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Supervisor Daisy Morales, Commissioners Cordero and Bonilla Celebrate Gopher Tortoise Day at Split Oak Forest

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(center row, 4th from left to right): Orange Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor Daisy Morales (white ball cap), Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla, Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Sandoval Choudhry and Orange County Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero, in whose district Split Oak Forest is located. Supporters and superheroes alike (Wonder Woman and Deadpool) joined to learn more about the forest. Photo: Kimberly Buchheit (Facebook).

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (FNN NEWS) – Orange County District 4 Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero, Orange County District 5 Commissioner Emily Bonilla, Osceola County District 1 Commissioner Peggy Sandoval Choudhry and Orange Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor Daisy Morales jointly celebrated Florida Gopher Tortoise Day at Split Oak Forest in Narcoossee Wednesday. The four gathered with supporters–and even a couple of superheroes–to love on the gopher tortoise and learn more about it as well as Split Oak Forest.

Orange County Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero (left), Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla (center left), Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Sandoval Choudhry (center, holding tortoise) and Orange Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor Daisy Morales (right) meet a gopher tortoise up close. Photo: Supervisor Daisy Morales (Facebook).

Orange County Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero (left), Orange County Commissioner Emily Bonilla (center left), Osceola County Commissioner Peggy Sandoval Choudhry (center, holding tortoise) and Orange Soil & Water Conservation District Supervisor Daisy Morales (right) meet a gopher tortoise up close. Photo: Supervisor Daisy Morales (Facebook).

Photo: Supervisor Daisy Morales (Facebook).

Photo: Supervisor Daisy Morales (Facebook).

Split Oak Forest is marked for large residential development, but environmental activists have reached out to their elected officials, including the three women in attendance as well as former Orange Soil & Water Conservation District Board Chair Eric Rollings, to raise awareness about the area in a fervent effort to preserve it. As long as a tortoise lives on the site, developers cannot build on it, hence the significance of day.

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Mellissa Thomas is Editor for Florida National News. | mellissa.thomas@floridanationalnews.com

 

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Golf

Russell Henley Wins Red Cardigan at 2025 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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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.

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NFL

UCF Hall of Fame Inductee Shaquem Griffin Launches Search For Greatness Combine With Joey Grant and GMTM

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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.

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Florida

Scottie Scheffler Wins Second Red Cardigan at 2024 Arnold Palmer Invitational

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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.

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