01.03.19 The Observer

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

Observer

YOUR TOWN DISNEY FUND HELPS ONP

WINDERMERE • HORIZON WEST • DR. PHILLIPS • BAY HILL VOLUME 4, NO. 15

FREE

•

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

Oakland Nature Preserve is the latest recipient of support from the Disney Conservation Fund for its work to restore sandhill habitats and protect the threatened gopher tortoise.

ONP will receive $50,000 over two years.

The sandhill restoration project not only includes land restoration but also the scientific study of animal diversity found within the sandhill community. Community volunteers will have the opportunity to plant native flora, work as citizen scientists and watch as the areas change over time.

“Sandhill restoration at the Oakland Nature Preserve is made possible by the committed, knowledgeable, passionate volunteers that come every week and get their hands dirty,” said Jennifer Hunt, ONP managing director. “The funds granted to the preserve by the Disney Conservation Fund will assist us in expanding the sandhill restoration areas, allowing the threatened gopher tortoise to flourish even further.”

CHAMBER TO HOST BIG ORANGE AWARDS

People and stories to watch From new faces on the School Board and a new county mayor to the real-estate market and booming churches, the area promises to be full of news in 2019. SEE PAGES 3-16.

PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81

*****************ECRWSSEDDM****

Postal Customer

The West Orange Chamber of Commerce is hosting its annual Big Orange Awards from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort. Openseating tickets are $96 for chamber members and $116 for others. Reserved corporate tables of eight are $800 and $1,000.

The event celebrates the accomplishments of chamber members, and this year’s recipients are Mike Bollhoefer, Chairman’s Award; Dennis Foltz, Sam Hovsepian Award; Chris Garcia, Ambassador of the Year; GeeGee Burmeister, Mary VanDeventer “The Spirit of West Orange” Award; Heichel Plumbing, George Bailey Award; Teresa Jacobs, Bert Roper Award; and Lynn Walker Wright, Danniel J. Petro “The Bright Future of West Orange” Award.

For tickets, visit wochamber.com or call (407) 656-1304.

|

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

Let us tell the story of your life. ___ __ ___ ____________ ____ ______ ___ _______ _ ___ ___ __ ____ __ ______ ___ _______ __ __ ________ ___ _______ __ _________ ________ ____ Birthplace: Schools:

Marriage:

Childrens:

Life Adventures...

___ __ ________ ___ _______ ____ __ ______ ___ _______ _ ___ ___ ____ __ __ ______ ___ _______ __ ______ ___ _______ _____ ____ __ ______ ___ _______ _____ _______ __ ________ __

We Proudly offer: • Traditional Burial and Cremation Services • Prearranged Funeral Services

Baldwin Fairchild Funeral Home Winter Garden

407-656-2233 www.baldwinfairchild.com 428 E. Plant St. Winter Garden, FL 34787

294925-1

The Life Story Of...

SATURDAY, JAN. 5

Experienced cremation specialists dedicated to providing the highest quality of services.

YOUR CALENDAR

OBSERVER

SANDY SHUGART IN CONCERT 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at the Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden. The Valencia College president will present a night of stories, poetry and folksy acoustic sounds with his musicians. Tickets are $25 ($15 with a Valencia ID) and are on sale at gardentheatre.org.

TUESDAY, JAN. 8

KIDS YOGA 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the West Oaks Library, 1821 E. Silver Star Road, Ocoee. Yoga can help kids develop focus and concentration.

Learn how you can help your child practice posture, clear their mind and strengthen their mind-body connection. Yoga mats will be provided. Recommended for kids of all ages. (407) 835-7323.

TERTULIA CUATRO GATOS/ SPANISH BOOK CLUB 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 8, at the Windermere Library, 530 Main St. Do you love literature, poetry and music? Would you like to socialize with Hispanics in your community? Join the Spanish-language book club. (407) 835-7323.

e We make it personal.® Let us show you how.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 9

407.877.6700 1148 E. Plant St. Winter Garden, Florida collisoncareyhand.com

294939-1

CUISINE CORNER: HERBAL COLD AND FLU CARE 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 9, at the Windermere Library, 530 Main St. Get ready for cold and flu season by learning about the immunity boosting powers of tea. Join Karon Cannon, of Tea Craze, to explore the benefits that drinking tea has on one’s health and enjoy a tasting of immunity-boosting teas and herbs. Space is limited.

Register online at ocls.info or call (407) 835-7323.

SINGLE & PARENTING SUPPORT GROUP 7 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays beginning Jan. 9 in Building C, Room 201/203, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 4851 S. ApopkaVineland Road, Orlando. Childcare and youth programming available with prior reservation. Weekly meetings through April 10 include practical topics addressing the many challenges facing single parents. Register online at st.lukes. org/care or call (407) 876-4991, Ext. 262, for information.

THURSDAY, JAN. 10

AUTISM SPECTRUM D ISORDER SUPPORT GROUP 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, in Building C, Room 204, at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, 4851 S. Apopka-Vineland Road.

This support group is designed for parents of children and teens on the autism spectrum. Share challenges, ideas, concerns, success stories and fellowship. A trained facilitator from UCF CARD offers a brief topical lesson each month. Email care@st.lukes.org or call (407) 876-4991, Ext. 262, to register to attend.

SATURDAY, JAN. 12

CARAVANING THE LAKE APOPKA WILDLIFE DRIVE 8:45 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 12, starting at Magnolia Park, 2929 S. Binion Road, Apopka. Experience the Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive with a caravan of drivers.

There is no entrance fee, but donations are encouraged with checks made payable to Friends of Lake Apopka and mailed to P.O. Box 770355, Winter Garden, FL 34777-0355. RSVP with the number of people in the group and daytime phone number to cupletfern@gmail.com.

3 col x 5” Collison.Cremation.Ad.2018

294807-1

2

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

|

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

Eric Gutierrez

After swearing in, Jerry Demings took to the podium to give his first speech as Orange County mayor.

Answering the call The Orange County mayor had dedicated much of his life serving his community, and that has awarded him with a lifetime of accomplishments.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

O

range County Mayor Jerry Demings lives to serve.

Since childhood, he always knew that he wanted to

serve his community, but having grown up poor, he never knew how far his call to service would take him.

“As a child, that wasn’t something that I dreamed about — that I’m going to be mayor one day,” Demings said prior to taking his oath of office. “What I knew was that I wanted to serve my community. From an early age, from being a Boy Scout, I knew that I wanted to be of service to other people. I just didn’t quite know what kind of service.”

In an emotional speech at his historic Oath of Office Ceremony Dec. 4, he said, “A poor kid from Washington Shores in west Orlando has now become the Orange County mayor.”

The story of Orange County’s first African-American mayor is filled with many other “firsts” — all in the name of his lifelong call to serve his community.

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

Demings, 59, was born and raised in Orlando. Having grown up during the Civil Rights era, many of his early role models were Civil Rights leaders. He even got to meet some of those leaders throughout the years.

“I was born in Phillips Memorial Hospital, which was a segregated hospital,” Demings said. “I never got to meet Dr. (Martin Luther) King (Jr.), but I certainly studied Dr. King. I was able to meet many of the other Civil Rights leaders personally, and (I) have had conversations with people like Rosa Parks, Benjamin Hooks, Andrew Young … (and) Jesse Jackson.”

Demings’ mother was a maid,

and his father was a taxicab driver and budding entrepreneur. He’s the youngest of five children, and although he has a twin brother, his twin is older than him by 30 minutes. Despite growing up poor, his parents always provided him and his siblings with the necessities.

His mother, who was also a parttime seamstress, custom-made his clothes growing up.

“Even though I was poor, when I was in junior high and high school … I was honored with being ‘best dressed,’” Demings said. “A poor kid was recognized as the ‘best dressed’ at a school thanks to my mom who custom made my clothes at the time.”

Demings attended Jones High School, where he played football, basketball, soccer and ran track.

He graduated with honors from Jones High in 1977 and attended Florida State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in finance in 1980. In 1989, he received an MBA from Orlando College, now Everest University.

He graduated as a member of the 194th session of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s National Academy in 1998, and in 2000, he graduated in the 23rd session of the FBI Executive Institute. He also completed studies at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School in 2013.

Earlier in his life, Demings’ older brother struggled with drug addiction. He died of an overdose in 1999 at age 50. His brother’s struggles with drugs became one of the reasons Demings got into law enforcement. “(I wanted) to try to really do

something about it (to) stop that from happening in our community for any other family,” he said.

CALL TO SERVICE

The call to serve his community came to Demings at an early age, starting with the Boy Scouts. That call to service has driven him all the way to the position of Orange County mayor.

“I’ve been given the tremendous opportunity to lead our community through the last 37-plus years in different public-sector roles,” Demings said. “I started out my public-sector/public-service career as an Orlando police officer (in 1981).”

Demings held every rank at the Orlando Police Department before he was appointed chief in 1998.

He is the first African-American to serve as chief of police in the Orlando Police Department. He served in that role until he retired from the department in September 2002. The following month, he was named deputy county administrator and director of public safety for Orange County.

He’s the first African-American to serve in those roles, as well. In November 2008, he became the first African-American elected as Orange County Sheriff. And today, he’s the first African-American to serve as Orange County mayor.

“In 2017, when I decided to run for Orange County Mayor … I was getting out of my comfort zone,” Demings said. “A number of people came to me and asked me

“From an early age, from being a Boy Scout, I knew that I wanted to be of service to other people.

I just didn’t quite know what kind of service.”

— Mayor Jerry Demings

to run … and initially, I said, ‘No, I’m not interested in that,’ because that’s not where I saw myself.”

Demings said he decided to run after he realized that he had an “opportunity to impact the lives of people in (the) community.”

“While (being) sheriff created a significant opportunity for me to do that, I believe being mayor creates an even bigger opportunity,” Demings said. “In the Bible … there’s scripture that says, ‘Oh lord, that you would bless me indeed and enlarge my territory that your hand will be with me and keep me from evil.’”

That verse, in a way, describes Demings’ life of public service. His “territory” — which in this case can be thought of as his level of impact on the community — grew each public service position he has held over the years.

“My life is a living testimony to my ancestry and to my religion,” Demings said. “These positions that I’ve been in, they had not been without challenge. … They have not been without a lot of sacrifice.

As a public servant, there’s a tremendous sacrifice to your family because you spend a lot of time trying to help someone else, and if you’re not careful, you’ll deprive your own family.”

Demings’ sacrifices has not gone unnoticed. Over his years of service, Demings has been honored with a number of awards for his contributions to the community.

“I received thousands of awards — with no exaggeration,” Demings said. “I’m proud of all of them. All of them mean something to me. I was recognized as a distinguished alumnus of Jones High School and Florida State University. ... I also received the lifetime achievement award from President (Barack) Obama.”

In addition to his public-service roles, Demings also serves the community through various organizations. He isn’t the only one in his family who answered the call to serve. His wife, Valdera, represents Florida’s 10th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. She’s also the first woman to serve as chief of the Orlando Police Department.

LOOKING AHEAD

Demings said his vision for Orange County is to make it “a safer, more prosperous and a stronger community.”

“The sum total of my experiences make me who I am, and I take that to the office of mayor,” Demings said. “Orange County is on the precipice of greatness, but it can be greater. In order for Orange County to realize its true potential, we’re going to have to take some risks as a community — some measured risks … to where we are able to address the issues (and) the challenges of this community.”

He added that some of those challenges are the lack of affordable housing in Orange County; improving wages for the working class; improving public transportation; “improving the opportunity for entrepreneurialism here in this community,” among other challenges.

“I want Orange County to be the environmental prototype community of tomorrow,” Demings said, borrowing some words from Walt Disney. “We want to advance Orange County to that experience: where other people from around the globe will study what we’re doing here; where we are on the cutting edge; where we are doing some things that no other community is doing. That’s where we want to take Orange County.”

DEMINGS’ FIRSTS Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings has lived a life of community service. Throughout his years of service, he’s accomplished a number of firsts.

1981

Hired by Orlando Police Department

1998

Appointed as the first African-American chief of police of the Orlando Police Department

2002

Retired from Orlando Police Department and then became the first African-American to serve as deputy county administrator and director of public safety for Orange County

2008

Elected sheriff of Orange County and became Orange County’s first African-American sheriff and first African-American constitutional officer.

2017

Became first African-American to serve as president of the Florida Sheriff’s Association.

2018

Elected first African-American mayor of Orange County and fifth elected mayor of the county, overall.

3

4

OBSERVER

|

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

Observer “If we are to build a better world, we must remember that the guiding principle is this — a policy of freedom for the individual is the only truly progressive policy.”

Friedrich Hayek

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Publisher / Matt Walsh, mwalsh@YourObserver.com Executive Editor / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Community Editor / Amy Quesinberry, amyq@OrangeObserver.com News Editor / Gabby Baquero, gbaquero@OrangeObserver.com Sports Editor / Troy Herring, therring@OrangeObserver.com Black Tie Editor / Danielle Hendrix, dhendrix@OrangeObserver.com Staff Writer / Eric Gutierrez, egutierrez@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Executive Cyndi Gustafson,

Bridgewater Middle’s relief school is nearing 50% completion.

advertising@OrangeObserver.com Business Development Kim Kowske, kkowske@OrangeObserver.com Creative Services Tony Trotti, ttrotti@OrangeObserver.com Customer Service Representatives Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com Katie Rehm, krehm@orangeobserver.com

CONTACT US

The Observer is published once weekly, on Thursdays. It provides subscription home delivery. The Observer also can be found in commercial locations and at our office, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden, Florida 34787 If you wish to subscribe to, visit our website, OrangeObserver. com, call (407) 656-2121 or visit our office, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden.

TO ADVERTISE

For display or digital advertising, call (407) 656-2121. For Classifieds, call (407) 656-2121.

SEND US YOUR NEWS

Let us know about your events, celebrations and achievements. To contact us, send your information via email to Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com.

OBSERVER The Observer (USPS 687-120) is published weekly for $40 per year ($50 outside of Orange County) by the Observer Media Group, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden, Florida 34787 Periodical postage paid at Winter Garden, Florida. POSTMASTER send address changes to the Observer, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Suite 180, Winter Garden, Florida 34787.

Observer Media Group Inc. 1970 Main St. • Sarasota, FL 34236 941-366-3468

Editor and CEO / Matt Walsh Vice President / Lisa Walsh Chairman / David Beliles Publishers of the Longboat Observer, East County Observer, Sarasota Observer, Siesta Key Observer, Palm Coast Observer, Plant City Times & Observer, Ormond Beach Observer, West Orange Times & Observer, Observer, Winter Park/ Maitland Observer, Business Observer, Jacksonville Daily Record, Jacksonville Realty-Builder Connection, LWR Life, Season Magazine and Baldwin Park Living

OrangeObserver.com

The roof membrane and most interior metal framing for site 25-ESW-4 are complete.

Left: Site 49-E-W-4 is just about at 40% completion.

Relief within reach School overcrowding has long been an issue in the ever-growing Horizon West community, but three new schools are set to open this fall.

DANIELLE HENDRIX BLACK TIE EDITOR

F

or parents and students in Horizon West, the new year — particularly the new 2019-20 school year — will bring some much-anticipated relief. This has

especially been an issue in Horizon West, which has seen thousands of new residents and explosive growth in recent years as neighborhoods are built out.

As the ninth-largest publicschool system in the country and the fourth largest in Florida, Orange County Public Schools has long been facing battles with school overcrowding as the county grows.

In fast-growing areas like Horizon West, keeping up with the demands the growth poses is proving to be a challenge.

Of the existing Horizon Westarea elementary schools, two — Keene’s Crossing and Independence — are severly overcrowded.

Then there’s Bridgewater Middle, the only middle school in Horizon West, which is busting at the seams.

Limited fiscal resources and a high volume of students moving to the area make it tough to build schools as quickly as they are needed, OCPS spokeswoman

Lauren Roth said, but plans to accommodate growth are built into the district’s 10-year Capital Improvement Plan.

“There are more students moving into Horizon West per year than we can build in one year,” Roth said. “We have the largest and most aggressive schoolbuilding program in the country, but there are limits to how fast we can build. The construction itself — not including planning and design — for elementary schools takes a year, middle schools take 18 months and you tack on at least a year of design on top of that.”

Luckily, 2019 is a big year for Horizon West and District 4 as a whole, with three relief schools opening in the fall.

RELIEF FOR BRIDGEWATER

The most crowded middle school

in Orange County, Bridgewater Middle only continues to grow as the Horizon West area expands.

With a program capacity of 1,040 and October 2018 enrollment of 2,610, the school is at more than 200% capacity.

“I am so thrilled about the relief for Bridgewater,” said OCPS School Board District 4 member Pam Gould. “I’m already onto the next phases (of building schools) and thinking about, ‘How do we manage the next few schools?’ because the growth isn’t stopping out here.”

Bridgewater’s $38.6 million relief school is located at 8200 Tattant Blvd., Windermere, east of the Berkshire Place Townhomes and west of Winter Garden Vineland Road. The 25.5-acre site features four buildings that total 172,000 square feet — a gym, administration and media building, multipurpose building and classroom building — all arranged around a central courtyard.

Other features include three bike areas, tennis and basketball courts, a softball field, soccer field and 400-meter track and two pedestrian entrances — one on the northwest side of the campus and the other on the east. Cars and buses have their own separate entrances off of Tattant Boulevard.

At a 40% construction community meeting in November, Harvard Jolly Architects’ Jack Williams informed parents of some of the school’s security measures.

Each building is secure from many points of entry in part by fencing, he said, and during the day there is a single point of entry for guests to check in at the administration

SCHOOLS AT A GLANCE 37-M-SW-4 8200 Tattant Blvd., Windermere Relieves: Bridgewater Middle School 4: Buildings 25.5: Site size, in acres 1,215: Program capacity 1,323: Projected fall 2019 enrollment 25-E-SW-4 9131 Taborfield Ave., Orlando Relieves: Bay Lake and Sand Lake elementary schools 13.5: Site size, in acres 733: Projected fall 2019 enrollment 830: Program capacity 49-E-W-4 16000 Water Spring Blvd., Winter Garden Relieves: Keene’s Crossing and Independence elementary schools 14.9: Site size, in acres 837 : Program capacity 929: Projected fall 2019 enrollment

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

|

5

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

Above: The board-approved school-zone map in the Horizon West area for 2019-20.

BAY LAKE AND SAND LAKE

With Bay Lake Elementary in Horizon West nearly 400 students over capacity — and enrollment at Sand Lake Elementary in Dr. Phillips expected to increase as that area grows, too — a new elementary school will open in fall 2019 to provide relief.

Located at 9131 Taborfield Ave., Orlando, this relief school is currently known as site 25-E-SW-4.

The $23.3 million school is situated on 13.5 acres southeast of Reams Road, among Pulte Homes’ Royal Estates neighborhood and the Lake Reams Neighborhood Center PD. It is flanked by two parks — one an Orange County park and the other the subdivision’s park.

According to site plans, the twostory building totals 94,369 square feet — a 63,161-square-foot first floor and a 31,208-square-foot second floor.

There is room for 124 parking spaces, queuing area that can hold 171 cars and a bus queue for about 17 buses. Parents, staff and visitors will enter off Taborfield Avenue, while the buses have a separate entrance off Thatcher Avenue.

The school includes an administration office, multipurpose/ cafeteria room, media center, art and music labs, multipurpose labs, classrooms and more. As with many of the new schools OCPS is building, the campus is secured with one public entrance.

The plans also include a 58,218-square-foot multipurpose

field, two bike-rack areas, youth and tot lots, room for future portables and a 2,236-square-foot covered play area.

The school has a capacity of 837 students, and OCPS projects an enrollment of 733 upon opening in fall 2019.

As of December 2018, the school is starting to take shape. The school’s roof membrane is complete, as is interior metal framing on the first floor. Up next are drywall installation on the first floor and completion of building-wide fireproofing.

KEENE’S CROSSING AND INDEPENDENCE

As of October 2018, Keene’s Crossing is more than 600 students over capacity, with an enrollment of 1,467 students. Independence Elementary is more than 500 students over capacity, with a current enrollment of 1,308.

Their $23.3 million relief school, currently known as site 49-E-W4, is located on 15 acres at 16000 Water Spring Blvd., Winter Garden. The property is in Horizon West’s Village H, within the Storey Grove development west of Avalon Road.

Upon opening in fall 2019, the new school is projected to have an enrollment of 929, which is just under 100 students over capacity.

Construction has been underway for months now, and as of December 2018, the tilt walls have been completed and structural steel is in progress. Contractors are working on installing storm pipes and grading at the parking lot.

The two-story school will have an administration office, multipurpose room/cafeteria, media center, art and music labs, multipurpose labs, a covered play area, playgrounds, covered walkways, enhanced classroom technology and more.

Site plans show there is room for future portables, and buses and cars will have separate entrances.

OCPS will be holding a 40% construction community meeting in the cafeteria at Keene’s Crossing Elementary from 6 to 7:30 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 28, 2019.

NEXT STEPS

Although these schools will open near or at capacity, Roth said the district tries to open them that way to better utilize resources.

It’s the same way when looking at priorities — OCPS looks annually at growth and adjusts priorities based on the need.

“We are planning out years in advance when the schools are built,” Roth said. “(But) there’s not a bottomless supply of dollars, and we can’t build a new school at every single place that’s overcrowding in one year.”

“We continue to evaluate how to relieve schools, not so much the process but how quickly (we can get it done),” Gould said. “It’s a numbers game and we track the

numbers, but places like Horizon West sometimes exceed those numbers. That’s some of the challenges of trying to open at the right time: We’ll never be ahead of growth. It’s truly trying to manage that growth and keep a quality program right from the start in the schools. It’s a bigger challenge than people realize.”

Each of the new schools’ name, mascot and colors will be chosen in a process with the community after the principal is named. Roth said the process for finding the principals for these schools is underway, and should be announced in the next month or two. After that, each principal will get started on suggestions for names and mascots via surveys.

“This is a great place to live and we’re going to have more and more people join us,” Gould said.

Big savings for safe drivers.

Gary Merideth Ins Agcy Inc Gary Merideth, Agent 10710 W Colonial Dr Ocoee, FL 34761 Bus: 407-877-9361

1301900

Get a discount up to 50%.

I can help lower your premium through Drive Safe & Save™.

Get to a better State®. Get State Farm.

CALL ME TODAY.

295027-1

building. There also are security cameras throughout campus that will be constantly monitored.

Construction is moving along, with all four core buildings constructed and roofing nearing completion. Now, crews are working on installing underground utilities, framing and erecting interior walls and everything that comes with interior buildout. As of December, according to OCPS, construction is 44% complete.

Left: Horizon West’s Watermark neighborhood poses a unique school-zoning situation, as depicted here.

State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company State Farm Indemnity Company, Bloomington, IL

CHURCH DIRECTORY CHURCH OF THE ASCENSION 4950 S. Apopka-Vineland Rd., Orlando Sun.Serv 8:30am, 10:30am, 5:30pm.

407-876-3480 www.ascension-orlando.org

Advertise your Services or Events on this page weekly.

This page appears weekly in the Windermere Observer and online at orangeobserver.com.

To advertise in the Church Directory call 407-656-2121 or email AdvertiseNow@orangeobserver.com

294557-1

EPISCOPAL

www.Facebook.com/MatthewsHopeMinistries Closed Saturday https://Vimeo.com/243479838 611 Business Park Blvd. #101* Winter Garden 34787 • MatthewsHopeMinistries.org • 407.905.9500

295029-1

A heartfelt thank you to the West Orange community are for your continued support!! Hours 10-4 M-F

6

OBSERVER

|

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

Council at a crossroad With Mayor Gary Bruhn’s resignation and three seats up for election in March, the Windermere Town Council could see some new faces in 2019.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

W

hen Gary Bruhn announced his resignation from the position of mayor of the town of Windermere, it marked the end of an era. Bruhn had

dedicated his time day in and day out since he took office in 2004. He led the town through some dark times in the last 15 years and served in other leadership capacities within the county and the state. In short, Bruhn made the unpaid, voluntary role of mayor of Windermere a full-time job.

“Being an elected official takes a lot of time in terms of time that you’re not with your family,” Town Council Member Jim O’Brien said.

“It’s something that I think we’re all passionate about because we care a ton about our community.

We’re willing and happy to do that, but it certainly does come at a cost.”

In addition to Bruhn’s departure from the Town Council, three council seats will be up for grabs in March. The terms of council members Richard Montgomery, Bob McKinley and O’Brien are set to expire this year.

The town of Windermere could be seeing some changes in its leadership, but the extent of change remains to be seen. The town’s current leadership shared thoughts of what could be expected for the future of the town — regardless of who sits on the council. They also expressed what they hope to see out of the town’s leadership moving forward and what challenges are at stake for the town as a whole.

THE ELECTIONS

Montgomery and McKinley both will be running for re-election for their seats on the council. O’Brien, on the other hand, will be throwing his hat into the ring for the mayor’s seat. That means the town will see — assuming Montgomery and McKinley both win re-election — at least one new face on the council. Whoever wins the mayoral election will serve a oneyear term.

Town Council terms last two years. Of the current council members, O’Brien has served the longest with four terms. McKinley is serving out his second term, and Montgomery his first. With the most experience serving on the council, O’Brien thought it was fitting he run for mayor.

“After a lot of thought and a lot of conversation with family and friends and neighbors, I am going to run for mayor in March of 2019,” O’Brien said. “I think people know that I’m committed and dedicated to the community and I’m accessible. … I think I bring the skillset, and I’ve proven that over time.”

It’s no secret that the life of

“He (Gary Bruhn) will be missed. I think he has made the Windermere mayor position (hard to fill). No one will be able to mimic what he has done.”

— Richard Montgomery

politics often comes at the cost of time — and particularly, time away from one’s family. Current council members agree the next mayor should be passionate and dedicated serving to the town and also must be willing to make the necessary sacrifices.

McKinley said whoever decides to run for a council seat or for mayor should have an appreciation and respect for what makes Windermere a one-of-a-kind town. Newcomers to the council will need to be able to find the balance between moving the town forward without losing its charm.

“Windermere in and of itself is very unique,” McKinley said.

“We’re the only town around that still has a bunch of dirt roads. …

It’s a small town, and that’s good.”

Council Member Chris Sapp added that whoever ends up being mayor should be able to bridge the gap between longtime and new residents.

“I think Mayor (Bruhn) has done a good job of connecting the people that have lived here for a long time and the ones that are new families that are moving in,” Sapp said. “I’d like to see somebody that’s in there that will continue that — to make sure we bridge that relationship between the older generation and newer generations.”

For potentially new council members, Sapp said they should “be ready to work.”

“I knew it would be a lot of work coming into this (position), but you have no idea until you first come in,” Sapp said. “I want to see — whoever is coming in — that we move forward (and) stay on that progressive path that we’re doing. We’re keeping up with the times, yet, when appropriate and anytime we can, we make sure we salvage the heritage of the town.”

No matter the outcome of the election, Council Member Andy Williams thinks the town leadership could use a new face to bring a fresh perspective to the council.

“I think we can use some … younger members of the community to step up and maybe run,” Williams said. “I think (we could use) a change of scenery. We need some changes up there. If (current

“I’m happy for Gary. If he’s ready to step down and move on to another chapter in his life, that’s great. We’re all going to miss him. He’s done such a great job for us through all the years.

He’s made the position (something) it’s never been before. He participates in every event — communitywide, county-wide, statewide — that he could go to.”

— Andy Williams

“We’re proud of him for all of his work. He had a lot of dedication and I certainly wish him the best as he kind of turns the page to the next chapter for his family.”

— Jim O’Brien

“He has been the face of the town for about 15 years. … We’ve had a great working relationship. We’re going to miss him. (It’ll be) big shoes to fill. It’s going to be tough for anybody to step up to the plate. He’s made it a full-time job.”

— Chris Sapp

“He been here for a long time and he came in with a vision. He’s worked very, very hard with the town. … He has done so much good for the town. I hate to see him go, but everybody reaches a point in time where they have to move on and he’s made that decision.”

— Bob McKinley

members) are re-elected, we can’t go wrong. … I think that anybody that’s going to run is going to do us a lot of good.”

Although he still has some time left as mayor, Bruhn offered a word of advice for whoever succeeds him.

“Stay active, stay engaged, stay involved — if you’re not sitting at the table, they’re having you for lunch,” he said, referring to being engaged both within and outside of the town of Windermere. “If you’re not sitting at the table, they won’t deal you a hand. It’s important that you have that voice heard and that this town be represented across not only Central Florida but the state. One of the most important relationships you can have is with other communities and organizations.”

THE CHALLENGES AHEAD

Between ongoing traffic problems, infrastructure needs and the effort to build new town facilities, the road ahead presents a challenge for the town’s leadership.

“They’re sticking their necks out and making decisions that are going to have, possibly, negative impacts on their friends, their neighbors, their businesses, and that’s a hard thing to do,” Town Manager Robert Smith said. “I think whoever takes on not only the mayor position but also the council position needs to understand they’re going to be making these tough choices and decisions, but it’s going to be based off of the best interest of the town.”

Smith added that whoever runs for office should be willing to commit to at least two terms.

“I ask (would-be candidates) to at least do two terms,” he said. “It’s really hard for them to get whatever initiatives they want done, or projects they want done, within two years. Typically, it takes up to four years to get some of that stuff done.”

Like much of Orange County, traffic is a big concern. Over the years, the town has become a popular cut-through for many West Orange commuters — making traffic concerns a top priority for the town.

“Now, our biggest issue is traffic,” Williams said. “That’s something that’s probably never going to be able to be fixed or changed, but it’s about mitigating what we can.”

“The growing traffic problem — that’s not going away,” Montgomery said. “There’s so many limitations of what we can truly do to fix it.”

McKinley added that the town also prioritizes making sure the roadways are pedestrian-friendly.

“All of us are working on infrastructure,” McKinley said. “(We want) to continue to make (Windermere) a pedestrian-friendly town. We have plans to build a multi-modal path along the old railroad right-of-way that would link the entire town.”

In addition to traffic concerns, the council will need to address the town’s needs for water and sewer in the years ahead.

“A lot of the town does not have water — they’re on wells,” McKinley said. “Eventually, we’d like to see sewage brought into town (and) get off the septic-tank systems.”

“It’s an expensive endeavor,” Montgomery said regarding bringing potable water to Windermere.

“Having a sewage system would be nice, but that’s even more expensive (and takes) a lot of time and a lot of pre-planning.”

The town’s administrative facilities are a recent matter the current council has addressed, but it’s also one that will take time. Whoever sits on the council after the March election will be making decisions related to the town’s administrative facilities. Additionally, during the March election, Windermere residents will be voting on a referendum on whether the town can take out a loan in the amount of $5.2 million to pay for the new town facilities.

“It’s important for us to rebuild new facilities and move forward with being able to expand,” Williams said. “The buildings that we have (for facilities) were schoolhouses. They were never intended to be town facilities.”

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

2019 FORECAST

Continuing the mission A LEADER IN THE MAKING

GABBY BAQUERO NEWS EDITOR

A

lthough he had always entertained dreams of

becoming a police officer, he never really considered himself as leadership material.

But as of Dec. 4, 2018, John Mina, 50, is now the head of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and in charge of about 2,600 deputies.

Before running for Orange County sheriff, which was previously occupied by newly elected Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings for nine years, Mina served in various roles throughout his 28-year law-enforcement career with the Orlando Police Department.

Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in Stanhope, New Jersey, Mina was recruited by OPD while stationed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, during his three-year service in the U.S. Army as a military police officer.

“I always considered myself a hard worker, although I never really thought of myself as a leader or thought I could be a leader,” Mina said. “But in the Army, I had people kind of pushing me along and saying, ‘Hey, you need to better yourself and get more education and take these leadership courses.’

And then when I got to the police academy, the same continued with supervisors and friends who encouraged me to be a leader.

“They would tell me I could go as high as I wanted,” he said. “Hearing that at a young age, I started thinking, ‘Maybe I could.’ And as I acquired more experience and rose through the ranks I started gaining more confidence. And here we are now.”

Prior to his appointment as Orlando police chief — a role he held from 2014 to 2018 — Mina worked as a patrol officer and a SWAT team commander. He also worked with OPD’s drug-enforcement unit and conducted criminal and sex-crime investigations.

During his four years as OPD chief, Mina handled several crises, including the Pulse nightclub shooting in 2016, the shooting death of Lt. Debra Clayton in 2017 and the 21-hour hostage standoff that ended with the death of four children in 2018.

After leading OPD during such tragedies, Mina is no stranger to the challenges that come with being the public face and leader of a lawenforcement agency.

“Being Orlando police chief has prepared me well for this position,” he said. “There’s been many challenges. This can be a very dangerous job. I’ve lost officers, and we’ve also had officers involved in very critical errors and mistakes.

And more often than not, that can really weigh on leaders, because sometimes you feel the brunt of that. Even though it wasn’t you involved, you sometimes have to take that head-on anyway.”

COMMUNITY PRIORITIES

In his new role, Mina knows he will face similar challenges. But what particularly intrigued him about the position was the higher independence and his direct accountability to the people.

“The biggest difference is that, before, I answered to the Orlando mayor and City Commission, whereas now, I’m a constitutional officer elected by the people — and that was one of the things that enticed me to run for sheriff,” he said. “And I liked the idea of being more independent. I’m looking forward to that part.”

Mina said he also is looking forward to taking action on his specif-

Courtsy photo

John Mina took the oath of office for his new position as Orange County sheriff Dec. 4.

ic priorities for the county, including crime reduction, school safety, officer recruitment, drug enforcement and community engagement.

“I think Orange County is a pretty safe place to live and work already, but obviously my priority will be to reduce crime even further, specifically violent crime,” he said.

“Another priority of mine is school safety, which I think is on everyone’s mind. But I think it’s important to make sure parents and students alike feel safe at school. And one of the ways I can help with that is to make sure we’re on track to have a deputy at every single school. Here in Orange County, we’re already in good shape, because we have two at every high school, and one at every middle school, and the gap was at the elementary school. So we’re working toward filling that gap, and we’re almost there. When we recruit and hire more deputies, that gap will close.”

Blair M. Johnson

|

7

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

Another one of his priorities is boosting public engagement and interagency collaboration. He has a few successful community-led programs and public-engagement initiatives in mind from OPD that he hopes to bring to the sheriff’s office.

He also will ensure attention is given to the issue of drug abuse, he said.

“Another big issue is heroin and opioid abuse,” Mina noted. “We’re not the only community that faces that issue, because it’s a nationwide problem with many people overdosing. We’ve done a good job so far making sure our deputies and officers are issued Narcan to save lives.”

The former Orlando police chief and Army veteran is aware his new job will come with its own unique set of challenges, but as someone who was taught the value of hard work — starting with his first job in high school as a dishwasher — he expects his hard work, and that of his deputies, will be worth it as long as the community stays safe.

“I just really enjoy helping keep this community safe and having an impact,” Mina said. “Everyone wants to catch the bad guys. Don’t get me wrong: I love the part when bad guys go to jail. But there’s also the aspect of having a real impact on our community, particularly our youth. … And I thank everyone who supported me. I’m going to listen to the needs of this community. I’m willing to work with everyone to do what we can to make improvements because there’s always room to get better and ensure people trust us to help make the community safer.”

“We have the largest chapel in West Orange County.”

Owned and operated by the Romano family.

Attorney At Law • 407-656-5521 425 S. Dillard St. • Winter Garden, FL 34787

“Because You Care” “Family Owned & Operated”

407-614-8350

Family Owned & Operated

“That’s My Wish”

795

All Inclusive $ All Inclusive Direct Direct Cremation Cremation $795

9001 N. Orlando Ave. West M a iOrange t l a n d , F L 3 2 7 5 1Sanford

9001 N.Orlando Ave. 1400 Mathew Paris Blvd.

905 Laurel Ave. West Orange S a n FL f o r32771 d Maitland, FL 32751 Sanford, Ocoee, FL 34761 1400 Matthew Paris Blvd.

905 Laurel Ave. Ocoee, FL 34761

Sanford, FL 32771

(407) 695-CARE (2273)

Proudly serving West Orange County for over 36 years.

www.winteroakfuneralhome.com

294926-1

(407)695-CARE (2273)

www.blairjohnsonlaw.com

www.D EGusipEFunERAlHomE.Com www.DeGusipeFuneralHome.com

1132 E. Plant Street, Winter Garden, FL 34787 • LIC #F080822

294927-1

Maitland

Direct Cremation for:

795.00 Call for details

$

“Home of the area’s first certified therapy dog.

Feel free to stop in and say hello to Charley Girl!”

three lOcatiOns FOr M a iyOur t l a n d cOmFOrt 294747-1

“Cremation Choices offers an affordable alternative to expensive funeral homes and cremation services in the Central Florida area.”

Direct Cremation

8940 Conroy-Windermere Rd. 8 am - 6 pm Mon -Fri 8 am - 3 pm Saturdays 407-217-7700

675

$

www.LuvNCareWindermere.net

294933-1

$25

(reg $65) New clients only.

First pet - dog or cat.

Not to be combined with any other coupons or discounts. With coupon.

Plus Container

FREE BOARDING

($25 value) Receive one free day of boarding with the purchase of two days Canine and Feline.

Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts.

Must present coupon.

Minimum of 3 days required.

“The cutting edge of veterinary care!” Treating Dogs - Cats - Exotics

352-394-8228 921 S. US Hwy 27 • Minneola, FL One block north of Citrus Tower 294946-1

New Patient Exam

294940-1

• Wills/Advance Directives • Estates • Corporation/LLC • Commercial transactions • Landlord/Tenant • Real estate: Contracts, Closings, Short Sales, Deed in Lieu • And other matters

www.cremationchoicesfl.com

We offer a non-traditional setting for families to feel comfortable when planning for themselves or their loved ones. For more information and a complete list of prices, please visit our website: www.cremationchoicesfl.com

OBSERVER

|

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

COMMON HOME INSPECTION ISSUES POOR DRAINAGE. This can make the supporting soil around the foundation weak and cause mild to severe cracking in stucco and increase the likelihood of water intrusion into the home.

LEAKY ROOFS. Florida’s inclement weather results in a short life for roofs, and weather-worn roofs can lead to water leaks when it rains.

POOR VENTILATION. If a home’s attic gets too hot, it may cause the roof shingles to fail faster.

FAULTY FOUNDATION. Most home foundations in Florida are on sand, which can shift and move when concrete is poured over the sand, causing the foundation to crack.

Caveat emptor Following a disaster with her own home, Winter Garden resident Torey Eisenman has set out to educate the community on handling the many issues that may come up after closing on a home.

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

GABBY BAQUERO NEWS EDITOR

W

hat should have been a beautiful dream home located on Johns Lake in Winter Garden soon

morphed into a nightmare for one family. Following the discovery of 22 issues with her $1.09 million home, Torey Eisenman — a real-estate broker and general contractor — was devastated.

After several months of litigation and thousands of dollars later, the Eisenman family has since moved into the home and hired their own contractors to handle the remaining repairs.

“It’s not just us; it’s a huge epidemic,” Eisenman said. “And I mean, it’s unfortunate because these builders are making millions to billions of dollars, and they’re buying more companies, but they’re just not hiring skilled people. And they’re not holding their company accountable — and that’s obviously a problem.”

The stressful experience her family endured because of the

builder — Lennar Homes — and the shoddy work performed by the subcontractors motivated Eisenman to do what she could to educate other potential homebuyers and ensure they do not fall into the same all-too-common trap.

“I just want to educate people because it can be very frustrating when things go wrong,” she said.

“I think what’s happening in the industry right now with some of the bigger builders that are not doing what they should and forcing people to fight them is just unnecessary and unconscionable.

But I think if people gain an understanding of how to get things done and protect themselves, they’re less likely to be put in such awful situations.”

Eisenman invited about 25 homeowners and potential homebuyers to an educational meeting last fall. During the meeting, which Eisenman said will be the first of many, attendees heard from Bill Ostoyic, a residential and commercial inspector based in Windermere.

Ostoyic, who has been conducting inspections in Florida for the last 13 years, offered insight into the home-inspection industry.

He warned attendees to do heavy research on who they hire as home inspectors, because aspiring home inspectors can obtain their licenses after taking a two-weekend course.

Inspectors also often provide vague reports that fail to provide details on a specific problem and follow a routine inspection checklist that could potentially miss major issues in a home, he said.

“One of the problems with the home-inspection industry is the standards and practices,” Ostoyic said. “They tell you that you’re only responsible for checking a representative number of items like, say, maybe one outlet in every room. But you need to inspect everything — every light switch, door, window, plumbing fixture — from top to bottom as if you’re the one buying the home.

HAZARDOUS WIRING. Wiring issues are pretty common, which can cause nonfunctioning outlets and exposed wires that puts your family at risk.

WINDOWS. Windows that are improperly sealed/caulked will cause hot air from outside to create moisture and mold when it reacts with the cool air inside your home, causing hardware to rust.

Source: bit.ly/2PNyJP5

That’s the only way you won’t miss anything.”

Ostoyic also said that, before hiring an inspector, one should request to see sample reports to check how thoroughly they conduct home inspections. He also suggested hiring a professional who has proven experience with the type of home in which you are interested.

“If it’s a new home, they need to hire a home inspector that has experience with new-construction homes,” he said. “New construction requires more of an eye for detail. A contractor is only as good as the subcontractors that they hire to do the actual work.

I’ve found guys using broken and cracked pieces of wood for trim work. And the painters don’t care; they just caulk it, paint it and keep on going. And most superintendents don’t have any building knowledge, so they just let it go, because the building industry is all about making money — it’s not about putting out a quality product. Because if one person doesn’t buy the home, there are two other people behind them who will.”

EYE FOR DETAIL

For older homes, Ostoyic usually instructs potential homebuyers to be wary, because he frequently catches people trying to

hide issues with the home they’re attempting to sell. His advice: If something looks suspicious, investigate it.

“A lot of people will try to hide issues with a home if they don’t have the money or gumption to fix it,” he said. “If you see something that doesn’t make sense, there’s usually a reason for it. I inspected a house not that long ago, and the sellers were showing off the kitchen but piled all this stuff in the corner by the breakfast nook. At first you think, well, they’re moving out so they’ve got to stack this stuff somewhere, but at the same time, that’s not the first place where one would think to stack it, because people usually like to display the kitchen features. We later found out that corner was where all the termites were, but they made it inaccessible to inspect. Unfortunately, my clients didn’t know until after the people moved out and they closed on the house.”

Relying on people to be upfront with the issues of an older home is one of the most common mistakes for new homebuyers, he said.

“Trusting other people is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve seen people make,” Ostoyic said. “I hate to put it that way, because you’d think someone selling a house has taken measures to maintain it and take care of it, but that is often not the case. So people really have to be careful. Especially if it’s a home that’s been flipped because the state of Florida says you don’t have to disclose what’s wrong with a house if you haven’t lived in it.”

However, buyers can take a few measures to verify what they’re told during home-sale negotiations by researching the home, he shared. Whenever a home has construction work done, a permit is required. So one can pull the permits online to check any upgrades or replacements that have been done to the roof, air-conditioning unit, plumbing system, electrical wiring and the like.

Eisenman and Ostoyic said they plan to collaborate this year to offer opportunities for the community to become more educated on subjects related to home inspections and builder warranties.

“I really want, and will continue, to educate people even before they close on properties or buy from a builder, because they need to understand how the contract reads, what they’re signing, and what their rights are,” Eisenman said. “Bill (Ostoyic) and I have both talked about doing more meetings for people before they actually buy their homes. I mean, I don’t want to imply that every builder is a bad builder, because it’s not all builders, but it’s definitely some of the bigger ones, and people need to be educated and prepared.”

PARTNER OF THE WEEK

Free Single Vision Lenses Dr. John Nowell With The Purchase of Any Frame Dr. Ben Konynenbelt August 1, 2018-August 31, 2018

Follow Your School...

Allergies/Tearing Blepharitis Cataracts Conjunctivitis Diabetic eye exams Dry eyes

Emergency eye care Foreign body removal Glaucoma Iritis/ uveitis Keratoconus Lasik Consultations

Latisse Consultations Macular degeneration Pink eyes Styes Plaquenil toxicity exams Vision Therapy Vision Training

Comprehensive eye exams for all ages | Award-winning Optical Boutique Contact lens fittings from simple to complex

407-271-8931 www.southwestorlandoeyecare.com

• Photo Galleries • Interviews • Team of the Week • Videos & More

Giant Recreation World is Central Florida’s #1 RV dealer.

Family owned and operated, we have the experience and staying power of having served over 40,000 happy customers since 1976. We go the extra mile to make sure that you have the most enjoyable, stress-free purchase and ownership experience GiantRecreationWorld.com

294598-1

8

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

|

Fresh perspective DANIELLE HENDRIX BLACK TIE EDITOR

L

ast February, dozens of teachers arrived at Orange County Public Schools headquarters in downtown

Orlando — posters in hand and frustration on their faces — and called for a return to education. In October, a resignation letter written by former OCPS teacher Maren Hicks ran in The Washington Post.

“Teachers are no longer given the autonomy to practice what endless amounts of research have proven are developmentally appropriate, dynamic ways of measuring student growth and skill mastery,” Hicks wrote.

But with elections over, parents and teachers — and OCPS as a whole — now have five new faces on the Orange County School Board.

Will this bring about the change residents and teachers are seeking?

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Only three of the School Board’s members —District 3’s Linda Kobert, District 4’s Pam Gould and District 5’s Kat Gordon — are continuing in their roles. Joining them now are School Board Chair Teresa Jacobs, District 1’s Angie Gallo, District 2’s Johanna López, District 6’s Dr. Karen Castor Dentel and District 7’s Melissa Byrd. This also marks the first time the board was made up of all women.

López, a former Spanish teacher at Colonial High and OCPS teacher of the year in 2016, is also the board’s first Puerto Rican member. She decided to run after talking to students and teachers, the latter of whom were frustrated with their workloads.

“The teachers feel overwhelmed, and as a teacher I heard a lot of stories from colleagues feeling frustrated because of the load of work they were having,” López said.

“I believe that was also an asset — to be a voice for the teachers. When you’re in the classroom for so many years and your friends and colleagues are teachers, I know the way they feel. I saw them crying sometimes, and they love what they’re doing, but it’s a lot of work.”

Gallo, a longtime PTA volunteer and former legislative chair for the Florida PTA the last four years, wanted to use her experience in policy and educational advocacy to help lead District 1. Byrd, an OCPS parent and a former teacher, decided it was time to bring her experience to the board. Castor Dentel is a former OCPS teacher and legislator — as well as daughter of Florida’s former education commissioner, Betty Castor — and Teresa Jacobs is the former Orange County mayor.

Each brings a fresh perspective to the table, and although they have many goals in common — improving communication, increasing parental and communal engagement and recruiting and retaining quality teachers — they know their first priority is to listen to the people they serve.

“One thing I heard over and over again when I was knocking on doors was these people feel like they’re not heard,” Byrd said. “That’s one of my big priorities, is to let my community know that I’m here for them and I work for them. … You can’t fix anything if you aren’t even listening or don’t know what’s going on.”

TEACHER TROUBLES

Although these five board members are new to their roles, they recognize the importance of quality teachers and know of the frustrations that educators are voicing — not only in OCPS but also nationwide.

In Hicks’ resignation letter, she wrote she was closing the curtain on her career with OCPS after just five years. The reason?

“There is a massive and deeply concerning disconnect between the supposed aims of OCPS and their practices,” she wrote.

Hicks noted collaboration should occur between everyone involved in public education and that the board needs to listen. She also called for a return to education and lamented the district for treating students as “data points.”

“Across a variety of platforms, teachers and faculty members have implored Orange County School Board members specifically for the drastic changes our

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

Former OCPS teacher Maren Hicks resigned from the school district in 2018, citing inadequate teacher autonomy, low pay and standardized testing as a few of the frustrations that drove her to leave. She sent a letter detailing some of these issues to the district as part of her retirement package, and the letter was published in The Washington Post. To read it, visit wapo.st/2EB5oGO.

classrooms need,” Hicks wrote.

“We speak at meetings, we write editorials for local papers, we sign petitions and propose legislative measures. Instead, we are met with closed doors and deaf ears.”

These are the same sentiments that were echoed by members of the Orange County Classroom Teachers Association at their February rally in downtown Orlando. There, teachers and parents called for a “clean house,” with some calling for board members who weren’t politically incentivized and who would advocate for students at both the district and state levels.

“I believe that the teacher recruitment and retention is also another challenge we have to work on, because teachers just leave the profession, and it’s very hard to find (quality) teachers,” López said. “When we do find teachers, it’s hard to retain them. Salary is something we have to work on. The load of testing is something that the parents and students are feeling very overwhelmed by — as are the teachers, because you have that responsibility on your shoulders. As a teacher, they evaluate you because of the student results. It’s unfair for teachers to have that type of evaluation and it’s unfair for our students to have so many tests.”

Gallo knows teacher retention is on the minds of many school districts nationwide, and she said the No. 1 issue she hears about from teachers is their cry for autonomy and better pay.

“They got into the profession because they want to make a difference,” Gallo said. “(And) I get it: These teachers work very hard (and) they want the ability to have teachable moments. …We do have a teacher shortage across Florida. Making sure we have highly qualified, happy teachers in classrooms is important because that’s directly linked to student success.”

López said she already is setting up meetings with teachers and hopes to have formal roundtables around her district with teachers and parents to get feedback from them.

“I believe that the community needs to validate the teaching profession more, as well,” López said. “It’s very important. …You can change children’s lives.”

At the OCCTA rally in February, many teachers voiced frustrations with time management as they juggle regular teaching hours, tutoring and prepping students for standardized testing. But even the district grapples with the state’s current accountability system, Gould said.

“On the time-management side, it’s so difficult because of the way the accountability system is structured,” Gould said.

“It drives all of this benchmarking and tracking…instead of finding ways to utilize what

9

OCPS BOARD

2019 FORECAST

With new faces representing five of the eight positions on the Orange County School Board, each hopes to bring change.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

teachers do every day to really keep us accountable. It’s a constant struggle and the teachers often think we’re responsible for that…but at the end of the day, everybody is stressing out because of the way the accountability system is structured.”

Gould agreed with teachers’ rallies for higher pay, adding that the state needs to fund education at a level that is not only competitive in a highgrowth market but that also shows teachers they are valued.

“We value our educators as the economic-development investors that they are,” Gould said. “They are creating our workforce. On top of that they help shape the character of our children and really inspire kids to invent and be entrepreneurs.”

DIVING IN

Although they stepped into their roles just before the holidays, the new board members are excited to join the current ones in 2019.

Community involvement and parental engagement are crucial keys to ensuring student success, as is school safety, they said.

“I believe if we increase the parental engagement, we can help the students more,” López said. “If we don’t have the parents engaging in the system, it’s kind of hard to work as a team.

That’s something that would make a difference in all of the aspects I’ve mentioned before — safety, smart growth, teachers. … All of us want the students to be successful in life, to graduate and to contribute to our society.”

Byrd plans to focus on community involvement and being present and involved in her district. She hopes to create a community or advisory council of local leaders and stakeholders in education to focus on the communities outside and around the schools.

“The new members are very in touch with the heartbeat of the communities,” Byrd said.

“We have more educators on the board now than we did previously. I think that that is going to definitely raise the bar as far as being in tune with what the teachers need.”

“We also have amazing members (who) already have experience in how to advocate for student rights,” López said. “We have teachers, parents, PTA representatives, a former mayor. … I think we have an amazing school board, and (people) are excited to have them.”

Gould noted that during their first board meeting, the new members were ready to dive into reviewing concerns the board has been facing and helping find improvements and solutions for them.

“When you have fresh perspectives, there’s sometimes answers you didn’t think about before or a new way to do things,” Gould said. “It’s new and exciting. Everybody brings new thoughts and perspectives, and that’s really cool.”

Teresa Jacobs declined multiple attempts seeking comment for this story.

Chair: Teresa Jacobs teresa.jacobs@ocps.net

District 1: Angie Gallo angela.gallo@ocps.net

District 2: Johanna López johanna.lopez@ocps.net

District 3: Linda Kobert linda.kobert@ocps.net

District 4: Pam Gould pamela.gould@ocps.net

District 5: Kat Gordon kathleen.gordon@ocps.net

District 6: Karen Castor Dentel, karen.castordentel@ocps.net

District 7: Melissa Byrd melissa.byrd@ocps.net

10

OBSERVER

|

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

TYPES INDEPENDENT LIVING Independent-living communities are designed for independent seniors who desire the conveniences of community living. These offer a senior lifestyle filled with recreational, educational and social opportunities. Independent-living communities also can be called retirement communities, congregate living or senior apartments.

ASSISTED LIVING An assisted-living community allows older adults to maintain their independence while still having the assistance they need nearby.

Assisted-living communities are designed for adults who need help performing the activities of daily living, such as bathing, grooming or managing their medication schedule. Staff is onsite 24 hours a day, but the goal is to keep residents as independent as possible.

These communities offer different levels of care, services and amenities. Some are more upscale and formal, while others have a casual, relaxed environment.

Amy Quesinberry

Tea time is a favorite activity in the memory-care unit at Sheridan at Windermere. Oma Latchman holds a conversation while pouring for Martha Land.

FUTURE FACILITIES Six senior-housing projects are making their way through the application process in West Orange County. n Arya at Ocoee is a 148-unit independent-living facility proposed north of Roberson Road and east of Tomyn Boulevard. n The Roberson by Legacy Lifestyles, on Roberson Road, near the proposed Arya at Ocoee, will open in late 2019.

The 120-bed facility is designed for seniors to age in place. n The Longleaf subdivision, in Oakland — with a mix of singlefamily homes, townhomes and apartments — will include senior housing. The developer has approval for 84 units but has not defined the care level or construction schedule. n CERTUS Senior Living is a 46,000-square-foot assistedliving facility with 64 beds proposed on Conroy Windermere Road. n A 75-bed assisted-living facility is proposed at 8498 Seidel Road, in Horizon West Village F. n Orlando Health Center for Rehabilitation, currently under construction at Health Central Hospital, in Ocoee, will include a skilled-nursing unit and memory-care unit.

Plenty of options AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

I

n the 1960s, when senior citizens no longer could care for themselves and they had no family in the area, they had few options and typically ended up in a nursing home or retirement home that provided 24-hour care.

Many of the early facilities basically were hospital-like institutions offering little more than medical care and regular meals.

The 1987 Nursing Home Reform Act provided guidelines and minimal standards for such facilities — and the public’s perception started to change as nursing homes improved and appeared to be an appealing option for seniors.

A decade ago, there was just a handful of skilled-nursing and assisted-living facilities in West Orange County. Today, that list is extensive — and it continues to grow as municipalities are discovering the need for more options.

Many of today’s facilities resemble upscale resorts with their luxurious amenities, such as chef-prepared meals, Happy Hour, spas, health-and-wellness programs, home theaters and highspeed Wi-Fi. Developers also are creating multicare-level communities on a single or adjacent property where, for instance,

seniors can start in the independentliving facility; as they age and their physical or mental capacities decrease, they can gradually transition to assisted living and to memory care.

Florida’s population increases by nearly 1,000 people daily, according to Sachs Media Group. As residents age, appropriate housing remains a concern to seniors and their families. Citizens can visit Medicare.Gov to obtain a list of senior-housing options and to check for licensing, surveys and state rating.

Other resources include the Department of Elder Affairs, elderaffairs.state. fl.us; Office on Aging and Commission on Aging, orangecountyfl.net/ familieshealthsocialsvcs/seniorservices.aspx; and Agency for Health Care Administration, FloridaHealthFinder. gov.

A PLACE TO CALL HOME

INDEPENDENT ASSISTED MEMORY FACILITY ADDRESS LIVING LIVING CARE Brookdale Senior Living Dr. Phillips 8001 Pin Oak Drive, Orlando • • Brookdale Senior Living Ocoee 80 N. Clarke Road, Ocoee • • Colonial Lakes Health Care 15204 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden Golden Pond Communities 402 Lakeview Road, Winter Garden • • HarborChase of Dr. Phillips 7233 Della Drive, Orlando • • • Health Central Park 411 N. Dillard St., Winter Garden Inspired Living 1061 Tomyn Blvd., Ocoee • • Lake Bennett Health and Rehabilitation 1091 Kelton Ave., Ocoee Quality Health of Orange County 12751 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden MetroWest Nursing and Rehab Center 5900 Westgate Drive, Orlando Ocoee Health Care Center 1556 Maguire Road, Ocoee Serenades at West Orange 720 Roper Road, Winter Garden • Solaris Healthcare Windermere 4875 Cason Cove Drive, Orlando Sonata West 420 Roper Road, Winter Garden • • The Gardens at Lakeview 30 W. Garden Ave., Winter Garden • • The Gardens at Oakland 715 Hull Island Drive, Oakland • • The Sheridan at Windermere 13798 Speer Island Drive, Windermere • •

SKILLED NURSING

•

• • • • • •

MEMORY CARE In broad terms, memory care is designed to meet the unique needs of adults who have Alzheimer’s disease or a similar form of dementia. Most memorycare programs are attached to an assisted-living community or a nursing-care community.

The focus of memory-care programs is on improving quality of life for people with dementia while also keeping them safe and secure.

These dedicated memorycare living units offer residents a secure environment that helps reduce the risk of an adult with Alzheimer’s wandering away.

IN-HOME CARE In-home care is a general term to describe services delivered at home to recovering, disabled or terminally ill persons in need of medical, nursing, social or therapeutic treatment.

With many seniors wishing to live at home for as long as possible, home care provides a range of caregiver services to the elderly, as well those who are recovering, disabled or terminally ill, allowing for a more comfortable experience. At-home care services give seniors a sense of independence in life while still assisting them in an assortment of basic needs and activities.

RESPITE CARE Respite care is a short-term stay option for seniors currently receiving in-home care. It provides temporary relief from duties for caregivers, ranging from several hours to days.

Whether it’s a few hours a week, or a few weeks a year for a vacation, respite care gives caregivers the ability to reduce stress, restore energy and maintain a balanced lifestyle.

CONTINUING-CARE RETIREMENT COMMUNITIES These are residential campuses that provide a continuum of care — from private units to assisted living and then skilled-nursing care, all in one location. CCRCs are designed to offer active seniors an independent lifestyle from the privacy of their own home but also include the availability of services in an assisted-living environment and onsite intermediate or skillednursing care if necessary.

SOURCE: Seniorhousingnet.com

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

|

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

MARKET WATCH

he said. “The West Orange area checks off a lot of those boxes.

Winter Garden is probably one of the fastest-growing areas in Orange County. A community that only had a few sales and all of a sudden had 10 sales will see a significant increase in percentage growth. And Winter Garden is near the top five in the county.”

AFFORDABILITY

HOMES SOLD BY ZIP CODE 34787 Courtesy of Suzi Karr Realty

Located at 1128 Dingens Ave., this custom-built home in Gotha is on the market for $1.2 million. The 5,277-square-foot-home was built in 2007.

Local real-estate experts offer their predictions for the 2019 housing market in West Orange based on 2018’s trends.

GABBY BAQUERO NEWS EDITOR

A

lthough the Orange County real-estate market experienced a slight cooling in 2018 compared

to the red-hot environment of 2015 through 2017, local experts agree the area will continue to enjoy a healthy market in 2019.

Jeffrey Fagan, president of the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association, predicts an increase in housing inventory with new construction becoming available; an increase — and then leveling out — of home prices; and a likely increase in interest rates depending on the Federal Reserve.

Fagan said those factors could lead to an overall more balanced market.

“2018 has been a good year,” he said. “Albeit, it has slowed down a little bit compared to what we were experiencing in 2015 through 2017. It slowed down a bit this year, but we have pockets in the county that increased, and other areas that slowed down.

“Overall, Orange County came down about 3% compared to what it had been at the same point in time in 2017,” Fagan said. “But that’s not a bad thing, because it needed to slow down a little bit.

Prices were gaining a little bit too fast, and for long-term sustainable growth, you need a bit of a balance. If it rises too fast, you end up getting too much price appreciation, but you certainly don’t want it going too far down either. So we’re coming more into a balanced position in our realestate market.”

Veteran West Orange realestate agent Suzi Karr agrees.

“If this month (December) is any indication, I would say 2019 is going to be dynamite,” Karr said. “I fully expect we’re going

to see a whole lot going on. We’ve been seeing a lot of foreign buyers coming in and paying cash.

But I think everything is stabilizing. The economy is good, and that helps a lot. And, of course, interest rates were going up, but they may come down a little bit and then level out, depending on a lot of factors. But the country is in a pretty good position right now. We can never predict what will happen with home prices too accurately, but I don’t think we’re going to see them go down; I hope not. I think they will go up and then level out, according to availability.”

WEST ORANGE AMENITIES

In West Orange, high demand and the area’s unique amenities will continue to make it a popular place for families.

“We offer so much in Orange County,” Karr said. “Horizon West is doing really well, and Winter Garden is phenomenal.

Their downtown is great. A lot of people are moving there — including people from Windermere — to be close to the West Orange Trail and downtown. And of course, you have the 12 lakes joined by canals — you can’t beat that. And old Windermere, just as it is, is beautiful.”

Fagan agrees.

“People want to live in areas that have strong schools and are in aesthetically pleasing areas close to transportation and jobs,”

34786

WINTER GARDEN

WINDERMERE

2018 January: 112 February: 126 March: 172 April: 183 May: 188 June: 126 July: 123 August: 94 September: 88 October: 86 Jan. To Oct. 2018: 1,298

2018 January: 55 February: 74 March: 95 April: 100 May: 113 June: 94 July: 89 August: 92 September: 54 October: 83 Jan. To Oct. 2018: 849

2017 January: 103 February: 138 March: 159 April: 140 May: 163 June: 212 July: 165 August: 202 September: 145 October: 170 November: 120 December: 167 Jan. To Dec. 2017: 1,884 Change in sales: 31.1%

2017 January: 68 February: 71 March: 108 April: 83 May: 101 June: 107 July: 97 August: 78 September: 72 October: 80 November: 77 December: 93 Jan. To Dec. 2017: 1,035 Change in sales: 18%

34761

34734

2018 January: 54 February: 40 March: 78 April: 70 May: 68 June: 65 July: 76 August: 77 September: 51 October: 56 Jan. To Oct. 2018: 635

2018 January: 4 February: 4 March: 8 April: 9 May: 7 June: 5 July: 3 August: 8 September: 5 October: 1 Jan. To Oct. 2018: 54

2017 January: 55 February: 49 March: 62 April: 44 May: 70 June: 69 July: 62 August: 77 September: 49 October: 56 November: 55 December: 74 Jan. To Dec. 2017: 722 Change in sales: 12%

2017 January: 5 February: 5 March: 4 April: 4 May: 4 June: 8 July: 5 August: 6 September: 5 October: 3 November: 3 December: 5 Jan. To Dec. 2017: 57 Change in sales: 5.3%

OCOEE

GOTHA

Source: Orlando Regional REALTOR Association

However, the news isn’t all positive. Finding affordable housing in Orange County will remain difficult.

Although the new construction coming online will increase inventory, it won’t be at a price some buyers can afford.

“We don’t have a lot of builders that are building lower-priced homes right now,” Fagan said.

“The challenge with new construction, typically, is the price point. Because of the costs for labor, materials and even permitting, the entry-level price point for new construction is a little more than would be ideal.

So first-time homebuyers are having a bit of a challenge finding new housing because of low inventory, lack of builder inventory and high demand that prices homes outside of their budget.”

Realtor Christina Rordam noted any increase in interest rates also will make it harder for firsttime buyers to afford a home.

“I cannot say how high rates will climb in 2019,” she said.

“However, they will rise, and in doing so, will cause mortgage payments to increase. …

Although I see many new home developments coming up, I do not see many in what would be an entry-level price range based on Orlando-area incomes, leaving first-time buyers most vulnerable.”

“I think it’s inevitable that mortgage rates are going to have to go up,” Fagan said. “The federal government was artificially depressing interest rates for a while to stimulate the economy.

That said, it does need to come into more normal ranges. I should say, though, that even at 6% or 7% — even if that seems terrible to people — that really is a normal interest rate. We had artificially low interest rates for a decade.

“And now, necessarily, interest rates will have to go back up, but it’s going to take people a bit of time to get used to that, because it does decrease your purchasing power,” he said. “But, back in the day, interest rates were as high as 18 or 19% and people still bought houses. Of course, I’d never want to see that again, but it’s still going to have to normalize a bit.

And I think we will see it go up a bit in 2019.”

To compound the problem, rental rates also are rising.

“The rental markets are very strong, and that is a concern because rental rates are going up, but vacancy rates are down,” Fagan said. “I heard (Orange County Mayor) Jerry Demings talking about affordable housing. And that is something that should be high on the priority list going into 2019. We’re actually working with communities, Florida Realtors and with the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association to address affordable housing in Tallahassee, because we absolutely need some assistance.”

11

12

OBSERVER

|

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

Lee Liddick is looking to help bolster the DPLL softball program and lead it into the future.

A field of their own TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

I

n the Dr. Phillips commu-

Dr. Phillips Little League is growing in attendance but has found itself at a crossroads as it waits for the development of a new facility to call home.

nity, there’s a place that celebrates America’s pas-

time. In the fall and spring, boys and girls flock to the fields of Dr. Phillips Little League to participate in what has become a rite of passage for many youngsters.

The games of baseball and softball have thrived at these ballparks and have offered a place for the community’s children to enjoy their sport.

However, although the institution is still going strong, the league is facing new changes, both big and small, and is at a crossroads of sorts — the biggest of which includes future plans of relocating to new fields.

FINDING A FUTURE HOME

DPLL has called its current fields — at 7000 Dr. Phillips Blvd. — home since 1995, when the league first made arrangements to lease the land from Dr. Phillips Charities for $1 a year.

The deal sounds amazing — and in a way it is. But unlike the other Little League ball parks in the area, DPLL is required to pay for everything — including maintenance, supplies and so on. Almost all league parks are paid for and operated by Orange County.

“It does put us at a cost disadvantage,” said Matt Grant, who

Photos by Troy Herring

sits on the DPLL board. “If you do a cost comparison and you look at the fees that we charge compared to the other Little Leagues, our fees are significantly higher than any of the other Little Leagues in our district.”

The high cost forces the league to raise membership prices close to $200 per family, compared to the $150 and less that other leagues offer up.

Along with the costs, another reason for DPLL to seek a new home is that Dr. Phillips Charities has decided to not renew the

league’s lease on the land. However, currently, there are no plans for the land itself or a timetable that has been put on the league.

“I don’t even know if the lease has been extended in writing … if they are extending it in writing, then it’s kind of season by season — they are unwilling to make any long-term commitment to us staying,” Grant said. “That said, they’ve demonstrated the commitment to us continuing to play.

I don’t think anybody feels like they’re going to pull the plug without us having another option.”

DOWN IN THE MUCK

Although there are nerves that has come with not knowing what’s to come, Dr. Phillips Charities have put forward an effort to see that the league eventually finds a home.

“On Nov. 27, 2017, Dr. Phillips Charities matched Rotary of Dr. Phillips’ $5,000 contribution to Dr. Phillips Little League for their field project,” said Ken Robinson, Dr. Phillips Charities president/ CEO. “We look forward to the day when Dr. Phillips Little League has its permanent home at the Dr. P. Phillips Community Park with

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

ANOTHER OPTION

Although the plans fell through, there’s another option currently in the works.

During a public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 18, the Orange County Planning and Zoning Commission discussed the massive O-Town West project by Unicorp National Developments — which included some exciting news.

“They’re going through the zoning process approved by the

SOFTBALL GETS A BOOST

Despite the levels of uncertainty faced by the league, registration is up among athletes — especially those looking to play softball, said Lee Liddick, who oversees the softball program.

In the fall alone, registration for softball saw a 19% spike. It was particularly higher in the younger age range.

Part of the reason could be attributed to the league moving its

Let us host your holiday parties and other special events!

CROSSWORD

©2019 Universal Uclick

ACROSS

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT by Timothy B. Parker

28 Originates (from) 29 Far from fashionable 1 Warrior princess played by 31 Try Lucy Lawless 34 Actress Russo 5 Netanyahu nickname 35 Colorful visualization in a 9 Grits go-with weather report 15 Put an end to 36 Twelve, on a clock face 19 Good fighter?

37 ... catches wind of 20 Principal water carrier 41 Shoo-___ (sure winners) 21 Type of roll 42 Krabappel of Springfield 22 A violinist, violist and Elementary cellist might form one 44 Adams with the 1991 hit 23 After applying this “Get Here” answer’s first word to the 45 Do a bar job start of the second ... United 46 Raggedy ___ or American 48 Forest animal or animals 26 Small stream 49 Farrow of “Rosemary’s 27 Suddenly bright star

Baby” 50 Spacewalks, in NASA lingo 52 Farming prefix 55 ... often-automatic car feature 61 Japanese noodles 62 Tennis great Arthur 64 Way in 65 “What are ___ waiting for?”

66 A bit 67 Desdemona’s Shakespeare play 70 Ready to serve, at a bar 72 Battle 74 Custardy dessert

75 Health-care lobby org.

77 Spittoon sound 78 “Life of Pi” author Martel 79 Thing 1?

80 ... polite dude 85 Do part of a triathlon 86 Punch 87 Nev. neighbor 88 Blonde queen in “Frozen” 92 Albany is its capital (Abbr.)

94 Palindromic magazine 96 Certain Arabian Peninsula dweller 98 Compete on “American Idol” 99 Pester

girls that would have aged out of our programs — they wouldn’t have had any place to go. The majority of them wouldn’t have played softball, or they would have gone over and joined Windermere.”

But if the fence can’t be installed in time, those games will end up being played at Dr. P. Phillips Community Park instead, because junior team games require proper field dimensions.

While Liddick looks for funding, there are more plans to promote softball. He is organizing a softball day at UCF in the spring while hosting a three-day clinic — bringing in coaches and helping to raise money for improvements around the ballpark. The funding and additions to the parks will help the league, which in turn also will help the league accomplish its goal of giving children and teens a place to play the sport they love.

“I just hope that the girls continue to enjoy themselves,” Liddick said. “Rec ball is a different animal — some people like it, some people don’t — but there’s a lot of girls out there that we are trying to touch and get them out running around. The relationships that they can build by playing softball is key, as well. We want to continue to build a program that will grow.”

• • • NOW OPEN • • •

Serving lunch and dinner everyday

Fabulous Sunday Brunch 11AM till 3PM

(Formerly The Big Easy - Now under New Ownership)

7782 Winter Garden Vineland Rd, Windermere FL 34786 (Behind McDonalds) • 407-347-3688

101 ... two cubed 105 One of the Stooges 106 It’s taken for coll. credit 108 Post-Christmas curb sight 109 They couldn’t string Odysseus’ bow 111 Stormer of Iwo Jima 112 Midsize Kia model 115 Read a blog without commenting 116 Gets 100% on 117 ... natives for whom a Great Lake is named 122 “The One ___ Got Away” (Katy Perry hit) 123 Follows the edges of 124 Org. with the Final Four 125 Like some threats 126 Skirt lines 127 Getting ready to go home, say?

128 Start of an idea 129 Prepare for a baby bird

40 Embassy figure43 Lord Voldemort, for Harry Potter 47 Fills with disgust 51 Seabird that prays on penguin eggs 53 Ancient Colosseum visitor 54 Unique person, in old slang 56 Offspring of Loki 57 Nuptial vow 58 Potentially offensive, informally 59 Crime boss John, aka “The Teflon Don” 60 Electric shaver brand 62 Attorney follower 63 ... paper purchase 67 Switch positions 68 Metallica drummer Ulrich 69 Scrambles’ relatives 71 Sty inhabitant 73 Ob-___ 76 Final butterfly stage 81 Wrinkly citrus hybrid 82 Faddish berry DOWN 1 Gen ___ (millennial’s parent) 83 “___ of New York” (2002 period drama) 2 Twilight 84 Yale of Yale 3 Vaper’s craving 89 Elegant trip to a red carpet 4 Pain reliever brand 5 Health meas. calculated with gala 90 Tubes for shallow diving weight and height 91 Eons 6 Actor McDiarmid or 93 Peruse McShane 95 Restaurant’s specials, 7 Dallas, to sports fans often 8 Come into, in a way 96 Track-and-field legend 9 Powdery sport Jesse 10 Bring in the sheaves 97 Stereotypically boring 11 Anger office event 12 Egyptian goddess of 99 Jets quarterback who was motherhood the MVP of Super Bowl III 13 “12 Angry ___” (classic 100 Navajo neighbor 1957 film) 102 Experienced with 14 Like better 103 Squeak squelcher 15 Walk with a swagger 104 Scrabble piece 16 ... have the rights to 107 You might take them 17 Bottom of a crankcase shopping 18 Coral-forming animals 110 Shroud of ___ 24 Like a recently used 112 It forms on a healing cut bathrobe 113 Whale that eats seals 25 Place for a match 114 A single time 30 Tabula ___ 118 Suffix for “north” or 31 Fired “south” 32 Teaser trailer 119 Needlefish 33 Bell-shaped flower 120 Yosemite ___ (“Looney 35 Went berserk Tunes” character) 38 Certain tide 121 Harden 39 Stiletto, for one

294606-1

— to utilize before the start of the spring 2018 season.

program from Dr. P. Phillips Community Park to the little-league facility — which has a single softball field — in the fall.

“It’s been a while since softball has been back at the complex, but we decided to move the majority of it back,” Liddick said. “There was a lot of people who complained about the additional drive, way down Apopka-Vineland to get to the park.”

Now that the league has brought the softball team back to itsfacilities, a variety of upgrades now have to be done to get the field up to “softball code,” Liddick said.

The biggest needs are a new fence in the outfield and lights so that teams can play at night. For both issues, Grant and Liddick said they had approached some businesses about donating a fence and lights, but so far, everything has fallen through.

While the league continues to seek funding to get those two big situations fixed, the move back to the facility — along with a stronger social-media game — have helped push the softball program into the forefront.

The added forward nudge also has led to Liddick to advocate for another age group to add to the existing roster.

“We’re making a big push to start the juniors back, which is 14U,” Liddick said. “We had six

CELEBRITY CIPHER

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present.

Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

“O GUDM USVUTN CMMZ WMSOKGFMW UF FGM BJPNBMRF PH U ZMV WUT, U HJMNG FJT, PZM YPJM NFUJF.” – X.C. BJOMNFSMT “N FNJW YG OSHFFWKZW UVTWFA. N FNJW YG FWHMK -- TG N FNJW YG YMV KWR YSNKZT HKC YMV YG JWWD ZMGRNKZ.” – CHXNC TOSRNUUWM Puzzle Two Clue: A equals F

The DPLL is working to better the league’s facilities with new upgrades.

county, and right now, that development includes new fields for Dr. Phillips Little League,” Hockenberry said.

In the northwest corner of the property, four new fields that will sit on six acres of land are planned to offer up the league’s new home.

Originally the development planned for the space to be utilized as a three-acre park.

With the new facilities in the works — which will be overseen by the county — there’s a collective sigh of relief floating around the league, as it seems to have found a place to call its own.

“It would be a physical plant and a significant improvement,” Hockenberry said. “I think it’s more in the residential area, near where more of our players are coming from these days. I also think financially it definitely puts the league on firm footing.”

13

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

Puzzle One Clue: R equals C

maintenance paid for through the Orange County Parks and Recreation Department.”

Along with the money, the charity donated 2.5 acres adjacent to Dr. P. Phillips Community Park, which sits five miles south of DPLL’s current location.

The plans started in 2014, and then in 2016 the league, Orange County Parks and Recreation and Dr. Phillips Charities officially announced they were ready to begin work on creating the new ballparks.

After years of planning and getting everything together, the league finally would move to the new ballparks. But that never happened — all because of the location being next to a lake.

“Long story short, there was ‘muck’ — that was the technical term that was used, because the land that was allocated for the fields, you couldn’t build on it,” said Todd Hockenberry, the league’s former president and county liaison. “Nobody in the county was willing to make the investment, because there would have been a lot more budget, a lot more time, and it didn’t make any sense to develop land that was not appropriate for fields.”

If the plan had still gone through as scheduled, those at DPLL would have had a shiny, new $4.8 million facility — featuring three ballfields

|

©2019 NEA, Inc.

SUDOKU

Complete the grid so that every row, column and 3x3 box contains every digit from 1 to 9 inclusively.

©2019 Andrews McMeel Syndicate

1-3-19

14

OBSERVER

|

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

2019 FORECAST

Planting season As the population of West Orange continues to grow, the number of churches in the area are growing with it.

ERIC GUTIERREZ STAFF WRITER

W

hen Matt Czarnecki left his teaching job at

Bridgewater Middle School, he did so to answer God’s call to plant a church in West Orange.

It’s the same call that Walter and Teresa Price heard when they launched Overflow Wor-

ship Center.

That call is what inspired the Rev. Dr. James A. Harnish in the 1970s to hold services in homes and public places as he founded the church that would become St. Luke’s United Methodist Church — where he served as lead pastor from 1978 to 1992.

It also inspired senior pastor Jason Cooper to revitalize Oak Level Heights Baptist Church, now known as The Church at Oak Level.

When he first arrived to the church 12 years ago, there were 55 regular attendees. Under Cooper’s leadership, The Church at Oak Level has more than doubled that number.

Today, Forever Free Church operates out of Bridgewater, and Overflow operates out of Maxey Elementary. Both have had strong followings since launching, and both are just part a growing number of churches in West Orange.

But with the number of churches growing, and a large number of established churches such as St. Luke’s United Methodist and The Church at Oak Level already here, it begs the question: What’s the secret to a successful church?

METHOD OF THE MESSAGE

The leaders of Forever Free Church, Overflow Worship Center, St. Luke’s United Methodist and The Church at Oak Level agree that any church spreading the message of the Gospel is successful in spreading the word of God. What differs in that success is the method of spreading that message.

Cooper said one aspect that attributes to the successful revitalization of The Church at Oak Level is that the church’s demographics reflect the surrounding community. When he began the revitalization process for The Church at Oak Level, its members were mostly white with an average age of about 72. Those demographics were different from the surrounding area, which was ethnically diverse and had an average age of about 33.

“If you look at your community and you realize that your demographics around your church … doesn’t look anything like the people inside the church, you’re not accomplishing your mission,” Cooper said. “For us, as an evangelical church, our mission is to simply take the Gospel of Christ to every single person around us.

Pastor Matt Czarnecki left his career as a math teacher at Bridgewater Middle School to plant Forever Free Church.

… We want to be a multicultural, ethnically diverse church because our community is multicultural and ethnically diverse.”

During the revitalization, Cooper changed how he delivered his sermons. He structured his services in a conversational, relaxed manner. He even comes up with creative ways to structure his services and hosts at least three themed series every year. Those changes helped proved successful in the church’s revitalization.

“We started making some radical changes,” Cooper said. “We changed music style. We changed how we did our main worship event — our service — and we began to use very innovative and creative ways of delivering the message. …

The message doesn’t change, but the methods that a church uses to deliver that message, it does change.”

Forever Free Church is not affiliated with any existing, established church. Czarnecki said he’s been able grow Forever Free through word of mouth, social media and community involvement, but he’s kept the church strong through God’s word.

“If you’re wanting to grow according to the will of God, you have to allow your secret to be publicized, which is that Jesus changes your life — Jesus saves,” Czarnecki said. “From the beginning, that has been our effort. … We want to do the best that we can to walk like Christ. That is our secret of success — to be the hands and feet of Jesus everywhere that we are.”

The Rev. Jennifer Stiles Williams is the lead pastor at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church. She said the key to success for a church is faithfulness, authenticity, grace and being the voice for the voiceless.

“Our call is to go to where God is working and be a part of it,” Stiles Williams said. “When we’re real, when we’re authentic, and when we’re filled with grace, and when we seek to make the lives of those around us better, I believe we are doing what Christ called us to do.

And that’s the true definition of success.”

Although Walter and Teresa Price launched Overflow Worship Center locally in 2015, they launched services during a traditional time on Sunday mornings at Maxey Elementary School in 2018. Prior to that, they hosted services on different days of the week, mostly Saturday nights. Walter serves as the church’s senior pastor/founder and Teresa serves as executive pastor. Overflow Worship Center is affiliated with The Reformed Church in America.

“For us, it’s loving God and loving people,” Walter Price said. “If you don’t love people and have a genuine interest in the betterment of people, I don’t know how successful you’re going to be as a church. … You’ve got to love people and you’ve got to be interested in the well being of the people that you’re serving.”

He added that strong leadership is also important to a church’s success.

“I see our church as successful — despite its size — because of the leadership base that we have,” he said. “I think that success starts with competent leadership, and one thing we’ve been able to do over the course of the past three years is build a diverse leadership base.”

COLLABORATION, NOT COMPETITION

When it comes to attracting members, Czarnecki, Stiles Williams, Cooper and the Prices agree it’s not a competition but rather a collaboration. With the 1.3 million people who call Orange County home and the growing number of new residents who move here every week, there are plenty of potential congregants.

“What we’re doing as churches is ... we’re collaborating, we’re working together, we’re working as a team,” Czarnecki said. “We may have denominational differences, but those peripheral ideas don’t take away from the central viewpoint where we all should be promoting Christ. That’s the only goal we should have.”

Czarnecki added he isn’t trying

to take members away from existing churches. He’s more interested in attracting “the unchurched.”

“Our goal is to not steal other church people,” Czarnecki said.

“We want to go into the community of Horizon West and look at people who have never met Jesus before.”

Teresa Price said forming relationships in the community and creating a family-like culture among members is vital.

“We really believe in (experiencing) life with people and helping them grow” Teresa Price said.

Stiles Williams said different people will have different preferences on how they worship.

“Some people like a smaller feel — some people are energized by being involved in something from the ground up,” she said. “Some people want a more established church. To me, it’s all of us working for the kingdom and working to make sure that everybody knows that they’re loved by God. … It does not matter what church you go to because we’re working for the same goals.”

Stiles Williams stressed the importance of inclusivity within a church.

“We just believe that everyone is welcome,” she said of her church. “Everyone is a child of God, and God wants a church that truly embraces everyone. What’s beautiful about St. Luke’s is you’re going to find a diversity of people.”

Photos by Eric Gutierrez

“We at St. Luke’s — because of where we were founded and the values we were founded on — we just believe that everyone is welcome.

Everyone is a child of God, and God wants a church that truly embraces everyone.

What’s beautiful about St. Luke’s is you’re going to find a diversity of people.”

— The Rev. Jennifer Stiles Williams

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

|

15

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

AUTO SERVICE

Battery Testing and Replacement

Scheduled Maintenance

Transmission and Engine Repair

Computerized Diagnostics

HOME SERVICES

ORLANDO PREMIUM SHUTTERS Tune-Ups and General Repair

The best shutters!

The best prices!

With the best warranty!

Tires and Alignments

Ray Cornell Jr. Doug Gallinger Working Owners

www.r-dauto.com

930 Carter Rd #202 Winter Garden, FL 34787 Telephone: (407) 614-3827 rdtransautorepair@cfl.rr.com

295182

292427

In House Towing Available

See store for details

Mercedes E-Class

ONLY

SERVICE

881 S. 9th Street • Winter Garden, FL 34787

89.95

$

Carlos Arteaga • Owner/Operator

WE BUY JUNK CARS WE BUY SCRAP METAL

Includes up to Service includes: Front or Rear Pads, Parts and Labor.

7 quarts of Full Synthetic Oil. Tax and recycling fees are extra. Not valid with any other offers. Expires 1/31/19.

407-625-0742 • cnalawns@gmail.com Licensed & Insured • Commercial & Residential

OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 8AM - 5PM

PET SERVICES

• All Engines $200.00 each • All Transmissions $100.00 each • Tires $15.00 and up • Batteries $25.00 • Warranties on all parts sold!

Puppy Dreams Pet Hotel Your pet’s home away from home a unique no-cage facility daycare and overnight boarding

407-656-4707

(407) 654-8885

295188

www.budgetupullit.com

293193

179.95 $199.95 $

Full Synthetic Oil Service

• Cleanups • Mulching • Sod Removal & Installation • Landscape & Design • Irrigation Repairs • Light Tree Trimming

TFN

703 S. Vineland Rd. Winter Garden, FL 34787

295185

179.95 BMW 5 Series $199.95 $

407-415-7185 • OrlandoPremiumShutters.com

C&A LAWN

FREE

Financing

BMW 3 Series Mercedes C-Class

Serving Orlando & Surrounding Areas

LANDSCAPING & LAWN

STRESS

BRAKE PAD SALE

MADE IN THE USA

CALL FOR YOUR FREE IN-HOME CONSULTATION TODAY!

Custom measured, designed, manufactured and installed by shutter experts.

295184

AUTO SERVICE

LV11098

HERE’S MY CARD - BUSINESS DIRECTORY

www.puppydreams.com

BEAUTY

ROOFING 295186

Mention this ad for 10% discount on any service

Hair Studio 295175

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “I have always been delighted at the UPGRADES & REPAIRS VIRUS &prospect SPYWARE of a new day, a fresh try, one WinterREMOVAL Garden’s Premier Roofing Company Since 1978 more Serving start.”

All of West Orange County – J.B. Priestley

SPECIALIST HAIR STYLIST 7600 Dr. Phillips Blvd Unit 74 Orlando, FL 32819 Phenix Salon Suite 112 Phone: 407.242.1724 touficelhaouli@hotmail.com

Hours: Tuesday - Saturday 10am-7pm

“International Stylist With Over 20 Years Experience”

294232

295176

TFN

byTerry (Toufic Hawly)

DATA & PASSWORD Fully Licensed and Insured Roof Repairs and Replacement Puzzle Two Solution: RECOVERY 407-656-8920 “I &like toWestOrangeRoofing.com challenge myself. I like to learn WIRELESS WIRED NETWORKING – soFREE I like ESTIMATES to try new things and try to

keep growing.”

– David Schwimmer

Sign up today for our FREE eNewsletter getanswers This week’sand Sudoku “News You Can Use” delivered right to your inbox!

Just enter your email address in the subscrib here box at the bottom of our home page at: www.OrangeObserver.com

CLASSIFIEDS

Thursday, January 3, 2019

INFO & RATES: 407-656-2121 • Fax: 407-656-6075 • EMAIL: classifieds@wotimes.com • ONLINE: www.wotimes.com HOURS: Mon.-Fri. 8:30am-4:30pm • DEADLINES: Classifieds - Tuesday at 10:OOAM • Service Directory - Friday at 10AM • PAYMENT: Cash, Check or Credit Card ©2019 NEA, Inc.

Merchandise Wanted 13178 W. Colonial Dr. Winter Garden

SEARCH • FIND • POST

This week’s Crossword answers

Puzzle Two Solution: “I like to challenge myself. I like to learn – so I like to try new things and try to keep growing.”

– David Schwimmer

NOW PURCHASING

295169

SCRAP BATTERIES 407-656-3495

This week’s Celebrity Cipher answers Puzzle One Solution: “I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start.”

– J.B. Priestley

This week’s Sudoku answers

Help Wanted

NEWSPAPER DELIVERY Driver needed for home deliveries. One day a week. For more information please call Ted at 407-276-0274

TO ADVERTISE IN OUR CLASSIFIEDS CALL 407-656-2121 Or email us at advertisenow@orangeobserver.com

Visit OrangeObserver.com/Calendar ©2019 NEA, Inc.

This week’s Crossword answers

2019

LV11097

Windermere Observer reserves the right to classify and edit copy, or to reject or cancel an advertisement at any time. Corrections after first insertion only. *All ads are subject to the approval of the Publisher. *It is the responsibility of the party placing any ad for publication in Windermere Observer to meet all applicable legal requirements in connection with the ad such as compliance with town codes in first obtaining an occupational license for business, permitted home occupation, or residential rental property.

16

OBSERVER

|

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 3, 2019

BMW

294928-1

Family.

Family.

Friends.

Friends.

Community.

Community.

Athlete of the Week Sponsored by...

Family.

Friends.

Community.

®

State Farm hasThat’s a longone tradition of being there. reason of being one reason why I’m there. proud That’s to support West why I’m county.. proud to support West Orange Orange Get to acounty.. better State®.

Get to a better State . ®

Shannon Till, Agent Shannon Till, Agent

We’re all in this together.

why I’m proud to support West 1211007 State Farm, Bloomington, IL Orange county..

1211007 State Farm, Bloomington, IL ® Get to a better State .

info@importsprofessionalauto.com

www.ImportsProfessionalAuto.com 321 E. WASHINGTON ST • CLERMONT, FL 34715

DISCOVER The Official Annual West Orange County Community Profile and Business Directory of theState West Orange Chamber of Commerce Farm, Bloomington, IL

REACH MORE THAN 300,000 RESIDENTS ALL YEAR LONG IN ONE OF FLORIDA’S FASTEST GROWING COMMUNITY! Stay in front of West Orange businesses and residents with the West Orange Chamber of Commerce’s annual publication! Exclusive advertising opportunities are for West Orange Chamber of Commerce members only!

Discover magazine works online and in print, bringing customers and clients to YOU! Discover magazine is designed to showcase your business or service within the type of media format that consumers most enjoy and trust: a customized publication. Packed with reader-service information and great photography, Discover is a comprehensive go-to guide for everything: neighborhoods, real estate and relocation; attractions and recreation; shopping and dining; education and healthcare; and business sources and demographics.

8,500 COPIES PRINTED ANNUALLY Over 1,100 copies of the magazine will be mailed to the members of the Chamber in March. Additional copies will be distributed in lobbies and waiting rooms of hospitals, physicians, realtors, banks, car dealerships, insurance agencies and other businesses across West Orange.

Don’t miss out!

294311-1

For more information about advertising call: 407-656-2121 or Discover@OrangeObserver.com

Ad Deadline: Thursday, Jan. 10

293587-1

2019 1211007

We are experts in every aspect of auto repair for imported Asian and European vehicles. Our technicians possess extensive knowledge of a wide range of specialties and always place customer satisfaction as a top priority on every job.

352.432.3934

Fowler Groves 3279 Daniels Road Fowler’s Grove 3279• Daniels Rd State Farm® has a long tradition Winter Garden, 34787 Winter Garden, FL FL 34787 Toll TollFree: Free: 855-742-1591 855-742-1591 of being there. That’s one reason www.shannontill.com www.shannontill.com Hablamos Español

Your Local European Auto Repair Specialist.

®

294938-1

www.shannontill.com

We’re all in this together.

We’re all in has thisatogether.

State Farm long tradition

294951-1

Shannon Till, Agent Fowler’s Grove 3279 Daniels Rd Shannon Till, Agent WinterGrove Garden, FL Daniels 34787 Rd Fowler’s 3279 Toll Free: 855-742-1591 Winter Garden, FL 34787 www.shannontill.com Toll Free: 855-742-1591

Independent Repair Facility