WINDERMERE
Observer Serving Southwest Orange County
YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD. FREE
VOLUME 2, NO. 18
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THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2017
“We are made by history” Southwest Orange celebrates Black History Month with poetry, music, fashion and fare. PAGE 7.
Developer plans 350 apartment homes near South Lake
ROYAL TREATMENT
WHAT’S NEXT? APRIL 20: Local Planning Agency adoption hearing JUNE 6: Orange County Commission adoption hearing DANIELLE HENDRIX STAFF WRITER ORANGE COUNTY If all goes according to plan, those who frequent Winter Garden Vineland Road near South Lake and the Grand Cypress Golf Resort could see up to 350 new apartments in the future. At a community meeting held at Bridgewater Middle School on Wednesday, Feb. 8, Orange County staff and representatives from development company Epoch Properties Inc. presented a request for a small-scale future landuse amendment. The subject property is
SEE APARTMENTS PAGE 2
ARTS & CULTURE Photos by Danielle Hendrix
King Mark and his buddy immediately hit the dance floor once inside.
First Baptist Church Windermere was one of 375 churches worldwide to host Night to Shine — the Tim Tebow Foundation’s special-needs prom — on Feb. 10. DANIELLE HENDRIX STAFF WRITER
Dr. Phillips High School to present Prohibitionera production.
SEE PAGES 8-9 PRSRT STD ECRWSS US POSTAGE PAID WINTER GARDEN, FL PERMIT NO. 81
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very time the limousine doors opened, kings and queens stepped out to a red carpet lined with applause and cheers that echoed up and down Main Street in Windermere. Fairy lights added a little sparkle to the air, as friendly paparazzi pointed their phones and cameras at the VIPs, whose smiles were
infectious. Each king and queen was dressed to the nines, a crown or tiara topping off the look. It was all a part of the royal treatment for the evening at First Baptist Church Windermere’s Night to Shine event on Friday, Feb. 10. Night to Shine is the brainchild of Tim Tebow and his foundation, an event that gives special-needs people ages 14 and up an unforgettable prom night experience that is centered on God’s love. And on Feb. 10, 375 churches in all 50 states and 11 countries honored 75,000 of them.
Postal Customer
SEE PAGE 4
Queen Heather was greeted on the red carpet by enthusiastic spectators.
“Sometimes you come and give because you want to and you love to do this, but I actually feel like we actually get more out of it than we give.” — Gina Schmidt, a co-owner of About Face Design Team