinellas County Commissioner Rene Flowers.

The campaign said the group would organize voters, help develop policy and expand community engagement. Jolly’s announced commitments include establishing an office of civil rights, supporting voting rights legislation and opposing restrictions targeting the teaching of Black history.

During his Eatonville visit, Jolly emphasized his responsibility to reach communities throughout Florida.

“Part of running for governor is representing every community across the state,” he told News 6.

A former Republican congressman who later became an independent before joining the Democratic Party, Jolly has made homeowners insurance reform, access to primary health care and public education central campaign issues.

Following the Advertising Dollars

Both political operations have announced substantial advertising efforts.

Florida Politics reported that Friends of Byron Donalds announced a $20 million statewide advertising buy ahead of the August primary. The publication separately reported that Jolly launched a multimillion-dollar statewide advertising effort in September. The announcements cover different periods and political entities and cannot be treated as equivalent spending totals.

Those announcements do not provide a complete accounting of purchases from Black-owned media.

Advertisements aimed at Black voters can run through companies with different ownership structures. Reaching a Black audience does not necessarily mean a campaign purchased advertising from a Black-owned business.

A comparable accounting would identify which Black-owned outlets received payments, how much they received and when. It would include purchases placed through agencies and separate candidate spending from political committee spending.

Without those figures, the available reporting does not establish whether either operation’s investment falls short of a stated commitment or other defined benchmark.

Florida’s Black Media Network

Florida’s established Black press includes The Miami Times in South Florida, the statewide Florida Courier, Daytona Times, The Florida Star in Jacksonville, Florida Sentinel Bulletin in Tampa and The Weekly Challenger in St. Petersburg and Pinellas County.

These publications illustrate the geographic reach of the state’s Black press. Their inclusion is not an audience ranking or a finding that they received advertising from either political operation.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association describes the Black press as a source of community news, information and commentary delivered through print and digital platforms.

Why the Spending Question Matters

For voters, the governor’s race involves representation and decisions affecting insurance costs, schools, health care and civil rights. Endorsements provide one perspective on the candidates; their records and proposals provide another.

Advertising disclosure would add a financial measure of outreach. It would show which Black-owned media businesses received campaign purchases and allow readers to compare those payments with each operation’s overall advertising budget.

As Donalds and Jolly compete for Black support, that accounting would help the public evaluate how their spending decisions align with their community engagement.

Florida National News calls on the Donalds and Jolly campaigns and their affiliated political committees to publicly announce their advertising spending with Black-owned media.

The disclosure should identify outlets, amounts paid, spending periods and purchases placed through agencies. Planned purchases should be listed separately from completed payments.

The same disclosure standard should apply to Democratic and Republican political operations seeking Black voters’ support. Advertising purchases must remain independent of editorial coverage and endorsements.