Tourist tax collections fell in Orange County in July compared to June, according to the latest numbers released by the county comptroller’s office.

Orange County collected fewer tourist tax dollars in May compared to April, according to newly released estimates by the county comptroller’s office, but the county still had a better May than it did in 2023 — by about $2.2 million.

The inventory of homes up for sale in the Metro Orlando area rose again in May, and the median home price dropped slightly, according to the Orlando Regional REALTOR Association.

Orlando Sanford International Airport (SFB) is suing to appeal a decision by a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office board to deny the airport’s application to trademark its name and logo.

The median home price in Orlando fell for the first time in six months and the inventory of homes for sale jumped again, according to the latest report from the Orlando Regional Realtor Association.

The Daytona Beach area was ranked number one and Metro Orlando number eight in the top 20 most dangerous metro areas for pedestrian deaths in 2022, according to Smart Growth America.

Visit Orlando attributes the drop in tourism tax dollars due to the impact of the omicron variant of COVID-19, as well as “seasonal travel patterns.”

Meet the panel of experts who will be sharing their knowledge during the Real Talk: A Candid Conversation on What's Changed town hall on June 15.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Black Greek organizations came into the spotlight after Kamala Harris became vice president. Harris graduated from Howard University, a historically Black college, where she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. In 1930, the Black Greek organizations formed National Pan-Hellenic Council. Members of Black Greek organizations also emphasize education. Although life in a Black Greek organization can start in college, it does not have to end there.

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Central Florida hospitality industry seems to be bouncing back from the havoc the pandemic caused in 2020, according to research by Rosen College of Hospitality. “Particularly the theme parks have been an important attraction to metro Orlando and Central Florida so that is what we’ve seen. “Metro Orlando consists of leisure travel but also business travel. “The pandemic has changed dramatically the way we do business, the way business is communicated with each other and so on,” he said. “What we will not see is that same speed of recovery in business travel.

“We’re going to see vacancies rise all across the market, particularly in Lake Mary and downtown Orlando,” Alford said. Throughout Metro Orlando, 1.3 million square feet of office space is available, compared with about 891,000 in fourth quarter of last year. Before the pandemic, downtown was in the midst of a boom of new apartments. The downtown area still has more than $2 billion in projects in the pipeline, and counts more than 18,000 residents, according to the Orlando Downtown Development Board. But the group’s chief examples occurred far outside of downtown Orlando.

“The Puerto Rican population in Central Florida is huge and continues to grow,” Dr. Luis Martínez Fernández, a UCF history professor and author said. Martínez Fernández estimates about 300,000 Puerto Ricans, or Boricuas as they are called, have called Central Florida home since the 1970s. “Part of it had to do with veterans who were retiring and moved to this area,” Martínez Fernández said. For Martínez Fernández, Hispanic Heritage Month should be a time to look past the stereotypes of Latinos. Somos Central Florida -- We Are Central Florida -- recognizes how history has shaped the heritage here in Florida and the culture that’s creating the future.

Before our event takes place, you can read about each of our panelists and their roles in the communities they serve. University of Central Florida assistant sociology professor Dr. Jonathan CoxDr. Jonathan Cox (Courtesy)Dr. Jonathan Cox is a race scholar and assistant sociology professor at the University of Central Florida who specializes in racial and ethnic identities and racial ideologies. Before that, he was the first black Orlando Police Department chief in 1998 and the first black Orange County sheriff in 2008. He served in the last position for 10 years before making his way out of law enforcement and into politics. Orlando Police Chief Orlando RolonOrlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon (Courtesy)Orlando Rolon moved to Orlando’s Engelwood neighborhood in 1977 and has called Central Florida home ever since.