Local stars compete at APJI
The action and competition were fierce at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Junior Invitational. SEE 3B. The West Orlando Westies is dedicated to teaching swing dancing in a community-based environment. SEE STORY ON PAGE 4A.
Jump Jive an’ Wail
YOUR TOWN
The West Orange Times & Observer and Southwest Orange Observer won awards for its journalism, design and advertising at the 2025 Florida Media Conference, held July 31 and Aug. 1 at the Sunseeker Resort Charlotte Harbor. In the Florida Advertising Media Executives’ 2025 Creative Excellence Awards, the Observers won a Gold Awards for Digital Retail Ad (Discover Preschool). In the Florida Press Association’s 2025 Better Weekly Awards Contest, the Observers won four first-place, five secondplace and four third-place awards for writing, photography and design. The first-place awards included: Front Page Makeup (staff);
In response to a notice of investigation sent by the Florida Department of Government Efficiency, Mayor Jerry Demings is confident in the county’s funding decisions, calls audit ‘mean-spirited politics.’ PAGE 6A.
West Orlando Westies attracts dancers from throughout Central Florida.
Right: West Orlando Westies co-founder Chris Rupp picked up Neo-Swing in the 2000s and learned by watching VHS tapes.
Photo by Carl Lind
5FAST
1
East Winter Garden launches program to preserve homes and heritage East Winter Garden has a new Legacy Fund Home Repair Program to preserve homes and heritage.
The city has invested $1.25 million in this program to benefit homeowners in the Historic East Winter Garden Neighborhood.
The program will assist qualifying homeowners with home repairs.
An event will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 7, at the Healthy West Orange Building, 1200 E. Plant Street, St. 200, Winter Garden.
Residents will learn how to qualify for grant-funded repairs, meet the team behind the effort and get questions answered.
To learn more, visit wintergardencra.com/legacy-fund-home-repairprogram.
2
OCPS to offer meals at no charge
This upcoming school year, children will be able to receive meals at no charge through the Community Eligibility Provision.
significant step towards improving the well-being of our students and removing any barriers to their academic success.”
In a news release, OCPS said this initiative emphasizes its commitment to supporting students through their health and academic success, by providing nutritious meals.
By providing meals at no charge, OCPS hopes to reduce the stigma around free or reduced-price meal programs, making the school environment more accepting and inclusive.
OCPS also said it will help students lead a healthier lifestyle by eating healthy, nutritious meals. It also will help school administration focus on serving healthy meals rather than managing meal payments and applications.
No applications or forms need to be submitted.
3
HCA Florida Healthcareto host community open house
care will host a superhero-themed community open house event, free of charge Saturday, Aug. 9 at 1320 Daniels Road in Winter Garden, which is the new location of the West Orange Emergency.
Attendees will be able to take a tour of the facility and meet the staff. They’ll also be able to take photos with superheroes and participate in toy clinics for families with children. There also will be sweet treats for everyone. HCA Florida West Orange Emergency will be a 24/7 full-service, state-of-the-art emergency room with board certified emergency medicine physicians, nurses and health care professionals. This $16 million emergency room also will feature 10 emergency
ages in the Winter Garden, Ocoee, Horizon West areas and nearby communities.
4
Dr. P. Phillips Hospital earns recertification from the Joint Commission
Dr. P. Phillips Hospital continues to be the first and only hospital to earn the Advanced Total Hip and Knee Replacement Certification from the Joint Commission, the nation’s leading accrediting body in health care.
Orlando Health’s Dr. P. Phillips is the first and only hospital in Central Florida to be accredited with this certification, and now, recertification.
“We are proud that our
joint replacement care in the region,” said Jaime Carvajal, a Orlando Health Jewett Orthopedic Institute surgeon and a participating physician in the Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital program.
The hospital first received the certification in 2019. This year, the hospital underwent a thorough evaluation of its orthopedics team’s approach to providing high-quality care, from beginning to end, later receiving the certification.
“Our goal is to help patients regain mobility, reduce pain and return to the activities they enjoy after a smooth recovery,” Carvajal said.
5Orange County mayor signs agreement with ICE Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings signed an agreement with ICE Friday, Aug. 1, allowing local law enforcement to detain and transport illegal immigrants to immigration facilities, such as Alligator Alcatraz.
“Yes, I signed the damn thing,” Demings said after signing the agreement.
Before the signing, Demings was in a feud with Florida’s Attorney General James Uthmeier, after he warned Demings he could be removed from office for not adopting the modified agreement by Gov. Ron DeSantis.
“I find it somewhat ironic that the 37-year-old attorney general is attacking me, and personally
Michael Eng
Dr. P. Phillips Hospital received recertification from the Joint Commission.
M e want COOKIE!
Realtor Matt Sutton dresses as Cookie Monster and passes out cookies to businesses in Winter Garden with the help of lender Barb Stewart.
MEGAN BRUINSMA EDITORIAL INTERN
Winter Garden resident Matt Sutton always has loved baking. He grew up making cookies, cakes and pies with his mom, and they would ramp up their production during the holidays.
That tradition has continued throughout Sutton’s life and now serves as a way to promote his job and immerse himself into the community. Sutton dresses up in a Cookie Monster outfit and takes his “cookiedistribution assistant” Barb Stewart, around Winter Garden one Friday per month to deliver fresh cookies and introduce themselves to businesses.
RECIPE FOR SUCCESS
It all started last October, when Sutton was thinking about his business as a Realtor and Stewart’s job as a lender.
They met through mutual friends when Stewart was doing local events at restaurants in Winter Garden. The business connection is what sparked their friendship.
“We had the idea to hand out cookies down here, a great way to kind of get our name out there, get in front of people and people are a little bit more welcoming when you’re dressed like a goofball versus someone in a suit,” Sutton said. “We tried it out to see how it would even take off and everyone’s been surprisingly receptive to it.” Stewart said when they were discussing the idea, she randomly asked Sutton, “Any chance you have a Cookie Monster costume?” And he did. Sutton had the costume from a previous Halloween when he dressed up as the Cookie Monster and Elmo with his daughter. So he dug through his closet to find the outfit, and Stewart grabbed a Cookie Monster hat to play the assistant role.
Their goal was two-fold: meet business owners and promote their business. Stewart has an office in Winter Garden and spends much of her time downtown.
“It’s a great way to meet people in the community to see if there’s anything that they need that we can help them with, without being overly sales pushy but also giving people a reason to smile,” Sutton said. “You get handed a cookie from one of us and it’s hard not to smile. It’s bringing smiles, making people laugh on a random Friday with no strings attached.”
They began preparing with places to go, and Sutton got to baking.
SWEET VENTURE
The mornings of their outings, Sutton wakes up early to bake chocolate chip cookies.
“It’s one thing to hand them cookies, but I’m also very proud of my recipe, and I’m proud of what I do, so I don’t want to hand them bad products for the sake of saving time,” Sutton said. “I’d bake anywhere between
Stewart and Matt
visit businesses in Winter Garden dressed as the Cookie Monster and pass out cookies.
100 to 120 — just so we have enough to make sure we get all the different stores and people walking around.”
All of his cookies are a different take on a chocolate chip cookie. He’ll bake them according to the season. For July, he made red, white and blue cookies. For Christmas, he makes a peppermint cookie.
After bagging up the baked goods, they head out to the town.
When they walk into a business, they start by “kicking down the door,” Sutton joked. They open the door and enter if it’s not flooded with customers, instantly attracting the eyes and smiles of customers and employees.
“It’s a hard miss,” Sutton said about his fuzzy blue costume with lopsided
eyes that block his peripheral vision and his matching bright blue shoes.
He holds a white tub with a cookie handle, stuffed to the brim with his fresh goodies, while Stewart holds the phone and wears her Cookie Monster baseball hat.
Stewart works on introducing themselves and Sutton focuses on handing out cookies. It brings him joy to be able to share his passion for baking with the community and give people a reason to laugh during their work day.
“(Stewart) really helps when we go into different businesses, and she’s really great at that first initial conversation, talking to the owners, talking to people in the store and kind of, like, grabbing attention,” Sutton said.
“You get handed a cookie from one of us and it’s hard not to smile. It’s bringing smiles, making people laugh on a random Friday with no strings attached.”
— Matt Sutton
After the ice is broken and cookies are delivered, they stay to talk about real estate and lending if the business has any questions, and they thank the owners for being a part of the community.
For the most part, they’ve had a positive reaction from businesses in their 10 months of doing this. They’ve picked up on the businesses that don’t really want the foot traffic and cookies, while others are waiting eagerly for their arrival.
“We’re kind of like Santa Claus,” Stewart said with a smile.
When they visit a business for the first time, they’re met with curiosity. But when they walk into a place they’ve been to before, employees now greet the Cookie Monster with cheers and excitement.
“My favorite part is watching some of the store’s employees come running up to him,” Stewart said. “The bike store the other day, they’re like, ‘We saw you walking down the road, and we were hoping you would come over and see us.’ It’s gotten to the point where they expect us, they just don’t know when we’re going to pop in.” Stewart said it’s a team effort. She’s there to help film the social media videos and get the media out there. She’s learned how to edit for her job and has easily translated the skills for this venture.
“We kind of have a sense of humor. We like to use it, and we’d like to show it through video and social media,” Stewart said.
They incorporate humor — such as Sutton throwing a shoebox at Stewart or driving around town in a side-byside while wearing a Cookie Monster helmet. She’s enjoyed being able to catch employees’ joyful reactions to their arrival on camera, too.
“We started as a business to get it promoted, but then it became more like now we’re doing it for fun, and we know eventually business will come from it,” Sutton said.
They prioritize visiting the same businesses to build up repetition while also branching out to new ones.
“It’s a lot easier to remember two people in a blue suit handing out cookies, against all the entire city of Realtors in the area,” Sutton said. “So it’s just something to help differentiate ourselves a little bit but also making people smile, it works out well.”
COOKIES CAUSE CONNECTIONS
Since starting this, Sutton has felt a lot more integrated into the Winter Garden community. He’s started to get invited to events like Polka Dogz Pet Rescue’s Reading with Kids Day, to which he’s brought his daughter.
“I’ll walk into stores out of character and they still know exactly who I am,” Sutton said. “There’s a lot in the community that goes on that I feel more a part of now because I can actually wave to the different business owners and talk as opposed to just being a customer.”
It’s also increased their engagement with residents in the area.
As they’re walking along Plant Street, people often come up to them and ask what they’re doing and how it started.
“People will walk by and you can hear them say, ‘Cookie Monster,’” Sutton said. “They say it kind of low, and then I’ll turn around and ask if they want a cookie, and they’re shocked 100% of the time.
“One place we went in, they were like, ‘I told my boss I saw a guy in a Cookie Monster outfit walking around downtown and he didn’t believe me,’” he said. When the boss saw Sutton’s outfit he said, “You do exist?” They said people never expect to actually be given cookies so those random encounters make their day. After they visit all of the businesses, Sutton will head over to Oakland and give utility workers any extra cookies to brighten their days, too.
Megan Bruinsma
Barb
Sutton
Dance community swings into Winter Garden
“Having the dance world and then we do occasionally go out for dinner after the dance is over, or we meet for other alternative social opportunities, things other than dancing together. That has significantly strengthened the friendships that I have in the area.”
— Gary Jobst, co-founder
MEGAN BRUINSMA EDITORIAL INTERN
Dance is an art form that allows expression through movements of the body and keeps a person active.
It’s also a way to immerse in the local community and form lifelong bonds.
The West Orlando Westies is an organization dedicated to teaching West Coast Swing and providing a space to meet others. The organization meets from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays at the American Legion in Winter Garden.
The three founders of WOW, Gary Jobst, Chris Rupp and Mia Primavera, wanted to give their community a space to learn the dance that transformed their lives.
Jobst began country dancing in the early ’90s in California. At that time, West Coast Swing dancing had started to gain attraction and he picked up that form of dance, discovering it was a strength.
“It helped take me out of my shell,” he said. “When I first started, I was in the military, and it was not an easy time to do that, and it was a great social outlet. I ended up making a lot of really good friends, some that I still have literally 30 years later.”
Rupp picked up Neo-Swing in the 2000s during college. He learned off VHS tapes with his friends. They developed a strong love for the dance and started a club in college, which led Rupp to teaching for two years.
Once he finished school, it wasn’t a part of his life anymore until nine years ago, when his girlfriend at the time wanted to take dance lessons.
“We started it and then broke up, like three weeks later,” Rupp said. “I said, ‘Well, let’s keep doing it, anyway.’ … I got really hooked on it and
Each night starts out with an hour of dance lessons, kicking off at a beginner level and transitioning into beginner plus. The next two hours are spent socially dancing.
“It’s a social club as much as it is a dancing thing,” Rupp said. “And we really want to bridge that community aspect, because if you are having fun socially, and these are your friends, it doesn’t really matter what the activity is.”
Rupp and Jobst take turns teaching each class, and on occasion, they will bring instructors from across the country and world. They also offer private lessons if people would like to fine-tune their skills. Jobst said that happens intermittently, with around 5% of any given Tuesday’s attendees signing up.
“Often, people will have a lesson with their guests as they’re in town just to get their new perspective and new voice,” Rupp said. “I also do specialty workshops once a month for those that are competing and trying to advance their dance as well.”
SWING DANCE ON THE RISE
About 30 to 40 dancers attend each Tuesday regularly. The largest night had 65 participants.
On smaller nights when only regulars are there, WOW starts out with advanced lessons to keep the dancing engaging.
“Our location is central to west Orlando, but our attendees are definitely not,” Jobst said. “They’re from everywhere. But I love the fact that it’s helped a lot of folks to develop their own social circles. … (It) forces you to get out of your comfort zone a little bit. Knowing what it did for me and seeing that happen for other people has been amazingly gratifying.”
West Orlando Westies does special events, too. They’re dedicating this September as beginners month and designing lessons to attract those that have never done it.
As WOW has grown, they’ve started an ambassador program to involve more people, and the program has more than a dozen ambassadors. Jobst said those choosing to be an ambassador talk to new dancers to make them feel welcome and answer any questions they might be too nervous to ask instructors.
Jenn Staples has lived in Winter Garden for 18 years. She started with WOW when it first came about and now has become an ambassador.
Staples has loved being able to create lifelong friends through dance and feels a part of the community more than ever.
“We’re just having fun and dancing,” she said.
then started traveling the world, going to events and competing and learning.”
WOW’S BEGINNING
Rupp is a professional musician for his day job. He moved to Orlando three years ago and connected with Primavera when collaborating on a music video.
After they finished the video, the two continued dancing together and through mutual connections met Jobst. All three had the idea of creating a space to teach their dance, but with full-time jobs, they didn’t have the time to create it on their own.
“I found out about Chris and then Mia, and it was kind of like one of those things that all of us wanted to do something, but none of us wanted to be the 100% sole provider of this,” Jobst said. “So it was a really good combination, because we could all kind of do it together. We could run it by ourselves if it happens, like occasionally, Chris travels for his job and ends up gone for a few weeks, and then I’m there to cover it 100% while he’s gone.”
With collaboration, WOW was born in April 2023.
Since its founding, Primavera has moved away, but Jobst and Rupp have continued to grow the organization.
They looked around for a perfect venue for WOW and landed on the American Legion in Winter Garden. Jobst said dance clubs look for particular spaces that have wooden floors and an open floor plan. Typically they’re older buildings, and he said it can be challenging to find one that doesn’t allow smoking.
When WOW first started renting the building, they allowed people to come free of charge for the first month. Now they charge $15 for lessons and $5 for just social dancing.
Editor
Design
Senior
lramos@OrangeObserver.com
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Multimedia Advertising Executives / Iggy Collazo, iggy@OrangeObserver.com
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Graphic Designer / Sarah Santiago, ssantiago@OrangeObserver.com
Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com
tions and achievements. To contact us, email to Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com.
“It’s wonderful sharing this love of the dance and the community to other people and having stories like Jen,” Rupp said. “This is her social network. Half of her friends are from this dance group now, and seeing those kinds of stories really warms the heart, that myself and the other community leaders have created something that makes people’s lives better.”
Jobst has seen how social dancing has impacted the lives of attendees and his own connection to the Orlando community. With Orlando being tourist based, he’s noticed it can be difficult to make lasting friends when people are coming and going.
“Having the dance world and then we do occasionally go out for dinner after the dance is over, or we meet for other alternative social opportunities, things other than dancing together,” Jobst said. “That has significantly strengthened the friendships that I have in the area.”
West Orlando Westies is part of the larger swing dancing community in Orlando. They promote other clubs and collaborate on workshops like the Orlando Westie Prom from Friday, Nov. 21 to Sunday, Nov. 23.
Rupp said the dancing community is intertwined and WOW’s attendees often head to east Orlando for additional lessons.
IF YOU GO
WEST ORLANDO WESTIES
WHEN: 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays
WHERE: 271 West Plant St., Winter Garden
COST: $15 for dance lessons, $5 for social dancing
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ groups/westorlandowesties
WEST ORANGE TIMES
The West Orange Times (USPS 687120) is published weekly for $60 per year and $110 per two years by the Observer Media Group, 661 Garden Commerce Parkway, Winter Garden, Florida, 34787. Periodical postage paid at Winter Garden, Florida.
POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to the (name
Courtesy photo
Many West Orlando Westies members have forged friendships through their love of swing dance.
Card Sharpedo
Winter Garden 11-year-old Lleyton Chan heads to 2025 Pokémon World Championship for the second time.
SILVA
LETICIA
STAFF WRITER
While watching the 2023 Pokémon World Championship, Lleyton Chan, an 11-year-old boy from Winter Garden, thought it looked like a fun game.
So, he decided to learn how to play it.
Growing up watching Pokémon, Lleyton thought he could use his knowledge of the show to play the game.
Within six months, he learned the game and started playing locally with other players.
In a year, he qualified for worlds.
“When you’re playing the game, what’s the point of just keeping it low (proficiency) when you could go pro and do it really well?” Lleyton said.
Now, he’s headed back to the Pokémon World Championship for the second time.
This year, qualifying for worlds was more difficult than before. Last year, he qualified based on points. This year, he needed to place in the top 75 in North America.
But that didn’t stop him from trying.
Currently ranked 24th in the United States and 27th in North America, Lleyton proved that with dedication and practice, anything is possible.
This year’s world championship takes place from Friday, Aug. 15 to Sunday, Aug. 17 in Anaheim, California.
“I think it’s a great accomplish-
ment for me getting here,” he said.
“I feel really good.”
But behind his dream, there are supportive parents who root for him.
Chris and Jenni Chan are behind Lleyton’s every move.
“A lot of people look to him for answers, because he’s a wealth of knowledge, and he’s really good at his craft, so people recognize that,” Chris Chan said. “I think that’s really cool.”
Jenni Chan said she learned the game with Lleyton so she could help get him to the world championship.
“When he came to me and told me, ‘This is a game, and I want to learn how to play,’ I was like, ‘What?’”
Jenni Chan said. “It’s been a crazy journey to learn that this world even exists; my mind has been blown for sure. Then to see him do so well in it, too, it’s been awesome. … I’ve always been behind it, because I could tell how passionate he was about it.”
Lleyton said he feels pure joy heading to the 2025 World Championship.
“My goal is to win the world championship,” Lleyton said. “My smaller goal, though, is to get top four, because I got top eight at regionals this year, and that’s the best I’ve ever done. So now I want that top-four finish at a tournament.”
At 11 years old, Lleyton understands that winning is not always attainable.
“The big thing about the competition is that you’re not always going to win,” he said. “The problem is sometimes, I even have that prob-
Synagogue files federal lawsuit against county
Orlando Torah Center’s lawsuit alleges Orange County’s denial for expansion violates its rights.
LETICIA SILVA STAFF WRITER
The Orlando Torah Center, an Orthodox synagogue in Dr. Phillips, filed a federal lawsuit against Orange County and the Orange County Board of County Commissioners, claiming it is being deprived of its right of religious expression and exercise.
OTC purchased a property at 8613 Banyan Blvd., Orlando in the Sand Lake Hills subdivision in 2015 that later was legally converted to a dedicated house of worship in 2022, with Orange County’s approval. The roughly .75acre property is zoned R-1A singlefamily residential.
With membership doubling within five years, OTC filed an application through Orange County to expand by 9,376 square feet, adding a second floor and a partial third floor to continue providing Orthodox Jews the right to practice their religion.
County commissioners unanimously denied OTC’s request to expand its facility Tuesday, July 1, deeming the expansion to be incompatible with the neighborhood.
In its lawsuit, the Orlando Torah Center asserts the denial violates its rights under the First Amendment, the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act, and Florida’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act. The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Case No. 6:25-cv-014.
LOCAL SUPPORT
Lleyton Chan is able to attend the championship through sponsorships made by these companies:
n Blue Dream Pools
n DNA Event Creative
n Haven Outdoor Living FL
n Hi-Lite
n Jo Barsh State Farm
n Pammie’s Sammies
n Mike the Mechanic
n Observer Media Group
n Robyn Michelle Salon
lem where it’s like, I just want to win, win, win, and when I don’t, sometimes it can get to me. I think that’s the biggest thing that I’m also trying to work on. Like, if you lose, it’s fine. You can win the rest of your games. Just always believe in yourself.”
He said his biggest challenge at competitions and championships is playing other good players.
To become a good player, Lleyton said practice is needed, because luck itself won’t get you a win.
“That’s one of the biggest things, because if you play more, do research and practice, you’re going to get so much better, and that’s how you can get to where I am,” he said. “Watch good players play the game and even going to your locals and playing games with other people and just talking about all the stuff is the best thing.”
Lleyton said he hopes to meet WolfeyVGC, a famous Pokémon video game player.
Now, as he waits for the championship to arrive, Lleyton said he’s going to practice as much as possible and pick his 60-card deck required to play the game out of the 10,000 cards he can pick from at least a week in advance, so he can be prepared for the championship.
“I’m super proud of him and all his hard work and dedication,” Chris Chan said. “He’s really developed as a great young man. I see him at these tournaments, these little sessions that I get to go to and he just holds himself so well.”
If he wins the cash prize of $5,000, Lleyton said he’ll buy lots of Pokémon.
TIMELINE
2011
Orlando Torah Center was founded.
2015
OTC purchased the property at 8613 Banyan Blvd., Orlando in the Sand Lake Hills neighborhood.
2018
Orange County’s Code Enforcement cited OTC for operating a religious institute without obtaining a special exception.
2019
The county filed a lawsuit against OTC to prevent it from operating on the property. The court denied the injunction saying the county has not demonstrated any negative impacts OTC has had on the neighborhood.
2020
OTC obtained a special exception to operate its institution on the property.
2022
The property was legally converted from a residential home to a dedicated house of worship.
2024
“To tell Orthodox Jews who need to worship where they live that their worship is going to detrimentally impact the community is to marginalize that faith community and to send the wrong message about who belongs,” said attorney Roman Storzer, of Storzer and Associates. “Because of the growth of the community and the limitations of the existing facility, it no longer serves as an adequate house of worship. They need this expansion in order to be able to continue (practicing their religion).”
With most OTC attendees living within the Sand Lake Hills, its location is critical. Their religious beliefs do not allow them to drive on certain holidays and on the Sabbath, a day of religious observance and abstinence from work.
“They need a place of worship that they’re able to walk to,” Storzer said. “You might have other religious groups that drive, five, 10 miles to go to church, (but) this community needs to be able to walk to their synagogue, and that’s why the facility is located there.”
The expansion is needed as the community grows. The property currently cannot accommodate its congregation.
According to the complaint filed, “the religious experience of OTC’s attendees is significantly diminished by the lack of space in the sanctuary, since the overcrowding prevents worshippers from focusing on the prayers and detracts from the worshipful atmosphere. Because of this, OTC has had to limit or cancel various religious programs it seeks to offer, like youth programs, Shabbat groups, holiday events and more.”
Some residents of Sand Lake Hills complained the house was not used for its intended purpose of being a residence and it was a burden on the neighborhood.
During the pendency of the 2024 application for expansion, a neighborobjector said “my personal feeling is that Orthodox religion (be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim, etc.) oppresses women, girls and the LGBTQ community while unnaturally elevating the status of heterosexual men and boys. While I
OTC filed an application with the county to expand its facility to better accommodate its congregation.
July 1, 2025
After multiple public hearings and negative feedback from Sand Lake Hills neighborhood, the application was denied. The county claimed OTC to be incompatible with the neighborhood in which it resides.
July 31, 2025
OTC filed a federal lawsuit against Orange County and its Board of County Commissioners.
respect that my neighbors do not all share my views, I oppose actions such as the expansion of this site into a property that dominates this residential neighborhood, because I feel it will diminish diversity and equality as well as detract from the residential nature of this subdivision.”
Storzer said that assertion is untrue.
“It is a use that is allowed on this property,” he said. “The zoning for this property allows a place of worship as a special exception use, so it’s not like this is not allowed.”
Storzer said there is a middle school and day care center in the neighborhood with the same conditions.
“If you tell (Orthodox Jews) they cannot have a synagogue within their neighborhood, you’re essentially telling them that Orthodox Jews are not welcomed in the neighborhood, and that goes against all of our best traditions, protection of religious freedom, and tells this community that they’re second citizens,” Storzer said.
He said the center wishes to live in harmony with its community, though the opposition seems to be directed toward what is going to be worshiped there, not what is going to be built.
“The center is looking to move forward to do what it can to preserve its rights,” Storzer said. “We’re hoping for the court approval to allow the center to be able to build and to be able to have a functioning synagogue.”
County Commissioner Nicole Wilson did not return requests for comment by press time Tuesday.
Leticia Silva
Eleven-year-old Lleyton Chan takes his Pokémon plushie collection to all competitions.
Church DIRECTORY
BAPTIST
First Baptist Church
Pastor Tim Grosshans
125 E. Plant St, Winter Garden (407) 656-2352
Sundays: 8:30 AM Traditional 9:45 AM Bible Study 11 AM Contemporary Wednesdays: 6 PM Awana
2nd Campus: First Baptist Church @ Horizon West
METHODIST
First United Methodist www.fumcwg.org
125 N. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden (407) 656-1135
Services: 9 AM Traditional 10:45 AM Contemporary Also viewable
PRESBYTERIAN
Demings: County ready for DOGE investigation
SAM ALBUQUERQUE SPORTS EDITOR
In a 10-page letter penned to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, the Florida Department of Government Efficiency — in partnership with the state’s Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and the office of policy and budget — notified the county of a two-day audit of its spending.
“Over the last five years, the taxpayers of Orange County have watched as your county government has increased burdens on property owners to the annual tune of $330 million in additional ad valorem tax collections – an increase of over 50%,” the letter said. “This has been part of a growth in annual total expenditures of over $1.6 billion over the past five years, which represents a 57% increase in spending. Having entrusted their governments with the power to tax, the citizens of Florida have a right to expect their elected officials will spend the collected funds responsibly, not recklessly, and on truly necessary programs. (Florida) Gov. (Ron) DeSantis has charged the Florida DOGE team … with identifying and reporting on excessive spending at the county and municipal levels.”
DOGE’S SPECIFIC AUDIT REQUESTS
The Florida Department of Government Efficiency sent a total of 60 specific requests across nine different topic areas for Orange County to make available during the two-day audit. For each of the topics, the county must not only provide the information and documents described in the request but also access to the data systems containing the information and documents, as well as individuals with appropriate expertise to describe the county’s activities and decisions.
STARKE LAKE BAPTIST
CHURCH PO Box 520, 611 W Ave, Ocoee Pastor Jeff Pritchard (407) 656-2351 www.starkelakebaptist.org
CHURCH OF GOD
OCOEE CHURCH OF GOD
Pastor Thomas Odom 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee 407-656-8011
EPISCOPAL
CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH
241 N. Main, Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm www.churchofthemessiah.com
METHODIST
FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH 125 N. Lakeview Ave Winter Garden Service Times 9:00 AM and 11:15 AM Phone – 407-656-1135 Web: fumcwg.org
UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST WINDERMERE UNION CHURCH 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd. Windermere, FL 34786 407-876-2112 Worship times: 9:00am Adult Sunday School 10:00am Worship www.windermereunion.org
The notification letter went on to advise that under various provisions of the state constitution that DOGE, on behalf of the authority of DeSantis, will be conducting its audit from Tuesday, Aug. 5, to Wednesday, Aug. 6, and will request access to the county’s physical premises, data systems, responsive personnel and whatever else is needed to comply with the detailed requests made in the letter.
Service 10:05 AM
While speaking with a group of reporters at the groundbreaking ceremony of Orange County’s newest public green space, Watermark Park, Wednesday, July 30, Demings called the audit political in its nature.
An example of the requests made in the letter by DOGE is its request of the county’s policies, procedures, rules and legal requirements for procurements or contracts in excess of $10,000, as well as supporting documents like a list of all procurements and contracts in excess of $10,000; a record of bid solicitations, vendor selections and contract documents for procurements or contracts; and all information supporting the determination of the reasonableness of pricing for procurements or contracts.
These are contradictory, and that’s because it’s politically motivated. It’s not actually for the function of better government.”
CHURCH DIRECTORY
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Regardless of the motivations behind the audit and the subsequent statements made about it, Demings said he is confident the county’s spending decisions will stand up to the scrutiny of the audit and plans on fully cooperating with the 60 specific requests across nine different topics made by the state government’s representatives.
To advertise in the Church Directory call 407-656-2121 or email AdvertiseNow@OrangeObserver.com
MIKE YOAKUM PASTOR P: 407.656.1520 C: 407.758.3570 MYOAKUM407@AOL.COM 1333 EAST CROWN POINT RD OCOEE, FL 34761 LV14252
“All of this is just mean-spirited politics when you get right down to it,” he said. “I realize that Orange County is predominantly a blue county because of (its) political make-up. Commissioner (Nicole) Wilson and I are elected in nonpartisan ways. We are entrusted by the people of Orange County (who) elect us to impartially make decisions in the best interest of the entire county, regardless of one’s political affiliation. But I don’t have to tell you all: You’re living through an era of time in which everything that we’re doing is being overly politicized. I don’t think that that’s fair to the people. … Let us have some sensible, common-sense conversations about these types of issues, and not just try to mandate and bully and have a one-way conversation. Sadly, that’s what’s happening in the state of Florida right now.”
Wilson, who was standing alongside Demings at the ceremony, agreed.
“I just really want to make sure that there’s a point that’s being made — especially since we’re at a park opening today — the beauty of local government is that it is the closest to the people; we are in, literally, your backyard,” Wilson said. “You see where we’re spending our money. We have an incredibly transparent and open budget process, and everybody was invited to it a couple weeks ago, and nobody was there from the state of Florida. So, what I want to explain to you is this is very performative. We invite anybody (who) can allow us to see a better way of doing things. We do not want to reinvent the wheel, but the idea of coming for us for things like investing in raised crosswalks or in environmental conservation lands — that is a political position. It is not about saving you time or money.”
Wilson went on to reference another recent “politically motivated” letter received from the state regarding updates to the county’s comprehensive plan — which included reinforcements to conservation plans and protections for Shingle Creek and the St. Johns River.
“We received a letter (July 29) that says that our comprehensive plan updates … have been preempted and are now considered illegal,” she said. “So, in the same week that we’re being told we’re spending too much money, we’re (also) told … you can’t manage your growth; which is how we end up in debt in our Public Works Department. It’s how we end up in a position of having to spend more to maintain our infrastructure.
In an op-ed, Demings wrote: “This week, Orange County government will welcome members of the state of Florida’s DOGE team for a twoday information-gathering visit. We’ve spent a good deal of time preparing for this audit and intend to be fully compliant with their requests. We believe in transparency and are confident that our funding and programming decisions will stand up to their scrutiny. During the DOGE review, we hope they will be pleased to see our yearly investment in public safety. Since 2020, we’ve added five new fire stations, bringing the total to 45, and reducing response times for emergencies. We recently opened a fire training facility so that new recruits are better trained to protect residents. In the upcoming fiscal year, we are planning approximately $1 billion in public safety investments for Orange County’s Sheriff’s Office, Fire Rescue Department and Corrections.”
Demings also highlighted a variety of other investments the county has made, such as the $23 million Orlo Vista Flood Mitigation project to protect residents from flooding because of severe weather; the $90 million in funding for more than 500 programs to support children and families; a $160 million commitment to developing affordable housing; and the county’s $100 million investment in improving transportation through the Accelerated Transportation Safety Program. Demings, a longtime law enforcement agent and second-term mayor, also mentioned the county’s work in reducing opioid deaths by more than 37% last year thanks to public health initiatives such as the expansion of the Orange County Medical Clinic.
The Mayor closed the op-ed by reaffirming his confidence in the work and financial decisions the county has made under his stewardship — ultimately agreeing with the DOGE team’s call for citizen-driven government.
“I’m most proud of the seven task forces and numerous citizen engagement panels we’ve relied upon throughout my administration,” he wrote. “We agree with the DOGE team in that we believe the voices of the people are critical in the decision-making process of government. ... While it may temporarily divert us from the daily business of governance, we have nothing to hide and are proud of our record of serving the residents of Orange County.”
Residents pack chambers to protest fire fee increase
LIZ
RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR
Winter Garden residents expressed pushback regarding the city’s proposed fire assessment fee during a community engagement meeting.
Jon C. Williams, the city manager, said he and staff members are aware the notice residents received regarding the proposed fire assessment is shocking. He said the city had to abide by statutory deadlines to be able to implement a fire assessment.
“There’s a lot of unknowns at this time, so we have to set it at the maximum rate, with the full intention of continuing to develop the budget and lowering that rate as much as possible,” Williams said.
The city is looking into alternative funding sources because of recent property tax amendments, shrinking revenue sources and increased costs to provide essential services.
In January, the Winter Garden City Commission gave authorization for city staff to proceed with updating the fire assessment previously adopted in 2008.
An actual rate will be established at the commission’s meeting Thursday, Aug. 14. The commission can lower the rate to any amount less than the advertised rate.
At the community engagement meeting Tuesday, July 29, Laura Zielonka, the finance director for the city, explained the services the local government provides and how those services are funded. Through the General Fund, the city provides services in public safety, general government, culture and recreation, transportation, and economic development and human services.
INCREASED NEED
The General Fund expenditures for Fiscal Year 2026 totals $68,780,422, with 56.3%, or $38,693,032, of the funds going toward public safety. The personnel and operating costs for the fire department total $14.6 million, while the police department’s cost totals $22.2 million.
Property taxes are the primary source of General Fund revenues. The taxes generate about 41% of the General Fund’s total revenues.
A fire assessment is a non-ad valor-
em fee applied according to property use and service demand. Revenues are restricted solely to fire protection, which includes personnel, equipment, training and capital costs.
Property taxes bring in about $28.4 million, which accounts for 77% of the total amount needed for fire and police protection services. The fire assessment would help fund the $8.4 million gap in services, Zielonka said.
Zielonka said the combined cost of fire and police services consistently have been higher than the city’s property tax revenues.
“The difference became more pronounced starting in 2023,” she said.
“The 2023 gap between what the city collects in property taxes and what it spends on public safety services grew significantly, which is seemingly an increased pressure on the General Fund.”
In 2015, Zielonka said the cost of a fire engine was $448,000 and a police vehicle was $34,000. The same fire engine is projected to cost $1.1 million in 2026, with a police vehicle costing $74,000. Winter Garden Fire Rescue Department Chief Jose Gainza said although the department might purchase the fire engine, he won’t receive it for three years.
If the city implements the assessment at the highest rate, residents will pay between $333.56 and $518.64 per house depending on square footage.
Another factor impacting the city is the increase in minimum wages and the need to have higher wages for those in public safety to compete with larger city and county departments.
“We take great importance to attract and retain quality staff,” Zielonka said. “Competitive salaries and benefits are essential to recruit and retain skilled employees, especially in mission-critical areas such as fire and police services. Public safety roles require specialized talent. These positions demand high levels of training, certification and readiness, and there’s strong competition for qualified personnel in our area.”
Zielonka said the benefits of proposing a fire assessment would be to create a dedicated, stable revenue stream for protection services, reduce reliance on volatile and shared General Fund revenues, ensure all bene-
“What I am concerned about is that this seems to be the wrong solution to a real problem. If we are having short funding for a long-term assessment, what will happen? Are wages going to go down? Are suddenly things that we need going to get cheaper? I see this going on and on and on.”
— Stasha Boyd, resident
fiting properties including some that might not pay property taxes contribute to fire services and help address long-term imbalances in the public safety funding.
FIRE SERVICES PROVIDED
The Winter Garden Fire Rescue Department is a full-service agency.
Gainza said the department’s administration is the backbone of the department, handling strategic planning, budgeting, policy development and records management.
“Their work assures we operate efficiently and meet our long-term goals and remain compliant with city and state regulations,” he said.
The office of the fire marshal focuses on fire prevention and education. The office conducts fire inspections and plans and reviews all new and existing commercial structures as well as has community risk reduction programs.
The department also provides public education, such as CPR classes, smoke alarm installations, car seat safety checks and management of the city-wide AED program.
The Operations Division is the boots on the ground with its responsibilities including firefighting, technical rescue, hazmat, disaster response and rescue swimming operations.
The emergency medical services division provides both basic and advanced life support to those in need.
The training division manages all required recertifications and continuing education for both fire and EMS personnel.
The Emergency Management Division ensures the city’s resilience and readiness for large-scale incidents. It proactively safeguards the community for hurricanes, natural disasters and other major emergencies.
In 2024, the department logged more than 22,000 hours of training.
In 2015, the department ran approximately 4,300 calls. Now 10 years later, the department runs more than 7,000 calls, and Gainza said the number of calls is increasing.
Winter Garden Fire Rescue Department has three permanent stations, a temporary station, three engine companies, one tower device, three advanced life support rescues and eight reserve apparatuses. The department has 72 full-time staff members, including one fire inspector, one executive assistant and 70 firefighters, which includes command staff.
COMMUNITY PUSHBACK
More than 100 residents were in attendance of the community meeting to ask questions and share their
thoughts on the proposed assessment.
Residents made it clear they appreciate the hard work of the Winter Garden Fire Rescue Department and want to continue to support local firefighters but questioned why the burden falls on them and whether the assessment would become an annual fee.
“There seems to be no new subdivision that we will say no to, yet we still maintain a very high level of all of the things we have here,” Winter Garden’s Stasha Boyd said. “What I am concerned about is that this seems to be the wrong solution to a real problem. If we are having short funding for a long-term assessment, what will happen? Are wages going to go down? Are suddenly things that we need going to get cheaper? I see this going on and on and on.”
Williams said there are “a lot of unknown variables right now” as the city waits to see what the state Legislature does with property tax reform.
Residents said the constant development is to blame for the increased need and cost of services. They questioned why if there are more people in Winter Garden paying property taxes how there could be a gap in funding. Williams said more people also result in more needs of services, which are costing more to provide.
Residents also suggested the city look at delaying city projects such as the expansion of Tucker Ranch and the redesign of Dillard Street. The city has put the Dillard Street project on hold after receiving an updated cost of about $40 million, but the money for the project remains in a reserve.
Another point of contention for residents is the revenues from the assessment will go into the General Fund, meaning the funds can be spent on other services besides the fire department.
Williams said more information will be provided at the commission meeting at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 14 at City Hall.
Orange County breaks ground on Watermark Park
The Horizon West amenity is the 115th park in Orange County.
SILVA STAFF WRITER
With hard hats on, shovels in hand and smiles on their faces, planners, District 1 County Commissioner Nicole Wilson and Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings on Wednesday, July 30, celebrated the groundbreaking of Watermark Park in Horizon West.
Watermark Park, the county’s 115th park, is a $1.8 million amenity located on 5 acres at 9940 Seidel Road, directly in front of Panther Lake Elementary School. Wilson said the park is an important quality-of-life investment.
“This is a good health, safety and welfare investment for your wellbeing,” she said. “The memories
that will be made here in the coming years — this is the stuff community is made of.”
The park will feature a shaded playground, walking paths, a picnic pavilion, dog parks for small and large dogs, and recreational space.
“Sometimes, just getting out zoomies is important,” Wilson said.
According to Parks and Recreation representative Amanda Kimmer, Watermark Park is strategically placed for kids to enjoy after school.
“The county has been really good about planning new parks as they build new elementary schools, middle schools, not so much high schools,” she said. “The idea is that kids would probably come over here after school and play, so they buy property for the school and they buy 5 acres next door and make it a neighborhood park.”
Kimmer said the park will not have parking spaces or bathroom facilities.
“It’s really intended as a neighborhood park to be just a walk-up,” she said. “It’s meant for the people who live around here.”
Kimmer said the county will add a walking path connecting the sidewalks already in place, as well as some benches along the lake.
As the park is intended for its neighborhood, Kimmer said it won’t have a rentable pavilion.
“People who have 24 or (fewer) guests … can use it first-come, first-serve,” she said. “If they end up with 25 or more
of the
“It’s
LETICIA
Leticia Silva Orange County’s Parks and Recreation officials, with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and County Commissioner Nicole Wilson, celebrated the groundbreaking of Watermark Park.
Event a slam dunk
Members of the West Orange Boys & Girls Club and friends came together for a fun-filled event Saturday, Aug. 2.
The noise of music from a deejay and squeaks from court shoes filled the gymnasium.
Teens from the ages of 13 to 18 enjoyed activities including three-on-three basketball, free shooting, arts and crafts, custom T-shirts and caricature drawings. A raffle took place with the chance to win Apple Watches and more.
MEGAN BRUINSMA
We are currently enrolling a limited number of students in 3rd and 5th grade for the 2025-2026 school year. If you know a family with a rising 3rd or 5th grader who would thrive in a nurturing, high-achieving and community focused environment, please spread the word!
OACS is a free public charter elementary school owned and operated by the Town of Oakland. We are committed to delivering an education rooted in community and collaboration. Providing a well-rounded educational experience emphasizing academic excellence, safety and well-being, parental involvement, and holistic growth. Calling all 3rd and 5th graders!
Hamlin saddles up for first Cars & Country
A classic car show and country music night will take place from 5 to 9 p.m, Saturday, Aug. 9.
LETICIA SILVA STAFF WRITER
Hamlin is hosting its first Cars & Country event Saturday, Aug. 9.
Located at 14111 Shoreside Way, Winter Garden, the evening will be filled with fun activities for the whole family to enjoy.
“We’ve never done a country music concert out here in Hamlin, and I thought what better way to change that than by pairing it with a lineup of classic cars?” said Heather Easterling, event director and PR coordinator for Boyd Development Co., which owns the Hamlin area.
“Cars & Country is all about good tunes, cool rides and bringing our vibrant community together in a way that feels fresh and fun.”
Easterling said it is the perfect night to kick back, and sing and dance under the stars to live music while checking out vintage cars.
Residents are welcome to bring their cars and show them off.
Although it is a classic and vintage car show, other cars are welcomed, as well.
The band Southbound will perform as an opener from 5 to 7 p.m.
Jaclyn Hayden, a country-music singer, also will perform from 7 to 9 p.m.
“This will be the first time hav ing country music out here, which is amazing,” Easterling said. “It’s always a good time having a concert.”
She said Ham lin tries to have a concert at least once per year.
“I think the community has
Contact Donna Bailey with Oakland Avenue Charter School for more information: dbailey@oaklandfl.org
IF YOU GO CARS AND COUNTRY
WHEN: 5 to 9 p.m, Saturday, Aug. 9
WHERE: Hamlin Town Center, 14111 Shoreside Way, Winter Garden WEBSITE: hamlinfl.com
proven to love live music,” she said.
“So we try to bring that out whenever we can.”
In addition to the concert and classic car show, some entertainment also will be provided. MissingLink Entertainment will provide a deejay and games, and Masterpiece Events will have a 360 photo booth. The Wild Breck Boutique will be selling clothes and jewelry.
The event also will have a PopStroke food truck and an Up and Smoke BBQ food truck. Abbott’s Frozen Custard also will make an appearance.
Because the event is rooted in country music, Easterling hopes attendee’s attires reflect the theme.
“We’d love everyone to show up in some Western wear, but they can come in casual attire,” Easterling said. “It’s an outdoor concert.” Easterling said she is excited for the event, because it is the first time the Town Center is hosting something of the sort.
“I’m hoping for a great community vibe,”
Shamel Akins, right, service director of the West Orange Boys & Girls Club, took a break from running the event to visit with teens who attended this year’s event.
Above: Local teens loved a chance to play some ball.
Right: Toni Fisher, Janiya St. Lot and Naomi Butler had a blast at this year’s event.
Isleworth
An estate in the Isleworth community in Windermere topped all West Orange-area residential real-estate transactions from July 21 to 27.
The home at 9724 Chestnut Ridge Drive, Windermere, sold July 25, for $4,330,000. Built in 1990, it has five bedrooms, six baths and 5,557 square feet. Days on market: 37. The sellers were represented by Carey Sheffield, Isleworth Realty LLC.
These are the highestselling homes in each community in West Orange.
DR. PHILLIPS
BAY HILL
The home at 5737 Masters Blvd. sold July 25, for $1,300,000. Built in 1981, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 3,589 square feet. Days on market: 110.
DIAMOND COVE
The home at 8061 Bangle Lane, Orlando, sold July 25, for $590,000. Built in 1994, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,266 square feet. Days on market: 32.
GRANADA VILLAS
The villa at 8057 Marcella Drive, Orlando, sold July 23, for $520,343. Built in 1987, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,850 square feet. Days on market: 20.
PARKSIDE
The home at 7974 Chilton Drive, Orlando, sold July 22, for $1,240,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,259 square feet. Days on market: 33.
PHILLIPS LANDING
The home at 8214 Lake Serene Drive sold July 25, for $1,240,000. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,562 square feet.
RUBY LAKE
The home at 11172 Lemon Lake Blvd., Orlando, sold July 23, for $1,075,000. Built in 2019, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,273 square feet. Days on market: 69.
SAND LAKE HILLS
The home at 8613 Edge O Woods Court, Orlando, sold July 22, for $500,000. Built in 1980, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,876 square feet. Days on market: 50.
TOREY PINES
The home at 5102 Round Tree Court, Orlando, sold July 25, for $810,000. Built in 1989, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,619 square feet. Days on market: Seven.
HORIZON WEST
ENCLAVE AT HAMLIN
The home at 4789 Terrace Bluff St., Winter Garden, sold July 21, for $823,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 3,002 square feet. Days on market: 112.
ENCORE AT OVATION
The home at 16013 Tollington Alley, Winter Garden, sold July 23, for $565,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,807 square feet. Days on market: 30.
HAMLIN RESERVE
The home at 6275 Hamlin Reserve Blvd., Winter Garden, sold July 23, for $625,000. Built in 2017, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,410 square feet. Days on market: 206.
HARVEST AT OVATION
The townhouse at 13817 Luna Harvest Ave., Winter Garden, sold July 24, for $541,000. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,163 square feet. Days on market: 51.
LAKE BURDEN SOUTH
The home at 7443 Lake Albert Drive, Windermere, sold July 23, for $1,350,000. Built in 2014, it has six bedrooms, six-and-one-half baths and 5,095 square feet. Days on market: 46.
LAKE STAR AT OVATION
The home at 17414 Glossy Pomelo Way, Winter Garden, sold July 21, for $1,264,390. Built in 2025, it has five bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 4,083 square feet.
PARKVIEW AT HAMLIN
The townhouse at 15489 Hamlin Park Drive, Winter Garden, sold July 24, for $749,990. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,072 square feet. Days on market: 65.
SERENADE AT OVATION
The home at 13048 Serene Glade Road, Winter Garden, sold July 25, for $572,731. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,083 square feet. Days on market: 532.
SILVERLEAF OAKS
The home at 6436 Tabebuia Parkway, Winter Garden, sold July 22, for $609,290. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 1,896 square feet.
SILVERLEAF RESERVE
BUNGALOWS
The home at 16466 Silver Brook Way, Winter Garden, sold July 21, for $540,000. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 2,114 square feet of living area. Days on market: 35.
SUMMERLAKE
The home at 8120 Soldierwood St., Winter Garden, sold July 23, for $685,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 3,048 square feet of living area. Days on market: 11.
WATERLEIGH
The home at 10303 Atwater Bay Drive, Winter Garden, sold July 24, for $1,490,000. Built in 2018, it has five bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 3,910 square feet of living area. Days on market: 104.
The home at 9873 Lost Creek Drive, Winter Garden, sold July 23, for $1,100,000. Built in 2021, it has five bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 3,910 square feet of living area. Days on market: Seven.
The home at 16207 Point Rock Drive, Winter Garden, sold July 21, for $846,381. Built in 2025, it has five bedrooms, four-and-onehalf baths and 3,225 square feet of living area. Days on market: 11.
The home at 17996 Adrift Road, Winter Garden, sold July 24, for $795,000. Built in 2024, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,323 square feet of living area. Days on market: 16.
The home at 18076 Cider Mill Lane, Winter Garden, sold July 23, for $687,200. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,489 square feet.
The home at 9971 Beach Port Drive, Winter Garden, sold July 24, for $552,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,477 square feet. Days on market: 29.
OAKLAND JOHNS LANDING
The home at 714 Regina Circle, Oakland, sold July 25, for $600,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,832 square feet. Days on market: 52.
OCOEE
ARDEN PARK NORTH
The home at 1706 Lake Sims Parkway, Ocoee, sold July 22, for $515,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,255 square feet. Days on market: 66.
BROOKESTONE
The home at 315 Belhaven Falls Drive, Ocoee, sold July 23, for $550,000. Built in 2004, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,195 square feet. Days on market: Two.
CROSS CREEK
The home at 632 Bridge Creek Blvd., Ocoee, sold July 24, for $475,000. Built in 2000, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,864 square feet. Days on market: Three.
LAKE OLYMPIA NORTH VILLAGE
The home at 991 Hawthorne Cove Court, Ocoee, sold July 21, for $525,000. Built in 1990, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,720 square feet. Days on market: 17.
PRESERVE AT CROWN POINT
The home at 2938 Bushmead Court, Ocoee, sold July 24, for $575,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,502 square feet. Days on market: 46.
WINDSOR LANDING
The home at 3307 Kentshire Blvd., Ocoee, sold July 22, for $675,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,827 square feet. Days on market: 15.
WYNWOOD
The home at 3314 Wynwood Forest Drive, Ocoee, sold July 22, for $512,990. Built in 2025, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 2,601 square feet.
WINDERMERE ISLEWORTH
The home at 9724 Chestnut Ridge Drive, Windermere, sold July 25, for $4,330,000. Built in 1990, it has five bedrooms, six baths and 5,557 square feet. Days on market: 37.
LAKE DOWN SHORES
The home at 9601 Ambleside Drive, Windermere, sold July 21, for $815,000. Built in 1975, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 3,018 square feet. Days on market: Five.
TUSCANY RIDGE
The home at 9020 Tavolini Terrace, Windermere, sold July 26, for $1,200,000. Built in 2005, it has five bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 4,202 square feet.
WESTOVER RESERVE
The home at 2046 Westover Reserve Blvd., Windermere, sold July 23, for $934,500. Built in 2000, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,516 square feet. Days on market: 30.
WINDERMERE POINTE
The home at 13025 Lake Roper Court, Windermere, sold July 24, for $1,485,000. Built in 2002, it has five bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 4,558 square feet. Days on market: Five.
WINTER GARDEN
FOXCREST
The home at 12649 Dallington Terrace, Winter Garden, sold July 25, for $880,000. Built in 2007, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,563 square feet of living area. Days on market: 27.
OAKLAND PARK
The home at 936 Allendale Lane, Winter Garden, sold July 21, for $1,025,000. Built in 2023, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,711 square feet. Days on market: 77.
REGAL POINTE
The home at 470 Regal Downs Circle, Winter Garden, sold July 22, for $465,000. Built in 2001, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,316 square feet. Days on market: 33.
RESERVE AT CARRIAGE POINTE
The home at 15521 Sandfield Loop, Winter Garden, sold July 25, for $725,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,592 square feet of living area. Days on market: Three.
STONEYBROOK WEST
The home at 2842 Balforn Tower Way, Winter Garden, sold July 23, for $790,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,219 square feet. Days on market: 35.
The home at 14016 Fox Glove St., Winter Garden, sold July 25, for $555,000. Built in 2003, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,608 square feet of living area. Days on market: Four.
WATERSIDE AT JOHNS LAKE
The home at 16995 Tradewind Point, Winter Garden, sold July 25, for $675,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, three-and-onehalf baths and 2,806 square feet of living area. Days on market: Six.
WINTERMERE HARBOR
The home at 13108 Lakeshore Grove Drive, Winter Garden, sold July 25, for $765,000. Built in 2000, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,674 square feet. Days on market: 32.
Courtesy photo
The home at 9724 Chestnut Ridge Drive, Windermere, sold July 25, for $4,330,000. This home is situated along the shores of Lake Bessie on a .56-acre lot. The sellers were represented by Carey Sheffield, Isleworth Realty LLC.
DIG LIKE A PRO THIS 811 DAY
If you’re a homeowner, chances are you’ve tackled a yard project or two. But did you know that if it involves digging, there’s a critical first step that everyone, including the professionals, should take before picking up a shovel?
Call 8-1-1.
We at Lake Apopka Natural Gas District (LANGD) are proud to partner with Sunshine 811 – the state’s go-to resource for education and training on safe digging practices – to celebrate 811 Day on August 11. This annual, nationwide observance serves as a powerful reminder that damage to underground infrastructure is incredibly costly and often preventable. In fact, according to Sunshine 811, the leading cause of utility line strikes is failure to properly notify 811 before digging, and every day in Florida, more than 73 underground utility line strikes result in power outages, service disruptions, costly repairs and damage that could have otherwise been avoided. By making a quick call to 811
at least two full business days before your project begins, Sunshine 811 will notify its member utility companies to mark underground lines at your site and help you ensure you are digging smart. Calling 811 is free, easy and it’s the law.
As hurricane season continues, experts also encourage residents to consider the potential aftermath as hidden dangers can lie below. 811 Day is a timely reminder for all Floridians to factor safe digging into their storm prep and cleanup routines, because while stocking up on supplies and reinforcing your home are important, so is knowing what’s underground before clearing storm debris or rebuilding.
According to LANGD Director of Regulatory Compliance & Safety Donna Barrow, just because the storm has passed doesn’t mean the danger is over.
“Cleaning up and digging around fallen trees, broken fences and other debris after a storm may seem harmless, but if done incorrectly, it can lead
to hitting underground utility lines. This can result in serious injuries and even more service disruptions and costly repairs on top of those already caused by the storm.
“Before cutting away tree debris, check for buried lines tangled in the roots. Always have utility lines marked before replacing a fallen or damaged fence, and never place debris over utility structures like boxes, pedestals or transformers. Finally, be sure to contact 811 before using a stump grinder to remove fallen trees. By following 811 best practices, we can protect ourselves, our neighbors and the critical infrastructure our community depends on.”
Whether your project is big or small, we encourage our communities to dig smart and stay safe, not just on 811 Day, but every day. Visit www.langd. org or call (407) 656-2734 to learn how you can make the switch to safe, affordable and reliable natural gas.
SPORTS
1Foundation Academy base-
ball’s Barak Boston, a recent graduate, has de-committed from the United States Military Academy West Point and plans on playing college ball in South Carolina next season as a member of the Coker University Cobras.
Despite missing eight games due to injury during his one season as a Lion, Boston played a crucial role in Foundation’s 19-10 record by leading the club with a .453 (24-for-53) batting average, a .608 on-base percentage, 23 runs scored and 19 stolen bases. He also drove in 15 runs and hit one homer for Foundation in his 21 appearances.
2
Team Genesis, a girls travel basketball club founded by The First Academy girls hoops coach Kevin Hall, claimed the 16U East Coast National Championship of Motion 32, a national youth basketball circuit powered by basketball lifestyle brand Hoop Culture.
“It was a great opportunity for our young girls to represent at the high school level and win the Motion 32 tournament without our best players involved,” Hall said. “Our performance had some peaks and valleys with the young girls forced to take on more responsibilities in ball-handling and scoring. We feel like it’s vital for the growth.”
A pair of underclassmen were the stars for Team Genesis during this tournament win.
“Sophia Silva, a rising ninthgrader from TFA, and Jaslyn Easley a rising sophomore from Bell Creek in Tampa were instrumental in leading the team both offensively and defensively,” Hall said. For more information visit teamgenesis.org or email aaugenesis@gmail.com.
3
For the first time in Windermere High softball’s history, it will have someone other than Eileen Hannigan running the show, as the school has announced the hiring of Ken Janata as the vaunted program’s next coach.
Janata comes to Windermere after spending the last two seasons as coach of the Lyman Lady Greyhounds. Prior to his time at the Seminole County school, he served as an assistant coach at Montverde Academy for two seasons, helping the Eagles win the Class 3A, Region 2 championship in 2023. The announcement comes as Hannigan left to take over as the next coach at Lake Brantley High.
4
Rising junior Alex Nichols, Foundation Academy boys basketball’s leader in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game in 2024-25, announced he will be transferring to prestigious hoops prep school Oak Hill Academy in Virginia. The announcement comes after the 6-foot-2 combo guard put together a breakout sophomore campaign for the Lions, averaging 18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.1 steals per game on a ludicrous 42% clip from three-point land.
5
Dr. Phillips High offensive lineman R.J. Stamm, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound tackle, announced he will be heading to New York to play college ball in the Patriot League at Colgate University. Stamm, a two-year returning starter for the Panthers football team, chose the Raiders over offers from Yale, Temple, Furman and nearby Stetson.
After 17 years, three national titles, three state championships and more than 200 players represented at the collegiate level, the Windermere Wildfire softball club is coming to an end.
RIGHT TIME TO SAY GOODBYE
SAM ALBUQUERQUE SPORTS EDITOR
Saying goodbye is never easy — especially when it’s to something you love or something you’ve experienced enormous amounts of success in.
What might be even harder, however, is choosing the right time to do it.
Following the conclusion of the 17th season of doing what he loved to do at the highest levels, George Paulson took a look at the softball club he founded and coached, Windermere Wildfire Paulson, assessed the current landscape of the
club — and travel ball as a whole — and considered the stage of life he is personally in and landed on this moment to say goodbye to the softball field and bring an end to his team.
“There are a few different reasons why the time felt right to say goodbye,” Paulson said. “First, on a personal note, I’m getting ready to retire from work, so having this be part of that transition makes sense to me and my family. Another of the biggest reasons why the timing felt right is that this group we’ve been coaching has pretty
SEE WILDFIRE PAGE 2B
After scoring a touchdown as time expired to make it a 7-6 game, the Windermerebased youth flag football team went for twopoint conversion but came up just inches short.
SAM ALBUQUERQUE
SPORTS EDITOR
One of the special aspects of youth sports is the immense impact that being part of a team can have on a person. Each team is profoundly different. Like a good meal, each ingredient used to form a team brings its own unique spice and flavor to the end product. And throughout the length of a slow-cooked season, that collection of individuals shares a col-
Just two years into her gymnastics journey, Violet Lukens, 7, can already call herself an all-around Junior Olympic champion. Page 2B.
Courtesy photos
Windermere Wildfire coach George Paulson, left, and assistant coach David Taylor smiled with the 2021 USA Softball 18U National Championship trophy.
Top photo: Coach George Paulson and members of the Windermere Wildfire club in 2018; Sutton Janata, left, Danika Spinogatti, Ashlinn O’Brien, Maddy Gilbert, Kayla Mayo and Ailey Scyhck.
Courtesy photo
Violet Lukens
Fresh off her second trip to the AAU Junior Olympics, 7 year-old Violet Lukens has quickly taken to the sport she began a couple of years ago. Lukens started her competitive journey at the copper level and began racking up the accomplishments.
Lukens’ first big win came at the Gasparilla Classic, the nation’s largest youth gymnastics event, when she claimed the gold medal in the all-around. That win clinched Lukens a spot at her first Junior Olympics, where she went on to finish first in two events — the uneven bars and balance beams, and was given the All-American award.
This year, Lukens — despite jumping up two divisions, skipping the bronze competition level and beginning to compete at the silver ranks — the success didn’t stop. Once again she claimed the all-around title at the Gasparilla Classic and earned her spot at the Junior Olympics in Houston, Texas.
“I had so much fun traveling to Houston for the AAU Junior Olympic Games and getting to spend three days with my mom and dad and my coach,” Lukens said.
There, Lukens faced 86 other silver-level gymnasts — all of whom were older than the secondgrader.
“My first event was vault, and I had one of my best scores all season to start,” she said. “Next was bars, where I scored a 9.925, which felt amazing,”
She followed with a good outing in the balance beams event and closed with one her best scores of the year in her floor routine, a 9.8. When it was all said and done, Lukens brought home four total medals and finished on top of the entire division.
How does it feel to be named Athlete of the
I feel really special.
What do you enjoy the most about gymnastics? I love doing flips and spending time with my friends.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from gymnastics?
Do not do things that you are not ready to do. It’s important to listen
THE BASICS Age: 7 Sport: Gymnastics Grade: Second School: Bay Lake Elementary
What is your favorite gymnastics memory?
Learning to get my Kip, because it took a long time.
Who is your favorite athlete?
Simone Biles, because she is amazing!
What is your go-to pre-meet meal?
Turkey and Cheese Sub.
What is your go-to pre-meet hype song? “All I do is Win.”
What is your favorite nonsports hobby? Shopping.
What is your favorite subject in school?
Science, because you get to do experiments.
What are three things you would take with you to a deserted island?
Poofy — my favorite stuffed animal — my sister and my gymnastics mat, so I could have fun with my sister.
What is your favorite movie? “Wonka,” because I love the music and chocolate.
If you could have dinner with one person — dead or alive — who would it be? Simone Biles, because she’s my hero!
If you could go back in time to a specific period in history, when and where would you go?
Back to when my mommy was teaching summer camp, because I love spending time with her.
If you could ask your future self a question, what would it be? What skill took the longest to get?
Who is your favorite superhero?
Moana, because she never gave
Who is your favorite supervilStar Wars villains, because they
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? To make peace and harmony, because I want the world to be a
If you could travel to three places in the world, where would you go and why? Paris, because I can see the Eiffel Tower; California to eat food; and New Jersey to see my grandma.
If you could be an animal for a day, which one would you be and why? Puppy, because people will
What is your most controversial I love shrimp, because most 7-year-olds don’t eat shrimp. Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Wildfire shutting down
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
much graduated out with 10 or 11 of the 14 total girls heading off to college in the next few weeks.”
Facing the process of overhauling his roster — an undertaking that involves evaluating and accumulating talent at a younger age group to begin a four- to five-year development journey — along with the major lifestyle shift of retirement and the changing landscape of highlevel travel ball, Paulson decided this was the right time to say goodbye.
“Compared to our original group of girls, it’s gotten a lot harder to go back to the younger age groups and build the team back up,” he said. “What it boils down to is that younger parents and their kids don’t really know who we are, because they’re not following the teams in the 18-and-under age group, right? So, they don’t know what our reputation is. Not to mention, now, we’ve seen these bigger organizations come in and almost become franchises, with their bright and shiny brands that are more known than the Windermere Wildfire. That’s the kind of battle we’d be facing. Doesn’t mean we couldn’t do it, it just means it would take a little bit longer to rebuild.”
PAULSON’S PILLARS
With the Windermere Wildfire, Paulson built a national powerhouse. Under his leadership, the team had more than 200 players go on to compete at the collegiate level. It claimed three PGF Florida State Championships and three national championships — the 2021 and 2022 USA Softball titles and the 2023 AFON National title.
Paulson’s process for developing championship-winning programs and college softball-bound players can be boiled down to three key pillars: people, partnership and pressure.
Paulson will be the first to tell you, without his people — his team of Wildfire assistant coaches — this club wouldn’t have reached the heights it did. Paulson said Mike Lang, an assistant coach for the original Wildfire team, made him a better coach. David Taylor, an assistant coach for the Wildfire’s second and third teams, headed up the college recruiting process, and Megan McReynolds, a former player on the original Wildfire team, returned to help lead the third team while lending her expertise by working with the organization’s pitchers and catchers.
With the right people guiding the way, the next question that needed to be addressed was the message they sent the players. For Paulson, that message was as clear as it could be: Put the partnership with the team above your personal pride.
“The team comes before the individual,” he said. “The way I’ve described that to them is, ‘Nobody cares about you except for your mother and your father.’ Which, I
PAULSON PENS GOODBYE
After 17 seasons, George Paulson has decided to call it a career and bring an end to his powerhouse club softball program, Windermere Wildfire. Paulson, the founder and coach of the team, posted this goodbye letter to the team’s social media pages:
“The time has come for the travel ball journey of the Windermere Wildfire Paulson to end. We have been blessed to do this from 2008-2025, it’s time for the next chapter for the coaches.
“Tournament directors: Thank you for believing in a little team from Windermere. You have provided opportunities for us to compete at the highest level, opportunities to get our players recruited, and opportunities to prepare our players for the next level. Ali, Tanya, Jen, Jeremy, Jason, Bill and Kristine: Thank you! To Carlton, we miss you, my friend.
“College coaches: Thank you for investing your time into our team, for providing encouragement, for providing guidance, for giving our players a home. We have made so many friends over the years, we will miss seeing you on the recruiting trail. Thank you!
“Parents: Without you, this journey could not happen. We have been so fortunate to find families that buy into the culture, that help pull the rope, that have given us the opportunity to help your player fulfill their potential. For the long days at the park, the travel, the practices in the rain, and cleaning those white pants, thank you!
“Players: I don’t know where to start. What a privilege it’s been to coach you. Thank you for believing in us, for trusting us to do what we said we would do. Thank you for commitment, for caring about this team. We know what we had was special and that is thanks to you. You are why we did this and it was so worth it. We have former players (who) are married, moms, professionals, going to be doctors, playing international and many still playing in college. We are proud of each one of you. We miss you and can’t wait to see what your future holds!”
know sounds harsh, but it’s supposed to sound that way to get their attention and help them understand that playing for the team is how we become successful. Think about it: When a player is up to bat, if they’re successful for themselves, there’s really only two other people that are happy with that — your mother and father. Everybody else — the coaches, the other players, the other parents — sure, they want you to be successful but in a way that helps the team.”
This partnership approach to the game of softball not only helped the team succeed but also benefit-
ed players and how they dealt with pressure.
“Our goal was to get the perspective in their minds that when they are playing for the team, they are being successful individually as well,” Paulson said. “An example of that would be, there’s a runner on third with less than two outs. All the team needs is a ground ball to second base and we score the run. When you play selfishly, all you see is that ground ball hurting your batting average, but from the team side, that ground ball is a win. Playing for the team takes pressure off a kid. Think about it, if you take the expectation of getting a hit away and say, ‘We don’t need you to get a hit here, all we need is for you to execute the game plan.’ That immediately takes pressure off of a kid, which for us was big, because of the level we played at. A lot of the times, it felt like if we weren’t playing for a some sort of championship; we were performing in front of college coaches to get recruited.”
PAULSON’S POINTS OF PRIDE Paulson points to three moments with the Wildfire — starting with a moment that came before the inception of the Wildfire.
“The whole idea for the Windermere Wildfire travel team actually came from our Windermere Little League team,” he said. “Remembering that Little League team and not only the success we had winning a Little League State Championship — and being a game away from the World Series — with that group but also the group that came after that made it to the Little League World Series about 14 or 15 years ago. It was cool to see Windermere Little League thrive based on those kids becoming better players and seeing their hard work, that included playing travel ball, pay off in Little League.”
The second point of pride for Paulson again looks beyond the team’s trophy case and, rather, at the remarkable young women who have represented the club.
“I would say the biggest highlight for me has been the number of kids who have gone on to play in college and get their education paid for; something only 1-2% of high school softball players get to experience,” he said. “For there to be roughly 200 kids across the whole Wildfire organization who have gone on to play college softball and have that experience is the biggest highlight I could ask for.”
His last point strayed even further away from the accolades and records. What he feels a sense of pride about is the attitude and toughness his teams played with.
“Whether they were national championship teams or not — we’ve always played with a little bit of a chip on our shoulders,” Paulson said. “I’ve always felt we had to fight for respect, so we’ve always had to be a gritty and tough team. … I think that’s the thing I’m proudest of.”
Windermere Wildfire’s 18U team captured the 2021 USA Softball National Championship. Courtesy photo
Nation’s top junior golfers tee off at Arnold Palmer Junior Invitational
For the ninth consecutive year, Southwest Orange’s most famous course, Bay Hill Golf Club & Lodge, hosted the nation’s top junior golfers for the 2025 Arnold Palmer Junior Invitational from Monday, July 29, to Thursday, July 31.
The American Junior Golf Association’s four-day event featured 78 boys and girls golfers from around the country.
In the girls division, the trophy didn’t have to travel far as Central Florida resident Iris Lee won, shooting a 211 (-5) over the 54-hole event and marking her second career AJGA win. The seventh-grader sunk 17 birdies throughout the tournament, carding seven birdies in the final round while going bogey-free in the back nine.
“It feels really good to get a win here,” Lee said. “I came back toward the end, and I worked really hard for the finish that I got. Winning here reminds me of all the work and practice I put into my game and this event and it’s a really good feeling.”
Elsewhere in the girls division, Mi Li, a recent graduate of The First Academy and current University of Pennsylvania golfer, finished fourth with a total score of 215 (-1). Another notable participant in the Southwest Orange event was Kai Trump, the eldest granddaughter of President
Donald Trump, who became the first relative of a sitting U.S. president to compete in an AJGA event. The current University of Miami golfer finished 26th in her AJGA debut, shooting 251 (+35). On the boys side of the juniors event, despite bagging five birdies in the final round and 12 throughout the tournament, The First Academy rising senior Mingbo Jiang fell to tournament winner Clark Mason by one stroke. Jiang, a USC golf commit, finished the event tied for second with a total score of 216 (E).
Other area golfer competing included Cameron Baez, a recent graduate of Windermere High and current USC Aiken golfer, and Shawn Coultoff, a recent graduate of West Orange High and current Florida State golfer. Baez finished tied for 44th with a 239 (+23) while Coultoff shot 242 (+26), tying for 47th.
— SAM ALBUQUERQUE
NxtGen flag football bold in first Jr. Olympics
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B
lective and singular experience that never can be reproduced.
For Thomas Ochoa — coach of NxtGen’s 10U flag football team and father of the team’s starting quarterback — no experience better captured this overarching impact more than the three days his NxtGen team spent at the AAU Junior Olympics’ inaugural Flag Football Games in Houston, Texas. And no moment better exemplified the opportunity youth sports have on creating oncein-a-lifetime experiences than the final play of the tournament’s GoldMedal Match.
After running the table in pool play on Day 1 and shutting out its secondround opponent, 19-0, NxtGen pulled out a pair of close wins in the quarterfinals — a 22-21 overtime win over a Massachusetts-based team — and semifinals — a 13-6 victory over
a strong Connecticut team — to set up a championship battle against Spiked Elite, the No. 1 team in the country.
“We’re incredibly proud of the boys’ effort — fighting tooth-andnail in every game to reach the Gold Medal Round,” Ochoa said. “This was, by far, the toughest tournament we’ve played in, with so many tightly contested games. Hundreds of teams tried to qualify, but only 24 made it, (so) it was truly the best of the best.”
NxtGen’s New Hampshire-based foes were as tough as advertised, taking a one-touchdown lead and holding the Southwest Orange team scoreless throughout most of the championship round. With the time on the game clock dwindling, NxtGen began its final charge toward the end zone in the 7-0 game. As the clock reached zero the Windermerebased team crossed the goal line for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 7-6.
One play now stood between a historic victory for the area’s prolific flag football program and a heartwrenching defeat in the Lone Star State. Ochoa had a choice to make — one that was much less about the strategical merits of whether to spot the ball at the 5-yard line and attempt a one-point conversion to tie the game or double the distance to the 10-yard line and go for the win by attempting a two-point conversion.
Instead, Ochoa and his assistant coaches, understood the incredible opportunity they had to use this decision to make a powerful impact on these children lives.
“The final was a true battle,” Ochoa said. “They were up 7-0 with under a minute to go, but we drove down the field and scored with no time left, (and) as a team, we made the bold decision to go for the win and attempt a two-point conversion.”
Ultimately, whether they converted the attempt or not, this group of athletes were going to earn various profound life lessons and experiences. If they converted and won the historic gold medal, they would have walked away with the confidence of not only being the first team to ever have reached this pinnacle but also the belief in themselves earned from facing and overcoming adversity. If they came up short, they’d have the opportunity to learn from their failures and to go home knowing they left it all on the field.
Regardless of the outcome, at the very least, the choice to go for the win guaranteed these athletes this one thing: The absolute certainty that their coaches — in the face of adversity, with a championship on the line and also with the understanding that the community around the organization rallied together to raise the money necessary to send
the team to the out-of-state competition — believed in them.
“That moment was a powerful teaching opportunity for the boys: Don’t pass up the chance to control your own narrative,” Ochoa said. “We walked away with the silver medal, proud of our effort, our heart and the journey we shared together. … (We) are a very successful team and their work ethic and chemistry is unmatched (but) football is a game of inches and we needed about two more inches in that Gold Medal game we lost.”
Still, despite falling a couple inches short in the title game, the growth Ochoa has seen in his players and this organization as a whole is heartwarming.
“When I started coaching a few of these kids three years ago, I never would have imagined this type of success or opportunity, so my heart is beyond full,” he said.
W.Kevin
Kai Trump, the eldest granddaughter of United States President Donald Trump, made her AJGA debut at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Junior Invitational.
Clark Mason, left, and Iris Lee took home the iconic Arnold Palmer umbrella trophy as the winners of the AJGA event.
Mi Li, a recent graduate of The First Academy and current University of Pennsylvania golfer, finished fourth with a total score of 215(-1).
Recent Windermere High graduate Cameron Baez lined up a putt at the 2025 Arnold Palmer Junior Invitational.
Right: The First Academy rising senior Mingbo Jiang finished tied for second, just one stroke behind the winner.
Ten tips for success in a new school year
Start the school year off right Monday, Aug. 11.
School almost is in session! Kids are starting to collect devices, buy school supplies and meet their teachers. However, the transition from home to the classroom can be challenging for students and their families. Here are 10 tips to reduce stress and make the most of the new school year!
1KEEP
AN OPEN MIND. New experiences are bound to happen with school starting. But new does not necessarily mean bad. School gives you the wonderful opportunity to meet other people and learn from unfamiliar teachers. Staying positive and recognizing you might be stepping out of your comfort zone can help prepare you for whatever comes next.
2COME
PREPARED. Everyone has experienced going to class only to find their homework has vanished. Trying your best to stay on top of the work will help you feel better about yourself and will make learning easier. Some good methods are to pack up your things the night before and to keep everything organized. If you spend a lot of time picking out what to wear each day, it might help to lay out outfits the night before. Be sure to check your student email in case teachers give you any alerts before class.
3CREATE
A ROUTINE. Going back to school seems so new and exciting that people often forget about the things they can control. Making a schedule can help ease the transition to school. This can include going to bed at a certain time or when to wake up. Making a routine isn’t just the responsibility of parents. Students can make their own schedules based on their electives or the amount of homework they have. This can help them feel independent and introduce them to self-reliance. It can encourage academic responsibility, especially once students start to study for tests.
ABOUT THE POSITIVES.
4THINK
The end of summer can be negative for a lot of people, but it doesn’t have to diminish the good things school can provide. It’s an opportunity to see old friends, as well as make new ones. Middle schools and high schools usually provide electives, so students are able to pursue their interests.
5HEALTHY
HABITS. There always are simple, practical ways to get yourself ready for school. Although they might seem small and don’t take up a lot of time, they can have a huge impact. Get enough sleep so you’re able to focus the next day. Eat healthy meals and drink plenty of water. With such high temperatures, staying hydrated is really important. Setting up healthy habits can decrease anxiety and will make you feel more accomplished.
6REMEMBER
TO BE SAFE. A lot of parents lecture their kids on staying safe while at school, but their warnings should not be taken for granted. School drills should be taken seriously. Fire and lockdown drills are used to prepare students for what could happen, and they should not be a time to fool around. Listen to what teachers say and talk to your parents about how to react if something dangerous did happen while in class.
7ASK FOR HELP. Returning to a classroom after two months of summer isn’t easy. For many kids, it can be socially and academically overwhelming. It’s important to ask for help if you need it, from friends, parents or teachers. No one will judge you if you need some assistance. It’s braver to get the help you need than to pretend everything is OK.
8MAKE
SMART DECISIONS. Parents aren’t able to watch over you at school, and it can feel great to have increased freedom. But it also requires you to be cautious and responsible. Don’t do things just because other people you know are doing them, such as skipping class, smoking or cheating on tests. You need to be able to say “no” when necessary. Besides, if someone is pushing you to make dangerous choices, they might not be your friend anyway.
9EXPRESS YOURSELF. Plenty of people have a hard time making friends at school. Often, students are scared of being judged by their peers. Putting yourself out there is difficult, but being true to yourself and others is one of the best ways to make friends. Pretending to be someone you aren’t is not healthy. People will like you more if you’re honest, and you’ll feel better about yourself, too.
10GIVE YOURSELF TIME. Adapting to new environments and routines can be difficult, so don’t feel like you have to get it right on the first day. Cut yourself some slack. Adjusting to a new teacher, class and learning material is hard, so give yourself some grace. Remember, mistakes are how you grow. If you don’t get it right the first time, you can try again. And it always is OK to talk to someone if you’re struggling.
PETROSKI OLYMPIA HIGH SCHOOL
OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE
Urban green spaces bloom in Winter Garden
More urban gardening will make an impact in the city.
KASEY BILODEAU
HOMESCHOOL STUDENT
Summer in Florida is hot. We all know the feeling of watching the temperature, waiting for it to dip below 100 degrees. The heat can be exhausting and oppressive. But what if cooling outdoor spaces was as simple as starting a garden?
Urban gardening is an increasingly popular activity, bringing people closer to their neighbors and nature. However, most of residential Florida isn’t structured with outdoor spaces in mind. About one out of three Floridians are renting — meaning 3.8 million people in the state don’t have the ability to keep a traditional in-ground garden. And although the process can be messy, urban gardening is necessary in a paved world.
THE EFFECT OF GARDENS
For those who are able, gardening isn’t just a style choice — it’s a pivot in lifestyle. In Florida, where heat already is a problem, the recent boom in development often has negative impacts on the well-being of residents. Urban areas without enough trees or green spaces can be 10 to 12 degrees hotter than rural areas. Even within cities, temperatures can vary by 20 degrees between neighborhoods depending on tree coverage. Often, this puts people at greater risk of heat exhaustion and increases energy consumption as residents struggle to get cool.
And yet, plants have a significant cooling effect. Even a single tree or trailing vine contributes to the process of evapotranspiration — pulling water from the soil and releasing it as vapor into the air.
Deeply rooted plants also can prevent soil degradation and lower flood risk. Green spaces also slow the flow of water after heavy rainfall, giving stormwater systems a rest. Living in Florida — a state with the most hurricane landfalls of anywhere in the United States — this especially is important.
WHO SUPPORTS OUR URBAN GARDENS AND GREEN SPACES?
Winter Garden is renowned for its green spaces — thanks to the Bloom & Grow Society, founded in 1997.
“Most of the founders had grown up in Winter Garden and loved their home town,” said Katy Warner, committee chair of the Bloom & Grow Garden Society.
In the 1990s, Winter Garden was a stagnant place.
“They knew it didn’t have much of a reputation, but they were confident they could make it better,” War-
ner said of the founders.
In its first year, the Bloom & Grow Society successfully opened Winter Garden’s first public garden: the Path of Life at Chapin Station. Since then, Bloom & Grow has been busy.
“We have a major tree planting effort,” Warner said. “Over the past five years, more than 2,000 trees have been planted in Winter Garden as a result of our efforts.”
HOW TO MAKE CHANGE IN YOUR OWN YARD
“Through the inspiration of Bloom & Grow leaders, many of our members have transformed their yards into exceptional pollinator gardens,” Warner said. “Success in gardening no matter what climate (is) understanding which plants do well in the various conditions that exist. Finding the right plant for the right place is the greatest challenge for the urban gardener.”
She said another challenge is watering.
“Rain and irrigation are not generally enough for newly planted trees, shrubs and flowers,” she said. Warner recommended finding plants that are pest-resistant, because Florida does not get cold enough to kill most diseases and pests.
She also suggested including pollinator plants.
“By including flowers and habitat that attract pollinators to your patio, yard or landscaping, each of us can help these species survive and thrive,” Warner said.
Although you have to be careful with plants that attract butterflies and bees — any hint of a pesticide will kill the insects the world is trying to save.
Winter Garden clearly is in good hands. But as buildings rise around us, it’s still important to do our best with what we’re given. The small garden, single pot with flowers or climbing vine — it’s all contributing to something. One flower can be visited by many insects a day; a single potted plant is shelter to so many little critters.
“We are a force for good in the Winter Garden community,” Warner said. “And we hope to be for many years to come.”
Courtesy photo
BRAINFOOD
The Observer answers kids’ burning curiosities.
BRICK BY BRICK I Michael Eng // Editor and Publisher
This month, we’re celebrating what we consider to be the perfect toy — one that is perfect for all ages, both boys and girls and, yes, even adults! Of course, we are talking about the legendary LEGO! And unless you’re accidentally stepping on one of them with your bare feet, they’re a source of endless fun, creativity and excitement. But did you know the history of LEGO dates back nearly 100 years?!? Read on to learn more!
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
The name LEGO is comes from two Danish words “leg godt,” which means “play well.” Interestingly, in Latin, the word “LEGO” means “I put together.” Pretty awesome coincidence!
HISTORY OF LEGO
1932
1969
LEGO releases the Duplo brick. Duplo bricks are double the size of normal LEGO, making it perfect for younger children.
1979
Mini-figures are launched. These buildable, customizable and downright cute additions to the LEGO universe opened up the possibility of role-play. Ten years later, in 1989, LEGO intro duced the pirate mini-figures — the first to feature difference facial features such as eye patches, beards and more.
The company’s origins date back even before its name. In 1932, a Danish master carpenter and joiner named Ole Kirk Kristiansen began making wooden toys, including a wooden duck on wheels. Four years later, in 1936, Kristiansen officially named his company LEGO, and a year later, his son, Godtfred Kirk Christiansen, began designing wooden toys with his dad. He was only 17. EVENTS
1949
After a few years tinkering with plastic, Kristiansen came up with the idea of using the material to create bricks, which were named “Automatic Binding Bricks.” By 1953, they were renamed “LEGO Bricks,” with the name etched onto every piece.
1958
The company invents a new way to connect the bricks, giving builders endless ways to connect pieces together. This coupling system is still used today.
RECOMMENDED READING
1998
The LEGO Group, along with the MIT Media Lab, launched LEGO Mindstorms, a unique educational toy line that integrates technology into the LEGO universe.
2014
Although the first LEGOLAND theme parked opened in 1968, it wasn’t until 2014 when LEGO hit the silver screen with “The LEGO Movie.”
2022
The LEGO Group celebrated its 90th anniversary. It is considered the largest toy manufacturer in the world (by sales), and the Toy Retailers Association named LEGO“Toy of the Century” twice.
n “How to Build Everything” by Hannah Dolan; models designed and created by Jessica Farrell and Nate Dias n “LEGO Timelines: A Visual Journey Through Ten Decades of LEGO History” by Simon Hugo n “The Big Book of LEGO Facts” by Simon Hugo n “Amazing But True! Fun Facts About the LEGO World — And Our Own!” by Elizabeth Dowsett, Julia March and Catherine Saunders
Local pastor pens book to help navigate LGBTQ+ conversations
Family Church Pastor Angel Garcia III’s debut book, “Balancing Truth and Love,” is a practical, gospel-centered guide.
For about 18 years of Family Church pastor Angel Garcia III’s life, an idea had been forming in the back of his head through countless conversations about the LGBTQ+ community.
Fellow church members, co-workers, parents and even members of the community itself approached Garcia with the same question: How does one discuss this topic with a foundation in biblical truth and Christ-like compassion?
That idea now has manifested in Garcia’s first book, “Balancing Truth and Love: Five Biblical Filters for LGBTQ+ Conversations.”
“The concept of the book was born out of very real scenarios and conversations ... spanning across about 18 years of every ministry I’ve ever worked in, every kind of non-ministry job,” Garcia said. “It’s felt like God’s always found a way of gravitating this topic to me.
“But what really pushed it over the edge for me was when I led a parent training that had close to 100 parents attend after we did just one announcement about it,” he said. “At this parent training is where I originally rolled out the five filters that are laid out in my book about helping Christians balance both truth and love. At the end of that training, maybe a dozen or more parents came up to me saying they need more resources like this.”
Moreover, Garcia said the existing resources were too basic for a subject matter that changes rapidly.
“The thing with that approach regarding LGBTQ+ is that it’s constantly morphing and the conversations around it are constantly about something new,” he said. “The reality is that every single letter identifier brings its own unique set of conversations and struggles. They’re all different, and so what I wanted to create was a resource for Christians that is flexible enough to approach any situation, and to help people really balance truth
and love in a way that Christ would — regardless of what the person is dealing with, regardless of what the topic is. And so that’s what kind of just led to me saying, ‘OK, I’m just going to write this book’ and proceed to drown myself in this.”
BALANCING WRITING AND RESPONSIBILITY
At times, drowning is exactly how Garcia felt during the writing process. With a full-time job in ministry as the teaching pastor at Family Church’s Lakeside campus and father of three boys, he struggled to find the time to dedicate to this endeavor.
“What made writing this book challenging in a lot of ways was time,” he said. “The only feasible open slot of time that I had to work on my book was from 4:30 to 7 a.m. So for a little over a year, I would wake up maybe five mornings a week at that time and just start writing about one of the toughest topics imaginable.”
After writing what ended up being a little more than half of the book, Garcia began to hit a wall as he was trying to push through the physical, emotional and spiritual weight that came with this additional work load he was partially financing as an Uber driver.
“Along the way, it was becoming
extremely taxing on me to put in that kind of time into writing the book,” he said. “At one point, about 60% into it, I was getting to that point where I just didn’t want to do it anymore. I remember laying in bed, and just praying, ‘Lord, if you want me to do this, please make it very clear, because I’m really tired and I feel like I’m putting a lot of work into something that’s going to only create a lot of very hard work.’”
The next morning instead of getting up to write, he decided to jump on the rowing machine and get in a workout.
“Often when I work out, I just throw on a random podcast episode, and on that day, right after I asked God to make this clear to me, the guys on the show were talking about LGBTQ+, and the exact words in the podcast were, ‘If only there was a resource that could help Christians know how to stand in and balance truth and love in a way that would be helpful,’” Garcia said. “When I heard him say that, I just dropped the rowing oar, took my headphones off and said, ‘Lord, I’ll do it.’ That was enough to push me to fully going in on it.”
That moment was more than just the push that Garcia needed, it ended up being the start of God opening doors and sending him the help he needed to reach the finish line.
“I just felt like a lemon that was completely squeezed at that point,” he said. “I kept asking myself, ‘Why am I even doing this? Who’s even going to want to read this?’ In many ways, this is a hobby for me; I’m not trying to start a career as an author. I also didn’t want to take money from my family’s budget to finance it, and I didn’t want to take time from the church, because the church wasn’t paying me to write a book. That moment was a bit of a challenge. But, when I heard that podcast, that was what I needed, and since then, God has just started rolling out all the things I needed to get this project done. From helping fund the book through a friend, from sending more than 35 people to read the book and give me feedback — which to ask people to read a 270-page book is not a small ask — it was special.”
THE FIVE FILTERS
“Balancing Truth and Love: Five Biblical Filters for LGBTQ+ Conversations” is framed by five biblical filters that believers must see through, understand and believe in to balance truth and love in difficult conversations about gender and sexual identity in a manner that is helpful and mirrors how Jesus approached difficult conversations in the Gospels. Garcia made it a point to not only make this into a book that was entrenched in the Scriptures — making more than 400 references to biblical texts — but to go even further and highlight Jesus’
BUY THE BOOK
“Balancing Truth and Love: Five Biblical Filters for LGBTQ+ Conversations” is available on Amazon.
approach directly.
“I wanted the book to be so submerged in the Gospel that one of the thoughts I kept having while writing was that if somebody was to rip out any single page of the book and hand it out that it was so Gospel-centered, that no matter the page it would bring you back to what Jesus has done for you,” Garcia said. “I wanted every page to bring the reader back to the reality that what Jesus has done for us not only transforms us and causes us to live different, but also gives us hope and grace.”
Through his analysis of Jesus’ approach to difficult conversations, Garcia asserts in his book that the Scriptures and the Gospel specifically show that for believers to be able to be both founded in what is biblically true and demonstrate the boundless love Christ has for humanity there are five filters that need to be applied.
Those five filters are: God’s truth, God’s design, God’s love, God’s standards and God’s power. According to Garcia, Christians cannot pick and choose the filters. They cannot be separated from one another but instead need to be stacked to balance truth and love the way Jesus did.
“Using these filters during these conversations allow you to start in what God says is true,” Garcia said. “So you start by dealing with the reality, asking questions like, ‘What is God’s foundation? What’s the foundational truth of Scripture?’ From there, you go into His design, His plan. Then, we dive into His love and get a breakdown on understanding how God defines love, before we look at God’s standards and how we all fall short. That filter is huge because it brings us to a posture of humility.
“And last, we talk about something that I think a lot of people are misunderstanding or not paying attention to and that’s the last filter: God’s power,” Garcia said. “Jesus literally changes lives, and I think the reason why so many Christians struggle with this topic is because they’re not grounded in God’s truth. They’re not grounded in His design. They’re not fully aware of His love. They don’t see how they fall short of meeting His standards, and they’ve lost sight of God’s truly transformative power.”
Garcia hopes this book helps readers love Jesus more and helps them speak God’s truth and display His love in a way that’s helpful and not harmful.
Sam Albuquerque
Angel Garcia III, the teaching pastor at Family Church’s Lakeside campus, hopes his debut book can help Christians be helpful and not harmful during conversations about the LGBTQ+ community.
THE WAYS WE WERE FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION
90 years ago
The first theater in Central Florida built especially for sound opened in Winter Garden. The new theater was built by C.M. Biggers, owner of the old Winter Garden Theatre before it was destroyed by fire.
80 years ago
Mumsy Bray, that lovable character of North Lakeview Avenue, celebrated her 82nd birthday, and during the afternoon many friends called to wish her congratulations of the day. Her daughter-in-law, Mildred Bray, presented her with a tiered birthday cake embossed with dainty pink rosebuds.
55 years ago
At a meeting of the Ocoee City Council, Tom Ritten was granted a one-year license to establish a towing service at Winter Garden Road and Silver Star Road Extension.
50 years ago
An authentic country store, artfully recreated by Mr. and Mrs. Neil Austin, of Winter Garden, was one of the outstanding features of More
Than a Memory, an exhibition set up at Loch Haven Art Center in Orlando to provide a delightful glimpse of the past.
J.J. “Bud” Grice, of Windermere, senior account executive with the Orlando Sentinel Star, joined The Winter Garden Times staff as advertising manager.
35 years ago
When foreign student David Cana, of Madrid, Spain, came to Central Florida, he had never eaten a taco, tasted Chinese food, been bass fishing or enjoyed home airconditioning. But after spending a
Shared with the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation archive some years ago is this painting of what is referred to as the “first Sadler home.” It stood on Oakland Avenue where the Williams Holiday House is located today — and that is known as “the second Sadler home.”
This first structure originally was about twice as large. When owner James Hardy Sadler made a substantial amount of money growing vegetables after the devastating 1894-95 Great Freeze destroyed his citrus groves, this house was moved to the back of his property and divided in two, and his second home rose around 1906. The home in the painting survives today, beautifully restored.
The mission of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation is to preserve the heritage and architecture of Winter Garden while creating new cultural experiences. The Foundation also preserves the material culture of West Orange County, using it to educate the area’s youth on the community’s rich history.
month with Dan and Gay Annis in Winter Garden, he had a chance to experience it all.
Cpl. Randy Conyers, of the Ocoee Police Department, introduced the D.A.R.E. program to the city’s elementary schools. The Drug Abuse Resistance Education lessons were taught at Spring Lake and Ocoee elementaries.
Joe McClellan, of McClellan Insurance, in Winter Garden, was given a surprise birthday party to celebrate his 50th. Staff members
present were Mari Menore, Sandy Prosser, Connie Samons, Michelle Huffman, Lee Libardoni and Steve McClellan.
Water-skiing coach Bill Peterson, of Windermere, returned from Milan, Italy, where he coached the victorious U.S. Junior World Team in the Junior World Water-Ski Championship. His son, Kyle, was an alternate member for the team.
30 years ago
Mary V. Tanner had many wonderful experiences in her 91 years, but she had never flown in an airplane.
Her first flight was from Orlando to Seattle, where she caught an eight-day cruise that began and ended in Vancouver, British Columbia, with stops in Ketchikan, Juneau, Glacier Bay and Sitka. She was accompanied by her caregivers, Sharon and Bob McKenzie.
THROWBACK THURSDAY
JULY 28, 1944
The U.S. Recruiting Station ran a full-page advertisement in The West Orange News in 1944 introducing the Women’s Army Corps program and offering women the chance to do their part in World War II. Females joining the WAC could make strategy maps for combat and check pilots to and from war zones, as well as myriad other assignments.
“For wherever WACS are working, both here and overseas, there you find a job well done,” the ad read. “And done with a spirit so gallant and fine that high Army officers everywhere say of the WAC: ‘They’re soldiers. Good soldiers.’”
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BLIND STTCH by Hanh Huynh, edited by Jared Goudsmit
By Luis Campos
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