01.07.21 West Orange Times & Observer by Orange Observer

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Two injured in Winter Garden shooting. ONLINE.

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VOLUME 88, NO. 1

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

2021 FORECAST 2021 promises to bring quite a bit of ‘new’ to our community.

Playing to their strengths T

his group of incredible musicians and students — the Windermere High School marching band Class of 2021

marching competition.

our Show Us Your Strength Photo Con-

And although their senior year of

test, hosted with contest partner Healthy

marching band was anything but ordinary,

West Orange. For their victory, the band

— includes the first freshman-class band

they are leaving the Wolverines as win-

will receive $2,500.

members at Windermere and helped win

ners.

fourth place in Class 5A at the 2019 state

This photo garnered the most votes in

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The city of Winter Garden has launched a website to serve as an official online guide to its historic downtown. The website, downtownwg. com, highlights the attributes of the downtown area and the city and serves as a resource for

residents, local businesses and visitors. User-friendly tabs provide information quickly to users. The “Explore” tab provides a directory of shops, restaurants, cultural/ recreational venues and hotels; information about the farmers market and West Orange Trail; and offerings beyond downtown. Additional tabs offer an ongoing calendar of downtown happenings, handy reference resources and a “News” section that pro-

page 2 or visit OrangeObserver.com.

vides new announcements and feature articles.

Join the Oakland Nature Preserve for its second virtual run. Participants in the Gopher Tortoise Run 3-Miler for Conservation can run, walk, paddle, stroll or swim — anything that keeps them moving forward.

The three miles must be completed before Jan. 31, and participants can put in their miles at the preserve. They are invited to post a fun photo on the ONP Facebook page once they have “run” their race. Medals are limited to 75 people; folks who don’t want the medal can register at a discounted rate. Register at bit.ly/388MQep. The cost is $25 including the medal and $20 without.

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

The West Orange High School wrestling team breaks it down after the first practice of an unprecedented season.

Claire Reburn, a sixth-grader from Foundation Academy, warms up at the Class 1A state cross-country meet. Through a season of uncertainty, she showed strength beyond her years.

For a decade, The First Academy Visual Art program has hosted an annual Raku Firing, starring “Exodus,” their Raku Kiln. Named by Mrs. Collins’ AP Ceramics students, they recognize God appearing to Moses in the form of a burning bush as a symbol of purification, yet not destruction.

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JOB PREPARATIONS

Courtesy

Nicole Wilson took her oath of office Dec. 8 for her first term as Orange County District 1 commissioner.

Newly elected Orange County Commissioner Nicole Wilson is ready to tackle the issues present in District 1.

AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

icole Wilson’s swearing-in ceremony Dec. 8 was an emotional one for her and her family — the culmination of months of hard work in an election campaign many people considered impossible. She was running against an incumbent, Betsy VanderLey, a four-year county commissioner. The political newcomer, however, garnered enough followers and support (57.2%) in the August Primary Election to win the District 1 seat on the Orange County Board of County Commissioners. “I heard from everybody on both sides of the aisle that I had no chance at all except for a very solid core of residents who live right there in District 1 and believed in my message and were engaged,” she said. “We had no money; there was no opportunity to raise funds like there normally was.” Candidates were forced to seek alternate modes of campaigning in 2020 because of guidelines established during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wilson enlisted friends and community members to help with her campaign, and many more people volunteered because they believed in her message, she said. “The lesson is that grassroots efforts still work, and the issues to those people, issues that matter, those were the issues that they brought to the table to see how we could formulate a message and get it out without getting people in a room,” Wilson said. “I did tons of Zoom meetings with small groups,

we did parking lot meet-ups. … You hear sometimes people who are really embedded in government say things like, ‘Voters don’t pay attention; the public doesn’t know what’s going on,’ and I found the exact opposite to be true.” She called her husband, three children and parents “the ground troops” of her campaign for their individual roles with graphic design, sign making and sign waving. “My kids got me used to the web calls and being online — to make sure I did Instagram Live, Facebook Live, online meetings,” Wilson said. WHAT IT TAKES

Wilson, a 50-year-old resident of the Windermere/Gotha area, has never held public office, but she has the drive to handle the expectations of the role and wants residents to know she is ready for the position. She has a bachelor’s degree in human services and psychology, as well as a Juris Doctor degree and honors certificate in environmental law. Wilson put her professional

MAKING CONTACT There are multiple ways to reach Nicole Wilson, District 1 county commissioner: n Call (407) 836-7350 n Email District1@ocfl.net or Nicole.wilson@ocfl.net n Email Wilson’s senior aide at Lee-Alyse.Perry@ocfl.net

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2021 FORECAST a difficult time in our economic recovery. … (We need to) make sure we are connecting with, I think, industries that will bring high-paying jobs so those people (in the hospitality industry) can pivot with what they have.” Wilson hopes her constituents feel connected and understand her goals. She recently hired two aides who will work alongside her in her county office. “Looking forward, we are one community, we are one district in a great county, and we’ll be unified and get things done,” she said. Wilson said she is excited about a potential project that could alleviate traffic in her district. A private partnership between Brightline, a high-speed passenger rail system, and Walt Disney World is in the works that could bring intermodal transportation to the area. “They are very interested in partnering with Disney to bring some — not just high-speed component — but also the intermodal so people who are maybe staying in the area have some options for transportation,” she said. “I have been able to hear and see some of their collaborations, and I think it’s very exciting.” After being sworn in last month, Wilson thanked the community for believing in her and her platform, her family for their support, and her parents for instilling in her a strong moral compass. “My word is my bond,” she said. “We learned so much during this crazy process,” Wilson said. “We learned that even with our challenges, we are creative and we are compassionate and that we are problem-solvers to work tirelessly for a better tomorrow. We learned that even under the most difficult circumstances … that when we put our heads together, we can accomplish great things. We learned that most of us want the same things for our families, our communities — regardless of our political affiliations — and we learned that we are in charge of our democracy and that every vote matters. “I will fight tooth and nail to make sure that District 1 is in the forefront of anything at the district level,” she said. “This is where my children were born and raised, and I’m going to make sure that everything I do — I have our future, District 1 and Orange County in our sight. … I would just encourage everyone to reach out, make contact with us. “Now it is time to roll up my sleeves and get to work for you, Orange County,” Wilson said. “I take your vision now and light the path for a brighter future.”

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career on hold when she had children but found she missed connecting with people, so she taught at their preschool and then became a substitute teacher at Lake Whitney Elementary and SunRidge Middle schools. Her involvement in PTO provided an opportunity to learn about policies and bylaws, and she also joined parents in fighting the county’s road-widening plans near the school. “That was my first toe in the water of navigating the local government … and trying to advocate on behalf of the parents’ interest and the community’s interest,” Wilson said. “I carried all of that (experience) with me into the (commission) job.” Because of her connections with Orange County Public Schools teachers and administrators, Wilson is confident this can help bridge the gap between County Commission decisions and OCPS plans and goals. Being an advocate for residents is an important role for Wilson. “We are at a very critical juncture with our planning in West Orange County, with our trying to diversify our economy and trying to make sure that the things that make our quality of life what we know and what we love continue and improve,” she said. It seemed like the right time for her to run for office, she said, after she spoke with folks who had concerns about community connectivity, such as safe sidewalks for children, and adequate walking and biking opportunities, as well as sustainable transportation options. “Also, the thing that I heard from people is the lack of public trust in local government,” she said. Her goal is to be available and interact with her constituents. “They don’t feel that availability and … to be heard and to contribute and to be involved in different levels of planning and decisions that affect them,” Wilson said. “They felt like they hit dead ends.”

To prepare for the position, Wilson has been reviewing folders she created of concerns residents have shared with her. She also is combing through old District 1 emails to get acquainted with issues that had been discussed with the previous commissioner. “Just because I’m not face-toface doesn’t mean I’m not working hard every day,” Wilson said. “And we’re committed to making sure the future of District 1 is what people envision it — that the quality of life and the things they find important I find important.” She has started doing Friday office hours, she engages in Facebook Live Friday events to meet with constituents, and she is blocking out her afternoons for phone calls with them. “I want people to know that I’m still here and I’m still available,” she said. “I can’t wait to get out to community meetings.” She wants to host Webex meetings, which can accommodate up to 5,000 people. She is considering breaking down the meetings by topic so the conversations are more focused. “If there’s a way (we) can, we’ll find a way to do it,” she said. “I’m feeling very optimistic about 2021.” Wilson is aware of the unique challenges in District 1, which is experiencing an explosive growth in the Horizon West area. During her campaign, Wilson stressed economic recovery and smart budgeting; poor growth management; and health and safety as her main reasons for running for office. “The infrastructure is just not in place to support the residents that are already there,” she said. “We are continuing to see the construction outpacing the infrastructure.” Other issues include ensuring all residents have the same access to emergency and public safety services, working on flooding problems and looking at economic drivers following the pandemic lockdown. “We have so many people in District 1 who rely on our tourist area,” she said. “We have a beautiful area that we want to bring people to. We are going to be going through

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All in

ONE A partnership between the city of Winter Garden and local health care stakeholders will turn Tucker Ranch into the first and most comprehensive physical and mental wellness park in the nation. AMY QUESINBERRY COMMUNITY EDITOR

olfers, debutantes, beef cattle and families have enjoyed for decades the land now known as Tucker Ranch. And once the city of Winter Garden fulfills its bold health and wellness vision for the property, many more folks can benefit from the natural space. The city purchased the 209 acres of land at 100 Avalon Road in 2011 from Mary Tucker, who along with her husband, Judge C.M. “Pete” Tucker, operated a cattle ranch beginning in the 1940s. “When she finally decided to sell her land, she was concerned about the beautiful space being developed, so she approached the city of Winter Garden about purchasing the property for a city park,” City Manager Mike Bollhoefer said. “We didn’t want to miss this opportunity.” The city spent $2.1 million for the land and obtained a state grant for $900,000 to preserve and develop the property as a legacy park. “It will be the only park of its kind in the country,” Bollhoefer said. “You will see parks with many of the different elements, but no one has put all of this together in one park.” Twenty acres will be transformed into a regional park with trails, fitness areas, multi-purpose buildings, canoeing, camping and a state-of-the-art working and teaching farm that will function as a regional food hub. Key partnerships — between the city and physical and mental health organizations — are working together to bring this firstclass health and wellness facility to Winter Garden. The goal is to capture the whole mind-body-soul concept and to create a culture of health and wellness. Partners are Healthy West Orange, AdventHealth, Orlando Health, Shepherd’s Hope, American Heart Association, Community Health Centers, American Diabetes Association, UCP of Central Florida, Mental Health Association of Central Florida and others. The city has invested $5 million to date on a playground, restrooms, pavilions and infrastructure and to restore the campground and canoe launch. Winter Garden is committed to spending $2 million over the next five years and also is working with hospitals for commitments. A $6 million lead grant from the West Orange Healthcare District will primarily fund the new campus, which will feature a 5,000-square-foot retreat center, teaching and working farm, outdoor demonstration kitchen, greenhouse, gardens, trails, outdoor fitness and recreational areas.

LEGEND A. The Retreat B. Labyrinth Glade C. Sound Garden D. Fragrance Garden E. Story Circle F. Meditation Garden G. Old Florida Garden H. Trailhead Gateway I. Wildlife Garden J. Floating Pavilion K. Expanded Pond L. Boardwalk M. Family-Friendly Exercise N. Crossing O. Round Pavilion P. Great Lawn Q. Bus Drop-Off R. Great Arbor S. Crossing Terrace T. Demonstration Gardens U. Pollinator Mixed Border V. Historic Arch W. Demonstration Kitchen X. Farm Stand & Restrooms Y. Viewing Terrace Z. Edible Landscape AA. Pole Barn BB. Orchard Grove CC. Sculpture or Fountain DD. Reconfigured Wetland & Buffer EE. Path for Events FF. Service Yard & Parking GG. Staff/Park Service Yard HH. Gate II. Enhanced Trail Gateway JJ. Advanced Fitness Area KK. Box Truck Parking LL. Greenhouse MM. Advanced Fitness Node NN. Advanced Fitness Lawn OO. Greenway Connection PP. Bike Storage

TWO-PHASE PROJECT The project will be developed in two phases, with each taking about 18 months to complete. Construction is slated to begin this summer with a completion date of summer 2023. The budget for Phase 1 is $7.3 million, which includes construction of the entrance pavilion, production barn, farm store, outdoor kitchen, retreat center, greenhouse and out buildings, as well as landscaping. Phase 2 is budgeted at $4.16 million and includes construction of the pond pavilion and maintenance building, as well as stormwater/ pond expansion and landscaping. “This is a bold, ambitious plan to create lasting change in our com-

A BIT OF HISTORY The Tucker Ranch property on Avalon Road in Winter Garden and adjoining lands were used as the original West Orange Country Club in the 1910s. The country club closed in 1924 following several years of heavy rains that caused Johns Lake to rise and flood the property and destroy the golf course. C.M. “Pete” Tucker and his wife, Mary Matilda Thurmon Tucker, bought the land in the 1940s for cattle grazing and citrus groves. They renamed it Tucker and Son Ranch and amassed about 150 head of commercial cattle, a BrahmanHereford mixture that were sold at local livestock auction markets. During World War II, folks were sent to work at Camp Kent, which was housed at the West Orange Country Club. Officers

Courtesy photos

The city is transforming 20 acres of the Tucker Ranch property into a firstclass mental and physical health and wellness nature facility.

munity and make all of us healthier, inside and out,” said Rod Talbot, chair of the WOHD. “Tucker Ranch will engage residents in all kinds of activities that not only contribute to good health but have been proven to prevent chronic disease and addiction. It’s a true gift to our community.” Bollhoefer said the initiative will focus on four main pillars: food and nutrition, fitness and rehabilitation, natural environment and mental health. Cooking classes in the kitchen pavilion will concentrate on healthy eating, and farming space will allow folks — especially those with health issues — to benefit from edible and interactive gardening. A trail system with a variety of exercise nodes will allow residents of all ability levels to participate, including space and equipment for the average exerciser, serious fitness gurus and people who enjoy obstacle-course challenges, children, folks with physical disabilities and seniors. The former campground space will allow primitive camping, as and scientists tested different types of new radar. The old country club banquet room was used as the officers club. They used a boat owned by Ford dealer Hoyle Pounds and tested their experimental radar on Lake Apopka. The scientific team also tested several kinds of mosquito repellent on the Camp Kent guards. Pete Tucker demolished the old country club building in 1950. The campground was called Tucker’s Ranch Campground and opened on the eastern shores of Johns Lake in 1969. The nine acres in the middle of an oak grove were mostly used as a weekend retreat, and folks were allowed tents, tent trailers, travel trailers or truck campers. After the freezes of the 1980s, the land was used for cattle and a campground in the oak hammock area until 2003.

2021 FORECAST

well as canoeing, kayaking and paddle boarding on Johns Lake. A wellness area for meditation, yoga, tai chi and other programs has been established, and the city will build off the health, nutrition and fitness programming at the Jessie Brock Community Center. “The idea is when you’re trying to bring these classes to people, if it’s a beautiful setting … people will want to go to this,” Bollhoefer said. “In our discussions with the Mental Health Association of Central Florida, (the area) is really lacking in mental health facilities and treatment,” he said. “So one of the things we’re doing is working with them.” “(It’s) the ability to reduce the anxiety individuals have who

In October 2018, the city welcomed its first visitors to Tucker Ranch Recreational Park and Nature Preserve. First-phase amenities include a communitybuilt playground, picnic area and nature trails. Last year, the Bloom & Grow Garden Society, city of Winter Garden, Healthy West Orange and Cherrylake Tree Farm partnered to plant 1,000 bald cypress trees in the 209-acre park and preserve. The Tuckers’ 1950s block house will be preserved and will be home for a full-time caretaker. The city’s purchase agreement stipulated that “Tucker” be included in the name of the new park and the historic archway at the park entrance stay onsite. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

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are impacted with mental health issues, and when you have a comfortable outdoor nature, it’s sometimes the best environment for (healing),” said Tracy Swanson, CEO of the West Orange Healthcare District. “It’s a behavioral pharmacy,” Bollhoefer said. “Many times, a person will go to the doctor, and they’ll be told, ‘You need to change your lifestyle.’ We want to work with the doctors and send them out to the programming.” In a presentation Winter Garden created when it was seeking grant money, the city estimated up to 20,000 students would take school field trips to the park and farm, and officials put the number of annual attendees at close to 50,000. The city expects to host four health and wellness events annually, about 16 certified classes in nutrition, 16

more in fitness and 10 farm-totable classes. The property lies in City Commissioner Bob Buchanan’s district, and he was in early discussions with a gentleman who shared the family’s ideas for the land. “He said to me, ‘The children of Ms. Tucker want to develop the property to apartments or singlefamily homes, and Ms. Tucker really doesn’t want that to happen,’” Buchanan said. “She would like for it to become public property and something the whole city could use.” Buchanan had known Mary Tucker for decades, first meeting her when he owned a flower business and made regular deliveries to her house. “She was a really good lady,” he said. “She really took care of what she had.”

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Through the years, Buchanan has heard many stories about the Tuckers and their ranch. He hopes the city will install plaques throughout the property that tell some of these tales, maybe even the one where a cow got stuck in the mud and a mule team had to pull it out. “The history goes way back,” he said. Even the cattle-crossing tunnel under the Florida’s Turnpike is still there. “The favorite part to me has always been the site where the campers used to be and that boat ramp back there in the back,” Buchanan said. “It is just so tranquil and so beautiful under those oak trees … I always thought those were the luckiest people in the world to have campers and be able to stay out there.”

The kitchen pavilion will offer classes in an outdoor demonstration space and will coordinate programs with the working and teaching farm. The retreat building will feature windows and glass doors that open up completely to give participants the feel of being outdoors.

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A new hope Two new COVID-19 vaccines have given many a light at the end of a dark tunnel, and local medical facilities are ready to distribute the vaccines. TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

BAPTIST

First Baptist Church Pastor Tim Grosshans 125 E. Plant St, Winter Garden (407) 656-2352 Sundays: 8:30 a.m. Traditional 9:45 AM Bible Study 11:00 AM Contemporary Wednesdays: 6 p.m.- Awana 2nd Campus: First Baptist Church @Horizon West Sundays: 9:45 a.m. All Ages FBCWG.org Starke Lake Baptist Church Pastor Jeff Pritchard PO Box 520 611 W Ave., Ocoee (407) 656-2351 StarkeLakeBaptist.org

METHODIST

First United Methodist Church 125 N. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden (407) 656-1135 Services: Livestreaming Sunday @ 9 AM. Viewable on Facebook and Youtube

UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST

Windermere Union Church 10710 Park Ridge-Gotha Rd., Windermere (407) 876-2112 Adult Worship: 9 a.m. Sunday School: 10 a.m. WindermereUnion.org

NON-DENOMINATIONAL

Purpose Church Orlando 13640 W Colonial Dr. Ste 110, CHURCH OF GOD Winter Garden Ocoee Church of God (407) 654-9661 Pastor Thomas Odom Sunday Service: 10:05 a.m. 1105 N. Lakewood Ave.,Ocoee Sunday Brazilian Service: 7 p.m. (407) 656-8011 Saturday Service: 6 p.m. purposechurchorlando.org

EPISCOPAL

Church of the Messiah 241 N. Main St., Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11 a.m., 7 p.m. ChurchoftheMessiah.com

ince March 2020, COVID-19’s effects have been devastating. As of Dec. 21, 2020, more than 1.2 million Floridians had been infected — more than 68,000 in Orange County alone — and more than 20,000 have died in the state. Around the country, the death toll has risen to more than 318,000. Along with the death and sickness brought on by the virus, the area — and beyond — has seen rises in unemployment and the decimation of the economy. That’s why many have been waiting for some kind of relief, especially in the form of a vaccine. That relief is now here in the form of two vaccines — the first from Pfizer/BioNTec and the second from Moderna. The quickness of the whole process — known as Operation Warp Speed — has been watched closely by many medical organizations, including Community Health Centers. “(Although) the timeline may seem long to us in the middle of a pandemic, the timeline for this vaccine — development, approval and all the studies that went into it — is, to put how the government defined this, it’s warp speed,” CHC CEO and President Debra Andree said. “In the grand scope of all things being relative, it was

remarkable how quickly they developed it, studied it and got it ready for distribution and the approval was done.” VACCINES AND DISTRIBUTION

On Dec. 11, 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued the first emergency-use approval of the Pfizer/BioNTec vaccine. The vaccine itself requires two different shots — 21 days apart — and based on clinical trials, the vaccine has shown to be 95% effective in helping to prevent COVID-19. The Moderna vaccine goes by the same two-shot model but is given 28 days apart. The vaccine is being administered first to those medical professionals on the front lines of dealing with the pandemic. AdventHealth, tapped as one of the first sites to store and distribute the vaccine by the state, received an initial 20,000 inoculations it used on front line team members. It also shared the vaccine with other local medical facilities, including Nemours Children’s Health System and Orlando Health. “We are convinced that this is a safe and effective vaccine,” said Dr. Neil Finkler, chief medical officer at AdventHealth hospitals in Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties. “This is a watershed moment.” D r. Steven Smith, AdventHealth’s chief scientific

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OrangeObserver.com

has been a long time of preparation to receive the vaccine. “We based our storage order on what we thought would become available for us, and then we have a back-up plan with Orange County in the event our storage was not here in time or insufficient,” Andree said. “We didn’t want to be left with no storage capacity, so we thought it prudent to order ahead of time, and that has played out to our advantage.” Much like how the vaccine is being distributed now, at CHC, both employees and high-risk patients will be inoculated. For CHC’s patients — many of whom come from underprivileged communities and are uninsured — it’s pivotal that CHC provide them with care as quickly as possible. “We are already pulling data on the high-risk groups among our patient populations, and we’re watching CDC guidance on that, because now they’re starting to further tier that and show who you do first, who you do next,” Andree said. “And we’re already getting that ready so that when we do get the vaccine, we can immediately inform those patients.”

Courtesy of Orlando Health

Orlando Health began inoculating its health care workers in December.

officer, said AdventHealth had been in preparation for the last three months for this moment, and that there were two distribution centers for employees at the facility in Celebration and at the main campus in downtown Orlando. A week after AdventHealth received the Pfizer/BioNTec vaccine, the Florida Department of Health in Orange County received its first shipment of 16,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine Tuesday, Dec. 22, which it administered to Orange County EMTs and paramedics who are included in the state’s priority 1A distribution list. One of the big differentiating factors between the two vaccines is the temperature at which they must be stored. The Pfizer/ BioNTec vaccine has to kept

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GIVING HOPE

stored below freezing at minus-70 degrees Celsius — for reference, winters in Antartica are warmer — while the Moderna vaccine only requires storage at minus-20 degrees Celsius, which is closer to the temperature in a standard freezer. Hospitals have this kind of cold-

storage capacity, but some medical facilities — such as PremierMed Family Practice and Sports Medicine — are more limited on space to be able to distribute the vaccine. Andree said the Florida Department of Health told her CHC could expect its first shipments as early as the first two weeks of January. It

Though the first vaccines were reserved for medical personnel and those in the elderly population, medical leaders expect them to become available to more segments of the population in early 2021. “Every increase that we have in the supply means more people sooner in the process will have access to a vaccine, so look forward to that in first quarter of (2021),” Smith said. “I’m pretty optimistic that we’re going to be able to have community vaccination probably February — could be as late as March — but we’re going

guaranteed

2021 FORECAST to watch that very carefully.” Just as how things had been incredibly fluid throughout 2020 regarding the virus and the response from the medical world, the same remains true in 2021, said Suzie Socier, marketing director at Paramount Urgent Care. “Of course, the way that they’re distributing it, it could take a long time to work through everyone even though they have a protocol who is going to first receive it — it takes time,” Socier said. “And not every state is going to receive it at the same time.” Along with patience, there also has been a call for everyone to educate themselves on the vaccine and know it is safe. There have been minor side effects that have arisen in some people — such as soreness at the injection site and temporary effects such as fatigue and headache — but experts say it’s worth it to protect yourself and others from COVID-19. Above all, the vaccine is a way to move forward and restore something that many people have lost: Hope. “I just look forward to the day when hope returns,” Andree said. “It provides hope for many where their hopes were changed or altered in so many ways, and it provides a new hope for many things in their lives with this possibility of return to work, return to health and return to socializing in a way that we are more familiar with prior to the pandemic.”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Healthy start The new Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital will open its doors Jan. 30 and offer its services to a growing community in Southwest Orange County. TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

alking around an empty second floor, Brian Wetzel basks in the shiny sheen of the new Orlando Health Horizon West Hospital he oversees. It’s Friday, Dec. 11, and Wetzel, who serves as the hospital’s chief operation officer, gleefully goes from floor to floor to point out all of the hospital’s operations and what the new facility will offer to its future patients. The hospital has been a long time in the making, and on Saturday, Jan. 30, it will make its grand debut. “I’d be lying if there wasn’t some anxiousness,” Wetzel said. “But to that point, we have got the great benefit of having the entire month of January — now that all of our inspections are complete and the building has been turned over to us — we’ve got plans in place that allow us to get the team who are going to be supporting Horizon West Hospital and its patients in the building the entire month. “Imagine the nursing teams, the respiratory teams … in this building the month of January running mock drills, running different patient scenarios,” he said. “We have that entire month of January to make certain come

Jan. 30 that everybody who works in the facility knows where to find what it is that they need to find.” PROUD MOMENT

For the past two years, the Orlando Health Emergency Department in Horizon West has served the community’s urgent health care needs, and now that the hospital is joining it, the complete vision finally will be realized. “The Horizon West Emergency Department team have given us a legacy to build on for when we get the hospital open,” Wetzel said. “We’re going to continue with that trend of making certain that patients, when they come to us here at Horizon West Hospital, they leave feeling like they don’t want to go anywhere else for their care.” The hospital and emergency department are located on a 40-acre parcel on Porter Road — just off Avalon Road — and the hospital itself spans a total of 214,000 square feet over six stories. It will have a capacity of 120 patient beds. On opening day, only the first three floors will be operational — with the third floor acting as the inpatient floor with 30 beds. The facility will start by offering the fundamental procedures and options that any hospital would. When the hospital is in need of expansion to the fourth floor, the

Troy Herring

The new hospital will look to grow alongside the budding Horizon West community in the coming years.

third floor will become the hospital’s ICU. Currently, the fourth floor is built out and furnished but hasn’t yet been equipped. “What that allows us to do is, as we grow and volume warrants us expanding to the fourth floor, it’s

really — at that point — a matter of weeks to get the fourth floor operational as opposed to months had we not built it out and furnished it the way we had,” Wetzel said. “The fifth and sixth floor are shelled floors — we haven’t done

anything with those yet. They’re bare concrete at this point, but obviously, the vision is for us to grow and complete those floors as needed so we’ll have an entire facility.” As you enter the first floor — the lobby area — you’re met with a facility filled with natural light that pours through the large glass panes on the front of the building. There is the reception area and just next to it is a space for pre-admission testing. The first floor also is home to the chapel, administrative offices, a conference space, gift shop and cafeteria/food services area. Wetzel said the hospital hopes local organizations — whether that be businesses, Rotary and so on —

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GROWING WITH THE COMMUNITY

Although the new facility will

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

2021 FORECAST

The COVID-19 Vaccine is

impress immediately, it also represents only one phase of a much larger vision. Along with the 40-acre parcel the two current facilities occupy, there’s another 40-acre parcel Orlando Health bought just to the east. Wetzel said it could be the home for additional medical facilities. “Our good fortune of being here as Horizon West grows, and as we come to understand this community, is we’ll also understand the health care needs of this community better,” Wetzel said. “Those needs, as we identify them, will drive what we do with the remaining property.” Though the process of getting this new facility up and running has been an adventure for Orlando Health, for Wetzel it’s something that he feels will pay off. “The most challenging thing is getting a team in place that is confident, capable and prepared to open up a facility and care best for patients,” Wetzel said. “In my quiet moments, that’s what I give most thought to. It’s not turning the lights on and getting the building in a beautiful state. It’s more making certain that we have the experts in all of the areas that are necessary so that when we open these doors, we can stand tall and proud next to this community, within this community, and care for those folks who trust us when they walk through those front doors.”

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would make use of the conference center for meetings if they need it. After an elevator ride up one floor, you’ll find what Wetzel called the hospital’s interventional platform. Here, you will find the pharmacy; a sterile-processing space where surgical equipment is cleaned; pre-op space; endobronch suites; surgical suites; cath labs; cardiodiagnostics space; and the lab — all of which are fit into a 56,000-square-foot level. Altogether, there are five OR rooms on the second floor, although only four will be operational on opening day. Each room is between 630 to 680 square feet, which is important because that larger size allows more surgical procedures to be done efficiently. Along with the OR rooms, the hospital will have two cath labs — with one being operational to start. “The reason why adjacency is so important is because it’s efficiency,” Wetzel said of the second floor. “The fewer steps that we’re asking our caregivers and physicians to take, the better off they are, because volumes will grow.” One more elevator ride up — this time to the third floor — you’ll find rooms for patients requiring a hospital stay. With the floor eventually becoming the hospital’s ICU, the 30 rooms on the third floor can accommodate ICU-level patients and include state-of-the-art tech to monitor patients. There’s also a small perk for those who stay in a room on the south side of the floor. Windows give patients a view toward the Disney area — meaning whenever Disney goes back to fireworks shows, those patients will get a little Disney magic to go with their stay.

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OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

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Local Realtors expect the booming real-estate market in Central Florida to continue on a similar path in 2021.

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DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Most of all I want to thank the many of you for trusting in me to either sell your home or purchase a home, and sometimes both. The many referrals I have received, the many friends I have made and continue to make. I couldn’t have been as successful as I have been and continue to be without each and every one of you, I thank you for that. I just want you to know just because you don’t see my ad in the paper doesn’t mean I am not still working. I WILL STILL BE WORKING EVERYDAY!!! I just didn’t want you to read the paper and think something had happened to me. I wish each of you health, happiness and love in this New Year 2021... Remember, I am still here ready to help you with all your real estate needs...

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espite the challenges of 2020, the Orlando real-estate market fared better than many expected — and that trend is forecast to continue into 2021. When the coronavirus pandemic first hit, some people feared a repeat of the 2008 Great Recession. However, it turned out to be the exact opposite — demand remained high, and inventory remained low. The local market was hot prior to the pandemic, but other factors throughout the year contributed to creating an even stronger market, said local Realtor Christina Rordam — of Florida Realty Investments. According to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, as of November 2020, total Orlando-area home sales were up 20%. ORRA also reported that while demand is high, supply is low. Inventory in November 2020 was down 26%, with just a few thousand Central Florida homes available. “We don’t have enough inventory, and we haven’t had enough houses to sell to people,” Rordam said. “We have people competing with each other to have the opportunity to purchase a house.” Rordam said she foresees more of the same in 2021, especially as people continue to work from home and evaluate their living spaces. Other factors, such as historically low interest rates, also should keep the market hot. LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

As one of the nation’s hotspots for tourism, the Orlando area — especially West and Southwest Orange County — also has become one of the most family-friendly and most desirable places to live. After all, many families dream of having theme parks like Walt

PUBLIC NOTICE NOTICE OF MUNICIPAL ELECTION AND CANDIDATE QUALIFYING

Disney World or Universal Studios in their backyard. Things got tough for many residents last year, when the Walt Disney Company and Universal Studios announced thousands of furloughs and layoffs. In fact, it was one of the situations that concerned Rordam the most. “I was afraid this was going to be really bad, and it was … really bad for us in terms of some of the locals,” she said. “They were laid off, and that was not good, but also we’ve seen (the companies have) brought some of those folks back, and I think they’re going to continue to bring more people back.” However, there are plenty of people looking to relocate to Florida as they find themselves working from home. Especially for buyers coming from one of the coasts, Florida’s prices and taxes could seem “like a dream.” “We’re a destination state to begin with, and more people are rethinking where they’re at and the cost of living, and we’ve got a really good cost of living here for a lot of people,” she said. “I don’t feel that we have inflated values, either. Values have gone up … but they’re reasonable, predictable gains. Appraisers aren’t just going to sign off on something. Things are appraising correctly. I’m not seeing a lot of things under-appraised or over-appraised.” Additionally, statistics show the pandemic has helped migrate some of the Northeast population to Florida, the ORRA recently reported, “Websites like Redfin.com reported that in just their third quarter, 22,000 more Redfin.com users searched moving to the Sunshine State,” ORRA representatives said. “New York Redfin.com users are flocking to Florida, Texas, North Carolina, north Virginia and many

La Comisión de Servicios Públicos de Florida designó a CenturyLink como una operadora de telecomunicaciones que está calificada dentro de su área de servicio para proporcionar servicios universales. Las tarifas de servicio básico local de CenturyLink para líneas de voz residenciales son de $26.50 al mes y los servicios de negocios son de $37.00 al mes. Las tarifas específicas se proporcionarán bajo solicitud.

Ocoee for the purpose of electing two (2) City Commissioners for four-year terms, one (1) Commissioner from DISTRICT TWO and one (1) Commissioner from DISTRICT FOUR. Candidates for these offices must Qualify by filing qualifying papers and fees with the City Clerk during regular office hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.) beginning at noon on THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 2021, and ending at noon, FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021, at City Hall, 150 North Lakeshore Drive, Ocoee, Florida. The fee for qualifying for the office of Commissioner is $90.00.

CenturyLink participa en un programa de beneficios gubernamentales (Lifeline) para hacer que el servicio telefónico residencial o el servicio de banda ancha sea más económico para los individuos y familias de bajos recursos que cumplan con los requisitos. Los clientes aptos para este programa son aquellos que cumplen con los estándares de elegibilidad conforme lo definido por la FCC y las comisiones estatales. Los residentes que viven en tierras tribales reconocidas federalmente pueden calificar para obtener beneficios adicionales si participan en ciertos programas federales adicionales de elegibilidad. El descuento Lifeline está disponible únicamente para un teléfono o servicio de banda ancha por hogar que califique, y dicho servicio puede ser alámbrico o inalámbrico. Las velocidades de banda ancha deben ser de 25 Mbps de descarga y de 3 Mbps de subida o más rápidas para calificar.

There will be two polling locations in the City of Ocoee at the Jim Beech Recreation Center, 1820 A. D. Mims Road, and the Ocoee Lakeshore Center, 125 North Lakeshore Drive. Polling places will be open between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 9, 2021. Those electors who opt to cast a vote-by-mail ballot for this election must contact the Orange County Supervisor of Elections either online at https://www.ocfelections.com/vote-by-mail.com or by calling (407) 836-8683 and requesting a vote-by-mail ballot. City of Ocoee residents who currently are registered to vote in general elections are registered for this city election. However, those citizens who have recently moved into the City of Ocoee (or who have moved within the City) should check with the Orange County Supervisor of Elections to be sure their registration shows a current address.

FORECAST

Descuentos de teléfono e internet disponibles para clientes de CenturyLink

Pursuant to Florida Elections Laws, Chapter 100, Section 100.021 and Ocoee Code of Ordinances, Section 5-13, notice is hereby given by the City of Ocoee, Florida that an election will be held TUESDAY, MARCH 9, 2021, in the City of

Un hogar está definido, para los fines del programa Lifeline, como un individuo o grupo de individuos que viven juntos en la misma dirección y que comparten ingresos y gastos. El servicio Lifeline no es transferible y solo los clientes que cumplen con los requisitos pueden inscribirse en el programa. Los clientes que hagan declaraciones erróneas deliberadamente para poder obtener el servicio telefónico o el servicio de banda ancha Lifeline pueden ser castigados con una multa o con encarcelamiento y pueden ser bloqueados del programa.

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All eligible citizens are urged to take part in this election process. If you are 18 years old, a U.S. citizen, a resident of the City of Ocoee and of the specific District of any office being sought, have not been adjudicated mentally incapacitated with respect to voting in Florida or any other state, have not been convicted of a felony without your civil rights having been restored pursuant to law, and do not claim the right to vote in another municipality, please be aware that you have a right to be registered to vote in this election and the books will close for such registration on February 8, 2021, at 5:00 p.m. Please contact the City Clerk’s Office for more information at 407-905-3105.

2021

Si usted vive en un área de servicio CenturyLink, por favor llame al 1-855-954-6546 o visite centurylink.com/lifeline si tiene alguna pregunta o para pedir una solicitud para el programa Lifeline. 349051-1

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

“These days, we’re lucky to have two or three months of availability. We don’t have an oversupply.” — Christina Rordam

“People feel they’d be in remorse if they didn’t take action to purchase a home now as opposed to once interest rates decide to go back up.” — Jane Dunkelberger

“I have a positive outlook. I think we’re going to have a better year than last year.” — Christina Rordam

others.” Redfin.com Economist Taylor Marr said when the pandemic hit the United States in March, remote workers started leaving New York City in search of open spaces, sunshine and more affordable living spaces. That makes Florida one of the top candidates — plus, it has no state income tax. ORRA wrote that as the pandemic continues and people are more confident in their remote work and school plans, the trend continues. This could increase Orlando-area sales for months and possibly years to come. HIGH DEMAND, LOW SUPPLY

The demand for homes in Central Florida has increased, but supply is not in abundance — a big difference from the Great Recession, Rordam said. “We had an oversupply (then),” she said. “When all that kicked off with the recession, we had at one point 24 months of inventory. These days, we’re lucky to have two or three months of availability. We don’t have an oversupply.” In general, a five- to six-month sup-

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

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LOANS AND LOW INTEREST RATES

Another difference from the Great Recession is there are more regulations in terms of lending, and there aren’t as many adjustable-rate interest loans or stated-income loans. “People really have to qualify, lenders are much more thorough, and we have protection where people have three days to review their closing disclosure before they can close on the property,” Rordam said. “The lending programs are different, the guidelines are different. There’s a lot more oversight, there’s not as much predatory lending that’s happening, and there’s not the oversupply.” In September, Realtor Jane Dunkelberger, of UPSIDE Real Estate, said she has seen interest rates as low as 1.75%. “People feel they’d be in remorse if they didn’t take action to purchase a home now as opposed to once interest rates decide to go back up,” she said. Rordam said she believes these good interest rates at historical lows will continue for a while longer. Overall, Rordam said, the real-estate industry and consumers alike adapted well — and quickly — to their new needs. “Consumers, to their credit, have really said, ‘This is the new norm for the foreseeable future: I’m allowed to work from home, and I’m not going to just stay where I’m planted, I’d like to be here or there,’” she said. “I have a positive outlook. I think we’re going to have a better year than last year.”

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Phone and Internet Discounts Available to CenturyLink Customers The Florida Public Service Commission designated CenturyLink as an Eligible Telecommunications Carrier within its service area for universal service purposes. CenturyLink’s basic local service rates for residential voice lines are $26.50 per month and business services are $37.00 per month. Specific rates will be provided upon request. CenturyLink participates in a government benefit program (Lifeline) to make residential telephone or broadband service more affordable to eligible lowincome individuals and families. Eligible customers are those that meet eligibility standards as defined by the FCC and state commissions. Residents who live on federally recognized Tribal Lands may qualify for additional Tribal benefits if they participate in certain additional federal eligibility programs. The Lifeline discount is available for only one telephone or qualifying broadband service per household, which can be either a wireline or wireless service. Broadband speeds must be 25 Mbps download and 3 Mbps upload or faster to qualify. A household is defined for the purposes of the Lifeline program as any individual or group of individuals who live together at the same address and share income and expenses. Lifeline service is not transferable, and only eligible consumers may enroll in the program. Consumers who willfully make false statements in order to obtain Lifeline telephone or broadband service can be punished by fine or imprisonment and can be barred from the program.

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If you live in a CenturyLink service area, please call 1-855-954-6546 or visit centurylink.com/lifeline with questions or to request an application for the Lifeline program.

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“

ply is what housing economists consider an indicator of a healthy market balanced between buyers and sellers. In ORRA’s Dec. 28 market statistics report, single-family home inventory decreased by 184 and currently sits at 3,734. Condo inventory decreased by 42, leaving 2,277 condos, townhouses and villas on the market. That also increases prices. According to the Dec. 28 report, the median price of an existing single-family home in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties increased to $371,673. The median price for a condo, townhouse or villa increased to $215,000. The demand is so high that Rordam said she’s had many buyers purchasing homes without ever stepping foot in them. “I’m increasingly doing video showings — FaceTiming customers and spending 30 to 40 minutes at a property,” she said.

OBSERVER

OrangeObserver.com

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

2021

Three-lief!

FORECAST

Horizon High School, Lake Buena Vista High School and Water Spring Middle School all will open their doors this fall and relieve the community’s most-crowded public schools. DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

leven years ago, Orange County Public Schools achieved a feat when it opened East River High, Lake Nona High and Lake Nona Middle schools simultaneously. This fall, the district is set to repeat history with three new schools in Horizon West and Southwest Orange. Horizon High, Lake Buena Vista High and Water Spring Middle schools all will open their doors to students in August. However, for the next two years, Water Spring Middle students will be in their own wing at Horizon High while their campus is constructed. It’s the same format the district followed when Lake Nona High and Lake Nona Middle opened, said Lauren Roth, OCPS senior manager for facilities communications. The middle school had its own wing within Lake Nona High for a couple of years before its own campus was ready. “It gave the district a chance to alleviate overcrowding for both the middle school and the high school at the same time by doing something like this,” Roth said of the strategy. “It allows Horizon High School to get completed and

opened, but it also allows for the middle schools to get relief two years sooner than they normally would have.” What’s more, the opening of all three schools means relief for the district’s most overcrowded schools. According to enrollment statistics from Dec. 16, 2020, Freedom High is at nearly 136% capacity, while Dr. Phillips High is around 128% capacity. Windermere High is at 152% capacity, and Bridgewater Middle sits at nearly 174% capacity. “Those three high schools — Freedom, Dr. Phillips and Windermere — are our most overcrowded schools, and so it’s wonderful that we’re actually going to be able to relieve that,” Roth said. HORIZON HIGH SCHOOL

Orange and purple — the school’s colors — soon will be common sights around West Orange as the Horizon Hawks form their identity. Located at 10393 Seidel Road, Winter Garden, Horizon High is a $117.3 million project that is expected to be mostly complete by May. It sits on a 69.8-acre site and has a gross floor area of 372,493 square feet. It will relieve Windermere High, which opened in 2017 and reached capacity the next year.

Photos courtesy of Orange County Public Schools

As of December 2020, Horizon High School has all of its roofing on, and interior work has begun.

Designed by SchenkelShultz and constructed by Wharton-Smith, it is one of the district’s newest prototype high schools. “Horizon High School has all of its roofing on, and the windows are almost finished,” Roth said. “That school is at the point where they’re doing interior painting and tile work.” Principal Laura Beusse — formerly principal at Ocoee High — said she is thrilled to be leading the Hawks in creating their own culture of success and school pride. Beusse has been involved in five other school openings across the district in her career, but this will be her first as principal. “I’ve always just had the desire to open a new school on my own,” she said. “It’s exciting to be able to establish tradition, culture and climate in a school, and many of those things happen form the very beginning and at the direction of the leader.”

CONNECT WITH YOUR NEW SCHOOL HORIZON HIGH Principal Laura Beusse (laura. beusse@ocps.net) Email: 113-h-w-4_hs@ocps. net Facebook: facebook.com/ HorizonHigh LAKE BUENA VISTA HIGH Principal Dr. Guy Swenson (guy.swenson@ocps.net) Email: 80-h-sw-4_hs@ocps. net Facebook: facebook.com/ LakeBuenaVistaHS

Beusse said she has been working with the community and stakeholders through surveys and focus-group meetings to develop their brand. “The most rewarding part so far

is just getting the input from the community on what they want in their school, on the ideals that they want perpetrated in their school and the culture they want to see there, and the traditions they hope will be established,” she said. “They want a sense of community and accountability, but also compassion, kindness and inclusivity.” Beusse added that Horizon High will be applying to become a Cambridge school, which offers the Cambridge AICE Diploma. This is an international pre-university curriculum that prepares learners for honors degree programs. It lets schools offer a broad curriculum by recognizing the achievements of learners who pass examinations in subjects drawn from across the curriculum. The school also will have a commercial culinary-arts program, Advanced Placement courses, dual enrollment and career/technical education courses. One of Horizon High’s mottos will be “Elevate your pursuit,” which pairs with the hawk mascot. “What we want our Hawks to be able to do is elevate the pursuit, to take challenging coursework, to participate in co-curricular and extracurricular activities … so when the time comes for graduation, they will have elevated themselves to the point where they can pursue whatever their dreams are and pursue the opportunities that are in their path,” Beusse said.

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school. I’m modeling it after what we already had in place at Olympia called the APEX program.” The social-justice academy is early in its planning stages, Swenson said, but it also will follow the cohort concept in a humanitiesbased program. Students will be cohorted for English and social studies, and they will study those subjects through the lens of social justice. It aligns with Swenson’s vision to foster an environment of equity and inclusivity. “It’s just really important that the school as an institution represents and mirrors the students who are going to the school,” he said. “I am so excited that we have a name, we have an identity. I am getting the energy from the community. That area is really looking for its own identity, and a school can bring identity to a community.” WATER SPRING MIDDLE

Lake Buena Vista High School’s campus spans 50 acres.

Also on Horizon High’s campus will be a bus depot and fueling station for the southwest part of the district. LAKE BUENA VISTA HIGH SCHOOL

When talking to incoming students, Principal Dr. Guy Swenson noticed one thing they all seem to have in common: They love their current schools. It made sense, then, for the Lake Buena Vista Vipers to pay homage to both feeder schools through their school colors: light blue to honor Dr. Phillips High and red to honor Freedom High. Located at 11305 Daryl Carter Parkway, Orlando, Lake Buena Vista High is a $115 million project that also is expected to be mostly complete by May. It sits on a

50-acre site and has a gross floor area of 372,295 square feet. Designed by SchenkelShultz and constructed by Pirtle, it also is one of the district’s newest prototype high schools. As of December 2020, Roth said, the school is about halfway complete and is receiving its flooring, paint, ceiling grid and first load of asphalt. Swenson comes to the school from Olympia High, where he had been since it opened in 2001. He was a teacher then but now is experiencing another school opening through the lens of leadership. “I saw this as such a great challenge of, ‘So how do I stretch myself and do something new while helping the community?’” he said. “It’s exciting thinking about what you want to do differently, reflecting upon the years of being a teacher,

the years of being assistant principal — and I’ve been a principal for eight years now. Upon reflection of being a leader for that long, (I thought), ‘What new thing do I really want to be able to create at this school?’” Like Horizon High, Lake Buena Vista High also will be applying to become a Cambridge school. However, Swenson said, the Vipers also will have two academies on campus — an Alpha academy and a social-justice academy. “(Alpha) will be for our most academically talented students to push them further,” Swenson said. “That’s going to be tied in with the Cambridge diploma … but you don’t have to be in the Alpha academy to get the Cambridge diploma. ... The classes are cohorted, so it’s kind of like a school within a

Although it doesn’t yet have a campus to call its own — that will open in 2023 — Water Spring Middle now has an identity and a partner in Horizon High. For the 2021-22 and 2022-23 school years, students zoned for Water Spring Middle — previously known as Site 65-M-W-4 — will be temporarily housed in a separate wing at Horizon High until their own campus is built adjacent to Water Spring Elementary. Design meetings for that campus will begin in March. Beusse also will act as principal for the Water Spring Middle students during their time at Horizon High, but they will have their own assistant principal. “I was really excited that our district moved forward with naming the school so those students would have an identity the two

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

WHAT’S MY ZONE? Last fall, the School Board approved rezonings for Horizon and Lake Buena Vista high schools. For Horizon High, the impacted schools are West Orange and Windermere high schools. To view Horizon High’s interactive zone map, visit bit. ly/3ocwbwc. For Lake Buena Vista High, the impacted schools are Dr. Phillips and Freedom high schools. To view Lake Buena Vista High’s interactive zone map, visit bit.ly/3nbCmz9. For Water Spring Middle, only Bridgewater Middle is impacted. To view Water Spring Middle’s interactive zone map, visit bit. ly/2XbMTzT. More information on school rezoning — including attendance-zone maps — can be found by visiting bit. ly/2KZ2AYF.

years they’re on the high-school campus, because they’re not just our guest for the two years,” she said. “They’re their own school, and they will have their own identity, their own colors and their own name.” The middle-schoolers will have their own transportation, and they will arrive at about the time third period begins for the high school. They will have their own lunch shift and stairwell, and they will use separate locker rooms for dressing out for physical-education classes. “We’ll be able to make a lot of things happen as far as sharing the resources,” Beusse said.

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Despite neither Justin nor Holli Trisler having done much in the way of woodworking before this year, their deep need to be productive and find a means to bring in money inspired them to take on a journey of this nature.

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kept them sane after being laid off from Walt Disney World. “It’s pretty bizarre, even for us, to say that we’re woodworkers,” Holli Trisler said. “About August, we visited our families just to spend time with family while we were off, and I think we were just so desperate for some kind of creative outlet — being performers not being able to perform — that we just started redecorating our parent’s houses. We were painting walls and building shelves, and I think we were just desperate to be creative in some way.”

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And they’re not alone. Mass furloughs in Central Florida’s tourism industry eventually led to mass layoffs. For so many, working for the Mouse has been an integral part of their lives. For the last several years, the Trislers had performed in the Little Mermaid show. In fact, that’s how they met. “I never dreamed that I would meet an actual prince and marry him, and honestly, it was very much like a fairy tale in real life,” Holli Trisler said.“We both were kind of drawn to each other when we met. Even after our first conversation, I went home and I called my mom and told her, ‘I met my husband today.’” “It felt pretty divine,” Justin Trisler said. For others, such as Sheri Geyer — who is back to working remotely after being furloughed earlier this year — working at Disney was a dream she had held since she was a child. She remembers being at the opening of EPCOT and the spirit of the place, and eventually moved with her husband and children to the area in 1997. That move led to a 23-year long career with Disney.

When Disney and Universal shut down in 2020, many of those who were laid off found new means of making money via side hustles. Some even say they’d like to turn them into full-time businesses.

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can be tricky when dealing with customized logos. Geyer pays a few bucks to get help digitizing custom designs which she uses on a number of things — including jackets and masks. Another cast member affected by the pandemic is continuing a hobby that she has enjoyed since 2008. Lauren DeSantis, who was laid off in October after seven years working at the Disney Vacation Club, started The Good Vibe Candle Company, which helps bring in a little money to go alongside her recently attained job in the mortgage industry. “I just love candles, I always liked having them around — there is something soothing and relaxing about the glow of a candle,” she said. “I don’t even think YouTube was a thing where you could make something — I can’t even remember how I learned how to do it at that point. I just started experimenting making some candles. Then, about six years ago I started hosting a holiday party with my friends, and I would always give them a hostess gift … I thought, ‘I’m going to do the Bayberry candle, because I love the message that it brings; it’s something special.’”

Troy Herring

Justin and Holli Trisler have found their niche in woodworking after being laid off from their jobs at Disney.

For the last 13 years, Geyer worked at the Disney Vacation Club — where she spent half her year on cruise ships for her job. But when she was furloughed, she decided to take up a craft she had known since she was a little girl in Pennsylvania: Sewing. “It was just that my grandmother learned it from her mom, and I think back then it was out of necessity — they worked through the Great Depression and everything — and then mom would sew our clothes,” Geyer said. “It was cool to keep the tradition of a skill learned from one to another. My mom doesn’t sew too much anymore, so when I was able to get back into doing it again it was like, ‘Oh this is good, I missed it.’” In the last six months, she has worked to create customized designs on polos and bags as a part of her business, Sheri’s Sewing Sensations. Along with sewing, Geyer had been wanting to try her hand at embroidering — which she had done a little by hand before — but

NEW YEAR, SAME JOB?

needed assistance figuring out how to do it. For Geyer and the Trislers, YouTube proved to be a huge help in their endeavors to learning more about their trades. It was through videos and their crafty fathers that Justin and Holli Trisler figure out the tools they would need — such as the CNC machine they use to efficiently cut designs into wood — to get the job done. “Someone was like, ‘Can you build me (an essential oil shelf), but can you do these dimensions?’ And I was like, ‘Sure,’” Holli Trisler said. “We just did the different

Just as the case has been this year, the new year represents the unknowns that come with being in the middle of a pandemic. While Geyer and DeSantis both have main jobs going at the moment, there’s no hesitation about whether they will continue their crafts of sewing/embroidering and candle-making, but to what extent they’re not sure. DeSantis said she would love to go full-time and it’s what she is working toward, but she needs her other job to pay the bills. “They’re both full-time,” Geyer said of her day job and side hustle. “I’m very much enjoying it, and I just want to ride this wave and have fun with it, because you never know what it’s going to become. I would like for it to be a consistent all-year thing — I’d like to build a company and a brand to leave as a legacy, that would be awesome, but I’m just going to go with it.”

2021 FORECAST design and built it for them, and they paid us money, and we were like, ‘Wow.’” In Geyer’s case, it was getting and learning how to use an embroidery machine that requires a PES-formatted design — which

THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

Lauren DeSantis’ The Good Vibe Candle Company has helped get her through a tough year.

Sheri Geyer has turned a family tradition of sewing — and now embroidery — into a new job.

In Geyer’s case, going full-time into the sewing and embroidery business would require a lot of equipment — specifically an industrial-sized machine — but she said that she was completely open to whatever happens next. In the new year, she hopes to get a new website up at some point and get her branding out there on social media to help grow her small business. Back in Windermere, the Trislers — being the performers that they are — want to get back into the roles they had at Disney while keeping their woodworking as a side hustle. They already have orders well into January, so they’ll be doing it a bit longer at the very least, and they also hope to build their own furniture for their home. “We will keep it up to some capacity — maybe not full-time but on the side — and doing things on the side like that for fun,” Holli Trisler said. “It’s something to keep us a little busy, something to make us a little money and something to be creative (with).”

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THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 2021

2021 FORECAST

Courtesy photo

Bruce Jordan and his family moved to Edgewood Children’s Ranch last year when he became the executive director. From left: Joshua, Ashton, Indiana, Bruce, Caleb and Kaden Jordan.

A SERVANT’S HEART

Bruce Jordan’s first year as executive director for Edgewood Children’s Ranch wasn’t easy, but it’s where he is meant to be. DANIELLE HENDRIX ASSOCIATE EDITOR

ruce Jordan often jokes that he has been unsuccessful in trying to run away from Edgewood Children’s Ranch for 30 years. The ranch always seems to call him back, and he understands why: If home is where the heart is, the ranch always has been his home. Jordan, the ranch’s executive director, often is considered a “poster child” for the ranch located in Southwest Orange County. He is one of the prime success stories, a former rancher himself. Over the years, he also has served as a cottage parent and was mentored under the tutelage of former Executive Director Stuart Eldridge, who was preparing Jordan to take over the ranch in the future following his retirement. That day came sooner than anyone expected when Eldridge died suddenly in January 2020. In a year packed full of challenges and fires to put out, Jordan’s transition into the role was tumultuous. However, Jordan’s love for the ranch and its mission has kept him steady.

LIFE AT THE RANCH

Jordan first step foot onto the ranch in 1985. The ranch is a nonprofit organization that helps provide behaviorally challenged children and their families with a fresh start. It is a voluntary, live-in program, and both children and their parents have to agree they want to change. The children live in cottages with a set of cottage parents. Jordan, the son of a single mother who worked often to support him and his sister, said he was a troubled child. His father, an alcoholic, left the family when he was 2 years old. While his mother worked, he often was left home alone to do as he pleased.

Danielle Hendrix

Indiana and Bruce Jordan, right, with Bruce’s former cottage parents, Earl and Lynn Hotalen.

“I was pretty angry as a kid,” Jordan said. “I would fight everybody. I didn’t really get along with anybody except my friends. I had some really good friends, and then I had kids I was running with that were good friends but they weren’t the best influences. I found myself doing stuff like breaking into homes, property damage, running up and down apartment hallways and just breaking stuff. I was failing in school, and I just didn’t care.” When he was sent to visit a juvenile detention center, Jordan’s mother knew enough was enough. She found the ranch and gave him an ultimatum — it was either the detention center or the ranch. “I kind of fought with the staff here coming in through the intake process,” he said. “But once I got in here, the environment was just different. Earl and Lynn (Hotalen) were my cottage parents, and they’re still on staff here. Since the first week in, change started to happen for me. I didn’t get in trouble much because I was now in an environment where I had the help I needed for school.

“I had an example of a loving family,” he said. “The house parents here really care about the kids, and that’s a difference maker. I got to see for the first time how a real family setup is.” The Hotalens remember when he first arrived at just 10 years old. “He would get very angry,” Lynn Hotalen said. “He had this very white-blond hair, and he had some considerable anger underneath the surface. It would come out at odd times, but he was so teachable. He just wanted to learn, and he started to apply what he was learning very quickly. One thing I remember is that when we’d get together for our devotions or family meetings, the other boys very quickly would want to sit next to him. He made friends really easily. He just had a really winning personality as young as he was, and he had a sense of humor and was quick to laugh.” Earl Hotalen used to run the physical-education classes with Eldridge, and he remembers the first time he witnessed Jordan’s anger in class. “The day Bruce came in we were

having P.E., so he came into the P.E. class, and he blew up in that class,” Earl Hotalen said. “We saw him turn red. … We hadn’t seen something like that before. But once he blew up and got over it and we calmed him down — he had to learn to be calmed down — that was huge for him. He learned to handle a lot of that.” Jordan began soaking up everything the ranch had to offer. In his second year, Eldridge and his wife, Lisa, were Jordan’s cottage parents. He caught up in school that year, became a Christian and won the Rancher of the Year award — the highest award offered at the ranch. “It just changed the direction of my life,” he said. “My outlook on things was different, my heart was different, just the whole direction changed.” SUDDEN TRANSITIONS

After leaving the ranch, Jordan often came back to visit. He married his wife, Indiana Jordan, and both sets of his cottage parents came to the wedding. At one point, he and Indiana Jordan even became cottage parents for three years. “It teaches you a lot about yourself,” Bruce Jordan said. “I got to see a different perspective. I went from being a kid in a cottage to being a house parent in the same cottage I was a kid in.” Bruce Jordan also spent many years in the business world. Most recently, he had been a managing partner with Kymera, a marketing and advertising agency. Until last year, he and his family lived in Sanford, and he was focused on continuing to build his business. Even after his time as a cottage parent, he would come in once a week to relieve other house parents. He and his wife even took over a cottage for part of the year when the original house parents had to leave. He met with Eldridge often, and the two had laid out a long-term plan to prepare him for taking over as the ranch’s director upon Eldridge’s retirement. That changed quickly in January

2020, when Eldridge died of a sudden heart attack. “I was kind of numb,” he said. “I kept thinking, ‘This is not what we planned; this is not the way that we laid this out.’ I was in shock. A lot was happening. We went from one disaster to the next. It was a lot of crazy in a short amount of time.” As much as he loved Kymera, Bruce Jordan always knew his heart was with the ranch — and the ranch needed him more than ever. “At the time, all that mattered was, ‘What does the ranch need? How do we survive the next week?’” he said. His promotion to executive director came quickly, and it required the whole family — including four sons — saying goodbye to their Sanford home and moving to the ranch. Indiana Jordan said it was easy to get caught up in the whirlwind transition, but they fully trusted God’s plan. “At the end of the day, we knew that although it wasn’t our plan and it wasn’t what we set off to do and how we thought things were going to work out for our family, it’s definitely God’s plan, and we do surrender to that and let Him work it out,” Indiana Jordan said. “Everything happened really fast, but there wasn’t really time to breathe, because we went from Stuart’s passing to me coming in straight into COVID,” Bruce Jordan said. “It was just one thing after the other after the other.” Not only were the ranchers gone for an extended period of time, but also it was a difficult time in terms of adjusting policies and procedures to accommodate health and safety in a pandemic. It also meant the annual picnic was delayed until December, and the ranch’s annual auction fundraiser — its largest — was canceled. Luckily, the ranch has an army of loyal supporters. “We have a lot of people who love the ranch and have supported us for years, and those people have stood by us and helped us through challenging times,” Bruce Jordan said. “They continue to do that, which means if they’re continuing that, we need to continue our mission no matter what craziness happens. … We’re in a much better place than we ever expected we’d be at this time through all of this stuff going on.” NO PLACE LIKE HOME

At the ranch, Bruce Jordan’s days often are packed with meetings with board members, staff, case managers and donors. His job is to ensure all the cogs in the machine are running smoothly. Sometimes that includes disciplining a child. The real fun begins after dinner, though, when he can focus on building relationships with his ranchers. It could be a soccer or basketball game, or as simple as sitting down with a child to talk about his or her day. “I believe … if you don’t engage with a kid on a certain level, they’re not going to respond to you,” he said. “They’re not going to care what you have to tell them or that you want to help. … It’s hard work, and our house parents and our teachers — our staff — we’re in the trenches every day battling for these kids and their futures. “I love this place,” he said. “This place is a part of me, and I get to take that with me to work every day with the decisions I make.”

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OrangeObserver.com

Lasting impact TROY HERRING SPORTS EDITOR

n March 13, 2020, the end of the spring season for high school sports was happening, and nobody knew it. In the following weeks and months, COVID-19 shut down all athletics, kicking off a cascade of changes both on and off the field. Schools, coaches and athletes adapted. As the fall season began, the Florida High School Athletics Association and Orange County Public Schools discussed what steps were necessary to keep the season alive, including its crown jewel of football. Discussions led to new restrictions put into place such as mask wearing, social distancing and limited crowds at games. And although those decisions were difficult, nothing was more challenging than trying to get people to think differently about how the season should look, said Doug Patterson — the senior administrator for athletics and activities at OCPS. “This has just been a pandemic that none of us has been through before,” he said. “I think that it has been something that has constantly changed as it continues to evolve with what the best practices are. The biggest challenge is that we have had to teach our people of a different way of thinking — the normal way that you have done things is not how we can execute our game plan with our practices, our games and everything we do during a normal season.”

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“Obviously (it was) a really unique year as far as recruiting and your ability to have in-person contact and be able to sit with them and their family at their home — or have them in for official visits,” Heupel said. “But through the unique process of recruiting this year, I do feel like I got a chance to really get to know kids and find out their make-up and kind of find out what their drive is as well.” In fact, in-person recruiting

visits for Division I programs is on hold until April 15 — something that significantly affects the 2022 class. But even bigger: The NCAA approved to give all collegiate athletes — Division I to III, NAIA and NJCAA — an extra year of eligibility. Although many coaches support the extra year, it has created a headache for both colleges and high school athletes looking to play at the next level.

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“It really hurts teams like FCS and Division II, because all of these schools — even NAIA — have granted the extra year of eligibility,” said Brad Lord, who now serves as the football operations and athletic collegiate placement director at Foundation Academy. “Now, some of the big schools are talking their seniors out of coming back for the extra year. But say it’s a Power 5 school and they have 35 scholarships available for freshmen. Depending on how many seniors stay for the extra year of eligibility and who they want to stay for the extra year, that number (35) could be cut in half. So the effects are major.” TRICKLE-DOWN EFFECT

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As the winter sports season continues into 2021, the start of the spring season now is upon us, and right now, the county is still figuring out its plans for the new year, Patterson said. “We’re preparing for the spring that we are going to be in the same climate we currently are,” Patterson said. “Our spring sports start right when we get back from the winter break, so we are finalizing our guidelines now, and that will be presented to the group here within Orange County.” While the county looks to keep seasons as safe as possible, there’s no doubt that games will be canceled — something many schools such as Windermere Prep already have experienced. Although the Lakers haven’t had any issues with COVID-19, other programs they were supposed to face have, leading to canceled games. Just as it has been for the last several months, nothing in the future is certain, and that requires patience and a flexibility to get things done safely. At this point, that’s all they can ask for, Hoff said. “We have our protocols that we adhere to pretty strictly,” Hoff said. “All the administrators and all of the coaches around town are doing a good job just getting games in as safely as possible, and I’m happy to see it for the kids.”

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normally would be, said Windermere Prep basketball coach Brian Hoff. Hoff said he believed the Class of 2021 will feel the most effects. However, the Class of 2022 also will suffer consequences in changes to recruiting. Normally, the recruiting process really starts during an athlete’s junior season. However, that hasn’t been the case for today’s juniors. “Typically in the fall, we would have had college coaches in and out of our gym, and with COVID this year, that couldn’t happen,” Hoff said. “Our two juniors who are playing a ton of minutes right now — Jayden Williams and Drew Kousaie — would be on the radar for some folks. It’s changed; we’re going to have to do more by film until they can get out.” What’s more, some athletes may decide to go the junior college or prep school route to get in some extra experience and make up for lost playing time before transferring to a higher level. That option also means that the transfer portal will factor into the recruiting process. “That transfer portal is going to go absolutely nuts,” Lord said. “That’s the other thing that coaches will have to see — who is going into the portal before they offer the freshmen. What I see is recruiting will be behind.”

In 2020, COVID-19 wreaked havoc on sports near and far. Athletics will continue to see changes off and on the field this year and beyond.

The havoc on the season is the most obvious challenge that many student-athletes faced — with some seniors losing their last year of sports — but what isn’t as obvious is the effect COVID-19 has had on recruiting; especially for those in the 2021 and 2022 classes. During a press conference on Early National Signing Day, University of Central Florida head coach Josh Heupel revealed how his Knights football program was dealing with recruiting. Unlike previous years, the program only had a handful of commits from Florida and cast out a larger net.

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