Latest news with #OrangeCountyCommission
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Orange County fireworks ban: Commission to vote on a proposed ordinance which would limit use
The Brief A man accused of excessively launching fireworks has led to a proposed ordinance in Orange County. The ordinance would impose fines on offenders and would go into effect after 30 days if the ordinance passes. Commissioners will vote on the ordinance at their next meeting. ORLANDO, Fla. - People living in an Orlando neighborhood say for over a year one neighbor has been launching fireworks multiple times a day, and it has become a nuisance. What we know Residents in an Orlando neighborhood say they've endured near-daily fireworks for over a year, allegedly set off by a single neighbor. Despite repeated calls to 911, law enforcement has told residents that unless officers witness the fireworks firsthand, they cannot intervene. Orange County officials are now considering a new ordinance aimed at regulating non-holiday fireworks. Residents banned together before Orange County Commissioners and pleaded for help. Now the ordinance will be voted on at the next commission meeting. If the ordinance passes, it would limit fireworks to Independence Day, New Year's Eve, and New Year's Day unless a permit is issued. If a person violates the ordinance, they could face hundreds of dollars in fines. The first offense would be a $100 fine, the second offense a $200 fine, and a $500 fine for each additional offense along with a mandatory court appearance. What we don't know Authorities have not named the person allegedly responsible, and it's unclear whether any prior citations or warnings have been issued. There's also no definitive timeline on when or if enforcement will begin should the ordinance pass. The backstory The conflict began more than a year ago when neighbors say fireworks began erupting regularly — sometimes several times a day. The disruption has been especially hard on families with young children and those sensitive to loud noises. Frustrated residents recently brought their concerns to the Orange County Commission. What they're saying People living near the man who's accused of launching fireworks almost daily for nearly one year say they're fed up. "You cannot ask me to continue to live like this where I walk out of my house and unexpectedly there's something blowing up over my head," said Madison Burke. "That's not fair." Burke says the constant fireworks are hurting her children. "It was making them cry and that would make me upset because they're having break downs because they don't know what's going on. It's just this huge loud bang," said Burke. "He's making me feel in danger, and it's harassment because it's over and over again." Other neighbors, like, Jill Shargaa, said she just wants a peaceful neighborhood. "Sometimes for a couple of days, nothing, and then it just rains bombs. Big, big, bombs," said Shargaa. "Not happy fireworks, big annoying bombs that just move your chest. It's awful, just awful." The neighborhood is in Orange County District 3, represented by Commissioner Mayra Uribe, who said she fully supports the proposed ordinance. "We actually didn't have anything in the books at all," said Uribe. "We're not trying to go after somebody who's doing a wedding on a weekend. That's not the goal here. The goal is the repetitiveness of somebody who's doing it in a community that it's becoming harmful to the quality of life." Uribe said if the ordinance passes, people can record evidence of the fireworks and that can lead to a code violation and fines. "If it's recorded, if there's a resident that says they saw it, if somebody has a recording of it going off, now we give law enforcement the teeth to now cite them," said Uribe. "It also becomes a code enforcement violation." STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source FOX35's Chancelor Winn spoke with Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe, and residents living in the impacted neighborhood.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Orlando seeks $5 million from Orange County for Pulse memorial; some commissioners are hesitant
Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer is seeking $5 million from Orange County to help build a long-sought permanent memorial to the 2016 Pulse nightclub massacre, but his request is facing early resistance, in a sign of lingering bitterness over the failure of earlier memorial plans. In a Monday memorandum to Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, Dyer asked for the funds to help design and build the memorial — which is estimated to cost $12 million and for which the city has already pledged more than half of that estimate. Orlando took the helm of the memorial effort in late 2023 amid the messy collapse of the private onePulse foundation. 'Since the tragedy, the city and county have continuously partnered to support the victims' families and survivors and helped build community resilience,' Dyer said in the memo, as he sought to evoke the memories of the 49 individuals killed in the horrific shooting. 'We hope that the County will continue that spirit of partnership as we as we work to realize an overdue memorial that properly honors the 49.' A spokesperson for Demings told the Orlando Sentinel Wednesday that while the mayor supports the request, final approval must come from the Orange County Commission during the county's annual budget process in the summer. But other county leaders were more circumspect. While believing a memorial is overdue, Orange County Commissioner Mayra Uribe, whose district includes the Pulse site, told the Sentinel she could not yet pledge taxpayer dollars to the project. 'We need more information,' she said. 'We need to know where everything ended with the onePulse funding. We've never been told. Was there any money left over and where is that money?' The onePulse Foundation raised about $20 million over its seven-year lifespan, falling far short of the ambition $100 million memorial and museum plan it had concocted. Uribe said the county should be involved in the whole process and not just financially. Commissioner Kelly Semrad raised similar concerns. 'I think the county, our whole community, wants to contribute to recognizing and memorializing the loss, making sure that this never happens again,' Semrad said. 'But I think there are a lot of reservations in terms of what happened to the original amount of money that came into the foundation and where did it go, and making sure that we're accountable, transparent, and that future investment goes where it needs to.' The Orlando City Council last month endorsed a design for a memorial unanimously approved by the Pulse Memorial Advisory Committee, which included relatives of the 49 people who died in the massacre and some members who had visited the club that horrible night in June 2016. An early estimate pegged the cost at $12 million to design and construct, of which the city would contribute $7.5 million, but no detailed design or construction pan has yet been prepared. Dyer mentioned in the memorandum how the failed prior efforts to build a memorial, including the efforts of onePulse, will make it harder for Orlando to once again raise funds from private sources — difficulties which apparently extend to public sources as well. 'Unfortunately, many in our local community have given previously through either the OneOrlando Fund, which was established to go directly to the victims' families and survivors, or the OnePulse Foundation without any return of a memorial, which makes it more challenging for the city to raise significant private funding for the memorial,' he wrote. Orlando issued a request for contractors to submit their proposals for the memorial on March 3. Dyer aims to complete the memorial by the second half of 2027, before he leaves office.
