Community Chat Board - Emerald Ridge - Winter Garden FL
Orange County's hotel tax revenue broke a record in July as revenue soared 11% to about $29.6 million, thanks to the opening of new attractions, including Epic Universe.
Ranking the Best Places to Retire
Orlando, Florida, was ranked the best place to retire in the United States for the second year in a row, according to WalletHub.
The survey was based on four metrics: affordability, activities, quality of life, and health care.
Orlando earned the top spot thanks to an abundance of quiet communities, great restaurants, and independent stores. Scottsdale, Minneapolis, Miami, and Tampa round out the top five.
Florida Opens ‘Deportation Depot’
Florida opened its second immigration detention facility, dubbed "Deportation Depot," at the former Baker County Correctional Institution this week, Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday.
"We'll use as many of the detention spaces as we can. We want to fill them up. We want (to) deliver on this mission," Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said.
Currently, 117 detainees have arrived at the facility, and officials have provided photos from the first day.
it's about time
The U.S. will deploy 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico in an expansion of its drug cartel fight, just days after a lethal strike by US forces destroyed a boat the White House said was carrying a 11` Venezuelan narco-terrorists.
On Thursday, two armed Venezuelan F-16 fighter jets flew over the USS Jason Dunham, according to multiple Defense Department officials who described the action as a "show of force."
Apart from the Dunham, the Trump administration has deployed at least seven more warships to the Caribbean, along with more than 4,000 Marines and sailors in its …
Florida Attorney General Arrests
Ten people have been arrested during "Operation Van Diesel," an investigation into a ring of diesel thieves that committed 350 thefts across 70 locations in 13 counties, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Thursday.
Seven out of the 10 arrested were illegal immigrants.
The suspects allegedly used modified minivans, outfitted with 500-gallon tanks, pumps, hidden compartments, and floorboards with cutouts to siphon diesel fuel from underground gas station tanks.
The investigation began about six months ago when gas stations in Hillsborough County reported a discrepancy in fuel on hand.
Social Security Paper Checks End Sept. 30 (if it applies to you)
After 90 years, social security payments will no longer be sent by mail starting Sept. 30, with paper checks being phased out to reduce fraud, cut costs, and speed up delivery.
Paper checks cost around 50 cents each, more than three times the cost of an electronic transfer, and are 16 times more likely to be lost or stolen, according to the Social Security Administration.
Fewer than 1% of the nearly 70 million recipients—about 500,000 people—still rely on physical checks and will need to switch to direct deposit …
Orange County: Democrats won two Special Election victories on Tuesday. Former Rep. LaVon Bracy Davis won the Senate District 15 race to succeed the late Sen. Geraldine Thompson. RaShon Young, Bracy Davis's former chief of staff, won the House District 40 contest to fill his former boss's seat.
Good chance of hurricane coming at FL
US Ships Kill 11 in Drug Boat Strike
U.S. forces sank a drug-laden vessel in the Caribbean, killing 11 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang, which the U.S. labels a terrorist group.
The strike followed U.S. deployment of warships and Marines near Venezuela last week and marked the first known attack under a new military order targeting cartels. President Trump posted a video of the strike on Truth Social.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, already under a $50 million U.S. bounty, condemned the move as an attempt at regime change.
The U.S. has deployed at least seven ships, …
