Latest news with #OrlandoSanfordInternationalAirport
NDTV
29-05-2025
- NDTV
US Woman Arrested For Allegedly Hitting Boy Who Called Her "Fat" On Flight From Disney World
A woman from Maryland, United States, has been arrested for allegedly assaulting a boy on a flight from Florida after he reportedly insulted her appearance, according to police officials. The incident took place aboard a flight at Orlando Sanford International Airport on Memorial Day. The accused, 46-year-old Kristy Crampton from Hagerstown, allegedly hit the boy after he called her "fat" and "Miss Piggy", the police report said. Witnesses on the flight told Sanford Airport Police that Crampton struck the child and slammed his head against the plane window following a heated verbal exchange. One passenger described the incident as "abuse", claiming the woman "was not correcting the child, she was abusing him". Crampton, however, told authorities that the child had been disrespectful throughout their trip. When she took away his phone as a disciplinary measure, the boy allegedly pushed her arm off the armrest, prompting her to strike him, the report added. Police have not clarified the nature of the relationship between the two, according to Fox News. Crampton was arrested and booked into Seminole County Jail on child abuse charges. She was later released on a $10,000 bond.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Dominican airline announces direct flights to and from Central Florida
Dominican airline Arajet announces expansion in the United States with the launch of nonstop flights from Punta Cana International Airport to Orlando Sanford International Airport. This is Arajet's sixth destination in the U.S. and second in Florida, with destinations in Miami, Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Juan. Flights from Arajet airlines to and from the Dominican Republic to Central Florida on Tuesdays, Fridays, and Sundays begin on Oct. 26, 2025. Tickets for flights are on sale now at the Arajet site. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Seminole's funding plan for indoor events center: ‘Math doesn't work'
When Seminole County decided last February to let hotels put a new $1.75 per-night fee on local hotel rooms, the idea was to raise millions of dollars to build a new indoor events center. But with an estimated price tag of upwards of $100 million for the 172,000 square-foot facility — roughly twice what the hotel fee could support — county leaders now realize their plan has a big hole. 'The math doesn't work,' Commissioner Andria Herr said Tuesday during a staff presentation. 'We all need to have realistic expectations or be willing to have realistic expectations elsewhere in the spending of the county dollars.' Advocates had hoped it might be possible for the complex to be built entirely with revenue from Seminole's new tourism improvement district fee, or TID. Now they are asking whether Seminole should tap other revenue sources for the additional millions needed, such as its penny sales tax, sponsorships, or the taxpayers' money set aside for parks in the county's general fund. Seminole's new TID fee — which hotel guests started seeing on their bills April 1 — is expected to raise $3.2 million annually. The assessment is added on top of the county's 5% tourist tax — also known as a bed tax — and 7% sales tax. But at that TID rate, Seminole would be able to borrow only up to $51.2 million toward building the new indoor facility, according to county records. The latest estimates, from 2023, showed a facility expense between $66 million and $100 million, and county officials acknowledged this week that inflation likely has driven up the cost. Seminole — which lacks the big-name theme parks and other flashy tourist attractions as neighboring Orange County — has relied on amateur athletic tournaments to draw visitors for at least the past decade. The county boasts six outdoor athletic facilities, including the Boombah Sports Complex off East Lake Mary Boulevard near the Orlando Sanford International Airport A new multi-million dollar indoor arena near Boombah would more than double the number of people booking local hotel rooms, according to county projections. Such an indoor venue also could be used for small conventions, banquets and high school graduations, as well as amateur athletic competitions for volleyball, cheerleading and martial arts. In an effort to move the project forward, Seminole commissioners on Tuesday agreed to hire a consultant — or a facility program plan manager — to put together a detailed plan on an indoor complex and how to pay for it. The consultant would answer: 'Here's what the development project needs to be. Here's the size that we're looking for, and then develop not just the scope, but also a budget for the project, so we can narrow that [financial] gap and really land where we think the sweet spot might be for this,' said Rick Durr, Seminole's director of parks and recreation department. The indoor facility — proposed for an old vegetable field at the northwest corner of Moore's Station Road and East Lake Mary Boulevard in Sanford — would have enough space for 12 basketball courts or 24 volleyball courts, according to preliminary plans. It could seat at least 6,000 spectators. It also could include meeting rooms, café, and a stage. By comparison, the Addition Financial Arena — at the University of Central Florida — is 252,000 square feet and can seat 10,000 spectators. Supporters of an indoor complex say Seminole has long lacked an indoor venue for banquets, conventions and graduations. This month, graduating seniors from Seminole's nine public high schools will head to the UCF arena for commencement ceremonies. 'It's not just about sports,' Durr said in support of building the facility. But Commissioner Amy Lockhart said athletic tournaments that fill Seminole hotels could conflict with local events at the center. She pointed out that when the Boombah Sports Complex was built nearly a decade ago, it was seen as a facility for local sports leagues. But it is now frequently booked for large amateur athletic events. 'I can foresee a potential conflict where we have seven high school graduations, all in a particular month, and we've got a great offer on the table from someone who wants to host an event that's going to generate a ton of revenue,' Lockhart said of the indoor complex. 'We need to be able to allow our locals to be able to use it.' In 2024, Seminole had nearly 2.3 million visitors, including an estimated 60,860 that came for athletic tournaments. By comparison, Orange County — a worldwide tourist destination with its large theme parks — had nearly 60 million visitors last year. A new indoor complex would bring in an additional 49,794 visitors into Seminole in its first year, and 85,437 additional visitors in its fifth year, according to county forecasts.
Yahoo
27-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
After another route shift, fruit farm stands in way of 417 airport connector
Hair tied up, dressed in flip flops and a loose-fitting shirt, Adam Shafran carefully examined the branches of a 20-foot tall tree growing close to the side of his Seminole County home. 'That's probably my best tree,' Shafran said, before regretfully announcing he couldn't see any fruit on its trunk. Many other trees on his farm did. He scowled as he picked off the remains of one gnawed by an animal, then nearly shouted with triumph as he grabbed an untouched purple lump that resembled a small plum. 'Jabuticaba,' he identified, peeling back the skin to reveal an almost white-like flesh and a single seed at its center. Shafran is one of Florida's main growers of the rare fruit, a native of Brazil that is most often compared to a grape. His business, Flying Fox Fruits, supplies growers and hobbyists with seeds, cuttings, young trees and – once, he said – leaves from one of his trees. Shafran began growing the trees 20 years ago, moved his farm to its current location in 2014, and has spent little time looking back. 'I was… thinking of permanently being here, planting in the ground,' he said. 'My business is based off of trees that take 20 years to fruit.' Shafran found out two weeks ago his dreams could be shattered, when the Central Florida Expressway Authority shifted the proposed routes of its planned 417 Connector project that would link the major highway with the Orlando Sanford International Airport. Prior to this month, CFX was studying multiple routes, all but one of which steered far away from Shafran's farm. The two finalists would both cut into his property. The first, that has long been part of the equation, would slice through the northern end of his property, which includes his driveway and potentially his house. Most of his trees would be safe, he believes, though he wasn't sure what damage shadows or drainage systems would do. The second, new route would be the more devastating. It would cut through his property, razing his greenhouses and all his trees. 'That's when I really I lost sleep,' he said. 'You've got me in a state of limbo here, where I was trying to take action for my business, to do certain things. For instance, planting trees in the ground.' The highway spur has been in the works since around the time Shafran moved to the property. It's intended to alleviate traffic on Lake Mary Boulevard and Ronald Reagan Boulevard, both of which converge into a pair of intersections sharing the same 417 on- and off-ramps. The connection to the airport is a bonus. By 2036, it's expected to serve one million more passengers annually, while the neighborhoods around it are expected to have 10,000 more homes. 'That intersection, that exit on east on Sanford Avenue, will back up quarter half a mile,' Seminole County Commissioner Bob Dallari explained. 'That's unacceptable, so we either have to do something or wait till it gets even worse than try to do something even more well.' Dallari said the numbers for the road's construction have finally started making sense. When he was asked why an entirely new road was needed instead of reconfiguring the problematic intersections, he said since the project was still in the study phase, other options were also being examined. He and expressway authority leaders urged community members like Shafran to attend feedback sessions, including an upcoming meeting on April 2. 'We want to save as much of our environment as we can,' he said. 'So do you move it to the left, to the right, east, west? Do you double decker road? Do you do an intersection? Even if you widen the road or improve the intersection, someone's going to be unhappy.' Shafran said he's working with an eminent domain attorney and plans to attend that meeting. He's hoping the road can be shifted to lessen the impact on his property, and said he understood the need for the area to progress. His other concern is trying to prepare for a move. He's looking at nearby property that he can acquire. However, because of jabuticaba's rarity in Florida and because several of his varieties are his own creation, he's worried the state won't fairly compensate him. 'They say, bring in an expert. And I'm like, I am the expert,' he recalled, seriously. 'You could come in here and offer me to buy my position right now, and I'd say, 'No.' It would take a ton of money to get me to say, 'Leave your job. Let me take everything you have and move.'' The April 2 meeting will be held at the Galileo School – Skyway Campus. 3755 Skyway Drive, Sanford. It's scheduled to last from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
