ORLANDO, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – After four years of ongoing board meetings and delays to create a website, Supervisor and new Board Chair Daisy Morales announced Wednesday the launch of the Orange Soil & Water Conservation District’s (OSWCD) newly designed website, which can be viewed at www.orangeswcd.com.

State law requires all special districts, including the Orange Soil and Water Conservation District, to have their own website by October 1, 2015.

Supervisor Morales worked closely with Seat 5 Supervisor and Board Secretary Tiffany Dziekan to bring the website together. “Our website is an important online resource for individuals and government agencies seeking vital information on the district,” said Morales. “We will continue to tweak, change and update the website as new information becomes available.”

THE WEBSITE IN A NUTSHELL

The new OSWCD website is user friendly and includes a wealth of information on the district’s powers, and the duties and responsibilities of its elected supervisors. It even lists Section 582.20, Florida Statutes, which details the district’s powers, verbatim.

The site has links to various OSWCD activities, programs and projects, and shares links to organizational partners at the local, state and federal levels. It also details board meeting times and provides information on the governing Board of Supervisors.

ENSURING COMPLIANCE

The website was another step in Chair Morales’s mission to ensure that the district complies with the various state laws that govern the operation of special districts.

To that end, she is also proposing workshops for the elected supervisors, which would cover code of ethics for public officers and appointed members, public meetings and public records requirements, public finance and parliamentary procedures.

“It’s important that the district and its elected supervisors are in compliance with state laws and administrative rules,” Morales told Florida National News.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – A brush fire threatened homes in the Waterford Trails subdivision in Avalon Park in East Orange County around 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Florida National News was the first media outlet on the scene when residents used garden water hoses and buckets of water to battle the brush fire until Orange County Fire Department arrived to get the half-acre brush fire under control.

Firefighters were forced cut to open several fences to residents’ homes to get access to the brush fire. Ember started a small fire in a home’s gutter but was immediately put out by firefighters. Firefighters also climbed on a house rooftop to see if the brush fire threatened other homes.

Fire officials also used a drone to survey the wooded area from above.

SUNRISE, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – Love was in the air at the Westchester of Sunrise Assisted Living Facility, which hosted a Valentine’s Day wedding ceremony to celebrate the beautiful love story of Stephen Haley and Sharon Guarino.

Some people call it romantic love, crazy love, or just plain old puppy love, but this kind of love did not have a time limit for these two seniors in getting married.

Stephen and Sharon attended Stranahan High School in Fort Lauderdale but knew each other and went different ways. It was nearly 50 years later when the two met at the same assisted living facility they chose as their new home.

Stephen was drawn to Sharon and knew he wanted her to have a special role in his life. On December 29, 2017, he proposed and Sharon accepted.

Westchester of Sunrise Assisted Living Facility hosted a Valentine’s Day wedding ceremony for residents Stephen Haley and Sharon Guarino. Photo by Willie David / Florida National News

Westchester of Sunrise Assisted Living Facility’s residents attend Stephen Haley and Sharon Guarino Valentine’s Day wedding reception. Photo by Willie David / Florida National News

Westchester of Sunrise Assisted Living Facility’s residents celebrate Stephen Haley and Sharon Guarino Valentine’s Day wedding. Photo by Willie David / Florida National News