Tiffany Moore Russell has thrown her name into the ring for the 2026 election for Orange County Mayor. Russell currently serves as the Orange County Clerk of Courts. She made history in 2014 when she was the first African American female clerk elected in Florida and the first African American clerk in Orange County. Previously, she was a District 6 Orange County commissioner. She was elected to the Orange County Commission in 2006 and was the youngest commissioner ever elected. She served two terms on the commission.
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS TO OUR NEW PODCAST
In partnership with Foundation Academy, the Observer is proud to present “Between Faith and Reason,” our new podcast. This podcast is a platform designed to enhance, challenge and inspire your journey as individuals, with your families and in your community. In addition to myriad podcast guests, host Jeff Lawrence also hopes to shepherd a dialogue between our community and the podcast. If you have questions or topics you want discussed, you can do so by emailing Editor and Publisher Michael Eng, meng@orangeobserver.com.
Please put “Between Faith and Reason Podcast” in the subject line. You can listen at foundationacademy.net/between-faithand-reason or by searching for “Between Faith and Reason” in your podcast app of choice.
NEIGHBORS. YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD.
POPS CULTURE
Rotary Club of Winter Garden guests filled the lawn of Newton Park for the club’s annual Evening at the Pops Saturday, March 29. The evening featured Winter Garden’s own Plant Street Pops Orchestra. SEE PAGE 4A.
with
Irene, left, and Bud Veit celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary at the romantic evening in the park.
Plant Street Orchestra took the audience on a journey through the decades with its performance at the Evening at the Pops concert.
Photos by Sam Albuquerque
Windermere considers golf-cart crossings
LIZ RAMOS
SENIOR EDITOR
Windermere Town Council voted 3-1 to have Kimley-Horn initiate an Individual Project Order to study golf-cart crossing locations in downtown Windermere.
Council Member Andy Williams was absent at the March 25 meeting, and Council Member Tony Davit was the dissenting vote.
Initially, the Individual Project Order selected nine intersections to review in the study, which would have cost about $18,890. The intersections were: Main Street and 11th Avenue; Main Street and 10th Avenue; Main Street and Eighth Avenue; Main Street and Seventh Avenue; Main Street and Fourth Avenue; Main Street and Third Avenue; Main Street and Second Avenue; Sixth Avenue and Oakdale Street; and Sixth Avenue and Magnolia Street.
Council Member Brandi Haines said residents have not been complaining about intersections south of Ninth Street. She wanted to focus on the intersections of East Fifth Avenue and Oakdale Street, East Sixth Avenue and Oakdale Street, and
be able to cross Main Street at East Seventh Avenue instead of Eighth Avenue because of better visibility and slower traffic at Seventh Avenue.
Council members debated whether they should wait until the bridge is built to have the study conducted because golf-cart intersections will have to be evaluated then, as well. Davit supported waiting until after the bridge is built to conduct the study.
Haines argued the intersections she wanted to focus on are not impacted by the bridge, and, therefore, the town should study them now.
“This is a safety issue,” Haines said. “It has nothing to do with whether there’s a bridge or not. This is a safety issue for the residents who live in that corner of town who want to be able to come to Town Hall, be able to come to the library, to be able to come to the park.”
Limiting the Individual Project Order to three intersections will bring down the cost of the study.
Once Kimley-Horn conducts the study, the results will be brought back to Windermere Town Council
IN OTHER NEWS
n Council members Tom Stroup, Mandy David and Tony Davit were sworn in to serve another term on Windermere Town Council. David and Davit will be serving their third two-year terms, while Stroup will be serving his second.
n The council unanimously approved the second reading of a public camping ordinance that declared that Orange County’s ordinance relating to the regulation of public camping is effective within the town of Windermere.
n The council approved the second reading of an ordinance to adopt 2COP reporting requirements. The ordinance requires restaurants with 2COP licenses to maintain separate records of food and alcohol sales and submit reports upon the town manager’s request.
n A second reading and public hearing on an ordinance regarding noise from permitted construction will take place at the council’s April 10 meeting. The proposed change in the ordinance allows construction activity from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays. Construction and demolition would be prohibited
CITY OF OCOEE
NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING ENVISION 2045 OCOEE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN –A LARGE-SCALE UPDATE TO REPEAL AND REPLACE OCOEE’S COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN ITS ENTIRETY CASE NUMBER: CPA-2025-001
NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN, pursuant to Article I, Sections 1-8 and 1-10, and Article V, Section 5-9, of the City of Ocoee Land Development Code, that on TUESDAY, APRIL 15, 2025, at 6:15 P.M. or as soon thereafter as practical, the OCOEE CITY COMMISSION will hold a PUBLIC HEARING at the City of Ocoee Commission Chambers, located at 1 North Bluford Avenue, Ocoee, Florida, to consider the adoption of the City’s new Comprehensive Plan, entitled Envision 2045 Ocoee Comprehensive Plan, which repeals and replaces the 2002 Comprehensive Plan in its entirety, in accordance with the requirements of Part II, Chapter 163, Florida Statutes.
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF OCOEE, FLORIDA, AMENDING THE CITY OF OCOEE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AS ADOPTED IN 1991, AS AMENDED, TO REPEAL THE 2002 OCOEE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN ITS ENTIRETY AND REPLACE SUCH PLAN WITH A NEW, UPDATED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ENTITLED ENVISION 2045; PROVIDING FOR TRANSMITTAL TO REVIEWING AGENCIES; PROVIDING FOR SEVERABILITY; PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE DATE.
Interested parties may appear at the public hearing and be heard with respect to the proposed action. The complete case file may be inspected at the Ocoee Development Services Department located at 1 North Bluford Avenue, Ocoee, Florida, between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, except legal holidays. The City Commission may continue the public hearing to other dates and times, as it deems necessary. Any interested party shall be advised of the dates, times, and places of any continuation of these or continued public hearings shall be announced during the hearing. No further notices regarding these matters will be published. You are advised that any person who desires to appeal any decision made at the public hearings will need a record of the proceedings and, for this purpose, may need to ensure that a verbatim record of the proceedings is made, which includes the testimony and evidence upon which the appeal is based. In accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, persons needing special accommodations or an interpreter to participate in this proceeding should contact the City Clerk’s Office 48 hours in advance of the meeting at (407)905-3105.
The town of Windermere will look into other crossing areas for golf carts.
Foodie call
The West Orange Chamber of Commerce hosted another successful Best Fest — The Taste of West Orange Thursday, March 27, at Bill Breeze Park near Starke Lake. This was the chamber’s 20th annual event that serves up food, drinks and desserts from some of the area’s top eateries, dining establishments, bars and breweries.
An estimated 800 guests voted for the top booths. Best Food was served by San Jose’s, Best Drink was served by Pilars Martini, Best Dessert award was given to Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream, and Best Business was presented to HAPCO.
— AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE AND SAM ALBUQUERQUE
Edie Solomon, left, and her grandson, Emmett, enjoyed the beautiful weather and green space during West Orange Chamber of Commerce’s Best Fest.
Lucas Gonzales scooped up ice cream and sorbet for guests at the Kelly’s Homemade Ice Cream tent. Kelly’s won for Best Dessert.
Shelly, left, and David Ogden, Windermere Police chief, enjoyed all of the booths and bites the West Orange Chamber of Commerce Best Fest had to offer.
Right: Brooklyn, left, Brennan and Nolan Butler took a break from the King of Pops stand to test the inflatable sofa at the Horizon West Happenings tent.
Matthew Leiva, of MissingLink Entertainment, filled Bill Breeze Park with crowd-favorite songs throughout West Orange Chamber of Commerce’s Best Fest.
Heather Parker, left, Audrey Houston and Stephanie Lang, of Horizon West Happenings, shared JELL-O shots with event-goers at their West Orange Chamber of Commerce Best Fest booth.
Shauna Clemons, left, and A.J. Gladding, of Crooked Can Brewery, served up cold beers at West Orange Chamber of Commerce’s Best Fest.
Spring Fever blossoms this weekend
IN THE MOOD
AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE
COMMUNITY EDITOR
Downtown Winter Garden will be in full bloom this weekend during the annual Spring Fever in the Garden, hosted by the Bloom & Grow Garden Society and the city of Winter Garden. The annual event brings thousands of attendees together for two days of shopping and fun activities at the various vendor booths.
A list of vendors is available at springfeverinthegarden.org/ vendors-t, and a vendor placement list shows guests where to find their favorite vendors. They include a variety of foliage — fruit and vegetable plants, flowering bushes and succulents — plus jewelry, crafts, décor, furniture, yard art, garden items and unique merchandise. 2025 Spring Fever T-shirts will be for sale, as well.
At the Ask the Experts booth, guests who ask a question will receive a free plant. Available to provide answers are Bloom & Grow experts Katy Moss Warner, a professional horticulturist and former director of Disney Horticulture, and Van Donnan, avid plantsman and plant tissue culture pioneer. Ask the Experts will be located in front of the Garden Theatre.
The much-anticipated Chalkin’ It Up! sidewalk art contest will provide a colorful spectacle Saturday when artists create their nature- or gardeninspired masterpieces in sixby-six-foot squares in front of City Hall. Judging will take place at 3 p.m., and winners will be announced at 4 p.m. Cash prizes will be awarded for Adult Individual and Group, Family Group, High School Individual and Group, Middle School Individual and Group, Elementary Individual and Group, Best in Show, and People’s Choice.
At the Kid Zone, children can participate in a variety of activities such as crafts, fairy hair, dino dig, face painting, craft painting, bubble art and a petting zoo. A deejay will provide lively music, and a balloon maker and juggler also will be among the entertainment. Additional music throughout the weekend will be provided by Rumba Brothers (9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday), The Astronomics (noon to 3 p.m. Saturday), The Sandy Back Porch Band (9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Sunday), Don Soledad (noon to 2 p.m. Sunday) and Sound Traveler Band (2 to 4 p.m. Sunday).
If you’re looking to spruce up your lawn and garden, the Bloom & Grow Garden Society’s annual event is the place to be. IF
West Orange residents filled Newton Park Saturday, March 29, for the Rotary Club of Winter Garden’s annual Evening at the Pops concert. Attendees enjoyed an amazing performance by the Plant Street Pops Orchestra. The Winter Garden-based big band performed a spectacular high-energy musical journey called “Dancing through the Decades” that took those in attendance through the generations of music from the Big Band era to today’s hits. Along with the wonderful music, those in attendance also enjoyed the beautiful lakeside setting and cool weather that made the evening perfect for the entire family.
— SAM ALBUQUERQUE
Road work continues in Oakland
The heavily traveled roads will get either pavement or asphalt millings.
AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE COMMUNITY EDITOR
The hot topic of road paving continued at the March 18 Oakland Town Commission meeting.
During a discussion at the previous meeting, Public Works Director Mike Parker and staff were tasked with locating funds to either pave or place millings on specific town roads.
Parker reported back last week.
“We were fortunate in finding some funding, and that funding will be utilized in the Oakland Shores neighborhood,” he said. “That’s where we had actually placed, for lack of a better term, the Windermere dirt, which didn’t really work out that well.”
The town has been working to cut down on dust by experimenting with various road coverings, including crushed shell and dirt similar to what covers the roads in the town of Windermere. Nothing was a viable solution until the town tried recycled asphalt millings that are screened before being applied with a paving machine and roller.
A consultant hired will determine the priority list of roads and best material for each project.
The town also is paving several high-traffic roads. East Henschen Avenue received a conventional hot-mix paving Monday, March 17.
“That road we identified as a critical need to pave because (it is a) high-traffic road and a conduit to the charter school,” Mayor Shane Taylor said. “That road was really bad as far as dust.”
Parker and Finance Director Gabrielle Leon provided a memo in the meeting packet outlining the project: “Given the nature of the project, we have explored the possibility of utilizing Impact Fees to support the initiative. At this stage, we are unable to provide a precise cost estimate due to several variables,
IN OTHER NEWS
n Oakland Mayor Shane Taylor honored former Town Commissioner Rick Polland with a proclamation and a plaque for his years of service to the town. Polland moved to Oakland in 2000 and began his service on the Board of Zoning Appeals and Adjustment from 2005 to 2011 and with the Parks and Recreation Committee. He was elected to the commission in 2012 and retained his seat until his resignation in December 2024. He also served as a board member of the Oakland Nature Preserve and the Friends of Lake Apopka.
n Taylor also proclaimed April Water Conservation Month, April Child Abuse Prevention Month and April 4 Wear Blue Day.
n The Town Commission approved the consent agenda. This included a memorandum of agreement between U.S. Immigrations & Customs Enforcement and the Oakland Police Department, which requires local law-enforcement agencies to assist ICE in performing certain immigration enforcement functions.
“At no time will Oakland PD officers be expected to conduct immigration enforcement independently when not working in the presence of ICE employees,” the MOA read.
n Lou Lambros, the town’s community outreach coordinator and public information officer, accept-
such as road length, material type, and the number of roads to be completed. We are collaborating with one of our consultants to finalize the remaining project priorities and determine the most suitable material (either asphalt millings No. 2 or conventional paving) for each road segment.
“In the current budget year, we plan to pave East Henschen,” the memo stated. “Any remaining funds from (Fiscal Year) 2025 will be uti-
ed his appointment to serve on the ONP board of directors.
n Public Works Director Mike Parker agreed to take a look at more than one dozen trees planted near the sidewalk in the new The Grove neighborhood after a citizen complained of their location.
“Those trees are about a foot and a half away from the sidewalk,” Scott Hren said. “It won’t take long for those trees to grow up and destroy the sidewalk and then the town will be responsible for replacement.”
n Parker also provided in the agenda packet a report on other projects. His department is working with Florida Metal Craft on the long-awaited all-metal acorn sculpture for the roundabout at Oakland Avenue, Old State Road 50 and J.W. Jones Road. The town has been replacing the street signs in the older sections of town with signs depicting the new branding style. Since 2017, the town has provided potable water to 102 homes in the Lake Apopka Sound neighborhood, located in a portion of Lake County; in return, the town of Montverde provides sanitary sewer service to 18 homes in Oakland.
Eight years after the first customer went online, Oakland’s Public Works Department maintains 383 manhole structures, about 68,500 feet of gravity sewer, nearly 26,000 feet of force main sewer and 13 lift stations that pump an average of 150,000 gallons per day of sewage operation.
lized in the Oakland Shores neighborhood, in the form of paving or asphalt millings No. 2, as recommended by our consultant.” It will be a multi-year process, Parker said.
Town Manager Elise Hui said the town needs to look at speed deterrents, such as stop signs, speed bumps, speed humps or chicanes, because town officials expect to see an increase in speed on the treated roads.
To contact us, email to Michael Eng, meng@OrangeObserver.com.
PUBLIC NOTICES
The West Orange Times meets the legal requirements to publish legal and public notices in Orange County per F.S. 50.011 USPS Periodicals
WEST ORANGE TIMES
Shannon Phillips, left, and Tracey Morrissey danced on the lawn of Newton Park during the Evening at the Pops concert.
John, left, and Gisela Davis danced the evening away to the musical journey through the years the Plant Street Orchestra took the audience on.
Celebrating Ocoee’s Centennial
1965-1975
AMY QUESINBERRY PRICE COMMUNITY EDITOR
Walt Disney World was coming to Central Florida, and residents didn’t know the extent of the massive growth boom that was around the corner.
Among those who were prepared were hoteliers, including the men behind the Ramada Inn chain of hotels. An article on the front page of the June 8, 1967, issue of The Winter Garden Times announced the business principals entered a long-term lease on a seven-acre tract of land full of citrus trees owned by Clifford Freeman, an Ocoee businessman and Orange County commissioner, and W.E. Deacon.
The new 150-unit Ramada Inn was to be built at the southwest intersection of Highway 50 (now West Colonial Drive) and Maguire Road. Plans called for a seven-story building with penthouse apartments, swimming pools and an elevated sundeck. The owners had future plans for additions, which would give it a capacity of 550 units upon completion.
The hotel also boasted a restaurant, lounge, tennis courts and meeting rooms, and it was the first hotel in Orange County to receive a license to serve liquor with meals on Sunday.
Walt Disney World leased the hotel, and “everybody who was anybody” in the state was present to hear the story of what Disney was planning.
Through the years, the hotel hosted hundreds of thousands of overnight guests, its restaurants offered buffet meals to the community and its lounge invited locals to enjoy the most popular live music and drinks of the day.
The West Orange YMCA (now the Roper YMCA Family Center) took up space at the hotel as well. Prior to the Y pool’s construction in 1979, its swim instructors provided parentand-child lessons at several area hotels, including the Colony Plaza.
The YMCA offices were housed in rooms donated by the Ramada Inn before the Y had a home of its own.
At some point, the name was changed to Colony Plaza and the hotel was painted pink.
In May 2009, it was the end of an era for the 41-year-old hotel-turnedtimeshare. Hundreds of people gathered across Maguire Road to watch crews implode the building. More than a dozen workers had been on site for two months gutting the two towers and removing asbestos. The city had condemned the derelict hotel and used money from its Community Redevelopment Agency to pay for the demolition.
CARDINALS AND KNIGHTS
The Ocoee High School Class of 1967 broke records and made headlines for both its size and its antics.
Graduation saw the largest class in history with 75 seniors. Lynn Badger was the class valedictorian, and Rick Nolle was salutatorian. Graduation services were held in the school
n In partnership with the city of Ocoee, the Observer is publishing a 10-week series examining each decade of the city’s history.
library with Russel Bellow, assistant superintendent of the Orange County School System, as the main speaker. The Ocoee History Messenger, in 2002, shared the story of a “donation” made by the Class of 1967. The story originally appeared in the OHS newspaper “Campus Tribune” and was written by senior Barry Poteat. His article began: “Thursday morning was a day of recognition as the Ocoee student body witnessed the erection of a beautiful woodgrain-finish addition to the Ocoee campus.”
The rest of the story was told in the 2002 Messenger:
Seniors Ray Wood and Skip Foote were in the cafeteria trying to come up with a way for their class to be remembered without getting into too much trouble. Their brainstorming resulted in the idea to “donate” an abandoned outhouse they had discovered in the Gotha area. They recruited Jim Breland to help, and Jim
Pyle was brought in because he was the only senior with a flatbed pickup. After school, while they waited for Mr. Lily to clean and secure the campus, the boys visited Mr. Rochelle’s White’s Auto Store to buy 99-cent cans of white spray paint. At 10 p.m., they went to Gotha to pick up the outhouse and arrived on the Ocoee campus with their “gift” to the school. They decided the most appropriate location was, of course, next to the Administration Building. Breland acted as lookout while Foote, Wood and Pyle added a coat of white paint.
The next morning, all four went to school early to see everyone’s reaction. The outhouse was a hit with everyone, and even the administration thought it was a great prank. For several years, the outhouse occupied a spot on the school patio behind the admin building with a sign that read, “Donated by the Class of ’67.”
The original Ocoee High School was closed in 1975 with the opening of West Orange High School in Winter Garden. It served as a junior high school until it was demolished in 2000 to make way for Ocoee Middle School, which was built as a demonstration school focusing on technology under Florida’s SMART Schools Act of 1997.
In 2005, a new high school rose from the ground in north Ocoee. Out of four choices presented to the Orange County School Board for naming of the new West Orange/ Apopka Relief High School, members chose the name Ocoee High by a unanimous vote. The other three names submitted to the board were Crown Point High,
Platinum High and Unity High.
“We will carry forward, with pride, the name Ocoee, but for a new generation,” said Mike Armbruster, principal of the new school.
“Instead of the Cardinals, we will be the Knights, and instead of red and white, we will be black, gold and white. We will be connected to a proud and distinguished past through our name, but we will also make our journey into the future, tying the two together into a new and exciting history for the generations yet to come.”
The new Ocoee High’s mascot, the Knight, wears a gold tunic that bears the image of a rising cardinal, a nod to the original Ocoee High.
TOP PRIZE AT THE FAIR
For the third consecutive year, the city of Ocoee won the President’s Trophy for its community exhibit at the 1966 Central Florida Fair. Ocoee received the greatest number of points to win the trophy, earning seven first-place ribbons, six second place, two third, one fourth and one fifth.
The first-place ribbons were earned in categories for Best Decorated Booth, Citrus Plants, Ferns, Pasture Grass, Living Palms, Landscape Plants and Flowering Plants. A second-place ribbon was earned for the bicentennial display, as the booth was decorated in red, white and blue paneling. Jack Spivey, Paul Smallwood and Ed Watkins served as co-chairmen for the Ocoee Lions Club-sponsored project. More than 2,000 manhours of work were spent preparing the booth.
CELEBRATING A CENTENNIAL
2025 marks a major milestone for the city of Ocoee as it celebrates its 100th anniversary of incorporation, which took place May 13, 1925. The city is hosting several centennial events this year, including two key events: n Centennial Celebration 5 to 10 p.m. May 9 — Join city officials for live entertainment, food, vendors and activities at Bill Breeze Park.
n Time Capsule Ceremony 6:30 p.m. May 13 — City officials will hold a special ceremony at the Withers-Maguire House to preserve a snapshot of the city for future generations.
For information about the centennial, visit 100yearsocoee.com/ historical-timeline. Residents taking photos during the centennial events are being encouraged to use the hashtag #100YearsOcoee when posting on social media.
Some photos and information are courtesy of the Winter Garden Heritage Foundation and Nancy Maguire’s book, “A History of Ocoee & its Pioneers.”
The Ramada Inn was built in Ocoee in 1968 and, at some point, became the Colony Plaza. Locals called it the pink hotel because of its exterior color.
The Ocoee High Class of 1967 included, l-r: front, Shirley Armstrong, Gail Grider, Sue Main, Mike Johnson, Helen Cole, Linda McPherson, Amelia Scott, Phyllis Hall; second row, Jerry Gaby, H.A. Nobles, Randy Chisolm, Charlotte Byram, Nancy Maguire, Dorothy Hunter, Ellen Bremer, Mary Ann Eddy; third row, Wayne Catrett, Joe Stinnett, John Drake, Roger Wright, Billy Walberg, Sam Aldrich; back, Jerry Owens, James Hopper and Gordon Taylor.
The city of Ocoee won three first-place ribbons at the 1966 Central Florida Fair. The classifications considered best were Living Plants, Citrus Fruit, and Irish and Sweet Potatoes. The city also was awarded five second-place ribbons, three third place and one fourth place. It also took second place in the Best Community Story awards group.
BAPTIST
First Baptist Church
Pastor Tim Grosshans
125 E. Plant St, Winter Garden (407) 656-2352
Sundays: 8:30 AM Traditional 9:45 AM Bible Study 11 AM Contemporary Wednesdays: 6 PM Awana
METHODIST
First United Methodist www.fumcwg.org
125 N. Lakeview Ave., Winter Garden (407) 656-1135
Services: 9 AM Traditional 10:45 AM Contemporary Also viewable on YouTube
COUNTY LEVEL Commissioners OK $26.4M Tiny Road project
Orange County leaders also rendered a key decision that paves the way for the Ocoee sports complex.
MICHAEL ENG EDITOR AND PUBLISHER
Horizon West residents: Long-awaited improvements to Tiny Road are coming.
Orange County commissioners on March 11 unanimously approved a $26,483,823 proposal to add a swath of improvements to the Horizon West thoroughfare from Bridgewater Middle School to Tilden Road, about 1.9 miles.
The project includes modifying Tiny Road to include two 11-footwide travel lanes with a 22-foot raised median in the middle, as well as 10-foot-wide shared-use sidewalks on either side.
IN OTHER NEWS
n Orange County commissioners on March 25 approved amending the Municipal Service Benefit Units for the maintenance of retention ponds and street lighting in the Silverleaf Area. The estimated assessment for maintenance of retention ponds is $78 per lot, per year, and $257 per lot, per year for the street lighting MSBU. The MSBUs are effective Nov. 1, 2025.
n Commissioners on March 25 unanimously approved establishing Lake Star at Ovation Municipal Service Benefit Units for the maintenance of retention ponds and street lighting in the community. The estimated assessment for maintenance of retention ponds is $78 per lot, per year, and $270 per lot, per year for the street lighting MSBU. The MSBUs are effective Nov. 1, 2025.
CHURCH DIRECTORY
STARKE LAKE BAPTIST CHURCH
PO Box 520, 611 W Ave, Ocoee
Pastor Jeff Pritchard (407) 656-2351 www.starkelakebaptist.org
CHURCH OF GOD OCOEE CHURCH OF GOD Pastor Thomas Odom 1105 N. Lakewood Avenue, Ocoee 407-656-8011 EPISCOPAL
CHURCH OF THE MESSIAH 241 N. Main, Winter Garden Services: 8, 9:30, & 11am, 7pm www.churchofthemessiah.com
In addition, the project includes numerous improvements, including three roundabouts with crosswalks — at Bridgewater Crossing Boulevard, Hamlin Groves Trail and Orchard Hills Boulevard.
At the Bridgewater Middle School driveway, the county will construct a raised crosswalk crossing Tiny Road, as well as a right-turn lane that was requested by Orange County Public Schools. The district is donating the land for the turn lane.
The county also will install two pedestrian-activated beacons that illuminate when someone is crossing the road. Those would be located at Hamlin Groves Trail and Palmetto Park Road.
n Commissioners on March 11 unanimously approved establishing Lake Sheen Sound Municipal Service Benefit Units for the maintenance of retention ponds and street lighting. The estimated assessment for maintenance of retention ponds is $78 per lot, per year, and $352 per lot, per year for the street lighting MSBU. The MSBUs are effective Nov. 1, 2025.
This page appears weekly in the West Orange Times & Observer and online at OrangeObserver.com.
Changes also include adding rightturn lanes at Palmetto Park Road and Green Orchard Avenue.
Advertise your Services or Events on this page weekly.
To advertise in the Church Directory call 407-656-2121 or email AdvertiseNow@OrangeObserver.com
At the State Road 429 bridge, the county will construct pedestrian concrete barriers between the travel lanes and pedestrians.
Finally, the county will add a traffic signal at Tilden Road with dual left turns onto Tiny Road and onto Tilden Road.
District 1 County Commissioner Nicole Wilson applauded county staff for the proposal and said the improvements will improve the quality of life for Horizon West residents by giving them easy access to the Horizon West Regional Park and library branch both planned for the area.
“If you can visualize a Saturday afternoon in this area of not getting in your car and sitting in traffic somewhere — but actually being able to access our beautiful park, our beautiful library, and doing it all in a safe and beneficial way — I’m just really grateful the time and your focus on the other uses right around there,” she said.
n Commissioners on March 25 unanimously approved establishing Horizon Isle Municipal Service Benefit Units for the maintenance of retention ponds and street lighting in the community. The estimated assessment for maintenance of retention ponds is $78 per lot, per year, and $132 per lot, per year for the street lighting MSBU. The MSBUs are effective Nov. 1, 2025.
n County commissioners on March 11 continued to April 8 an amendment to the Orangewood N-1 Planed Development. The project sits on 10 acres north of Central Florida Parkway, south of State Road 528, east of Interstate 4 and west of Westwood Boulevard. The applicant is requesting adding 160,000 square feet of office use and 300 multi-family dwelling units to the site.
city seven parcels — 1053, 1059 1305 and 1113 Ocoee-Apopka Road; and 1102 and 1104 N. Lakewood Ave. Ocoee resident Dr. Jim Moyer spoke in favor of The Dynasty project.
“(I am) very excited about the proposed use of this land — taking what was a brownfield and making it into what could … put Ocoee on the map,” he said.
According to the county’s traffic analysis, the current average annual daily traffic is about 9,000 trips.
County officials estimate that number will increase to 13,700 by 2028, when the project begins.
Following the vote, Mayor Jerry Demings voiced his support for the project.
“(I) look forward to coming out and seeing some of the activities at the sports complex in the future,” he said.
DYNASTY PROJECT EARNS KEY APPROVAL
The Dynasty sports complex in Ocoee received a key approval from the County Commission March 25.
COUNTY OKS CROSSLINE PRESCHOOL EXPANSION
County commissioners on March 25 approved tripling the size of the preschool at Crossline Community Church’s planned campus in Horizon West.
County commissioners unanimously approved a fourth amendment to the Joint Planning Area Agreement between Orange County and the city of Ocoee.
This amendment paves the way for the 150-acre Ocoee Regional Sports Complex. Known as The Dynasty, this project will include sports fields, retail, restaurants, hotel, office and indoor spots facilities.
The church property is on 10 acres south of Old YMCA Road and west of Lake Hickory Nut Drive.
The amendment annexes into the
The church — previously known as Kensington Church — requested to allow up to 150 students in its preschool — 100 more than its previously approved 50 students.
“Our desire is just to meet the needs of the community, and so asking for the increase in preschool students is our way of doing that,” Crossline lead pastor Kevin Valentine said. “Every preschool in Horizon West has … a substantial wait list, and so there’s a great need. We would love to fill it.”
PROFITABLE PASSIONS
Children use their passions to spark the products they will sell at the Children’s Entrepreneur Market during the Homegrown in Horizon West at Hamlin.
LIZ
RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR
When Winter Garden’s Filip Vucajnk was 7 years old, he started selling bracelets he made alongside his neighbors who were selling lemonade.
It was his first experience as a child entrepreneur.
Since then, he has moved on from lemonade stands to participating in a Children’s Entrepreneur Market.
Not only has his venue to sell products become bigger, but also he’s expanding the products he’s selling.
For the Children’s Entrepreneur Market at Homegrown in Horizon West at Hamlin Sunday, April 6, Vucajnk is selling power cord bracelets and
keychains, as well as children’s journals, coloring books and bookmarks.
The market will feature children, ages 5 to 17, selling their own products with hopes of making a profit and growing their businesses.
Vucajnk, 12, said he loves participating in the markets because it gives him the opportunity to meet new people.
While participating at a Children’s Entrepreneur Market at the University of Central Florida in the fall, Vucajnk met a professor who taught him a fun fact about the power cords Vucajnk uses for his bracelets. Music teachers use the cords to restring pianos.
“I like finding out new things,”
Vucajnk said.
To show his potential customers his bracelets are of his own making, Vucajnk has demonstrated how he makes his bracelets during the market.
“It’s really fun to show people new things and get them to find out how to enjoy their time,” he said.
Vucajnk decided to expand his business, FiliPrints, to include journals after seeing his mother, Suzana Vucajnk, creating journals for women and people with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder. To reach his target audience, he created journals and coloring books with animals on them. He hopes to make journals and coloring books for adults to expand FiliPrints online.
Suzana Vucajnk said she’s incredibly proud of her son and all the ideas he has for his business. He’s willing to ask questions and put in the work to progress his business.
“To see that he recognizes possibilities within himself, it makes me feel very hopeful for his future,” she said. “I’m more than happy to support him in his endeavors, whether he’s making profits at this point or not. That’s irrelevant to me right now. It’s all the beautiful experiences that he gets to have when he’s interacting with all of these people at the market.”
Suzana Vucajnk said watching her son participate in the market at UCF
last year, she saw her son come out of his shell and be more open about sharing his passions with anyone who came to his booth.
“By the end of the night, we were chased away by this huge storm,” she said. “He was the last one to leave. He really wanted to stay and brave it out through the storm. The moment we sat in the car, he said, ‘Can we come to the next one?’ So it just shows how much he really enjoyed getting all that feedback and taking that in and coming out of his shell and showing off his skills and his wonderful products.”
With experience selling at a children’s market under his belt, Filip Vucajnk said he understands other vendors might be shy at first, but he encourages them to talk to everyone and share their passions.
Horizon West 10-year-old Victor Duran and his 8-year-old sister, Jimena Duran, said they are nervous yet excited for their first Children’s Entrepreneurial Market.
They are presenting their business, GreenDip, for the first time and will be selling their guasacaca sauce.
“We think we’re going to be famous with the sauce, because we think we’re going to go really far with it,” Jimena Duran said.
IF YOU GO
CHILDREN’S ENTREPRENEUR MARKET AT HOMEGROWN IN HORIZON WEST AT HAMLIN
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, April 6
WHERE: Home State Brewing Co., 16016 New Independence Parkway, Winter Garden
COST: Free
DETAILS: Support children in their entrepreneurial adventures as Children’s Entrepreneur Market partners with Homegrown in Horizon West at Hamlin.
INFORMATION: bit.ly/43wa0Zn
The ultimate goal for the Durans: have their guasacaca sauce sold in supermarkets everywhere.
Their organic sauce is made of avocados, onions, salt, avocado oil, cilantro, red peppers and more. Victor Duran said the dip is special to them as it’s inspired by their Venezuelan roots.
Jimena and Victor Duran have been working for weeks with their mom, Victoria Ortega, on perfecting the recipe at home in the kitchen. They’ve tried so many batches of sauce they lost count. They would make small changes each time they made the recipe until they thought it was perfect.
“We tried it and liked it so much that we decided to put it in the company,” Victor Duran said.
But what they like most about their sauce is how it can be paired with numerous foods from chips to meats to breads and salads. The family’s personal favorite combination is adding the sauce to their barbecue.
Hearing her children talk about their hopes for their business made Ortega emotional. She said she can’t wait to see how her children grow their business and how far they can go.
CONGRATS GRADS!
• Businesses: Advertise to parents, families & graduates.
Families: Place a personal congratulatory ad.
Schools: Recognize your graduating class.
Victor Duran, 10, and his sister, Jimena Duran, 8, hope the Children’s Entrepreneurial Market at Homegrown in Horizon West at Hamlin will be the start of the rise of their business, Green Dip.
Photos by Liz Ramos
Filip Vucajnk, 12, will sell the bracelets, keychains, coloring books, journals and bookmarks he made at the Children’s Entrepreneurial Market.
Winter Garden residents oppose stadium
LIZ
RAMOS SENIOR EDITOR
The Winter Garden City Commission approved a letter of intent to continue conversations and negotiations with Federal Finance about the potential development for a professional soccer stadium and more.
The commission approved the letter of intent 4-1, with Commissioner Lisa Bennett dissenting, during its meeting on Thursday, March 27. The letter of intent is non-binding.
The proposed development includes an open-air professional soccer stadium that would seat 5,000 people; a 60-key hotel with convention space; townhomes; multi-family apartments; senior housing or an educational facility; flex recreational fields; and public park amenities that includes a dog park and trails.
Marc Hutchinson, economic development director for the city of Winter Garden, said the estimated investment for the proposed project development is more than $300 million.
The development would be of the Strates Property, which is located on about 70 acres located at 1500 and 1700 E. Plant St.
STATE OF THE PROPERTY
The property currently is vacant with an Orange County tax code of agricultural because of cows currently grazing on the land, but its future land-use zoning entitles it to be developed into more.
It has a future land-use designation of Multi-Use Development, which allows a commercial floor ratio of .5 and up to two with a development bonus, up to eight dwelling units per acre by right, and up to 30 with a development bonus. The height of buildings can be up to five stories tall.
The Strates Property is zoned C-2 Arterial Commercial District, which allows a wide range of permitted commercial uses including retail, hotel, restaurants, offices, recreation and entertainment and upper-story residential. It also allows specialexception uses such as fast-food restaurants and drive-thrus, auto sales facilities, gas stations and warehouses.
The property also falls under the city’s Plant Street Character Area Overlay, which requires all new development to be pedestrian oriented with the commercial buildings located close to the road, fronting on wide sidewalks and multi-use trails.
“The goal of the development along East Plant Street is to generate the same type of vibrancy and pedestrian activity that we have here downtown on West Plant Street,” said Kelly Carson, the planning director for the city of Winter Garden.
POTENTIAL BENEFITS
TO THE COMMUNITY
Carson said although the city has received numerous development proposals that ranged in density and intensity for the property in recent years, none of the proposals had any direct public benefits for Winter Garden residents.
According to the letter of intent from Federal Finance & Federal Sports Alliance, the project is “expected to create jobs, provide affordable housing, enhance public
A
proposal for the Strates Property in Winter Garden includes a 5,000-seat soccer stadium, residential development, recreational fields and more.
spaces and boost economic activity within” Winter Garden and West Orange County.
Hutchinson said although the economic and community benefits would need to further be evaluated, the proposal could result in cityowned and managed and publicly accessible sports fields, including soccer and baseball practice fields, as well as city-owned and managed and publicly accessible sports courts, such as pickleball and padel courts.
There could be additional city park space amenities, such as a waterfront plaza and new expanded bike trails and multi-modal paths that will somehow connect to the West Orange Trail.
The proposed development could provide an increase in stormwater management capacity for the entire Historic East Winter Garden Neighborhood area as well as provide opportunities for new senior affordable housing or an educational facility for the public.
Hutchinson said there would be increased employment opportunities for local residents, particularly those in the Historic East Winter Garden Neighborhood.
“At this stage, we can see potential for a number of permanent and induced jobs, which is really direct and indirect jobs; estimated infusion to the local domestic product; estimated effects on a unique mixeduse ecosystem, bringing commercial energy to the economic base,” Hutchinson said.
Hutchinson said the development also could result in an estimated increase in the number of visitors to the area as well as the related spending that comes with more visitors to the Plant Street area and spillover effects into downtown Winter Garden.
The next step is for Federal Finance
and Federal Sports Alliance and the property owner to negotiate agreements, outline responsibilities and address any additional requirements for consideration regarding the proposed development.
MIXED REACTIONS
After hearing about the proposed development, Mayor John Rees kicked off the discussion on the proposal.
“From my perspective, we’re a long way from any agreement,” Rees said.
Rees said the city would need to explore what the city-owned property would be, what would be able to be used for the city’s recreational purposes, the investment from the city, impact fees and whether Federal Finance and Federal Sports Alliance would ask to reduce them, and more.
“It’s a conversation, and I’m OK with a conversation,” Rees said. “I kind of always have been anti-highdensity apartments. We would all love it to stay with the cows on it, but that’s not going to happen.”
Commissioners Chloe Johnson, Iliana R. Jones and Colin Sharman agreed.
Jones said to accommodate residents’ desires, benefits for the community and the developer’s needs, there needs to be conversation.
“By doing the letter of intent, this is the opportunity to talk about it, and it doesn’t mean that we have to agree or construct anything,” Jones said. “We all have to reflect. I feel the opening the doors to communicate and go back and forth is good.”
Sharman said the meeting felt like déjà vu. He recalled being a Winter Garden resident unhappy with the potential development of Winter Garden Village in 2006. He said it was a year-and-one-half process to reach a compromise that was best for all involved. Similarly, the city only
IN OTHER NEWS
n The Winter Garden City Commission approved the amended and restated professional services agreement with Fishback Dominick, LLP.
n The commission unanimously approved a purchase order with Middlesex Paving LLC for resurfacing services in the amount of $997,537.75.
n A deductive change order to Wharton Smith Inc. in the amount of $3,747,170 for the Crest Avenue Wastewater Treatment Plant was approved. The total project cost is $128,890,600.
can have residents’ and commissioners’ questions answered if the city continues to talk to the developer with the potential to compromise.
“We are so far away from where the city would even come forward with anything, because we have to have a discussion,” Sharman said.
Residents spoke against the project, citing complaints of increased traffic and noise. Residents said they acknowledge the need for development and growth, but this project is not the right fit for Winter Garden.
Heather Fraga, a fourth-generation Winter Garden resident, said Winter Garden is “not the sleepy, little town” it used to be as it has become a household name in Central Florida.
“Our infrastructure is at capacity, specifically the (State Road) 429 and even our little tiny stretch of the (Florida’s) Turnpike, you’re looking at 20 to 30 minutes on your commute in the morning and in the afternoon, so I don’t see how we can feasibly add in a large stadium with 5,000
seats and a five-story hotel, not to mention the shops and restaurants,” Fraga said. “I hope that our sweet, little town stays intact.”
Fraga said dealing with noise from large events a few times per year is agreeable but a few times per week “would definitely be a nuisance.”
Winter Garden’s Gretchen Tope said her main concern is the affordable housing residents previously hoped to have for the Historic East Winter Garden Neighborhood.
“This doesn’t sound like it’s going to include homes for the families in the east side that have been looking forward to this,” she said. “That’s one of our responsibilities as a whole. We are no longer east and west. We are one Winter Garden.”
Winter Garden’s Allison Painter said the city doesn’t need a 5,000seat stadium.
“You might be able to take that down to Lake Nona, where they have plenty of land down there, or anywhere else in the east side of Orange County, they have gobs of land down there,” she said. “I don’t see this project being what it is as of this right here. I would, if I could, vote against it.”
Winter Garden’s Janine Wilson questioned how it was expected to fill a 5,000-seat stadium when Orlando City can’t fill Inter&Co Stadium, which seats about 25,500.
Doug Laman, owner of G I L Inc., owns commercial property on East Plant Street and said he’s worked with city staff on development in the past. He said he has confidence in staff’s ability to work diligently on ensuring what is developed is in the best interest of the community.
“Obviously, I would have a financial gain, probably, if this 70 acres was developed and developed very nicely, so I would support at least a letter of intent to the city to discuss this,” Laman said. “To just turn it off and say no straight, ‘You can’t ever do anything with the 70 acres,’ I think would be a mistake, and it would keep other interested parties away from trying to do something here in the city of Winter Garden. … There’s nothing wrong with talking.”
Winter Garden’s Lauren Flemister said there needs to be a “happy medium.” She said some portions of the proposal were nice, such as the trails, dog park and recreational opportunities for the community, but a stadium would cause too much traffic.
“I’d rather have the cows, but I know that’s not going to happen, but some of the ideas they had were good, like the recreation for the community, but maybe not the 5,000seat stadium,” Flemister said. “If we could find a happy medium, maybe get rid of some things, add some nicer things … that the community can use without shipping in a bunch of other traffic that we can’t use, … then I might be for it. Otherwise, I’d be against it.”
Besides moving forward with discussions between the city and the developer, Rees proposed staff look into potentially having a referendum for a recreational fee so the city can own and manage recreational fields and courts for the public.
Sharman, with the support of the commission, directed city staff to look into the cost of purchasing the Strates Property and the logistics of having a referendum. Courtesy
Ahome in the Golden Oak community near Disney topped all West Orange-area residential real-estate transactions from March 10 to 16.
The home at 10143 Mattraw Place, Golden Oak, sold March 10, for $6,850,000. Built in 2016, it has five bedrooms, five-and-one-half baths and 4,244 square feet. These are the highestselling homes in each community in West Orange.
DR. PHILLIPS
BAY HILL APARTMENTS
The condo at 6222 Masters Blvd., No. B202, Orlando, sold March 14, for $796,500. Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,028 square feet. Days on market: 370.
ESTATES AT PHILLIPS LANDING
The home at 8827 Southern Breeze Drive, Orlando, sold March 13, for $2,063,250. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, five baths and 4,840 square feet. Days on market: 153.
GRANADA VILLAS
The home at 8069 N. Cadiz Court, Orlando, sold March 14, for $599,999. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 1,835 square feet. Days on market: 58.
LAKE CANE HILLS
The home at 7001 Lake Marsha Drive, Orlando, sold March 14, for $570,000. Built in 1971, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,826 square feet of living area. Days on market: 216.
LAKE MARSHA FIRST ADDITION
The home at 7600 Lake Marsha Drive, Orlando, sold March 14, for $1,070,000. Built in 1970, it has four bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 3,282 square feet of living area. Days on market: 128.
LAKESIDE AT TOSCANA
The home at 7631 Toscana Blvd., Orlando, sold March 11, for $1,674,000. Built in 2014, it has six bedrooms, six baths and 4,276 square feet. Days on market: Three.
SAND LAKE POINT
The home at 10193 Pointview Court, Orlando, sold March 12, for $690,000. Built in 1995, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,250 square feet of living area. Days on market: 88.
SANDY SPRINGS
The home at 7798 Snowberry Circle, Orlando, sold March 11, for $535,000. Built in 1988, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,034 square feet. Days on market: 24.
SHADOW BAY SPRINGS
The home at 5628 Baybrook Ave., Orlando, sold March 12, for $532,000. Built in 1983, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,045 square feet. Days on market: 38.
THORNHILL
The home at 11608 Brightstowe Way, Orlando, sold March 12, for $830,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, three-and-one-half baths and 3,594 square feet. Days on market: 133.
HORIZON WEST
ALEXANDER RIDGE
The home at 2077 Nerva Road, Winter Garden, sold March 13, for $624,000. Built in 2015, it has four bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,980 square feet. Days on market: 37.
ENCLAVE
The home at 6326 Swanson St., Windermere, sold March 10, for $1,175,000. Built in 2014, it has four bedrooms, four baths and 3,295 square feet. Days on market: 53.
HICKORY HAMMOCK
The home at 15687 Citrus Heights Drive, Winter Garden, sold March 14, for $880,000. Built in 2016, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,568 square feet. Days on market: 45.
INDEPENDENCE/
SIGNATURE LAKES
The home at 14625 Old Thicket Trace, Winter Garden, sold March 13, for $800,000. Built in 2006, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 3,076 square feet of living area. Days on market: 142.
The home at 6361 New Independence Parkway, Winter Garden, sold March 10, for $512,000. Built in 2006, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,862 square feet. Days on market: Five.
LAKESHORE PRESERVE
The home at 15687 Panther Lake, Winter Garden, sold March 11, for $2 million. Built in 2020, it has four bedrooms, four-and-onehalf baths and 4,343 square feet. Days on market: 20.
ORCHARD PARK
The home at 3178 Winesap Way, Winter Garden, sold March 10, for $548,000. Built in 2018, it has four bedrooms, two baths and 2,115 square feet of living area. Days on market: 143.
PALMS AT WINDERMERE
The home at 14410 Crest Palm Ave., Windermere, sold March 14, for $1,233,197. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 3,100 square feet of living area.
The home at 14428 Crest Palm Ave., Windermere, sold March 12, for $1,144,870. Built in 2025, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 3,199 square feet of living area.
SERENADE AT OVATION
The home at 17018 Clear Mind Alley, Winter Garden, sold March 14, for $520,000. Built in 2024, it has three bedrooms, two-andone-half baths and 1,836 square feet. Days on market: 175.
SUMMERLAKE
The home at 7910 Winter Wren St., Winter Garden, sold March 14, for $512,000. Built in 2014, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,901 square feet. Days on market: 112.
SUMMERLAKE GROVES
The home at 8013 Navel Orange Lane, Winter Garden, sold March 11, for $549,900. Built in 2015, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,916 square feet. Days on market: 19.
WATERLEIGH
The home at 10289 Merrymeeting Bay Drive, Winter Garden, sold March 13, for $650,000. Built in 2019, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,117 square feet. Days on market: 15.
WINDERMERE
KEENE’S POINTE
The home at 8130 Tibet Butler Drive, Windermere, sold March 10, for $1,800,000. Built in 2001, it has five bedrooms, three baths, two half-baths and 4,475 square feet. Days on market: 167.
The home at 8260 Tibet Butler Drive, Windermere, sold March 11, for $1,870,000. Built in 2007, it has five bedrooms, five baths and 4,291 square feet. Days on market: 64.
The home at 6234 Foxfield Court, Windermere, sold March 13, for $1,240,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,882 square feet. Days on market: One.
SILVER WOODS
The home at 9228 Palm Tree Drive, Windermere, sold March 11, for $550,000. Built in 1985, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,492 square feet. Days on market: 27.
TOWN OF WINDERMERE
The home at 16518 Sea Glass St., Winter Garden, sold March 14, for $545,000. Built in 2021, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,216 square feet. Days on market: 11.
WESTHAVEN AT OVATION
The home at 13271 Tollcross Way, Winter Garden, sold March 10, for $1,249,334. Built in 2025, it has five bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 3,577 square feet.
The home at 13235 Tollcross Way, Winter Garden, sold March 13, for $1 million. Built in 2024, it has five bedrooms, four-and-one-half baths and 3,470 square feet.
OAKLAND OAKLAND TRAILS
The home at 2261 Standing Rock Circle, Oakland, sold March 13, for $446,000. Built in 2019, it has three bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 1,753 square feet. Days on market: 135.
OCOEE
ARDEN PARK SOUTH
The home at 2110 Arden Oaks Drive, Ocoee, sold March 10, for $650,000. Built in 2014, it has five bedrooms, four baths and 3,718 square feet. Days on market: 16.
MEADOW RIDGE
The home at 483 Douglas Edward Drive, Ocoee, sold March 14, for $690,000. Built in 2011, it has three bedrooms, three baths and 2,388 square feet. Days on market: Two.
PRESERVE AT CROWN POINT
The home at 1827 Merrivale Loop, Ocoee, sold March 10, for $555,000. Built in 2020, it has three bedrooms, two-and-one-half baths and 2,182 square feet. Days on market: 14.
WESMERE
The home at 2162 Blackjack Oak St., Ocoee, sold March 14, for $595,000. Built in 1997, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,430 square feet. Days on market: 79.
The home at 611 Buckhaven Loop, Ocoee, sold March 14, for $569,000. Built in 1998, it has three bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 2,112 square feet. Days on market: 42.
The home at 407 W. First Ave., Windermere, sold March 12, for $2,625,000. Built in 1970, it has six bedrooms, six-and-one-half baths and 4,091 square feet. Days on market: Four.
WINTER GARDEN
BELLE MEADE
The home at 15239 Firelight Drive, Winter Garden, sold March 12, for $619,900. Built in 2009, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,381 square feet. Days on market: Three.
CARRIAGE POINTE
The home at 1854 Burdock Drive, Winter Garden, sold March 10, for $610,000. Built in 2007, it has four bedrooms, three baths and 2,581 square feet of living area. Days on market: 32.
LAKE COUNTY
The home at 9629 Quiet Lane, Winter Garden, Lake County, sold March 14, for $1,405,000. Built in 2016, it has four bedrooms, fourand-one-half baths and 3,201 square feet of living area on 5.28 acres.
STERLING POINTE
The home at 711 Archus Court, Winter Garden, sold March 12, for $385,000. Built in 2001, it has three bedrooms, two baths and 1,540 square feet. Days on market: 27.
STONEYBROOK WEST
The townhouse at 1118 Priory Circle, Winter Garden, sold March 10, for $330,000. Built in 2008, it has three bedrooms, two-and-onehalf baths and 1,625 square feet of living area. Days on market: 153.
TWINWATERS
The home at 16695 Broadwater Ave., Winter Garden, sold March 10, for $2 million. Built in 2016, it has five bedrooms, five-and-onehalf baths and 5,219 square feet of living area. Days on market: 144.
WATERSIDE AT JOHNS LAKE
The home at 1455 Viscaya Cove Blvd., Winter Garden, sold March 12, for $542,000. Built in 2022, it has four bedrooms, three-andone-half baths and 2,494 square feet of living area. Days on market: 118.
SPORTS
HIGH 5
1
With the spring sports season in full swing, West Orange and Southwest Orange are less than a month away from seeing high school football teams make their triumphant return for the spring football season. West Orange High will play its Orange/Blue intrasquad scrimmage at 6 p.m. Friday, May 9 and its spring game against Oakleaf High at 7 p.m. Friday, May 16. Both games will be held at Raymond Screws Field. Windermere High will hold its team scrimmage May 16 and host its spring jamboree against Osceola High and Edgewater High at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 22. Ocoee High’s Battle of the Knights scrimmage will be at 6 p.m. May 9, and spring game at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 15. Foundation Academy, The First Academy, Windermere Prep, Olympia High and Dr. Phillips High all will be on the road for their spring games. May 15 will see the Royals will head to the defending Class 7A regional champions Lake Mary High, the Panthers travel to Winter Park High for their spring game and the Lakers play in a four-team jamboree at Trinity Prep. The Titans will travel to Lake Minneola High for their game May 16, while Foundation will head to Seffner Christian for a 5 p.m. kickoff Saturday, May 17.
2
The Windermere High boys weightlifting team won the Class 3A, District 8 championship in both the Traditional and Olympia categories March 26 at East Ridge High.
“Extremely proud of the boys,” Windermere coach Riki Smith said. “Horizon, Lake Minneola and East Ridge have outstanding weightlifting programs, and I knew for us to have a chance, we had to be close to perfect. Everyone contributed; it was a total team effort for sure.”
3
Windermere football’s C.J. Bronaugh, one of the top college football recruits in the area, announced he will take four official visits this summer, stopping in Gainesville to visit the Florida Gators Friday, May 30, Nebraska Friday, June 6, FSU Saturday, June 13, and Penn State Friday, June 20. Despite being committed to play at Nebraska since November, the 6-foot-1, four-star defensive back has continued to be heavily recruited by a litany of powerhouse programs, including Oregon, LSU, Florida, Miami and North Carolina.
4
Ocoee High girls basketball coach Marcus Spencer has been named the All-West Metro Conference 2024-25 coach of the year.
“Being named coach of the year is the ultimate honor,” Spencer said. “(It’s special) when other coaches recognize the hard work you and your coaching staff have put in.”
5Legacy Charter football coach Zachary Fox has stepped down from his coaching position due to immediate familial needs and to pursue more opportunities to serve on international missions trips with his church. Fox will remain in his role as the Eagles’ assistant athletic director and teacher at the school. A permanent replacement has yet to be named, but defensive coordinator Jed Ebersole will serve as the program’s interim coach.
Ball Hawks
With 18 interceptions and 30 sacks through 10 games, the Hawks defense has been stifling the opposition and allowing just 5.7 points per game.
SAM ALBUQUERQUE
SPORTS EDITOR
The only question that might be more difficult to definitively answer than the classic philosophical conundrum of which came first, the chicken or the egg, is trying to determine which of Horizon High girls flag football’s defensive position groups are more responsible for its tremendous 2025 campaign. So far, the Hawks are 10-1, allowing their opposition to score an average of just 5.7 points per game.
So, which group — the pass rushers or the defensive backs — is more responsible for such a stellar start?
On the front end, the Hawks’ pass rushers have combined for 30 sacks and are constantly forcing the opposing quarterback into rushing through progressions, scrambling out of the pocket and generally creating so much chaos it’s impossible to make a good decision.
TFA hires new AD, FHSAA suspends Royals football coach for 2025 season
In a matter of two days, The First Academy announced Andy Chiles as new athletic director and received notice football coach Jeff Conaway will be suspended for the 2025 season by FHSAA.
SAM ALBUQUERQUE SPORTS EDITOR
In the span of two days — March 25 and 26 — The First Academy saw two paradigm-shifting events occur that will have major impacts: The hiring of a new athletic director and the notification of final sanctions by the FHSAA for the Royals football program stemming from its alleged rules violations in November.
NEW LEADERSHIP
The First Academy on March 25 announced the hiring of Andy Chiles, current athletic director of Winter Park High and executive director of the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, as the Royals’ next AD.
“Andy was the clear and obvious choice when we began our search,” TFA Head of School Dr. Steve D. Whitaker said. “He is a recognized leader in the world of high school athletics — not just within Florida, but on the national stage, as well.”
Chiles will leave Winter Park after spending the last six years leading the Wildcats athletic department, to lead TFA Athletics beginning in June. In his role, Chiles will oversee all aspects of The First Academy’s athletic programs, focusing on program development, student-athlete success and the continued advancement of the school’s athletic department.
“I am honored to join The First Academy and excited about the
Anna Currey, a five-year starter for The First Academy girls lacrosse and a University of Mary Washington commit, has been a key leader for the Royals this season. Page 2B.
Courtesy of FIAAA
Andy Chiles, the current athletic director of Winter Park High and Lake Nona High’s first AD, brings a wealth of experience to The First Academy’s athletic department, including serving as the Executive Director of the Florida Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
Horizon High flag football’s first-ever four-year starter Isabella Almarza (No. 11) leads the team with 14 sacks through 10 games.
Photos by Sam Albuquerque
The Horizon Hawks defensive front thrives on causing chaos by forcing quarterbacks to either make quick decisions from the pocket or use their legs to buy time.
Anna Currey
Through 14 games, The First Academy girls lacrosse player Anna Currey has been lights out, setting the tone with her production and leadership for a very young Lady Royals team with just four seniors.
With five years of high school varsity lacrosse playing experience, the University of Mary Washington commit and twoyear team captain has scored 28 goals, dished out 22 assists and snatched up 17 ground balls for TFA, leading the Royals to a 9-5 record; as of press time April 1.
As the regular season comes to a close for the Lady Royals Thursday, April 3, against All Saints Academy at home, Currey and her three fellow seniors will look to make some noise in the Class 1A, District 5 tournament and get back to the regional playoffs after missing out last season.
How does it feel to be named Athlete of the Week?
It is such an honor, and I am so grateful!
What do you enjoy the most about lacrosse?
I love the fast pace of the game and the teamwork it takes to succeed on the field.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learned from lacrosse?
You will make mistakes, but what matters is how you respond.
What is your favorite lacrosse memory?
Traveling with all my best friends on my club team.
Who is your favorite athlete? Ryan Tucker, because he has taught me so much about lacrosse, including how to be an incredible teammate.
What is your go-to pre-game meal?
I don’t really have one, but I always have my bottle of water with Liquid I.V.
What is your favorite nonsports hobby? I love to read.
Looking back, what piece of advice would you give your younger self?
To not take everything so serious and always have fun.
If you could ask your future self a question, what would it be?
How have you been playing at University of Mary Washington?
Who is your favorite superhero? Spider-Man because I honestly only ever watched his movies.
Who is your favorite supervillain?
Vector from “Despicable Me” because he is very funny, and I love his track suit.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
To teleport because I hate traffic.
If you could travel to three places in the world, where would you go?
Australia, Africa and the British Virgin Islands. I have always wanted to go to these places.
If you could be an animal for a day, which one would you be and why?
I’d want ot be a bird because it would be so cool to fly and see everything from above all the time.
What is your most controversial food take?
Ketchup and eggs.
Does pineapple belong on pizza?
Yes!
Horizon flag football’s defense key to hot start
On the back end, Horizon’s defensive backs have caught 18 total interceptions and are so adept to closing any reasonable passing window that before quarterbacks know it, the Hawks pass rushers are clipping at their heels.
Regardless of where you land on this brain-teasing question of football philosophy, one truth about this game is universally accepted: If you don’t let the opposition score, they can’t beat you. For this Horizon defense, its managed to shut out its opponents on four different occasions and hold nine of its 11 opponents to seven points or less.
“I always tell our girls that defense wins championships,” Horizon coach Ethan Mankoff said. “There can always be a day when we’re not catching the ball or passes are not getting to the receivers and we’re not being able to score, but defense is something that you can always lean on because its about effort, athleticism and making good decisions. Our motto is: ‘If they can’t score, they can’t win.’ That’s the identity of this team. We’re always going to harp on defense, and this season we’ve seen it pay off. When our starting defense is out there, it has just been giving teams a whole lot
PRESSURE CAUSES CHAOS
The truth is that every level of the Hawks defense leans on one another to create a symbiotic relationship designed to make a quarterback’s life a nightmare. Step one in accomplishing that mission is to never let the opposing QB feel comfortable in the pocket. That’s where Horizon senior Isabella Almarza — the program’s first and only four-year starter — makes her presence known.
“Not only is Isabella the glue of the team by helping bridge the gap between some of the new players coming in this season and the returning players, she’s just been a force for us on the field,” Mankoff said. “We really like to put the pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Because our two senior rushers, Isabella and Mariangely (Blanco), have a lot of experience and know what they’re doing when they rush the passer, they create a lot of chaos for the offense. That’s really been key for this defense, just having those experienced rushers who are able to come in and really disrupt things for the quarterback.”
Yes, the Almarza and Blanco pass rush partnership has filled up the stat sheet for the Hawks this season — the two have combined for 27 of Horizon’s 30 sacks through 10 games, with Almarza racking up 14 and Blanco 13 — but what makes them a special part of this defense is how their consistent pressure in the opposing backfield over the course of a game can creep into the subconscious of the quarterback.
CHAOS FORCES MISTAKES Imagine being a QB playing against Horizon. Almost every time you drop back, before you can even pop your head up to look for an open receiver, Almarza and Blanco are forcing you out of the pocket.
After three quarters of this chaos, no matter the caliber of quarterback, you begin to anticipate the pressure, maybe leave the pocket a second early or shift your focus to rushers instead of your throwing mechanics. Once the mistakes start to pile up and your confidence is shot, that’s when you begin to see ghosts. That’s when mistakes are made. And that’s when the Hawks secondary takes center stage.
“I firmly believe in putting pressure on the quarterback,” Mankoff said. “Most of the time the quarterback has about three seconds to make a decision — whether it’s making a throw, scrambling or throwing it away — but when our rushers can speed up that internal clock, force the QB out of rhythm and box her into making a really tough decision, it creates situations where if she doesn’t make the right read, our ball hawks are ready to jump on it.”
Those decisions become exponentially more difficult when you consider Horizon has two long and rangy linebackers named Madison Strain and Bailey Travis, who along with their length have the fluidity and speed needed in coverage to patrol the middle of the field; creating an almost wall-like structure in the second level of the Hawks defense that forces QBs to loft passes over the two to reach their intended target.
However, there’s just one more problem quarterbacks need to consider with that approach to circumventing the great wall of Strain and Travis, and that problem’s name is Nyree James.
“We have ball hawks all over the place in this defense but we’re led by Nyree, who has nine interceptions in eight games as our safety,” Mankoff said. “Nyree is a new addition to the team this year and has been a huge addition. She’s just an incredible athlete, she’s actually a D-I softball commit, and you can really see her instincts as a safety, playing the position like a centerfielder. Her ability to cover ground
is amazing, she’s all over the place. When you combine that type of athleticism with her natural ball instincts and ability to anticipate where the QB is going by following their eyes, you get a special athlete.”
CAPITALIZE ON THE OPPONENT’S MISTAKES
So far this season, the Horizon secondary’s ability to force opposing quarterbacks to throw interceptions, along with the help of its debilitating pass rush, has allowed the Hawks to turn defense into offense, as the defense often gives the ball back to its offense in advantageous situations. Situations on which Horizon sophomore quarterback Fabi Kreubel — and her vast array of pass catchers — has capitalized.
“With the added experience she’s gotten as our lone QB this season, Fabi’s definitely made a big jump,” Mankoff said. “The most important part of her game that’s grown is her maturity. She’s really developed in her understanding of the game, her understanding of the situations we’re in, her understanding of how important it is to take care of the football.
“One of the biggest improvements she’s made is learning not to force throws when her reads aren’t open,” he said. “She’s learned that it’s OK to dump it down to the running back or throw it away. Her mental growth and improved decision-making has been a huge part of our season because she’s limiting her mistakes and understands when it’s time to take risks. … She’s playing really sound ball right now and has been a great leader for the offense … and seeing her get to the point of almost being a coach on the field for us is incredible.”
Kreubel’s growth has not only been key to the offense taking a step forward, it’s helped unlock the full potential of Horizon’s potent defense and catapulted the Hawks up to No. 5 on MaxPreps’ Florida rankings; setting themselves up for a potential No. 1 seed in its district tournament and beyond. Mankoff and his Lady Hawks aren’t letting themselves get carried away though, their focus is on finishing the regular season strong and making history by winning the program’s first district title.
“It’s been a really good mixture of players who are all on the same page,” Mankoff said. “Right now our focus is to keep improving each practice, each game for the rest of the regular season so we’re prepared for the district championship tournament in about two weeks time. Our main goal right now is to bring home our first district championship, we’ll worry about whatever comes after that later.”
Athlete of the Week sponsored by:
Tournament raises $4,000 for late coach’s family
In 2024, Denzel Irvin — a football coach at Foundation Academy and individual trainer to many high school athletes in the area who died in December due to complications from a heart transplant— founded the Lit Nights 7-on-7 flag football tournament as a way to not only give local football players a chance to develop during the offseason but to also serve as a fundraiser, benefitting the family in which his new heart came from. As a way to honor Irvin’s legacy, Steve Grecco, Irvin’s co-founder of the now-named G.S. Elite 7-on7 team, Lance and Lester Axson, the coaches who took over coach-
FHSAA suspends coach Conaway
opportunity to contribute to an institution that values both academic and athletic achievement,” Chiles said. “I look forward to working with the student-athletes, coaches and community to continue the school’s tradition of success.”
The decision to appoint the veteran athletics administrator as the new leader of The First Academy’s Athletics Department comes after the school’s leadership decided to restructure the department in November in response to FHSAA sanctions against the Royals football program. As part of a six-pronged plan to strengthen the athletics department’s approach to compliance and transparency, the school decided to shift back to a model where its athletic director did not also serve in a coaching role, meaning former AD Jeff Conaway no longer would oversee the department and would focus solely on his role as head football coach. Assistant Head of School Will Cohen, the school’s former athletic director, was appointed to serve as interim AD and
will continue in the role until Chiles officially takes over in June.
“We are thrilled to welcome Andy Chiles to The First Academy,” Cohen said. “His heart to build Christian leaders and make disciples through athletics falls right in line with our mission. His leadership, experience and dedication to fostering both athletic and academic success make him the perfect fit for our school community.”
Along with the six years Chiles spent at Winter Park and 10 years he served as Lake Nona’s first AD, he also brings athletic administration experience at the state and national level — having served as the president of the FHSAA Board of Directors and president of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
FHSAA CLOSES CASE, SUSPENDS CONAWAY
The next day, the FHSAA notified TFA that Conaway would be suspended for the entire 2025 season for his role in the program’s alleged violations of FHSAA regulations last season. Those violations resulted in
ing duties after Irving died, and the team’s players decided to not only have each member of the team wear Irvin’s No. 25 this season but to also keep his legacy of generosity going by bringing back the event as a fundraiser to benefit Irvin’s family — his two daughters, Maya and Kehlani Irvin, and his fiancée, Ashanti Roberson.
The tournament was a rousing success, with team Excel Speed taking home the championship, raising more than $4,000 for the family and even managing to get a sponsor to gift the family vouchers for a weeklong stay at a vacation condo.
— SAM ALBUQUERQUE
monetary fines, the vacating of its nine 2024 wins — which resulted in the program missing out on the 2024 postseason — and a postseason ban for the 2025 season.
In this most recent notification of sanctions, the FHSAA did not present any new violations against the program or Conaway and officially closed the case regarding the alleged November violations.
Although Conaway cannot participate or be on campus for any football game in 2025, the suspension does not prevent him from continuing to lead
the program in its preparation — in practice, film work or strength training, for example — prior to and during the season.
When asked for comment, Cohen said the school is looking forward to its spring football preparations and future with Conaway at the helm of its football team and Chiles as its new AD.
“We are pleased that the FHSAA compliance audit is complete,” Cohen said. “The football coaches and players are eager to begin spring practice next month, culminating in
our spring game at Lake Mary High School Thursday, May 15. TFA’s 2025 football schedule will be one of the most competitive in the state of Florida. We are moving forward with tremendous optimism about the future of TFA athletics with Jeff Conaway as our head football coach and Andy Chiles as our athletic director.”
In the original letter sent to TFA in November, FHSAA Executive Director Craig Damon alerted TFA it would receive various punishments for allowing 10 student-athletes to participate in football activities without being enrolled or prior to being enrolled at the school (FHSAA 202425 Handbook policy 37.2.1) and for communication with student-athletes from different schools about TFA prior to their enrollment, aka recruiting, by assistant coach Steven Moffett and an unspecified representative of the school’s athletic interests (policy 37.1.1).
TFA appealed the sanctions and argued various points regarding the alleged violations from the findings of the FHSAA’s investigation.
During the appeal process, the school asserted all 10 student-athletes who participated in football activities had begun their individual enrollment process and were not enrolled at any other school.
Regarding its violation of policy 37.1.1, Moffett denied the allegations of recruiting players while under oath.
File photo
The First Academy football coach Jeff Conaway directed players during a 2024 spring football practice.
The G.S. Elite 7-on-7 team, co-founded by Denzel Irvin, honored its late coach by wearing his No. 25 and raising more than $4,000 for his family. Irvin’s youngest daughter, Kehlani, and fiancée, Ashanti Roberson, took a photo with the team following the tournament.
Steven Grecco wore a shirt remembering Denzel Irvin during the Lit Nights 2 7-on-7 tournament.
G.S. Elite athlete Daniel Stills began running his route during the Lit Nights 2 7-on-7 tournament.
Courtesy photos by William Preisser Javion Martin indicated for the pass to be thrown his way with his out-stretched arm.
INFLUENCER
OLIVIA VIX CASTLEVIEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Olivia Vix is a school assistant at Castleview Elementary School. She helps prepare and administer all district and statewide tests, maintains all students’ cumulative records, assists the registrar with data management, helps to cover the front office duties, assists the nurse with students in the clinic, supervises the cafeteria during all lunches and provides breaks to teachers as needed.
“She is a positive influence on every single student at Castleview Elementary and works with many of our parent volunteers who come in each day to assist us with lunches,” Principal Jonathan Rasmussen said. “When it is not lunch time, she is all over campus doing a million tasks to help the teachers and students. It is hard to imagine Castleview without her.”
teacher. He made learning fun and interesting.
What is your favorite children’s book and why?
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What brought you to your school?
I returned to the workforce after taking 12 years off to raise my two children.
What do you love most about your school?
I love that the teachers and staff make a great team and create a positive learning experience for all the students.
What is the most rewarding part of your job?
Watching the students grow every year and seeing all the ways they have succeeded.
What would you be if you weren’t in this profession?
I would have liked to have been a veterinarian.
If you could dine with any famous person, past or present, who would it be and why?
I would pick my dad any day over a famous person. My dad was not just my father; he was my best friend and biggest supporter. If I had to pick a famous person, it would be Jeff Dunham. He always makes me laugh.
Who influences you? My father inspires me daily. He instilled in me a very strong work ethic at a very young age.
Who was your favorite teacher when you were in school? Why? My eighth-grade Honors History
REPORT CARD
POSITION: School assistant TIME AT SCHOOL: Three-andone-half years
“Charlotte’s Web” by E.B. White. It’s about empathy and compassion.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
I enjoy trying new recipes and taking my two dogs on long walks.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be and why?
I would love to be able to fly. I wouldn’t have to pay for gas or sit in traffic ever again.
If you could only listen to three bands or artists, who would they be and why?
Brooks and Dunn, George Straight, and Reba. I love country music.
What was your go-to lunch and favorite snack as an elementary student?
Rectangle pizza from the school cafeteria.
What is your favorite holiday and why?
Thanksgiving. I love getting together with family and sharing good food.
Who was your best friend when you were in school and why? Are you still in touch?
Terri Tarnecki. We’ve been friends since we were 2 years old. We still keep in touch through Facebook.
What were your extracurricular activities as a student? Did you win any accolades or honors? I was in band. Played the clarinet for eight years. Placed superior at solo and ensemble competitions.
— LIZ RAMOS
Tildenville Elementary School students and their families were transported to a galaxy far, far away.
As big “Star Wars” fans, thirdgrader Jonah Peltier and his parents, Evan and Sarah Peltier, were ready to save the school from any enemies in the galaxy dressed as characters from the popular franchise during the school’s Tigers’ Ball Saturday, March 29, at West Orange High School.
Jonah Peltier summoned the force of a few “Star Wars” villains by dressing like Darth Vader, painting his face like Darth Maul and using Kylo Ren’s lightsaber.
“He’s the son of the Dark Side,” Sarah Peltier said of her son.
Several families dressed as “Star Wars” characters or to fit the galactic theme of the dance. Students received light-up foam sticks so they could have their own “lightsabers.” Even the food was on theme, with storm troopers topping the cupcakes.
— LIZ RAMOS
Ready to take on the galaxy
Chris Flint, Jessica Flint and third-grader Alessandra Flint were drawn a little closer to the Dark Side by Darth Vader.
Right: Gregg Frye, Mari Frye and their first-grader, Aria Frye, dressed for the galactic theme.
A storm trooper made an appearance at the Tigers’ Ball.
Gideon Logan and his children, fifth-grader Eugenia Logan, fourth-grader Sebastian Logan and kindergartner Lucas Logan, donned their best “Star Wars” gear.
As a fifth-grader, Eugenia wanted to go all out for her last Tildenville dance.
As big “Star Wars” fans, third-grader Jonah Peltier and his parents, Evan and Sarah Peltier, dressed as their favorite “Star Wars” characters. They even listened to music from the franchise on the way to the dance.
BRAINFOOD
The Observer answers kids’ burning curiosities.
In season I Michael Eng // Editor and Publisher
One of the many benefits of living in Florida, of course, is our beautiful weather! We have plenty of sunshine, lots of warm days and beautiful places to play. And as an added bonus, that weather also makes Florida a perfect place to grow things! And in the springtime, there are plenty of delicious fruits available to enjoy. This month, we take a look at a few kid-friendly favorites that are ripe for the picking. And don’t worry, there’s not a single vegetable on this page!
STRAWBERRIES
Did you know Florida strawberries are among the sweetest and juiciest in the entire world? It’s true!
Florida strawberries are planted between September and early November, and the best time for picking them is in late winter and early spring. They’re also the first strawberries to come to market each year. And while we all love them for their taste, strawberries also are quite healthy! They can help lower blood pressure, improve memory and improve heart health. They’re packed with fiber, potassium, vitamin C and antioxidants.
Picking tips: You have to pick strawberries at full ripeness. They do not ripen further after they’re picked. So when you’re out in the fields, look for ones that are fully red with no white or green tips. Then, gently pinch the stem above the berry to remove it from the plant.
BLUEBERRIES
Hot on the heels of the Florida strawberry is the Florida blueberry! Yes, these bite-sized morsels of goodness are ready and waiting for you to enjoy this spring!
And just like strawberries, blueberries also offer quite a bit of nutrition for your body. They actu ally qualify as a super food and con tain powerful cancer-fighting anti oxidants, can improve eyesight, help you fight infection and also help your memory.
Picking tips: Blueberries are super easy — and fun — to pick. Look for the plump, fully blue berries. Then, gently twist them with your fingers. The ripe ones practically fall off the vine — and into your bucket to enjoy!
PINEBERRIES
PEACHES
That’s right: Georgia isn’t the only state that has peaches. If you’re looking for a more substantial fruit, the Florida peach is typically ready to harvest in late March or early April and lasts through mid-May. Florida peaches are known for their firm, sweet flesh. They’re smaller than Georgia peaches, but that just means you can eat more of them! Like strawberries, they’re also the first to market each year. Peaches are packed with vitamins C and A, as well as potassium, magnesium and fiber. They’re great for heart health, support your immune system and contain antioxidants. Picking tips: Look for peaches that don’t have any green on them. They should smell sweet — like a peach. And if you twist them, they should come off easily into your hand.
You’ve probably seen these in the grocery store — they look like a white strawberry. According to Parkesdale Market in Plant City, the story of the pineberry is quite fascinating. A friend brought some white strawberry seeds to the team at the University of Florida IFAS. Pineberries are the result of cross-breeding between the white strawberry seeds — originally from Japan — and the American counterpart, the typical red strawberry. And even though they look a little different, they taste a lot like the strawberry — just with a hint of pineapple.
U-PICK!
There are several places nearby to pick your own fruit. Here are just a few!
SOUTHERN HILL FARMS 16651 Schofield Road, Clermont PHONE: (407) 986-5806
FRUIT: Strawberries, blueberries, peaches
EVENTS
SPRING & SUMMER GARDENING WITH THE FLORIDA GARDENISTA
7 p.m. April 10, online. Spring has sprung, and it’s time to revitalize the garden! Join the Florida Gardenista for guidance on how to have a successful warm weather growing season this year.
PLANT CLINIC 10:15 a.m. April 12, at the Winter Garden Branch Library. Bring your plants and ask questions! Master gardener volunteers from the UF/IFAS Orange County Extension Office will be available to answer your gardening questions.
RECOMMENDED READING
n “My First Outdoor Garden: Everything You Need to Know to Plant and Grow Your Own Fruits, Vegetables, and Flowers” by Philippe Asseray; illustrations by Charlene Tong; translated by Grace
McQuillan
Illustrations by Aria Eng
Lake Buena Vista laces
Cali Digiuseppe, left, Dalton Riggs and Aubri Johnson of the Pirates of the Cure-ibbean team took a break from walking laps to sit in the oversized inflatable chair.
Left: Matt Cowalewski Jr., left, and Matt Cowalewski Sr. went all out with their costumes as part of the Pirates of the Cure-ibbean team.
Melissa Bruick, left, Katie Cahill, Vicki Tatman, Sandy Ottenweller and Amy Tatman traveled to Florida from out of state to participate in Relay for Life of Lake Buena Vista.
Dennis, left, and Amy McGlynn enjoyed the photo booth set up at the AdventHealth booth.
THE WAYS WE WERE FROM THE WINTER GARDEN HERITAGE FOUNDATION
55 years ago
Winter Garden Police Chief C.R. Nelson presented Lt. Jody Anderson with a gold-plated .38 Chief’s Special on behalf of the Winter Garden police force. More than 100 friends and neighbors were in attendance as Anderson retired after 13 years of service.
45 years ago
Orange County Sheriff’s Department deputies, tipped off by the Winter Garden Police Department broke up a student “painting party” under the turnpike overpass on Beulah Road. A large group of West Orange High School seniors had been painting names and initials on the overpass and concrete embankment, and the circular columns had been painted orange and blue.
40 years ago
Ross Lenhardt, Peter Schuyten, Jack Jackson and Angie MacFarland, outstanding swimmers for the West Orange High School team, competed in the East Junior Nationals meet representing the Justus Dolphins Swim Team. They qualified at the Junior Olympics Meet held at the Justus Aquatic Center.
The newspaper began a new feature on the editorial page, a weekly column written by H. LeeAllen, later revealed to be Winter Garden resident Harriette Grimes.
30 years ago
The father-son duo of Jerry and Parker Mott won the top awards at the Ocoee Bass Club’s monthly tournament. They netted 13 pounds, 14 ounces worth of largemouth bass and bagged the biggest bass trophy with one weighing 6 pounds, 2 ounces.
What was originally constructed by the Rosenwald family was the Oakland School for the Colored, known later as Oakland Elementary School for the town’s African American students under segregation. Rosenwald schools were constructed under the leadership and guidance of Julius Rosenwald, a Jewish-American who became part-owner and president of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and Booker T. Washington, the African American leader, educator and philanthropist president of Alabama’s Tuskegee Institute. Oakland’s school eventually became a Head Start Center but has since been razed. The RosenwaldWashington program succeeded in establishing more than 5,000 schools, shops and homes for teachers across the segregated south for African Americans during the early 20th century.
The Winter Garden Heritage Foundation would appreciate hearing from people whose family members might have attended the local Rosenwald-Washington schools. Call (407) 656-3244.
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.
Dear friends and old memories were together once again as the telephone employees of the old Winter Garden toll office, which closed in 1985, met for a reunion for the first time in 10 years. The highlight of the evening was the crowning of three queens: Ruby Maloy, Dooley Shepphard and Mary Crouch Turner. Shepphard was one of the first chief operators in the 1940s. In celebration of Gotha’s 110th anniversary, the Gotha Commu-
nity Association sponsored a German Spring Festival that included authentic German food, music and dancing. The Schuhplattler Gruppe Alpen Rose dance group highlighted the event with German dancing in authentic Bavarian costumes.
20 years ago
The town of Oakland recognized Nina Kuhn, the former principal of West Orange Charter School (later renamed Oakland Avenue Char-
ter) for her powerful presence in opening and operating the school. Kuhn was only at the school for 18 months before she had to retire because of a debilitating disease.
Hollis Holden retired as city manager of Winter Garden after 11 years of helping shape and mold the downtown sector into what it is today.
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BRACKETOLOGY by Desiree Penner & Jeff Sinnock, edited by Jared Goudsmit
By Luis Campos
Thank you from the Board of Legacy Events for Education & Observer Media Group team, to our 38 represented brands, sponsors and attendees for making our event a success!
We look forward to doing it again in 2026!
Please follow Hamlin Craft Beer Fest on Facebook for updates about the 3rd Annual event next year.
BREWERIES:
Arizona Hard • Beatbox Beverages • Bold Rock Hard Cider • Brewers Anonymous
Carib Brewery • Caribbean Moonshine Distillery • Celebration Brewing Co
Central 28 Beer Company • Clubtails Crushers • Cutwater • Daughters Brewery
Delirium • Deviant Wolfe • FMB Brewing • Funny Water • Gasolina • Home State Brewing Co
