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Observer Windermere, Horizon West, Dr. Phillips

YOU. YOUR NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.

Churches partner to produce two-night living nativity in Horizon West. PAGE 7B.

FREE • THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

VOLUME 11, NO. 11

Hamlin run over by ‘rain’ deer The rainfall didn’t dampen the holiday spirit at Christmas at Hamlin. SEE PHOTOS 7B.

Christmas trees, O’ Christmas trees

Windermere appeals boathouse decision

Longtime Disney entertainer hosts Christmas tree lots outside Windermere High School, with proceeds benefiting the school’s choir program. STORY ON PAGE 4A.

A circuit judge ruled on a legal battle lasting three years, but the town is appealing the decision. SEE PAGE 5A.

YOUR TOWN WHITE SWAN ACADEMY PRESENTS ‘NUTCRACKER’

The Windermere-based White Swan Academy will present ‘The Nutcracker Story’ this weekend. The one-hour show will take place at 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, at Family Church — Windermere Campus, 300 Main St., Windermere. For more information, visit whiteswanacademy.com.

Liz Ramos

Windermere High School choir students Kemi Agbelusi and Beatriz Bellodi volunteered at the Santa’s Old Fashioned Christmas Tree lot with owner Billy Flanigan and his son Kyle Flanigan. The proceeds from the tree lot support the high school’s choir program.

A SPECIAL FAMILY

CrossFit Winter Garden is home to a powerlifting team specifically for Special Olympics athletes. The team has created lifelong bonds. 1B.

A new leader for Oakland Yumeko LaTrese Motley is the first Black woman to hold a seat on Oakland’s Town Commission. She takes the spot formerly held by Sal Ramos. SEE PAGE 5A.

GYMNASTICS USA CELEBRATES CHRISTMAS Gymnastics USA’s annual gift to the community — its Christmas Spectacular — is set for Friday. The Winter Garden gym will host the free event from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, at 13175 W. Colonial Drive, Winter Garden. This free event will feature food trucks, open gym, local vendors, snow, a Santa visit and more. For more, visit gymnasticsusa. us/christmas.

CDPA TO PRESENT ‘IN HIS NAME, WE DANCE’

There are six opportunities to take in the Centre for Dance and the Performing Arts annual Christmas show, “In His Name, We Dance.” The Oakland-based studio’s show takes place at 2, 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20; and 3, 5 and 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Sandra O. Stephens Fine Arts Theatre, Montverde Academy, 17235 Seventh St., Montverde. For more information or tickets, visit dancecdpa.com/ cdpaihn2025.

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

FAST 1

Crash in Winter Garden claims life A local Winter Garden woman was struck and killed by a car while riding her bike Tuesday, Dec. 9. According to the Winter Garden Police Department, officers arrived to the intersection of State Road 50 and Beulah Road at about 6:13 p.m. after receiving a call regarding a vehicle and a cyclist. According to police reports, the cyclist made an immediate turn into traffic to cross the road and pulled out in front of a 16-year-old, who struck her. The cyclist died. This remains an active investigation.

FHP investigating fatal hit-and-run crash A fatal hit-and-run crash took place Monday, Dec. 8, on Silver Star Road. According Florida Highway Patrol reports, a man was driving his 2003 Honda Accord eastbound on Silver Star Road, approaching Le Harve Boulevard, where a pedestrian was walking in a southerly direction. The pedestrian was not in a marked crosswalk and entered the direct path of the driver and was hit. The driver then immediately got

out of the car and began assisting the pedestrian. However, another driver in a possible gray or blue Chevrolet Malibu was driving eastbound and failed to stop for the driver outside helping the injured pedestrian, hitting the two. That driver then got out of his vehicle, assessed damages and got back in his vehicle, fleeing the scene. The pedestrian who initially was hit was transported to Orlando Regional Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. The Honda Accord driver sustained minor injuries. FHP investigators now are searching for the driver of the Chevy Malibu and said the car should have lower front-end damage and damage to the driver’s side mirror. Anyone with information regarding this crash is asked to call *FHP (*347) or Crimeline at 1-800-423TIPS. The crash remains under investigation.

Ocoee PD seizes counterfeit merchandise The Ocoee Police Department seized hundreds of items from two retail businesses in West Oaks Mall Tuesday, Dec. 9. The department executed a search warrant at Trenditions and World Tech Store of Orlando and walked away with hundreds of items as part of an ongoing investigation into the sale of counterfeit trademarked merchandise. The investigation started after several undercover visits were conducted in which investigators saw people buying designer trademarked items that brand representatives later confirmed to be counterfeit. Some of the brands include Louis Vuitton and Chanel. Other merchandise believed to be counterfeit also was found displayed for sale. The operation was focused on safely securing and seizing evidence related to suspected trafficking of counterfeit goods. Seized items included digital devices, business records, counterfeit merchandise and other materials connected to ordering, storing or selling counterfeit products. “Every counterfeit item we seized today was one less victim in a broad scheme to defraud the citizens of Ocoee,” said Sgt. David Ogletree, of the Ocoee Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division. “I want to thank the private investigators who brought this to our attention. We could not have completed

Courtesy photo

Rafael O’Reilly Lerner is accused of assaulting at least three females.

this operation without the hard work of the entire Criminal Investigations Unit as well as a number of patrol officers who worked the operation.”

Man faces sexual battery charges An 18-year-old man was accused of rape. Rafael O’Reilly Lerner, of Dr. Phillips, was arrested after someone tipped off a school resource officer regarding a girl who was being victimized, investigators said. In a statement, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office said O’Reilly Lerner’s alleged methods are “emotionally and physically brutal.” Investigators said he has sexually assaulted at least three females, varying from 16 to 19 years old. They believe there are more victims.

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“He ingratiates himself to young women, coerces them into sex, becomes extremely violent and videotapes and photographs his victims during sex,” Sheriff’s Office investigators said. “Then he threatens them with exposing those videos and photos publicly and to their parents. Our detectives believe he’s a predator and that this behavior has been going on for some time and escalated over time.” Investigators believe this behavior dates back to 2020. O’Reilly Lerner is being held at OCSO jail with no bond and is facing multiple sex crimes charges, including sexual battery and false imprisonment.

Ocoee woman faces child abuse charges Taylor Dorsey, 33, is accused of sending Stephon Anderson, a federal inmate serving a sentence on a child-porn charge, sexually-explicit videos of his 13-year-old victim. A Florida Department of Law Enforcement agent received reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children revealing a user connected Dorsey’s email account was uploading and sharing files depicting child sexual abuse. Dorsey was interviewed at her home during a police search, where she allegedly confessed to communicating with Anderson. When asked why she made one of the videos, she stated it was for “medical reasons.” The arrest affidavit states Dorsey was sharing child sex abuse material with Anderson, who is not allowed to have phone access. Dorsey was arrested and charged with directing and promoting a sexual performance by a child. She was booked into the Orange County Jail on no bond.

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

More than 40 West Orange High School band students came together to carol through Bronson’s Landing in Winter Garden.

Photos by Liz Ramos

HARK! The West Orange angels play

West Orange High junior continues tradition of band members caroling throughout his neighborhood, spreading holiday cheer for all to hear. LIZ RAMOS MANAGING EDITOR

s at least 42 West Orange High School band students stood in the middle of the street in Bronson’s Landing, they blasted the notes to “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.” Neighborhood residents gathered around, smiling and singing along. Jay Zimmerman, a junior and leader of the group, played his trumpet, adding flair to certain notes. After the band of carolers finished the song, they were met with applause from the residents. Zimmerman rushed to the ladder in front of the students and climbed up to direct the next song. He looked down on his band of volunteers with pride as they played. Then, they were on the move. Jason Zimmerman, Jay Zimmerman’s father, went down the street knocking on doors to let residents know the West Orange band carolers were there to perform. But with drummers performing in this year’s tradition and playing cadences as the students made their way down the street, the music could be heard far and wide. A few houses down, the group stopped to perform once again as part of the annual tradition Saturday, Dec. 13. For five years, Jay Zimmerman

Sophomore Dylan Kallas had fun playing festive songs.

has been leading a group of students through Bronson’s Landing in Winter Garden to play songs and spread joy for all to hear each holiday season. Jay Zimmerman started playing trumpet in sixth grade at SunRidge Middle School; it was required for him to take a class in band, choir, orchestra or theater. He thought it would be a one-and-done situation.

But after some time, he realized how fun it was to be in band, and he made several friends. Then, he saw West Orange High School’s band and was in awe. In seventh grade, Jay Zimmerman and his friends were walking around on Halloween and thought it’d be funny to start singing Christmas carols instead of saying trick-or-treat. That sparked an idea. Jay Zimmerman and six of his jazz band friends decided to go caroling that holiday season. But instead of singing, they played festive songs with their instruments. They went house to house, ringing the doorbell and playing a song or two on the front porch. He said they sounded bad, but it didn’t matter because they were having fun and spreading joy. A tradition was born. Over the years, the caroling group has grown. Jay Zimmerman started with seven carolers on the porch to 10 carolers in the driveway to more than 40 students performing in the street this year. Simple word of mouth of the memorable experiences they have had each year has led to the increase in participants. “If someone were to ask me the best thing I ever did when I was a teenager, this is definitely it because it’s something that I’ve grown through the last couple of years and I think it actually makes a difference,” Jay Zimmerman

said. “I think people really enjoy us going around. I never thought it would get this big.” Jason Zimmerman said after the first year, people either were thrilled to watch the mini performance or disappointed they missed it. Many now want advance notice to ensure they are home on performance night. Bronson’s Landing’s Lisa Kierenia and her family have watched Jay Zimmerman and his fellow bandmates perform for years. “They’re just bringing the Christmas spirit here,” she said. “To see a bunch of high school kids that want to do something exciting to bring joy to the neighborhood, I think is really cool.” With children of her own around the same age as Jay Zimmerman, Kierenia said it’s a “cool experience” to see children find something they’re passionate about and share it like Jay Zimmerman does every holiday season. The first year started with the carolers performing their jazz band music. The following years filled the streets with the sounds of West Orange High’s Christmas parade music, but Jay Zimmerman said it was becoming boring. So, last year, he started writing the music. “I wanted to write it because I wanted to be different,” Jay Zimmerman said. “I have to make sure my people are happy, and they’re not going to be happy if they’re playing Santa’s parade music over and over and over again. It’s good to bring some

variety. I could have my own twist on things. This year, I’m really proud of the music.” This year’s set list included “Underneath the Tree,” the theme from “Home Alone” called “Somewhere in My Memory,” “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” and “Let It Snow.” He said he chose these songs because they were a balance of what he thought people in the neighborhood would like to hear as well as what his performers would enjoy playing. He spent countless hours working on the music, staying up late several nights. He finished the night before caroling. The hard work paid off. After the first practice run of “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas,” one of the students looked up to Jay Zimmerman as he stood on a ladder to conduct and gave him a thumbs up. “That cooked Jay,” the student said, complimenting the young composer. As they paraded around Bronson’s Landing Saturday, Dec. 13, Jay Zimmerman’s priority was having fun. Every year, he always loves seeing everyone have fun, both the musicians and his neighbors. “That’s all that really matters at the end of the day because no matter how good the music is, how bad it is, the parents are going to want to see the kids having fun and supporting the community,” he said. Jason Zimmerman said residents are all smiles watching the group perform.

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

“Road to Serfdom,” 1944 Editor and Publisher / Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com Design Editor / Jessica Eng, jeng@OrangeObserver.com Managing Editor / Liz Ramos, lramos@OrangeObserver.com Historian / Amy Quesinberry Price, amyqhistory@OrangeObserver.com Staff Writer / Megan Bruinsma, mbruinsma@OrangeObserver.com Staff Writer / Leticia Silva, lsilva@OrangeObserver.com Multimedia Sales Manager / Cyndi Gustafson, advertising@OrangeObserver.com Multimedia Advertising Executive / Iggy Collazo, iggy@OrangeObserver.com Graphic Designer / Sarah Santiago, ssantiago@OrangeObserver.com Advertising Operations Manager / Allison Brunelle, abrunelle@OrangeObserver.com

Kyle Flanigan has been selling Christmas trees for 15 years. He enjoys teaching the volunteers about work ethic.

Whole lot of love: Tree sales benefit Windermere High choir rience music and culture directly in a different city is life-changing. Kyle Flanigan, who coaches high school and Little League baseball, sees the tree lot as an opportunity to teach students hard work ethic and to be grateful. “It’s kind of a lost art of giving back,” he said. “Now when they come here, they realize how hard their parents work and they kind of have it better than what they thought. They see some of these families that come in that can either barely afford a tree or they’re looking for a (tree) donation.” Some of the students who volunteered during their years at Windermere High return to their alma mater each holiday season specifically to work at the tree lot but as employees now.

LIZ RAMOS MANAGING EDITOR

radley Gill walks into the Christmas tree lot tent outside Windermere High School for the first time and is greeted by volunteers from the school’s choir program. He moseys through the small forest of Christmas trees, each adorned with a different color sequined Santa hat to show the size of the tree and how many years it has been in the ground. It isn’t long before he finds what he says is the perfect tree: “the greenest, roundest and pointiest” of the 70 or so trees left. Kyle Flanigan, a manager at the tree lot, picks up the tree, hands the red hat on top to Gill as a keepsake and goes outside, where he removes the stand and uses a chainsaw to cut the tip of the stump. He uses a string to turn the stump into a keepsake ornament and hands it to Gill. Gill’s purchase benefits the school’s choir. The tree lot serves as the biggest fundraiser of the year for the program, giving students opportunities to expand their musical experiences.

TREE-MENDOUS TRADITION

“DISNEYLAND OF TREE LOTS”

The lot is a magical wonderland created by Kyle’s father, Billy Flanigan — who is in his 44th year as an actor, singer and entertainer for Disney World. Billy Flanigan, known locally as the Happiest Man on Earth, was approached by a friend who knew how to grow, tend and sell Christmas trees. That friend asked Billy Flanigan to help start a tree lot in downtown Winter Garden. Billy Flanigan was tasked with providing the entertainment. Santa’s Old Fashioned Christmas Trees was created. Then in 2017, Linda Boot, the former Windermere High choir director, approached Billy Flanigan to have the tree lot as a fundraiser. The former choir student jumped at the opportunity and opened a second lot at the school. The downtown Winter Garden location eventually closed, but the Wolverine lot is alive and well. Walking into the lot outside the school, the faint smell of pine lingers. Christmas music plays on the speakers. Children can sit at a small wooden table on chairs made of logs and write letters to Mr. Claus before putting them in Santa’s mailbox. They also can talk to St. Nick through the Santa camera. There are photo opportunities, especially when Santa stops by for a visit. “Since I work for Disney, I wanted this to be the Disneyland of tree lots,” Billy Flanigan said. Billy Flanigan recalled how enchanting the tree lot can be for

Photos by Liz Ramos

Billy Flanigan is thrilled to support the Windermere High choir program with the Santa’s Old Fashioned Christmas Trees lot.

some children. He said by the magic of Christmas, a girl who was questioning her belief in Kris Kringle miraculously received her Christmas wish. During her visit with Santa at the lot, the little girl told the man in the big red suit that if he were real, the letter she wrote him that day would be in her stocking on Christmas morning. When she woke up Christmas morning and looked in her stocking, her letter was there. Billy Flanigan said Boot continues to come each year to purchase a wreath or tree to support her former program. GIFT OF GIVING

All the proceeds from the tree lot go to supporting the Windermere High choir program. All the Flanigans ask is that the choir students volunteer at the tent. Sophomore Beatriz Bellodi had never stepped into a tree lot before she volunteered at Santa’s Old Fashioned Christmas Trees Friday, Dec. 12. She said it felt cozy. She and fellow volunteer senior Kemi Agbelusi are pining for real trees in their homes after working at the tree lot, because they feel they are more magical than a fake tree. For two years, Agbelusi has loved being a part of the magic of a family

finding their tree to take home. She cherishes the times the children ask for her input on the tree they should purchase. She said it makes her feel a part of their Christmas, and it also gives her and the other volunteers an opportunity to connect with their community. But the biggest payoff is financial. Erin Scully Kolodinsky, the choir director, was thrilled when Billy Flanigan approached her about continuing the fundraiser when she took over the program five years ago. “Billy is just one-of-a-kind, one of the most amazing people I have ever met, just caring and giving; he has the greatest heart,” Scully Kolodinksy said. “It’s been a great partnership and great relationship.” She said the money raised at the tree lot is used to pay for transportation to and from field trips and the program’s music performance assessments as well as to pay for the accompanist and music. “Just being able to have that financial security every year where I’m able to keep our fair share down for the students really does help us,” she said. The funds have assisted with ensuring students are able to go on trips to Los Angeles, California and New Orleans, Louisiana as well as perform at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Scully Kolodinsky said being able to take the students off campus to expe-

Year after year, Billy and Kyle Flanigan have seen families return to the lot to pick out their tree. They’ve seen children who were carried in their car seats grow up to be running around the lot in search of the perfect tree. “We have people coming back every year that the whole family walks in, and they all have different hats from past years they’ve been here, so it’s become quite a tradition for local families,” Billy Flanigan said. “There’s just something about going to get your tree as a family and that whole tradition that makes it so much more special than going in your attic and pulling it out and sticking it up. It’s the hunt.” There are times the Flanigans see couples spending hours to find the perfect tree. Billy Flanigan said there is a couple who comes in every year. The wife is on the hunt, and the husband serves as the marker, standing by the tree the wife is considering purchasing while she hunts to see if she can find a better one. Normally, the couple comes earlier in the season, when there are 250plus trees standing, but this year, they came later when there were about 70 left. They left in 30 minutes rather than after two-and-one-half hours. “(The husband) was like, ‘This is a record; we’ve never been out in 30 minutes. I’m coming late every year,’” Billy Flanigan said with a laugh. Kyle Flanigan has a family who has been coming to the lot for at least seven years, and he jokes with the family about the University of Florida and Florida State rivalry. He will wear his FSU gear, while they’re in their Gators gear. If UF won the rivalry game, the family buys a big tree, but if Florida State goes home with a win, they get a small tree. More than that, each year, he joins the children on the bench in Santa’s corner and smiles for the family photo. The photo is part of the family’s Christmas card every year. “We have been in the same pose every year,” he said. “The mom actually sent me a collage this year of everything. It’s really cool having those relationships.”

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Motley first black woman on Oakland commission

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

Opera Orlando will perform ‘All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914, benefiting the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation.

Yumeko LaTrese Motley will take the spot formerly occupied by Commissioner Sal Ramos, who is stepping down. LETICIA SILVA STAFF WRITER

Oakland Town Commission will have at least one new member. With the town’s qualifying period complete, Attorney Yumeko LaTrese Motley was announced as the new member to serve as the Seat 3 commissioner during the Oakland Town Commission meeting Tuesday, Dec. 9. There was no opposition for the seat; therefore, it will not be on the ballot. Motley is the first black woman to be elected to the Oakland Town Commission and will be taking Commissioner Sal Ramos’ seat. “I’m sure she’ll do a great job in my seat,” Ramos said. “I’m not going nowhere. I didn’t run, but I’ll still be involved in our town, and I’m going to be helping our town as much as I can in whatever way I can. I love this town.” Motley will serve a two-year term, completing the four-year term started in 2024 when Ramos was elected to fill an empty seat. Seat 4 Commissioner Joseph McMullen, who has been a commissioner since 2006, is running for reelection in the March 10, 2026, election. He will face Anne Fulton in the election for the four-year term. Fulton, along with her husband, Shaun Fulton, recently were recognized as Orange County District 1’s Citizen of the Year. Fulton has lived in Oakland for 15 years and hopes to give people a voice, claiming there have been multiple occasions at commission meetings where residents were dismissed or felt they had been talked down by the commissioners. She hopes to defeat McMullen and said she is ready to fight for the residents of the town she calls home. Commissioner Kris Keller was reelected and excited to serve four more years. She was unopposed. “It’s just very humbling to have been given this opportunity to do this and to continue to do it,” she said. “I’ve loved it and enjoyed it and I hope to continue to do the best job that I can do to serve the town.”

IN OTHER NEWS n Mayor Shane Taylor, Town Manager Elise Hui and Finance Director Gabrielle Leon met with Orange County representatives regarding Orange County Fire Rescue service and possibly a new agreement to address the annual increase in fire service costs. The estimated savings from the new agreement would be approximately $38,000. The first reading of the amendment was approved. n English Speakers of Other Countries teachers at Oakland Avenue Charter School will be required to take necessary coursework each year to continue eligibility for employment in such assignments. n The commission approved the replacement of security cameras around town, which are experiencing frequent outages and service problems. Police Chief Darron Esan proposed all cameras be replaced with a new system including new technology and a complete cloud-based model. This would eliminate the need for a server for storage. It will cost $145,051.20 for the first year and the money will come from the police department’s impact fees. n The town of Oakland was awarded $2 million in grants from the state for a septic sewer on Briley Avenue.

Courtesy photo

‘All Is Calm’ performance to benefit Winter Garden Heritage Foundation Opera Orlando will perform the show Dec. 20, and Sunday, Dec. 21, at the Garden Theatre. LETICIA SILVA STAFF WRITER

Opera Orlando will bring “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” to the Garden Theatre, ultimately giving back to Winter Garden Heritage Foundation through ticket purchases. The famous Christmas Truce of 1914 is a real-life story based on soldiers from World War I befriending each other through Christmas music. Today, the story is told through musicals and operas, touching the hearts of those who watch it. Kristi Gomen, executive director of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation, has a deep love for the Garden Theatre and has been trying to get it active again. She met Gabriel Preisser, Orlando Opera’s general director, through a mutual friend and after going out for lunch and chatting about “All is Calm,” she knew she had to bring the performance to Winter Garden’s theater. After their lunch, Gomen went back to speak with board members at

WGHF, where she was met with full support. They then spoke with the city of Winter Garden to rent out the Garden Theatre, and again, they were met with full support. “The city was extremely helpful, kind and supportive,” Gomen said. “They obviously saw what the performance was about, knowing that this is a true story of peace and kindness. They were very supportive.” Proceeds from ticket sales will go directly back to WGHF. “By us doing this program, we’re able to raise monies to continue to do things for free for the community,” she said. “We are able to continue to keep our museums free to the public, educate, make sure our archives continue to be in the best condition they can as we accept more and more artifacts from our community. So it was all around just a perfect fit.” Beyond that, ticket sales also will allow WGHF to make improvements to its exhibits, continue to offer free lunch and learns, as well as continue to do more educational outreach.

IF YOU GO

“ALL IS CALM: THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE OF 1914” WHEN: 7:30 to 9:10 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, and 2 to 3:40 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21 WHERE: Garden Theatre, 160 W. Plant St., Winter Garden COST: Standard seats are $69, VIP Premium seats are $79, and VIP Premium Plus seats are $99. TICKETS: Visit teachtix.com/ wghf/all-is-calm-the-christmastruce-of-1914

“It’s really just making sure that we keep the legacy in the history of West Orange County,” Gomen said. To Preisser, bringing “All is Calm: The Christmas Truce of 1914” to the Garden Theatre means the world to him. He grew up in West Orange. “This is like a dream come true to be able to put a show back in there,” Preisser said. “We were thrilled to partner with her on it. It was a nobrainer.” Preisser was inducted into the West Orange High School Hall of Fame a few years ago for music. He participated in chorus and theater through-

Windermere boathouse legal battle isn’t over yet LIZ RAMOS MANAGING EDITOR

The legal battle continues. For three years, the town of Windermere has been in court asserting its contentious claim to centuries-old boathouses. Ninth Circuit Court Judge John E. Jordan signed an order in October in favor of the five titled owners of the boathouses. The town has appealed the decision to the Sixth District Court of Appeal after the final judgment was rendered Nov. 19. As of Friday, Dec. 5, the case is under consideration for mediation in the Sixth District Court of Appeal. “A decision will be made shortly whether to order mediation,” the order states. “If mediation is ordered, the time for preparing the record will not begin to run until the mediation process is complete.” During a Windermere Town Council meeting Tuesday, Dec. 9, Doug Fay, one of the owners of the boathouses, came forward during public comment to question who decided to appeal the court’s decision. Mayor Jim O’Brien said the council would not discuss any legal strategy, but council members directed staff to take steps to appeal the decision. Council members Tom Stroup and Brandi Haines both said there was not a vote by the council to move forward

with an appeal, and the decision was not unanimous. “You would have to ask each person what their thoughts are on it, because you can’t say that the council decided, because there was a lot of discussion, objection, so it was not the council that decided,” Stroup said. Heather Ramos, the town’s attorney, said council “wants nothing more than to get everything put behind them,” but there are several “unanswered questions from the court.” The town already has spent $637,000 on the case. A BATTLE SPANNING DECADES

The five Palmer Park boathouses, built between 1910 and 1915 on West Third Avenue, provide access to Lake Butler and a space for boating, fishing and other water recreation. The original lease agreement between the town and the owners was signed in 1985, before being extended in 2001. The lease expired in 2021 and was again extended on a month-tomonth basis until March 2022. The council then voted to terminate the leases, giving the boathouse owners 60 days to leave the structures. The legal battle began in July 2022, when the town filed five separate complaints. Those later were consolidated into the current case, after the boathouse owners refused to vacate. The complaints were for eviction, breach of lease and ejectment.

The town was required to prove ownership and right of possession of the boathouses. In the complaints, the town claimed to be the owners of the structures and therefore was entitled to evict or eject the users of the boathouses and take possession of them because “the town allegedly held riparian rights allowing it to restrict access to and from the boathouses.” The boathouse owners provided a settlement offer in July 2024, but the offer expired in August 2024, without response from the town. The matter continued in court. The order Jordan signed Oct. 7, 2025, in favor of the boathouse owners declared the defendants as the owners of the boathouses, and the owners “cannot be evicted or ejected from the boathouses for which they own and have the right for possession.” The order also found the town did not have riparian rights claimed in the complaints. The finding was based on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s determination that the boathouses do not sit on sovereign submerged land, which the town’s claim to riparian rights was “completely dependent” on the lagoon being sovereign land. “Furthermore, the orders expressly found that the town has no right to ownership, control or possession of the boathouses or the land under them,” a motion for entry of final judgement stated.

out his high school career and continued that route after graduation. “I feel like I need to be doing something in Winter Garden to live up to that reputation,” he said. “It’s an honor to be able to do something right where I live. It was so sad when the theater company closed and I knew that the theater was just kind of sitting there empty, in the heart of the city where I live. Hopefully we can get the theater going again.” He is especially excited about bringing “All is Calm” to Winter Garden, a community full of veterans. “It’s just really beautiful to share those stories and really kind of connect with our veteran community,” he said. “There’s no humanity in war, but there is humanity in the warrior, in the person, the soldier.” In the future, Preisser hopes to bring Opera Orlando back to the Garden Theatre and collaborate with the WGHF again. “The hook is to do at least two programs a year, ideally in the theater if we can make that work with the city,” he said. “And one would be a patriotic concert around Fourth of July, patriotic songs, patriotic music and then maybe doing another Christmas show.”

IN OTHER NEWS n Windermere Town Council presented a plaque to Mary Frances Howards in recognition of her resignation from the Historical Preservation Board after years of service. n The South Phase final proposal for the Windermere Water Master Plan was unanimously approved in the amount of $662,104. n Tracy Mitchell was unanimously appointed to the Historic Preservation Board. n Qualifying for the upcoming Windermere Town Council election is open through Jan. 9, 2026. Council members Andy Williams and Brandi Haines, as well as Mayor Jim O’Brien, are up for reelection.

A week later, the town sought leave to amend its complaint, seeking “new claims, new parties and completely new legal theories.” Jordan denied the motion Nov. 13. “At argument on that notion, (the town of Windermere) seemed to concede that it did not own the lagoon underlying the boathouses that are at issue but wanted the court to determine who actually owned the lagoon, something it had never before been asked to determine,” the order denying the town’s motion for leave stated. “The court does not find it appropriate to allow plaintiff to use this case to assert broad-ranging claims that have nothing to do with its claims against these defendants.” On Nov. 26, town attorneys filed a notice of appeal, and the issue is under consideration for mediation.

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

Oakland Police Chief Darron Esan and Mayor Shane Taylor were all smiles at the event.

The Cox family posed for a picture at Oakland’s Santa’s Lane sleigh.

All is merry and bright O

Lisa Anderson brought her kids to the event with their grandparents, Ginny and Tom Anderson.

akland residents enjoyed some oldfashioned Christmas fun as the town hosted its annual Santa’s Lane Saturday, Dec. 6. From bounce houses to face painting to local business vendors, there was something for everyone to enjoy. The Healthy West Orange Arts and Heritage Center also showcased Christmas trees created and decorated by local businesses and allowed attendees to vote on the ones they liked the most. Santa Claus also made a special appearance with his love, Mrs. Claus, meeting children and families for photos and wishes.

Above: Sal Ramos smiled as he drove Santa’s golf cart. Left: Lana and Mike Gehrsitz dressed in Christmas attire for Oakland’s Santa’s Lane.

— LETICIA SILVA

County approves funds for Matthew’s Hope bus Matthew’s Hope Ministries hopes to have the bus up and running by mid-2026. LETICIA SILVA STAFF WRITER

For Matthew’s Hope Ministries’ founder Scott Billue, Christmas came a few weeks early — and in the form of an Orange County approval that paves the way for the homeless ministry’s work in 2026. The Orange County Commission unanimously approved Matthew’s Hope Ministries’ $787,560 request to bring a sleeper bus to Orange County. “I’m pretty excited about it,” Billue said. This will mark the first sleeper bus in Orange County and the fourth sleeper bus altogether. “I’m so thrilled to support (Billue) and the homeless outreach efforts of Matthew’s Hope and the unbelievable dedication he has to improving people’s lives,” Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson said. The bus will accommodate up to 20 homeless people and two animals. The sleeping pods are set up with an electrical outlet to charge phones, as well as light and climate control. Billue said each bus will have a driver and a certified security guard, as well. The bus itself costs around $200,000. The remainder of the almost $600,000 will go toward insurance fees, fuel, drivers, security guards and upkeep of the bus. He said this sleeper bus was much needed in the area, especially after House Bill 1365 went into effect. That law prohibits the homeless from sleeping or camping in the streets. The city of Apopka was the first city to approve the bus. “They’ve given me some different properties that Apopka owns, along with the ability to partner with just about anybody I want to within city limits that’s willing to be a host site,” Billue said. Locations will be unknown to anyone other than staff. Those have yet to be picked for Orange County.

The sleeper bus will fit 20 people at a time.

“We’ll pick them up but then we take them to an undisclosed location — we do that at nightfall,” he said. “As soon as the sun starts coming up, we leave.” This prevents just anyone from showing up, as reservations are required to spend the night on the bus. One person can reserve three nights at a time. “The reason for that is science has proven it takes about three days to reset your body clock when you aren’t getting the proper amount of rest,” Billue said. “We’re trying to address that, and this is how we’re able to do it.” Billue said the idea came to him nearly 16 years ago when the ministry started. “The first time I was exposed to something like this was in Europe,” he said. “So when we first started almost 16 years ago, one of my thoughts was, ‘What if we took a bus and made it look like a sleeper car?’ Instead of building a bus years ago,

Photos by Leticia Silva

Bunkers have cellphone outlets, climate control and curtains for privacy.

I ended up building a shower trailer, because I thought it was a more immediate need.” When HB 1365 went into law Octo-

ber 2024, the ministry revisited the idea. Although he said this won’t solve the homelessness crisis, it will help

a large portion of the homeless. It is estimated the sleeper bus will service about 2,000 people per year. The fastest growing homeless population are baby boomers, followed by people with physical and mental disabilities who have outlived their caregivers, followed by young families with children. “We’re seeing more young families with children than we have in probably 10 years,” Billue said. “It’s going to take more than Matthew’s Hope building buses or transitional homes to be able to address this, but I’ve always run this mission by saying, ‘Do what you can, not what you can’t, but do something.’” Billue’s hope is to have Orange County’s sleeper bus up and running by the end of the first quarter of 2026 and then to expand to cities such as Winter Garden, Ocoee, Orlando and more in the future. “I didn’t go in with the plan of doing just one bus,” Billue said.

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

Ordinance would establish e-bike rules LIZ RAMOS MANAGING EDITOR

Winter Garden is hoping to make the city safer with a new ordinance regarding electric bikes, motorized scooters and wheeled devices on the city’s streets, trails and sidewalks. The Winter Garden City Commission unanimously approved Thursday, Dec. 11, the first reading of an ordinance regulating e-bikes, motorized scooters and wheeled devices. Kelly Carson, the planning director for the city, said the “growing popularity of e-bikes and motorized scooters has brought with it a slew of new safety concerns.” “We’re seeing more riders, often minors, using these devices at high speeds on roadways, sidewalks and trails, including along the West Orange Trail,” she said. “These behaviors are creating situations that put both riders and other road and trail users at risk.” She said the proposed ordinance is to establish a clear and comprehensive set of rules for the use of these devices. “Our goal is straightforward: to enhance public safety, reduce conflicts and to help prevent the kinds of serious or potentially fatal injuries that these unsafe practices can unfortunately lead to,” Carson said. Bicycles are allowed on roadways and sidewalks more than 8 feet wide in commercial areas, trails and other city-owned property, which is property owned, managed, maintained or regulated by the city. Class one and class two e-bikes also are allowed on roadways and sidewalks more than 8 feet wide in commercial areas, trails and other city-owned property but can’t exceed 10 mph on a sidewalk or offroad trail, including the West Orange Trail. Class one e-bikes have pedalassist with a max assistance of up to 20 mph. Class two e-bikes have a max assistance of up to 20 mph but a pedal isn’t needed to reach that speed; it’ll throttle to the speed. Class three e-bikes, which are pedal-assist bikes with a max assistance of up to 28 mph, are allowed in the same areas

as class one and two but not on the West Orange Trail. Motorized scooters are not allowed on the West Orange Trail, on roadways with speed limits 35 mph or higher, sidewalks less than 8 feet wide and in parks unless signage permits. If approved, the ordinance would require the minimum operator age of e-bikes be 15 years old. Helmets also would be required for any riders or passengers under 16 years old. E-bike lights will be required at night. Riders can go a maximum of 10 mph on sidewalks and off-road bike paths, including the West Orange Trail. Riders also must carry a government issued ID. The new ordinance also would allow the city to fine anyone who does not adhere to the regulations. Infractions would be considered a class two violation, which would result in a $100 fine, and that fine would potentially grow if there are repeat offenders. Parents of any minors who are given the fine would be responsible for the payment. The Winter Garden Police Department would enforce the ordinance. “The goals of this ordinance really are to promote the safe use of these vehicles in the city,” Carson said. “We just want to make sure that everyone is safe when they’re on the roads and the trails. We want to protect pedestrians, businesses, restaurants and residents throughout the city. We also want to align our regulations with state statutes while also addressing the city’s specific needs in regard to e-bike safety.” Mayor John Rees said he’s witnessed people riding on e-bikes dangerously, going between 40 and 50 mph. “I’m going to tell you what the one that I saw, there’s no way he was even 10 years old weaving in and out of traffic on that one road,” he said. “That’s the issue where it

needs to be regulated. It doesn’t need to be treated as bicycles. They need to be treated as motorcycles once they reach a certain speed, and the parents are responsible.” Winter Garden resident Bill Baker said the ordinance is necessary. He’s seen several people riding e-bikes in the heavily trafficked streets around his home. “The other day, we saw one and a car had stopped on Smith (Street) and Highland (Avenue), and this kid actually blew around the car at the stop sign and through the stop sign without knowing if there was traffic or not,” he said. “A lot of them are wearing hoodies so they can’t see traffic. A lot of them have headphones on so they can’t hear traffic.” City Manager Jon C. Williams said discussions surrounding e-bikes probably will be a priority coming out of the state legislative session, but the city felt it needed to bring the ordinance forward to put something in code to allow some enforcement. “We may bring this back at the end of the session and modify it to whatever ultimately comes out of the state legislative session,” he said. The second reading of the ordinance will be held at the Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026, meeting. CHANGES COMING TO ZANDERS PARK — AGAIN

The Winter Garden City Commission dispensed as the commission and reconvened as the Community Redevelopment Agency, which unanimously approved a revised proposal and change in scope to converting basketball courts to pickleball courts. At the Oct. 23 meeting, the CRA approved the Zanders Park improvement project targeting the resurfacing of an existing western basketball court and the conversion of the other eastern basketball court, formerly an old tennis court, into four pickleball courts

IN OTHER NEWS n The Winter Garden City Commission unanimously approved an ordinance rezoning properties located at 530, 550, 570, 590, 610 and 630 E. Crown Point Road to a Planned Commercial Development. The properties are located on approximately 15.99 acres. n The commission unanimously approved the second reading of an ordinance amending the city’s Code of Ordinances regarding water and sanitary sewer systems to increase water, wastewater and irrigation. n The second reading of an ordinance adding a section to the city’s Code of Ordinances to establish regulations and procedures for certified recovery residences, including a process for requesting reasonable accommodation was unanimously approved. n The second reading of an ordinance amending the city’s Fiscal Year 2025-2026 budget to carry forward prior year appropriations was unanimously approved. n The commission unanimously approved hiring Process Control Services LLC to install new VTScada System for Fullers Reuse Facility, Daniels Storage, Western Storage and the Avalon Booster Pump Station in the amount of $135,000. n Commissioners unanimously awarded a purchase order to T.D. Thomson Construction Co., Inc for construction of underdrain at Sanctuary at Twinwaters in the amount of $143,305. n The site plan for 13575 W. Colonial Drive was unanimously approved. n The Dog Days of Summer, an Art in Public Places event, was unanimously approved for 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, July 10, 2026, at City Hall. n The commission unanimously approved a resolution extending the term of Williams’ employment agreement as city manager for an additional three years. n Commissioners unanimously approved the Interim City Clerk Employment Agreement.

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with a north-south orientation from a door-to-door survey conducted by One Winter Garden. Marc Hutchinson, the economic development director for the city, said One Winter Garden’s survey showed 73% of the neighborhood household respondents, or 56 households, were in favor of adding the pickleball amenity. Since the project was approved, Hutchinson said construction began Nov. 11, but several active court users approached members of One Winter Garden, including Commissioner Chloe Johnson, requesting to preserve the eastern basketball courts slated for the pickleball conversion. The request requires a switch in the basketball court designated for resurfacing and a switch in the basketball court designated for pickleball conversion with a change in the project scope. Already completed work now will need to be undone, including removal and repair of the installed perimeter fence, installation of two brand new basketball hoops for the eastern court, — which were previously removed and disposed of — other changes related to the switch in the courts for pickleball conversion from the larger court to the smaller resulting into three pickleball courts instead of four. The pickleball courts now will have an east-west orientation. Hutchinson said the revised cost of the proposal is $79,954 instead of the original $50,248, an increase of $29,706. CRA member Larry Cappleman said the CRA had lively discussion that resulted in one dissenting vote for the proposal. Rees questioned the credibility of the survey as the city had to consider making changes after already approving work on the project in October based on the survey. Johnson said people were in favor of pickleball, but they didn’t want the pickleball court to go on the basketball court they use. DESIGN MODIFICATIONS FOR FIRE STATION 21 APPROVED

The commission unanimously approved a change order request for design modifications for Fire Station 21 in the amount of $250,000. Winter Garden Fire Chief Jose Gainza said the two design modifications to the new fire station will improve station safety, durability and operational effectiveness. The first change relates to the roof. Instead of asphalt shingles, the roof will be metal deck. “This upgrade provides greater structural durability, improves long term performance, reduces maintenance and stronger wind resistance, critical for a public safety facility,” Gainza said. The second change is to adjust the interior floor plan, which will improve and significantly strengthen station security by limiting the control access to the interior areas, Gainza said. All costs for the modifications will be funded through fire impact fees with no impact to the city’s General Fund. The anticipated budget is $250,000, but Gainza said the intent is not to use all of the budgeted amount.

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

SNAPSHOT

REAL ESTATE

Total Sales: 75 High Sale Price: $3,800,000 Low Sale Price: $150,001

The townhouse at 15034 Grove Lake Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 19, for $441,639. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, twoand-one-half baths and 1,881 square feet of living area. Days on market: 32. SERENADE AT OVATION

The home at 13187 Calming Breeze Way, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 24, for $499,990. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 1,836 square feet of living area. Days on market: 91. SILVERLEAF RESERVE BUNGALOWS

The home at 16496 Silver Brook Way, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 20, 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: 54. realtor.com

The home at 9915 Griffin Court, Windermere, sold Nov. 24, for $3.8 million. Set along the shores of Lake Butler, the property features views and offers direct access to the Butler Chain of Lakes.

Isleworth mansion sells for $3.8 million A

mansion in the Isleworth community

in Windermere topped all

from Nov. 17 to 24. The home at 9915 Griffin

LAKE SAWYER SOUTH

Court, Windermere, sold

The home at 7214 Tattant Blvd., Windermere, sold Nov. 21, for $480,000. Built in 2010, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,211 square feet of living area. Days on market: 159.

Nov. 24, for $3.8 million. Built in 1990, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 6,008

selling homes in each community in West Orange. DR. PHILLIPS BAY HILL

The home at 6054 Tarawood Drive, Orlando, sold Nov. 21, for $1,625,000. Built in 1978, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,070 square feet of living area. Days on market: 158. CLUBHOUSE ESTATES

The home at 8445 Indian Wells Court, Orlando, sold Nov. 20, for $500,000. Built in 1980, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,784 square feet of living area. Days on market: 17. DELLAGIO

The home at 8113 Via Vittoria Way, Orlando, sold Nov. 20, for $1,300,000. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 3,911 square feet of living area. Days on market: 138. EMERALD FOREST

The home at 10030 Chatham Oaks Court, Orlando, sold Nov. 21, for $759,900. Built in 1998, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,723 square feet of living area. Days on market: 150. HIDDEN SPRINGS

The home at 5224 Abelia Drive, Orlando, sold Nov. 19, for $570,000. Built in 1984, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,209 square feet of living area. Days on market: 14. KENSINGTON PARK

The home at 5101 Keeneland Circle, Orlando, sold Nov. 21, for $955,000. Built in 2001, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,371 square feet of living area. Days on market: 12. ORANGE CENTER

The home at 11462 Commercial St., Orlando, sold Nov. 21, for $576,500. Built in 1993, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,013 square feet of living area. Days on market: Seven.

The townhouse at 14815 Driftwater Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 17, for $425,000. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,997 square feet of living area. Days on market: 97. The home at 14640 Pylon Court, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 24, for $2,000,000. Built in 2017, it has five bedrooms, five-and-one-half baths and 4,483 square feet of living area. Days on market: 64.

tial real-estate transactions

These are the highest-

INDEPENDENCE

ISLES OF LAKE HANCOCK

West Orange-area residen-

square feet of living area.

The home at 13122 Faro Court, No. 36, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 21, for $745,000. Built in 2024, it has five bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 3,719 square feet of living area. Days on market: 52.

LAKEVIEW POINTE realtor.com

The home at 250 Calliope St., Ocoee, sold Nov. 19, for $795,000. It was the largest transaction in Ocoee from Nov. 17 to 24. The sellers were represented by David Dorman, Century 21 Carioti.

PHILLIPS GROVE

The home at 7899 Wandering Way, Orlando, sold Nov. 17, for $925,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,757 square feet of living area. Days on market: 24. SAND LAKE HILLS

The home at 8053 Sandberry Blvd., Orlando, sold Nov. 18, for $557,500. Built in 1985, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,481 square feet of living area. Days on market: Five. SPRING LAKE VILLAS

HARVEST AT OVATION

The home at 12749 Harvest Rain Ave., Winter Garden, sold Nov. 18, for $594,948. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three-and-onehalf baths and 2,441 square feet of living area. HAWKSMOOR

The home at 16526 Olive Hill Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 17, for $565,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 2,008 square feet of living area. Days on market: 15.

The home at 7263 Spring Villas Circle, Orlando, sold Nov. 21, for $414,000. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,465 square feet of living area. Days on market: 138.

The townhouse at 8171 Graycliff Ave., Winter Garden, sold Nov. 17, for $398,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 1,768 square feet of living area. Days on market: 48.

THORNHILL

HORIZON ISLE

The home at 11605 Wakeworth St., Orlando, sold Nov. 21, for $610,000. Built in 2010, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,230 square feet of living area.

GOTHA

The home at 13208 Dendy Way, No. 3, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 20, for $760,000. Built in 2025, it has five bedrooms, four-andone-half baths and 3,719 square feet of living area. Days on market: 43.

The home at 7254 Enchanted Lake Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 18, for $598,800. Built in 2016, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,890 square feet of living area. Days on market: Six. NORTHLAKE AT OVATION

The townhouse at 17693 Japonica Bloom Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 20, for $460,252. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 1,635 square feet of living area. PALMS AT WINDERMERE

The home at 14365 Crest Palm Ave., Windermere, sold Nov. 18, for $1,069,499. Built in 2025, it has five bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,628 square feet of living area. PARKVIEW AT HAMLIN

The townhouse at 15405 Hamlin Park Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 17, for $469,990. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,072 square feet. Days on market: Eight. The townhouse at 15083 Grove Lake Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 20, for $450,000. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, twoand-one-half baths and 1,846 square feet. Days on market: 95.

The home at 16538 Silver Brook Way, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 17, for $510,000. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 2,114 square feet of living area. Days on market: 96. The home at 16496 Silver Brook Way, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 21, for $540,000. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 2,114 square feet of living area. STOREY GROVE

The home at 9535 Beautiful Way, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 17, for $770,000. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,451 square feet of living area. Days on market: 113. TENNYSON PARK AT SUMMERPORT

The townhouse at 14466 Bridgewater Crossing Blvd., Windermere, sold Nov. 18, for $400,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,642 square feet of living area. Days on market: 87. WATERLEIGH

The home at 9422 Jaywood Road, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 21, for $720,000. Built in 2020, it has five bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,299 square feet of living area. Days on market: Seven. The townhouse at 13322 Pontoon Road, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 21, for $395,000. Built in 2023, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 1,568 square feet of living area. Days on market: 41. WATERMARK

The home at 9404 Woodcrane Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 20, for $480,000. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 2,058 square feet of living area. Days on market: 54. WEST LAKE HANCOCK ESTATES

The home at 7779 Minutemen Loop, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 21, for $867,500. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,780 square feet of living area. Days on market: 82. WESTSIDE VILLAGE

The home at 11091 Bagley Alley, Windermere, sold Nov. 20, for $539,900. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,222 square feet of living area. Days on market: 123.

LAKE FISCHER ESTATES

The home at 107 Lake Darby Place, Gotha, sold Nov. 17, for $530,000. Built in 2000, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,587 square feet of living area. Days on market: 18. TOWN OF GOTHA

The home at 9353 Gotha Road, Windermere, sold Nov. 17, for $1,070,000. Built in 1979, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,042 square feet of living area. Days on market: 64.

HORIZON WEST

HAMLIN RESERVE

The townhouse at 15471 Honeybell Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 20, for $375,000. Built in 2017, it has three bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 1,584 square feet of living area. Days on market: 90.

Courtesy photo

The home at 14640 Pylon Court, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 24, for $2,000,000. It was the largest transaction in Horizon West from Nov. 17 to 24. The sellers were represented by Steve Healy, Corcoran Premier Realty.

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

West Orange County’s

Church DIRECTORY WINDERMERE TERRACE

WEST ORANGE

WINCEY GROVES

The home at 5909 Oxford Moor Blvd., Windermere, sold Nov. 24, for $1,980,000. Built in 2011, it has four bedrooms, four baths, two halfbaths and 5,457 square feet. Days on market: 120.

WINDING BAY

The home at 15313 Lebeau Loop, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 17, for $725,000. Built in 2021, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,545 square feet of living area. Days on market: 122.

OAKLAND

JOHNS LANDING

The home at 530 Largovista Drive, Oakland, sold Nov. 24, for $2,275,000. Built in 2006, it has five bedrooms, three baths, two halfbaths and 4,798 square feet of living area. Days on market: 110.

OCOEE

WINDERMERE ISLEWORTH

The home at 9915 Griffin Court, Windermere, sold Nov. 24, for $3.8 million. Built in 1990, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 6,008 square feet of living area. KEENE’S POINTE

The home at 11407 Camden Park Drive, Windermere, sold Nov. 18, for $1,262,500. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,416 square feet of living area.

PRAIRIE LAKE VILLAGE

CANOPY OAKS

The home at 659 Canopy Estates Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 21, for $1,325,000. Built in 2018, it has five bedrooms, five baths, two halfbaths and 4,409 square feet of living area. Days on market: 31.

WESTYN BAY

ELLMAN PARK

The home at 250 Calliope St., Ocoee, sold Nov. 19, for $795,000. Built in 2005, it has five bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,605 square feet of living area. Days on market: 49. WYNWOOD

The home at 2117 Greenwood Oak Drive, Ocoee, sold Nov. 18, for $610,000. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,787 square feet of living area. Days on market: 168. The home at 3343 Wynwood Forest Drive, Ocoee, sold Nov. 19, for $432,145. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 1,665 square feet of living area. Days on market: 75.

SOUTHWEST ORANGE LAKE SHEEN SOUND

The home at 9150 Sheen Sound St., Orlando, sold Nov. 18, for $2,404,980. Built in 2025, it has five bedrooms, five baths and 4,429 square feet of living area. Days on market: 51.

@ Horizon West 15304 Tilden Road, Winter Garden Sundays: 9:45 AM All Ages www.FBCWG.org

St. John’s PCA

Meets at West Orange HS 1625 Beulah Rd, Winter Garden 321-343-7741 Sundays: 10:30 AM www.stjohnspca.com

Victory Baptist Church & Christian Academy

1601 A.D. Mims Rd, Ocoee FL 34761 (407) 656-3097 www.VBCOCOEE.com Sunday: 11AM & 6 PM Wednesday: 7 PM

The home at 436 Valley View Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 24, for $1,000,000. Built in 1997, it has three bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,130 square feet of living area. Days on market: 59. DOWNTOWN WINTER GARDEN

WINDSOR LANDING

PRESBYTERIAN

COURTLEA OAKS

The home at 2600 Twisting Sweetgum Way, Ocoee, sold Nov. 21, for $375,000. Built in 1999, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,765 square feet of living area. Days on market: Two. The townhouse at 707 Marotta Loop, Ocoee, sold Nov. 20, for $300,000. Built in 2007, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,549 square feet of living area. Days on market: 137.

2nd Campus: First Baptist Church

WINDERMERE GRANDE

WINTER GARDEN

The townhouse at 1134 Desert Candle Drive, Ocoee, sold Nov. 18, for $379,660. Built in 2025, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 1,935 square feet of living area. Days on market: 82.

www.fumcwg.org 125 N. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden (407) 656-1135 Services: 9 AM Traditional 10:45 AM Contemporary Also viewable on YouTube

Pastor Jeff Pritchard PO Box 520 611 W Ave., Ocoee (407) 656-2351 www.StarkeLakeBaptist.org

LAKE OLYMPIA LAKE VILLAGE

MAGNOLIA RESERVE

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

Starke Lake Baptist Church

The home at 9485 Woodbreeze Blvd., Windermere, sold Nov. 21, for $515,000. Built in 1986, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,723 square feet of living area. Days on market: 81. The home at 1927 Watermere Lane, Windermere, sold Nov. 20, for $1,120,000. Built in 2005, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,053 square feet of living area. Days on market: 11.

The home at 1236 Hawthorne Cove Drive, Ocoee, sold Nov. 19, for $510,000. Built in 1992, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,460 square feet of living area. Days on market: 20.

First United Methodist

SILVER WOODS

The home at 708 Snowden St., Ocoee, sold Nov. 19, for $188,500. Built in 1967, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 897 square feet of living area. Days on market: Six.

BRENTWOOD HEIGHTS

First Baptist Church

The home at 410 S. Main St., Winter Garden, sold Nov. 21, for $750,000. Built in 2020, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 2,813 square feet of living area. Days on market: Four. The home at 18 W. Vining St., Winter Garden, sold Nov. 20, for $395,000. Built in 1938, it has two bedrooms, one bath and 948 square feet of living area. Days on market: 33.

Matthew’s Hope is looking for prepared breakfast food, breakfast sandwiches and side dishes to be delivered Monday through Thursday mornings 7AM to 9AM.

HICKORY HAMMOCK

The home at 16098 Johns Lake Overlook Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 24, for $2,125,000. Built in 2015, it has five bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 4,434 square feet of living area. Days on market: 92. ISLAND POINTE

The home at 1041 Sadie Lane, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 20, for $469,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,709 square feet of living area. Days on market: Five.

611 Business Park Blvd. #101, Winter Garden, FL 34787 (407) 905-9500 | MatthewsHopeMinistries.org

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The home at 5697 Orange Orchard Drive, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 17, for $690,000. Built in 2021, it has five bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 2,724 square feet of living area. Days on market: 43.

OXFORD MOOR

The home at 530 Largovista Drive, Oakland, sold Nov. 24, for $2,275,000. It was the largest transaction in the Winter Garden area from Nov. 17 to 24. The sellers were represented by Dawn Giachetti, Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.

METHODIST

STONEYBROOK WEST

The home at 14708 Masthead Landing Circle, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 24, for $510,000. Built in 2004, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 2,190 square feet. Days on market: 65. WATERSIDE

The home at 16761 Broadwater Ave. sold Nov. 21, for $1,675,000. Built in 2018, it has five bedrooms, five-andone-half baths and 3,513 square feet. Days on market: 152. WINTER OAKS

The home at 724 Chase Oaks Court, Winter Garden, sold Nov. 19, for $715,000. Built in 2004, it has five bedrooms, three baths and 3,092 square feet. Days on market: 48.

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The home at 7132 Beek St., Windermere, sold Nov. 21, for $615,000. Built in 2013, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 2,943 square feet of living area. Days on market: Three.

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DECEMBER 18, 2025

SPORTS

The First Academy senior weightlifter Haley Pine has five first-place finishes and prepares to qualify for regionals for the third consecutive year. Page 2B.

The Special Olympics team is known as the Wolfpack and use their team name to file competitions, uniforms and relationships.

SPECIAL SPIRITS

LIFTED HIGH

CrossFit Winter Garden allows Special Olympics athletes to train year-round, and its environment has brought them back for years.

West Orange football team’s quarterback AJ Chung was awarded the Offensive Player of the Year Monday, Dec. 8, at the Orlando Touchdown Club’s ceremony. He was recognized for his accomplishments by setting a single season record for touchdowns in a year at West Orange with 40. The sophomore already has college offers from Arkansas, Perdue, Syracuse, Virginia Tech, Florida Atlantic, South Florida, Rhode Island, Florida State, North Carolina, Harvard and Yale. During the regular season, many other West Orange and Southwest Orange football players were recognized as the Player of the Week for their accomplishments. The players recognized include James Yauger, running back, Lake Buena Vista; Gavin Pritzkau, QB, Central Florida Christian Academy; Zion Matthews, RB, Dr. Phillips; Ryder Flynn, defensive back, Olympia; Kaio Oliveira, RB, Horizon; Sam Wood, RB

MEGAN BRUINSMA STAFF WRITER

Garden. Lovette starts work at 4 a.m. Tuesdays and coaches 12 classes before the Special Olympics powerlifting team’s practice even begins, but his energy and excitement doesn’t waver for the final class of the day.

Foundation Academy; and Nolan Herman, linebacker, West Orange.

FHSAA announced its tentative classification changes for the 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 high school football seasons Monday, Dec. 8. Under the new system, seven West Orange and Southwest Orange teams would be moving classifications. Schools had until Monday, Dec. 15, to appeal the decision before the reclassification was finalized Wednesday, Dec. 17. The official reclassification was not available at time of publication. The largest change in the proposed classification is FHSAA’s removal of Class 7A, causing a drop from eight to seven classes. For local teams — Dr. Phillips, Ocoee, Olympia and West Orange — this means their current class would be eliminated, and all four teams would be moved into Class 6A. The tentative plan also means Windermere High would be placed into a classification, rather than Independent, giving the team a chance to compete for a state title. Despite finishing 10-0 in back-toback seasons, the Wolverines have been excluded from the playoff picture because of their Independent status.

West Orange High boys soccer head coach Scott Fisher earned his 300th career soccer win Wednesday, Dec. 10, when the Warriors defeated Lake

t 7:30 p.m. every Tuesday, Special Olympics weightlifters flock into Lee Lovette’s CrossFit Winter

Nona 4-3. He has been serving at the helm for 18 years. Fisher also works as the head coach of West Orange’s junior varsity football team and fills in when a coach is absent on the varsity team. The soccer team is 7-2 this season and finished last season 10-6-3. Junior J.C. Lewis is leading the way for West Orange’s offense and has averaged 1.7 goals per game. Senior Dario Roman leads the team with assists per game by averaging 0.5. The team has shut out five opponents so far.

Windermere High quarterback Breylon Sanchez and offensive lineman Deuce Forrester were selected to play for the Cure Bowl High School All-Star game at 6 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, on Showalter Field in Winter Park. The two were an important part of the Wolverines perfect 10-0 season. Sanchez was an important transfer player from Lyman High for the Wolverines this season. He came in and dominated the air offense by finishing the season with 28 touchdowns, completing 71.3% of his throws.

Foundation Academy competitive cheer team won the Universal Cheer Association Regionals for the second consecutive year Saturday, Dec. 13. The Lions’ junior varsity team finished in second place at UCA regionals. West Orange High finished in fifth place in their districts regionals and also earned a bid to nationals.

Megan Bruinsma

He had been looking forward to it all day. Everyone pushed themselves, they worked hard to deadlift, followed by quick HIIT workouts. After training, the group closed off the night with a round of musical chairs — capturing the essence of the team through the smiles, cheers and competitive nature. Yes, it’s a space to train, but most important, Lovette wanted to foster an environment for anyone to come to be active and have fun, and that’s exactly what he has done. Special Olympian John David Haywood loves being a part of the team for those reasons. Haywood has Down syndrome and has been a member of the team since it began in 2017. Sarah Haywood, John David’s mom, said the family tried a different gym closer to their house, but it wasn’t the same so they continued to make the 30-minute commute. “It’s the absolute feel of a family at that gym,” she said. Lovette refers to Haywood as “Lord Haywood,” after discovering his siblings gifted him a plot of land

in Scotland, which legally makes him a lord. Sarah Haywood laughed at the memory of the nickname; his siblings made matching shirts to commemorate the title. “There are little inside jokes with everyone,” Lovette said. “That’s family.” It’s not only the family environment that has kept John David Haywood going to practice but also the confidence he’s gained from it. “We’ve always pushed him to do things, but he was the one who showed the interest in CrossFit,” Sarah Haywood said. “It’s really made him healthier.” In addition to being a Special Olympian, John David Haywood attends Lovette’s CrossFit classes three times per week. Recently, John David Haywood had a cardiac evaluation, and the doctor was shocked to hear what he was doing because of how rare it is for someone with Down syndrome to do CrossFit. He has fallen in love with CrossFit and working out through Lovette’s SEE ATHLETES PAGE 2B

Athletes celebrate early football signing Area high schools celebrated early signing for football. The athletes will graduate in December to begin spring training. MEGAN BRUINSMA STAFF WRITER

The time has come for high level football players to commit to the next chapters of their lives. Early football signing day took place Wednesday, Dec. 3, through Friday, Dec. 5. The high school athletes who participated will graduate early in December and enroll themselves in their respective universities to begin spring training with the colleges. West Orange High School recognized two student-athletes who are continuing their football careers at the Division I level on the first day of early signing. Defensive back Devonte Anderson signed with Rutgers, and safety Chakai Scott is going to California State University — Sacramento. SEE COMMITMENTS PAGE 3B

SIGNEES DR. PHILLIPS n RJ Stamm, Colgate University OCOEE n Dariyon Gordon, Georgia Southern OLYMPIA n Ja’Cari Jackson, University of Central Florida TFA n Chancellor Barclay, Clemson University n Danny Odem, University of Nebraska n Devin Jackson, University of Oregon n Brian Williams Jr., Auburn University n Alex Willis, Georgia Institute of Technology n Kingston Shaw, University of Illinois n Blaze Jones, United States Air Force Academy n Demetrice McCray, University of Pittsburg n Cashman McCoy, Eastern Michigan University n Gerard Gearity, Colgate University WINDERMERE HIGH n CJ Bronaugh, University of Florida n Elijah Mosby, West Georgia

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

SPONSORED BY SHANNON TILL/STATE FARM IN FOWLER GROVES

Haley Pine The First Academy senior weightlifter Haley Pine has been phenomenal this season, building on her success from the previous year. Last season, she was a part of the team’s district championship and qualified for regionals. Competing in traditional weightlifting, Pine opened the 2025-26 season by taking first place in her weight class and contributed to the team’s 53-34 victory over Monteverde. Since then, she has secured four additional first-place finishes. Most recently, she was one of 13 TFA weightlifters who placed first in the win against Orangewood Christian on Wednesday, Dec. 10, for senior night.

What do you enjoy most about weightlifting? I enjoy the supportive environment of our team and the adrenaline rush right as I am about to lift. The feeling of getting a new PR is extremely exciting. When did you start weightlifting, and why did you join? I started weightlifting when I was a sophomore. I joined because I wanted to experience a new sport. I also wanted a challenge that would push me out of my comfort zone. What is your biggest accomplishment in weightlifting? My biggest accomplishment in weightlifting is going to regionals for the last two years and placing sixth out of 52 girls at the Buffalo Invitational this season. What has weightlifting taught you? Weightlifting has taught me to be self disciplined, resilient and to trust the process. How would you describe yourself as a teammate? If I could describe myself as a teammate, I would say I am supportive, reliable and, most important, encouraging to all my teammates.

THE BASICS

Age: 17 Grade: Senior School: The First Academy Sport: Weightlifting

What advice would you give someone who just joined weightlifting? It might be difficult at first, but if you trust the process, improvement will come. If you were a coach, what speech would you give the team? If I was a coach, I would tell my team that goals are meant to be reached and exceeded upon. With God’s gifts that he gave us, we are able to conquer anything with him by our side. What is your pre-meet ritual? My pre-meet ritual is going around to everyone on my team to hype them up before the meet starts. If you could pick a different sport, what would it be? I love weightlifting but I also compete in pole-vaulting in track and field in the spring.

Megan Bruinsma

Darren Aklan shared a special moment with John David Haywood, a member of the original team.

Athletes find family in powerlifting team CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B

Who do you look up to the most? I look up to my mom and coach Trey Tyler the most. They have been the biggest influences in my life.

gym. The first item of clothing he brings on every vacation is his gym clothes. “He has to work out on vacation,” Sarah Haywood said.

What is something new you would like to learn? I would like to learn how to bake macaroons with more precision.

When Lovette moved to Winter Garden in August 2016, the idea for a Special Olympics team was tucked away in the back of his mind. He felt a strong pull to form a team, but the plan had not fallen into place yet. In a year, the plan became a reality. Before retiring, Lovette worked as a police officer and later as a crisis intervention officer, often working with individuals who were facing mental health challenges and diagnosed with special needs. “That was part of my draw,” he said. “But honestly, I just saw a void.” He questioned why in a city such as Orlando, a hub for Special Olympics, there was no dedicated special-needs powerlifting program. Lovette couldn’t understand it, so he dedicated himself to creating one but not just any program, the biggest and the best. The original roster of his Special Olympics team was small enough to fit inside of a minivan. The photo of the original six athletes hangs over the doorway in Lovette’s office. It serves as a reminder of where the team began. Today, almost a decade after the team’s beginning, the Special Olympics’ roster has grown to more than 30 athletes, and it’s supported by 18 volunteers and coaches. On a busy night, around 50 people pack themselves into Lovette’s gym. “It’s controlled chaos,” Sarah Haywood said.

Where would you want to live if you weren’t in Florida? I really like Florida, and I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. If you won the lottery what would you do with the money? If I won the lottery, I would put some toward college, give some to Sleep in Heavenly Peace — an organization where we build beds for kids who sleep on the floor in our community — and give the rest to my mom. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Why? My favorite holiday tradition is at Christmastime, when me and my family put on our Christmas pajamas, make hot chocolate and ride around to look at the lights. What future career do you want to have? My end goal is to become an adoption attorney. If you became famous, what would it be for? If I were famous, it would be for baking delicious goods that make everyone’s mouth water when they look at them. If you had to pick a spirit animal, which would you choose? If I had to pick a spirit animal, I would pick a jaguar. What is your perfect day? My perfect day consists of going to an island with all my family and my closest friends. Would you rather only eat fruit or vegetables? I would rather eat only fruit than vegetables. — MEGAN BRUINSMA

BUILT FROM THE GROUND UP

MORE THAN LIFTERS

Powerlifting might have been the original purpose of the program, but it isn’t the heart of what Lovette’s doing. He knows the athletes aren’t going to become world-class powerlifters by practicing one day per week, but the mental impact is far greater. Lovette and parents see how each athlete looks forward to the day every week, and training nights become added motivation and structure at home. Sarah Haywood admitted some nights she doesn’t want to make the commute after working all day, but when she mentions skipping practice to John David, he says a

resounding, “No,” and pushes to go. Inside of the gym, the energy reflects how special the “family” is to each athlete. They greet one another with smiles, hugs and laughter, and celebrate their birthdays together almost weekly. Sarah Haywood said they attended a friends-giving at Thanksgiving time with the gym members. “We celebrate everything,” Lovette said. “Getting jobs, independence, accomplishments. We’ve become a gigantic family.” It’s the family that keeps the Special Olympics team running. With a hefty roster number, Lovette relies on his volunteers to give their time consistently. “Without them, I could never run this program the way I do,” he said “Every night after practice, I tell the athletes to thank their coaches.” The volunteers aren’t giving their time for any other reason than loving it. Lovette said he has people from all age ranges, a varsity soccer player at West Orange High, members of his CrossFit classes and even people who aren’t a part of the gym in any way. The athletes look forward to seeing their coaches every week. When one has to miss, Lovette knows he’ll have a few athletes asking where they are. The consistency matters and it’s what’s created such a beautiful environment. “It’s not a rotating door of people trying to check off hours,” Lovette said. “They’re here because they want to be.” PUSHING FOR SUCCESS

While the volunteers might be the backbone of the program and assistants in keeping it running, the team would be nothing without the consistent athletes who show up week after week. Unlike many Special Olympics programs that train seasonally around the competition schedule, this team trains year-round, and Sarah Haywood believes it’s great. She said if they took breaks in lifting, John David Haywood and others would lose some of their skill. Instead, they are able to maintain it. It also means Lovette holds his athletes to a higher standard since they are practicing all year, compared to others who take a break from lifting to pursue other sports. Special Olympics powerlifting season officially begins in August and training heightens near area meets. Athletes compete in either combo two — bench press and deadlift — or combo three — bench

press, deadlift and back squad. Each lift is judged strictly. “Powerlifting is probably one of the strictest sports when it comes to rules and technique,” Lovette said. “They’re held to a high standard, because it can be dangerous.” The team has racked up quite a medal count. Over the years, they’ve earned more than 100 gold medals. In their first area competition, after training together for only three months, they brought home 21 gold medals. “A lot of people can’t believe how much these kids can lift, because we’ve got some big lifters in there,” Sarah Haywood said. Despite the abundance of success, frustration still is present, especially when it comes to state qualification. This year, 24 of the 33 athletes qualified at area games but Orange County was allotted only six spots for state competition. It always has frustrated Lovette that few actually can take their talents to the next level, and it gives the team an extra edge to work harder. At states, Lovette’s team was met against competition whose strength far exceeded their capabilities. He told his athletes that first place would be out of reach, but they still should push themselves, and it paid off. “I had three or four boys take second place,” he said. “I told them, ‘In the state of Florida, you are the second strongest lifter in your weight class, and that’s pretty cool.’” To further support the athletes, Lovette created the gym’s own nonprofit: the Charity Network. All of its proceeds go directly back to the athletes. Every lifter receives custom uniforms, shoes and a Wolfpack backpack. The nonprofit is also used to cover travel expenses. When they went to Atlanta three years ago, they paid for everyone’s plane tickets, dinner and aquarium visit. It was to give them life experiences. For some, it was their first time leaving Florida or being on a plane. Sarah Haywood had fond memories from the trip. Her sister-inlaw made the commute there from Nashville, Tennessee, to celebrate John David Haywood’s accomplishments. Sarah Haywood was excited from the memory of a coach bringing her 4-month-old baby on the trip to Atlanta. To her it was special seeing how everyone came together to support the athletes — no matter the distance.

OrangeObserver.com

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1B

“As a kid, I wasn’t dreaming of this because football wasn’t my first love,” Scott said, referring to his first love of soccer. “But as I got into football, coming into high school, I knew I wanted to go forward with it.” He now is honored to become one of the top high school athletes and for positioning himself to further his career among top college football players. Anderson was a highly recruited player and had narrowed his list to eight schools including Auburn, Maryland, Michigan State, University of Miami and Iowa. He initially committed to the University of Louisville but switched to Rutgers Sunday, Nov. 30. “The genuine love and showing that I have another home to go to,” Anderson said of his decision to go to Rutgers. Head coach Geno Thompson said it was a special moment for him to celebrate Anderson’s and Scott’s accomplishments. He became West Orange’s head coach four years ago, and the pair were a part of the first football class.

Megan Bruinsma

Chakai Scott and Devonte Anderson played all four years of varsity football together and celebrated continuing their careers Wednesday, Dec. 3.

“I’m super proud of them, and I’m going to be excited about being able to watch them on Saturdays,” he said. Over the four years, Anderson and Scott saw their relationship grow with Thompson — especially through the good and bad times during the sea-

sons. Scott said the team’s bond grew immensely during the 3-7 season. “He just made us understand we got what our teammates don’t so we got to step up,” Scott said. “He put us and allowed us to get in a position to lead the team.”

WOLVERINES, KNIGHTS BATTLE TO TIE

indermere High boys soccer team’s home contest against Ocoee High Friday, Dec. 12, was a battle to remain undefeated. The Wolverines entered 9-0-4 and the Knights were 7-0-1. In Class 71, Windermere holds the No. 9 spot, with Ocoee just behind at No. 11. Neither team was able to break away with a win over its competitor, and the game resulted in a 3-3 tie. The Wolverines were the first to find the back of the net, but the Knights followed less than a minute later with a goal of its own. Ocoee’s top performers were David De Sousa, with two goals, and Ralph Mills who tallied in one.

Ocoee sophomore Christopher Herbert broke free of Windermere’s defense.

— MEGAN BRUINSMA

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CAROLEE MARIE VOGEL KABA DIED THURSDAY, DEC. 4, 2025.

Carolee Marie Vogel Kaba, 85, passed unexpectedly from this earth in the early-morning hours of Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025. Carolee was born May 30, 1940, in Hackensack, New Jersey, to Robert F. and H. Frances (Hegmann) Vogel. She was the first of three children and grew up in Wayne, New Jersey. She graduated from Montclair State College. She married James Ronald Kaba on July 1, 1961. They raised four children in Manalapan, New Jersey, before moving their family to Central Florida in 1976 and settling in Ocoee in 1977. Carolee was a stay-at-home mom until the early 1980s, when she worked as Secretary to the Dean at Valencia Community College in Orlando.She then worked at HBJ Publishing in the Information Technology department until her retirement in 2002. She loved spending time with her family, especially her four grandchildren and her beloved dog, Ginger, and having them all together at holidays. Her Catholic faith was very important to her, and she volunteered at her parish, Holy Family, every Thursday at the chapel to observe the Perpetual Adoration of the Eucharist.

After losing her husband in 2020, Carolee sold her family home in Ocoee in early 2025 and moved into an independent living community in east Orlando. Carolee is preceded in death by her parents and her husband. She is survived by her four children, daughter Lisa “Leia”; daughter Sharon (David) Kull and their children, Tyler and Jamison; son Christopher (Annick Mottie) and his children Jessica and Chelsea, with their mother, Ola; and daughter Kimberly; sister Doreen (Robert) Snyder; and brother Robert Vogel. DeGusipe Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Expressions of sympathy can be made by visiting degusipefuneralhome.com. A Funeral Mass will be held at Holy Family Catholic Church at 11:30 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19, 2025, in the Chapel, 5125 S. Apopka Vineland Road, Orlando, followed by a brief gathering in the hall.

Jose A. Aponte, 66, of Winter Garden, died Friday, Nov. 28, 2025. DeGusipe Funeral Home & Crematory, Ocoee.

Dr. Nagui Khouzam, 98, died Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. Woodlawn Funeral Home & Memorial Park Gotha.

Angela Fletcher, 45, died Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. Winter Oak Funeral Home & Cremations, Winter Garden.

Tom King, 76, died Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. Winter Oak Funeral Home & Cremations, Winter Garden.

Carol Ann Gray, 83, of Windermere, Florida died Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. Baldwin-Fairchild Winter Garden Funeral Home.

Nancy Loental, 79, died Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. Winter Oak Funeral Home & Cremations, Winter Garden.

Kristi Hohler, 54, died Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. Winter Oak Funeral Home & Cremations, Winter Garden.

Etidal N. Said, 95, died Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. Winter Oak Funeral Home & Cremations, Winter Garden.

Francy Lynne Huk, 75, of Clermont, died Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. Winter Oak Funeral Home & Cremations, Winter Garden.

Brandon Raye Tucker, of Winter Garden, died Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. Baldwin-Fairchild Winter Garden Funeral Home.

Ana A. Infante, 88 ,of Ocoee, Florida died Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025. DeGusipe Funeral Home & Crematory, Ocoee.

Joan Dianne Turk, 80, of Clermont, died Sunday, Nov. 30, 2025. Baldwin-Fairchild Winter Garden Funeral Home.

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LISA BARROWS HAMLIN MIDDLE SCHOOL Lisa Barrows is the theater educator and director as well as Junior Thespians Troupe 10639 sponsor at Hamlin Middle School. Barrows teaches Theatre 1, 2, 3, Musical Theatre 1 and 2 as well as Tech Theatre. The school produces two major productions during the year as well as showcase nights. Junior Thespians Troupe 10639 participates in both the District 8 Festival and the Florida Junior Thespians State Festival. She has been a workshop presenter for Florida Theatre Conference and is a member of the Florida Association for Theatre Educators. She also has been a Broadway Teachers Workshop participant since 2017. Barrows’ classes and programs collected 1,000 toys for Toys for Tots and the Very Gary Foundation. A dream passion project of hers is writing a play or musical project about adopted children and their experiences growing up. What brought you to your school? (Past Principal Dr. Suzanne) Knight and a chance to start an inclusive and innovating theater program with tremendous administration and community support. What do you love most about your school? Hands down, my students with whom I get to work and grow with every day. Watching them evolve and get more confidant as artists and life learners is what makes my job so meaningful.

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What is the most rewarding part of your job? The opportunity to open and engage students’ minds into the art of theater. The transformational relationships between my students and I have lead to a greater ability to create lasting moments for our community and school. What would you be if you weren’t in this profession? Costume designer.

Who influences you? My students influence me every day. I learn just as much from their compassion and talent as I hope they learn from me.

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Who was your favorite teacher when you were in school? Why? My mother was my first and favorite teacher. She instilled my passion for theater from an early age. I can always remember her in the house reciting lines from Shakespeare. What is your favorite theater production and why? “Dear Evan Hansen,” “Miss Saigon” and “Wicked” are my favorite productions because they make me think about the people in society that are overlooked, undervalued and different in a world that praises the mold. These stories gracefully invite us past the curtain into their lives and make us want to be better about inclusion and appreciation for all walks of life.

REPORT CARD Years with school: Four Years with OCPS: 13

What do you like to do in your spare time? I love to travel to different countries and experience different cultures with my family. I love to sew and create costumes. I love to see shows both professional, community or other schools. If you could dine with any famous person, past or present, who would it be and why? Lea Salonga, because I have a very close tie to the musical “Miss Saigon.” Although she was not from Vietnam, she portrayed and told a story beautifully that I am deeply connected to in my personal life. She is also incredibly talented. If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why? It would be to heal divides between people. I think so many fights or disagreements are started from places of misunderstanding, misjudgments or not being able to see someone else’s perspective. I wish I could get people to come together better in our moments of differences. If you could only listen to three bands or artists, who would they be and why? I honestly couldn’t just listen to three bands or artists because I love the discovery of new music and artists and the stories they tell in their way. Would you rather be Elphaba or Glinda? Why? Elphaba, because despite how she is portrayed by others, she shows us that there are always two sides to a story. She stands tall in the face of adversity and does not let others bring her down. I even own her Crocs. What is your favorite holiday and why? Christmas, because it is magical, and I love seeing how compassionate people are with (one another). It is always a time of the year that reminds us of all of the good that surrounds us. Who was your best friend when you were in school and why? Are you still in touch? Lisa McNatt and Denise Matheson. They are still two of my best friends today. What were your extracurricular activities as a student? Did you win any accolades or honors? In school, I did band, chorus and theater. I won a Mother of the Year essay writing contest and did a couple of solos. — LIZ RAMOS

Montessori Education

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454546-1

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

OBSERVER SCHOOL ZONE

Horizon’s Interact Club collected toys to hand out at Hamlin’s tree-lighting event.

Horizon High hosts inaugural Frost Fest

Angeline Fulgencio and Lauren Ramos-Coates spread holiday joy through their ornaments.

runa Carneiro, Sofia Suazo and Reya Henson worked as Santa’s helpers and gave children pen and paper to write to St. Nick. They loved seeing the kids’ smiles shine when they sat on Santa’s lap before dropping their letter into his mailbox. The letter-writing station was one of the many scattered around Horizon

Hayden and Hailey Holmes were excited to see what prize they won under the cup.

High’s Frost Fest Friday, Dec. 5. Guests enjoyed arts and crafts along with treats like hot chocolate, pizza, a food truck and King of Pops, a business dedicated to making dye-free popsicles. The Student Government Association also collected toys and food donations to help those in need.

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OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

OH, WHAT FUN! Cranium Academy students dressed as ‘Annie’ for the parade in honor of their winter performance.

Natalie Naak and her friend Aurora Matthews loved riding on Foundation Academy’s float.

Children in the parade were excited to see everybody watching from the sidelines.

One Winter Garden advocates for the Historic East Winter Garden Neighborhood and beyond by engaging residents in civil discourse and action regarding the future of the community.

The city of Winter Garden celebrated the holiday season with its 2025 Winter Garden Christmas Parade Saturday, Dec. 6.

Cub Scouts Pack 987 from Oakland prepared their truck for the Winter Garden Christmas Parade.

Lennon Alfaro celebrated her third birthday by going to the Winter Garden Christmas Parade with her parents, Rachael and Johann Alfaro.

ne by one, floats and people marched their way down Dillard and Plant streets for the 2025 Winter Garden Christmas Parade Saturday, Dec. 6. The city of Winter Garden’s parade highlighted local clubs, organizations and elected officials who flooded the streets and brought the holiday spirit to life. Friends and families lined the route and cheered on the floats, spreading wishes of “Merry Christmas.” Children’s eyes lit up with each toss of candy into the crowd.

Winter Garden Mayor John Rees paraded down the streets of Winter Garden with a smile on his face.

Above: Players from the Winter Garden Little League threw candy to the hundreds of people in the crowd. The Dance Collective students waved at the crowd with smiles on their faces.

Left: Trumpets were heard from afar as they were played throughout the parade.

OrangeObserver.com

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

Thousands visit live nativity in Horizon West

Horizon West Theater Company members sang ‘O Christmas Tree’ during the tree lighting.

Pastor Brad Jagger was the narrator for one Saturday showtime. Saturday showtimes were moved indoors due to inclement weather.

More than 2,000 people attended the Light the World Live Nativity Celebration, held Dec. 5 and 6 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Horizon West location. Representatives of five local Christian churches, three nonprofit organizations, two OCPS school choirs, a Portuguese church choir and three OCPS FFA programs cooperated in presenting the two-day celebration. The event included seven 15-minute showtimes with live acting, live animals and live music. During the first night, the choirs included 60 students from Hamlin Middle School and Horizon High School for the English and Spanish showtimes, and a Portuguese choir from Resurrection Catholic Church for the Portuguese showtime. On the second night, the live music was provided by various children’s choirs and small group performers. Guests entered the experience through the gates of Bethlehem, where they were greeted by Roman soldiers with a “census” tent and a “tax” tent, where guests donated hundreds of pounds of canned food as “taxes” to enter Bethlehem. Food from the tax tents were donated to two local food pantries: The Hope Center and Well of Hope. Guests then continued through the gates to walk past animals includ-

ing three Highland miniature cows, miniature donkeys, a miniature horse, a turkey, a bunny, a goat and other animals. FFA students from West Orange High, Horizon High and Hamlin Middle dressed as shepherds and managed the animals throughout the evening. After walking past the animals, guests walked through a “Bethlehem open market” scene and onward to the show. Two farmers of Special Hearts Farm also joined the cast for the evening as shepherds. “It was such a beautiful experience for our ‘special farmers’ to participate in the nativity,” Emily Davis, director of development for Special Hearts Farm, said. Each of the nativity narrators for the Live Nativity were pastors and other religious leaders from several local churches, as well as representatives from the nonprofits that received the food donations. The narrators included President Gary Hansen, of the Winter Garden Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Pastor Brad Jagger, of Windermere Union Church; Deacon Alexandre Martins, of Resurrection Catholic Church; Pastor Michael Hopewell, of New Water Church; Pastor Darrell, of Mount Bethel Baptist Church; and Mark Byrd, executive director of the Hope Center.

Not-so-blue Christmas D

ozens of people took shelter under umbrellas or ponchos while watching a group from the Winter Garden Music Academy perform holiday songs on the stage at Christmas at Hamlin Saturday, Dec. 6. But the rain didn’t dampen the holiday spirit for the first two hours of the Christmas event. Children had the opportunity to write letters to Santa, as well as visit Mr. and Mrs. Claus while listening to the tunes coming from the stage by groups such as Winter Garden Music Academy, Horizon West Theater Company and Cranium Academy. Unfortunately, the steady rain forced the event to end early. — LIZ RAMOS

Aanya and Anvi Dubey made sure to visit Mrs. and Mr. Claus while at Christmas at Hamlin.

Tum Nantanee and Dom and Nook Coxall went to Christmas at Hamlin to watch their son, Jaxon Coxall, perform with Winter Garden Music Academy.

Roman soldiers guarded the gates of Bethlehem at the Live Nativity.

A missionary from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints served as a “upholstery merchant” in Bethlehem for the Live Nativity.

Right: Olivia De Almeida took advantage of one of the photo scenes set up. Her mother, Alexandra De Almeida said they come to Christmas at Hamlin every year because they love it.

OrangeObserver.com

THE WAYS

FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION

WE WERE

THROWBACK THURSDAY DEC. 10, 1954 Mid-Florida Gas Company, located on West Plant Street in Winter Garden, gave customers a shiny reason to step into its storefront during the Christmas of 1954. In an advertisement in the Winter Garden Times, the company offered a free gift set with each purchase of a Tappan gas range. In the set, worth $59.95, were a Geneva watch, pen and pencil set, cuff links and tie clasp. The Tappan ranges were perfect for indoor cooking and included completely automatic top burner lighting, an electric clock with three-and-one-half-hour timer, divided top and smart chrome accents. Another gift worth giving and receiving was the threein-one Servel refrigerator with a separate full-width freezer with its own refrigerating system.

1945: 80 years ago

Mr. and Mrs. Leon Bailey and daughter Carolyn arrived in Winter Garden to take over management of the Edgewater Hotel.

1950: 75 years ago

A plantation party and barn dance was given in honor of the Lakeview senior class.

1970: 55 years ago

The Winter Garden Lions Club was selling tickets for a drawing in which the prize was a Coleman camper available through the courtesy of Al Ewing Ford and valued at more than $1,895. Carl D. Patterson Jr. was appointed manager of the new Windermere-Bay Hill branch of Gale Associates Inc. on Maitland. He was assisted by Jewell Bryant of Bay Hill, Helen Collins of Orlando, Mildred Williams of Windermere, and Alice Misho and Eleanor Simpson from the Maitland office. X-Tra Fine Citrus Packers Inc. in Winter Garden advertised highquality fresh fruit to take home or as Christmas gifts. All packages were attractively decorated. Jimmy Pitchford, president of J&F Super Markets Inc., was elected president of the Winter Garden Chamber of Commerce. He previously served as vice president. Elected VP was Larry Joe Walker, general manager of Winn Dixie Store in Winter Garden. Wilson Griffith, president of Griffith Tire Company Inc., was elected second vice president. Reappointed as executive vice president was Arthur W. “Jimmie” Sinclair. For sale: 1973 Pinto station wagon, 4-speed transmission, 4-cylinder, air-conditioned, radio, $2,295 at John Lamb Chevrolet, Highway 50. Plans were being made to widen

On Dec. 18, 1865 — 160 years ago today — the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed after ratification by 27 of the 36 states in existence at that time. It abolished slavery and involuntary servitude except as punishment for crime — an exception that has been legally challenged. The amendment was a direct result of President Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation of Jan. 1, 1863. The image depicts the remains of the Verdura plantation house in Leon County.

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.

1995: 30 years ago

The West Orange Wildcat Pee Wees had the day in their favor going into the Pop Warner Super Bowl with a 16-0 record, but an injury to the team captain and a tough Dallas opponent stopped the local team from claiming the national Pop Warner championship. Coach Russell Crouch said he was proud of his players for holding their heads high and maintaining a great attitude to the end.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the opening of the East Bay Homes in Partnership development in Winter Garden for low-income families. Assisting in the event were future residents Gloria Windom, Lula Mae Nedd and Earlene Windom.

Daily crossword puzzles available at YourObserver.com/crossword

BRANCHES OFF by Jared Goudsmit, edited by Jared Goudsmit letters

47 Large-scale Met perfor-

120 “So rad!”

mance

121 Son of Odin

48 “Wait one moment!”

122 Stockings

50 With, in France

123 Note that’s three whole

51 Gray safari sight

steps above E

52 Like the “g” in “angel”

124 ___ monster (lizard)

54 “It” actor Oleff

125 Impend

55 Name hidden in “battle

126 Oklahoma city

royal”

127 Philly sandwich

57 Casual meetup

128 Brand aka Dreyer’s

60 Like radio broadcasts

129 Gabs and gabs

62 It’s four months after Dec.

130 “Curses!”

65 Ladleful

131 Christmas decoration

66 Bewildered expression

that’s been aptly “cut” from

67 Follow, like advice

this puzzle

69 Knight such as Yoda

DOWN

ACROSS

1 Crossword puzzle answer direction 7 Don’t pass 11 “Chocolate” dog 14 Home plate, e.g. 18 Dance design, casually 19 ___ Romeo (car) 20 Employ 21 It stinks 22 NOW activist Hernandez

e.g.

64 Foal’s mom

88 Young dog

30 Madrid Mrs.

65 “Santa Claus Conquers

90 Self-publishing option

31 Retina’s organ

the Martians” genre

93 North Pole mammals

32 Web fraud warning

67 Seniors’ lobby org.

95 Not all

34 Stretch of time

68 Burn the candle at both

38 “Uh-uh”

___

40 Aussie hoppers

69 Car named for a big cat,

42 Christmas ___

casually

43 Molten ooze

70 They erect buildings

44 Veto

together

45 “The Chanukah Song”

74 “Gah!”

100 LAX stat

75 Squeezes (out)

101 “Here, Fido!”

77 Asking the price of a gift,

103 Diplomat’s asset

23 Krampus’ sharp fingernail sketch show, briefly 46 NPR anchor Lakshmi 24 Actor Guinness 25 “Stinky” bean curd 26 Brit’s “No half measures ...” 28 Prefix for “second” or “bot” 29 Cheese wedge under a box propped up by a stick,

“EZRT DK FXFVR TEZVF / AME EWF YVFEEDFTE TDIWE EZ TFF / DT EWF WZNNR EWJE SDNN AF / ZK RZMV ZSK PVZKE HZZV.”

LFVFHDEW SDNNTZK

“GEN DWHV SEJRWB BJCFJCF / ZWX’B AW KEZZG; IWRT XDW DHZZB UJXD AENFDB EM DEZZG.”

KEDCCG PHVTB

Over)” co-writer Yoko 72 Verdi protagonist

2 Goatee’s spot

73 Ooze

3 Massage deeply

76 California fault

4 Cookie with a Hot Cocoa

80 Gem weight unit

flavor

84 “Later!”

5 Prophets

85 Future J.D.’s exam

6 Submarine detector

87 “Let’s take it ___” (“No

7 A snowman’s may include

need to rush”)

coal eyes and a carrot nose

89 Their crops go up in

8 Totally novel

smoke?

9 “... assuming one exists”

91 “You listening?” reply

10 Prosecutors, etc.

92 Gingerbread cookie or

11 Purple flowers

candy cane

12 Concert venue

94 In a determined way

13 Transforms into

96 Bien’s opposite

14 Type of dolphin 97 “The lights ___ turned way 15 “O come, let us ___ him” down low / Let it snow, let it (carol lyric)

101 “La Playa Awaits” beer

16 To date 98 4.1 square miles, for North 17 Explode like Etna Pole, AK 20 “Star Wars” character

doubt?”

99 “Psych!”

By Luis Campos Celebrity Cipher cryptograms are created from quotations by famous people, past and present. Each letter in the cipher stands for another.

71 “Happy Xmas (War Is

1 Brazilian berry

snow, let it snow”

celebrity cipher

brand

“ONE GKB GNEBW NB IX ... / V’YY JX CNIX HNM GCMVRWIKR / VH NBYO VB IO PMXKIR.”

JEGZ MKI/ZVI DKBBNB Puzzle Three Clue: P equals D

and resurface State Road 535 because of the steadily increasing traffic on the stretch known as Winter Garden-Vineland Road. Funds were set aside to fix the section south from Highway 50 to Reams Road. Winter Garden officials also sought approval to four-lane Dillard Street south to Reams to facilitate the traffic flow from the Winter Garden area and Highway 50 to the Walt Disney World property.

Puzzle Two Clue: I equals D

crossword

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Puzzle Two Clue: p equals f

W EST O RANG E HISTO RY

OBSERVER | THURSDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2025

sudoku

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

102 “... unless there’s 104 ___ your bets 105 Shun

who says “Never tell me the

106 Email button

odds”

107 NASA astronaut Ellen

27 Sudden fear

108 “On the ___ hand ...”

110 Persian rulers 104 Alternative to wall-to-wall 34 Glided like a figure skater 111 “The Goat and the Vine” carpeting 35 Heart-supporting devices fable writer 109 Sly ___ fox 115 Pharma buys 36 Regular fellow

49 Some figure skaters

e.g.

53 Distressed cry

78 Clever and funny

56 Palindromic investor

79 MBA course

George

81 ___ vu

58 Infer (from)

82 “Ow, a gut punch!”

Pageant ___”

59 It’s a sham

83 Hubbub

113 Sch. near Santa Monica

61 Pro vote

84 “Help me out, friend!”

114 Do a Christmas activity,

63 Black Friday event

86 De-wrinkles

or a hint to each set of circled

112 “The Best Christmas

33 Alamo rival

37 Zenith’s opposite

116 “___ she blows!”

39 Chopping tool

117 Pasta sauce brand

41 Black gem

118 Ariel’s prince

44 U-turn from SSW

12-25-25

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