Local

Florida: Urge Your Representative to Oppose the Misleading ‘Pet Protection Act’

by

Adangerous Florida bill, misleadingly named the “Pet Protection Act” (S.B. 994 / H.B. 849), would nullify important reforms for animals. Far from “protecting” companion animals, this bill would preempt new local retail sales bans for cats and dogs and stop local governments from enacting additional safeguards against puppy and kitten mills. Commercial breeding mills prioritize profits over animals’ … Read more

Super 16 High School matchups in Orlando

by

District champions could be crowned and career records broken Friday night in Week 9 of the high school football regular season.

Tavares hosts Eustis in a Class 5A battle of Lake County rivals who have gone nearly two decades without a district title. The Bulldogs can claim the trophy outright for the first time since 2004 with a win.

Eustis, district champs in 2005, likely needs a win Friday and another next week vs. Mount Dora to end its drought. The Eagles won four in a row against Tavares from 2015-18 before the Bulldogs scored a 22-20 win in 2019.

Four district matchups between Sentinel Super 16 teams will help paint the postseason picture moving forward.

Read more

Ocoee allows Chews A Puppy to bypass county pet sale ban

by

The city of Ocoee’s reworked pet-sale ordinance was widely panned Tuesday night by more than two dozen animal welfare advocates who tried but failed to persuade city commissioners to stick with a county ordinance that will outlaw the retail sale of puppies, kittens and bunnies beginning next summer.

The hotly debated Ocoee ordinance passed 3-2 with Mayor Rusty Johnson leading the way to benefit a city pet shop.

The new rule allows one store — Chews A Puppy on West Colonial — to keep selling puppies and kittens after the county ban kicks in June 22.

Unless the county rule is overturned in court, Chews A Puppy would be the only pet shop lawfully permitted to sell puppies not only in Ocoee but also in Orange County and throughout most of Central Florida as Lake, Osceola and Seminole counties have adopted similar bans on retail pet sales.

Frustrated animal-welfare advocates, who lobbied for Orange County’s ban, vowed to keep fighting.

Read more

Bikers roll into Daytona Beach as Biketoberfest 2021 kicks into gear

by

Thousands of bikers are packing Main Street in Daytona Beach for its annual Biketoberfest rally. This year’s rally officially started Thursday with none of the COVID-19 restrictions that were in place last year. “So far so good,” Biker Shirely Hill said. “We love what we are seeing. Everybody is very friendly and it’s been a … Read more

Texas-based tech repair franchise firm NerdsToGo to enter Orlando market

by

NerdsToGo, a Texas computer and technology repair services franchise, plans to enter the metro Orlando market as part of a push to grow its Florida footprint by roughly 65 units by 2026.

The company, based in Carrollton, Texas, near Dallas, currently has 29 stores in 16 states, including two in Florida: Tampa and Bonita Springs. The goal is to open about 15 locations in Central Florida, the company told Orlando Business Journal.

“With the rising number of people working from home, managed IT services for both small and medium-sized companies is a definite need,” Mark Jameson, chief support and development officer at NerdsToGo parent company Propelled Brands, said in a prepared statement. “We see great growth potential in Florida and are confident that our proven business model, along with the support and resources we provide, will allow potential franchisees to thrive.”

Read more

Aquarium approved for construction at Port Canaveral

by

Commissioners vote in support of Brevard Zoo’s 14-acre attraction Executive Director Keith Winsten called the 14-acre port-owned property a ‘dream site’ when addressing port commissioners. Where the Beachline merges with A1A, new renderings showed a 14-acre campus including pavilions, docks and a restaurant that Winsten said could attract more guests than even the zoo, itself. … Read more