ICYMI

Health Department opens online appointments for monkeypox vax, local landlords sue to block rent control initiative, OMA experiencing more twists than a soap opera and other news you may have missed

» Orange County Health Department opens web portal for monkeypox vaccinations

As monkeypox numbers climb in Orange County and the rest of Florida, the state Department of Health’s Orange County branch has opened up a web portal at orange. floridahealth.gov for appointments to receive the monkeypox/smallpox vaccine. Monkeypox vaccinations in Florida have been hard to come by thus far, and the previous time Orange County received doses of the vaccine, appointments were spoken for almost immediately. The local office of the Department of Health late last week received more doses from the federal stockpile, and duly opened up appointment registration through a dedicated online portal.

A finite number of appointments will be available daily from Monday-Friday, with no allowance for walk-ups. Applicants through the portal do not have to live in Orange County. After a brief series of questions to ascertain risk factors, appointments can then be booked. Priority for monkeypox vaccinations as of this writing are given to those who fit within certain risk profiles by the Department of Health, including: known contacts who are identified by public health; laboratory workers who perform diagnostic testing for monkeypox; members of designated health care worker response teams; and those who identify as gay or bisexual men, or other men who have sex with men.

On the first day the portal opened to the public, initial feedback from concerned users revealed frustration as available appointments filled up almost immediately and technical hiccups with the appointment system left many unable to register.

» Downtown Orlando luxury tower project updates renderings to remove Orlando Museum of Art

So, the Orlando Museum of Art pulled out of their planned downtown campus. (They’re busy.) But that doesn’t mean developers are going to let all that space go to waste. The team behind a planned 33-story condo tower in downtown Orlando have updated their renderings to show that JW Marriott’s hotel and convention center will take pride of place in the new development. Those tired of the behemoth Orange County Convention Center down on International Drive are no doubt heaving sighs of relief.

The original renderings are not much different from the current crop. The expansion was planned using a gift from one-time OMA trustee Alan Ginsburg, but the museum pulled out of the plan amid the furore surrounding their troubled Jean-Michel Basquiat exhibition, Heroes & Monsters. The tower at 319 E. Church St. will still include the planned rooftop garden that was meant to serve as an outdoor exhibit space for the museum. The space was expected to showcase works by renowned glass artist Dale Chihuly. With the retreat of OMA and its backers, that is unlikely; renderings now show a striped glass structure atop the roof.

» Following Basquiat raid, Orlando Museum of Art convenes task force to raise standards for exhibit acquisition

And speaking of OMA: The Orlando Museum of Art is moving forward after a tumultuous few months that saw the museum raided over the exhibition of seemingly counterfeit art and the cancellation of a planned satellite campus. The museum shared that they are convening a task force to examine their standards for bringing in and putting on exhibitions. The overhaul is in response to the failed Basquiat exhibition Heroes & Monsters, which ended early after the Museum was raided by the FBI and then-Director Aaron De Groft was ousted.

“The Task Force has engaged an independent outside law firm to assist with examining oversight procedures for the review and approval process of exhibitions,” said OMA trustee Mark Elliott in a press release. “We will also seek to identify ways to strengthen stewardship of OMA’s expanding permanent collection.” OMA also announced the return of a familiar face to serve as interim director: Dr. Luder Whitlock will once again serve in the role, while the museum seeks out a permanent replacement. “We are taking some pretty definite steps,” said Dr. Whitlock of the plan for OMA.

» Real estate, landlords groups sue to block Orange County rent control ballot initiative

A group of real estate interests have come together to sue Orange County, in the hopes of stopping a proposed rent cap from landing on local ballots in November. Earlier this month, the Orange County Commission narrowly passed a motion to place the question of (fairly weak) price protections on some units in the county on the Nov. 8 ballot. Even that was a bridge too far for the Florida Apartment Association and Florida Realtors. Those groups filed suit last week, seeking an injunction that would keep the measure off the general election ballot.

The groups argue that the county failed to show a housing emergency in the county and questioned whether the proposed caps would relieve it. Of course, “this measure wouldn’t fully solve the problem at hand” has long provided cover for groups that make money off inaction. Orlando has seen some of the largest rent increases in the nation over the last several years. It is one of the most expensive metros in the country, especially relative to the average wages in Central Florida. The idea that the county failed to demonstrate a housing emergency is laughable at best.

Florida Realtors CEO Maggy Grant warned that rent control can have “unintended consequences that can make matters worse” and pushed instead for public-private partnerships to build affordable housing. The lawsuit seeks to block the ballot initiative, and asks a judge to issue two statements declaring the ordinance invalid and the ballot language misleading.

» Orange County Sheriff John Mina’s son arrested on suspicion of DUI

Orange County Sheriff John Mina’s son was arrested for suspicion of driving under the influence in Winter Garden earlier this month. Twenty-seven-year-old Chase Mina was found asleep in his vehicle. OCSO deputies report that he had open containers in his cupholder. After they woke him up, Mina refused a field sobriety test and was arrested. In a bodycam video shared by OCSO, two deputies can be heard discussing the identity of the driver. When the pair confirmed that the sheriff’s son was the driver, one of them said “fuckin’ A” before they decided to move forward.

“I mean we gotta do what we gotta do,” an officer said before they headed back to the truck. Mina responded “absolutely not” when asked if he would answer questions or take a field sobriety test. He was transported to the county’s DUI Testing Center, where he again refused to test. At that point, he was taken to jail.

“This is a personal matter involving my adult son, and I expect this case to be handled like any other case through the justice system,” Sheriff Mina said in a statement.