Dr. Jim Clark made the Sunshine State the focus of his career, authored about a dozen books, including several that celebrated Florida’s rich and often strange history, and his knowledge of Central Florida could delve into details that few know, unless you are a native of the state. And so many people are not. Clark died last week of an apparent heart attack in his Orlando home. He was 78.

Qualifying to run for office in cities and towns across Central Florida is getting underway. The question is, will people actually run for office? A recent report by the nonpartisan group Ballot Ready found that 912 seats in local elections in Florida went empty in the 2024 general election.

Leaders in Central Florida speak about the man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another.

Florida's theme parks and attractions have evolved over the years and multiplied. The “Old Florida" tourist experience often focused on history, culture and natural wonders.

The Florida Association of Counties, which represents county governments in Tallahassee, is tracking more than 50 bills, filed by both Democrats and Republicans, that they say preempt local rules in favor of one statewide regulation.

A growing movement is pushing for Pine Hills to break away from Orange County and become its own municipality, following in the footsteps of cities like Belle Isle and Winter Park.

Florida’s annual legislative session is set to begin, with elected officials from the House and Senate gathering in Tallahassee.

The temporary closure is a unique situation, as this is the first time since the attraction opened in 1971 when a President was elected in non-consecutive terms.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is calling state lawmakers into a special session to help carry out President-elect Donald Trump’s promises for a swift crackdown on immigration.

Walt Disney World is part of the fabric of Florida, but did you know the theme park almost ended up in St. Louis instead of Orlando?

As Orange County marks 200 years since its founding, we've compiled a selection of stories that reach as far back, recording glimpses of the area's history.

The top two choices for president in November's election were Donald Trump and Kamala Harris. Thousands of voters had other ideas.

Amendments 3 and 4 had the majority vote but they failed due to this threshold.

The Florida Supreme Court is expected to issue rulings on Monday about whether proposed constitutional amendments that seek to ensure abortion rights and allow recreational marijuana will go on the November ballot.

Things took a turn in the area when the golf course was established in the late ‘50s.

Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings is renewing a push to explore a penny sales tax.

News 6 looks to see if Florida Govenor Ron DeSantis will run for President again in 2028?

During his State of the State address last week, Gov. Ron DeSantis commended himself for removing prosecutors from office, Andrew Warren in Hillsborough County and Monique Worrell in Orange and Osceola counties. Worrell is still waiting on the Supreme Court's ruling to see if her suspension by the governor will be overturned, all while kicking off a re-election campaign, this week.

Democrats had crowed about winning some local races in 2023, particularly the Jacksonville mayoral race, but even though Florida House District 35 has a fairly blue population, the Democrats are taking the win as a sign of something they haven’t had in a few years: Momentum.

Walt Disney World is part of the fabric of Florida, but did you know the theme park almost ended up in St. Louis instead of Orlando?

Do you feel like you are being nickeled and dimed every time you get behind the wheel? If you use toll roads in Florida, you might be right.

Governor Ron DeSantis will continue his aggressive stand for Israel by calling a special legislative session in Tallahassee, according to the governor’s press secretary Jeremy Redfern.

From book bans to changing classes and educational requirements, what children are learning in the classroom will be different this year.

Do you feel like you are being nickeled and dimed every time you get behind the wheel? If you use toll roads in Florida, you might be right.

Dr. Jim Clark joins Justin Warmoth on ‘The Weekly.’

As DeSantis prepares to run for president, Disney is likely to follow him in the campaign too, and the feud may influence how people see him.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ presidential announcement will be made on Twitter.

Governor Ron DeSantis is expected to launch his presidential campaign as early as Wednesday, according to CBS News, first with a “virtual” announcement followed days later by an appearance in DeSantis’s hometown of Dunedin.

Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke at the Florida Family Policy Council dinner in Orlando on Saturday.

The battle between Gov. Ron Desantis and the Walt Disney Company continues to heat up.

After 60 days of pushing through Gov. Ron DeSantis' agenda, Florida lawmakers wrapped up their annual legislative session.

On Monday morning, the board of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District will meet to discuss one thing — Disney’s lawsuit against them.

Robert “Foxy” Fox didn’t think he would be actively running in a general election for the Florida House of Representatives.

Dr. Jim Clark joins News 6′s Justin Warmoth

Do you feel like you are being nickeled and dimed every time you get behind the wheel? If you use toll roads in Florida, you might be right.

News 6 political expert and University of Central Florida history professor Jim Clark said all eyes will be on Florida’s legislative session over the next 60 days.

The Florida Democratic Party is taking on new leadership and promising to make changes. But with a conservative super-majority in the Florida House and Senate and a governor aggressively reforming the state across the board, the question is can the party turn its fortunes around?

Gov. Ron DeSantis, R-Fla., is asking Florida state legislators to approve millions of dollars to help his office and other state agencies fight lawsuits stemming from new laws and executive orders.

Classified documents, the debt ceiling and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis dominated the national headlines last week.

Disney rolls out ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ offerings ahead of new film's release

RunDisney is showing off the finisher medals for the upcoming 2023 Springtime Surprise Weekend.

cvbnyfmhgj.k

A 53-year old Orlando woman and a 66-year old Orlando man are dead after an Orange County crash, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Korey Woulard, 29, ID’d as victim

A 23-year-old woman from Astatula died and three other people were left injured following an ATV crash in a wooded area of Lake County early Sunday, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Orlando Fire Department personnel on Sunday morning responded to a fire at Avalon Condominiums that displaced more than a dozen people, according to a statement.

Xavier Carlisle, 31, wanted on out-of-county warrant

Extra clouds roll in Sunday

As the special legislative session is about to kick off to tackle the state’s property insurance crisis, News 6′s political analyst is breaking down what consumers can expect lawmakers to discuss and vote on.

When voters choose school board candidates in elections, there are no political parties listed after their names on the ballot. Next year lawmakers in Florida will consider putting a constitutional amendment on the 2024 ballot that would change that.

A Central Florida state representative was indicted by a federal grand jury Wednesday as part of a scheme to defraud the Small Business Administration’s emergency coronavirus loans.

As Gov. Ron DeSantis prepares to begin another term in office as Florida’s governor, his travel spending has increased more than 50%, according to a News 6 investigation.

After sweeping victories for Florida Republicans in the midterm election, it's clear the nation's onetime premier swing state is now solidly red.

Florida, you are now a red-state. The opinion of this writer? Nope. The opinion of WKMG-TV? Nope. The decision of the voters of Florida? Bingo.

The Florida Division of Elections released its voter registration report for the November election, known as book closing, earlier this month.

Alan Hays, Lake County’s supervisor of elections, said voting misinformation is inviting disaster ahead of Election Day.

From the state to the federal level, candidates are making their final push to Florida voters ahead of next month's midterm election.

As the campaign trail ramps up, the post-Labor Day race for governor starts here in Central Florida.

Candidates are making their final push to voters ahead of Tuesday's primary election.

Days away from the primary election in Florida, and many candidates are turning to members of law enforcement to help turn out the vote.

Floridians now know the candidates running for office in August and November, after the end of the qualifying period last week set the candidate lists for the elections.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade was met with swift condemnation and equally swift praise from lawmakers in Florida.

News 6 political expert and UCF history professor Dr. Jim Clark joined anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly” to break down some of the key races heading into Florida’s primary election, including the matchup to see which Democrat will challenge Gov. Ron DeSantis in November.

The Supreme Court has confirmed the authenticity of a draft opinion that suggests the Court will overturn Roe v. Wade.

Hopeful news came Monday for thousands of Florida homeowners who have been dropped by their insurance company or experienced their rates skyrocketing.

The rights of Reedy Creek Improvement District, Disney's own government, are now being discussed among some Florida lawmakers following controversy surrounding the company's response to Gov. DeSantis' "Don't Say Gay" bill.

With Florida's legislative session behind us, lawmakers could soon return to Tallahassee to hammer out some key items that still need to be addressed.

City of Orlando officials are launching a redistricting process this year.

A group of 26 Black artists were based in Fort Pierce, but often sold paintings along US 1

Lawmakers are busy in Tallahassee focusing on everything from COVID-19 to what kids learn in the classroom.

On the latest episode of Florida's Fourth Estate, anchors Matt Austin and Ginger Gadsden talk to a local expert about how new laws signed following this week's special session will impact your everyday life.

When Florida’s Republican-controlled legislature kicks off its special session Monday, lawmakers will consider several bills aimed at banning vaccine mandates and empowering parents to challenge vaccine and mask mandates in schools.

The controversial topic of vaccine mandates will be front and center in Tallahassee this week.

In Tallahassee right now, Florida lawmakers are beginning the once-in-a-decade process of redistricting and the state’s booming population can change the political game in Central Florida.

A political expert has weighed in on Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Thursday announcement, where he called for legislative action to provide protections for employees when it comes to Vaccine Mandates.

In April, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order it banned businesses from requiring vaccines for customers.

Florida lawmakers are gearing up to tackle one of their most impactful obligations to voters: Redistricting.

According to University of Central Florida history professor Jim Clark, President Joe Biden is faced with a tough decision after being part of the Obama-era stance on relations with Cuba.

Florida taxpayers stand to potentially pay millions of dollars in legal fees as the state defends it’s latest election law.

Val Demings makes it official.

A published report says U.S. Rep. Val Demings is planning to run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Marco Rubio.

Florida's 60-day legislative session ended Friday with lawmakers agreeing on a $101.5 billion dollar budget.

So why would some Florida lawmakers want to change the Bright Futures scholarship program to only include certain fields of expertise for college students? Bright Futures, Florida’s scholarship program, establishes lottery-funded scholarships to reward high school graduates for high academic achievement. Bright Futures has been around since 1997 and has helped upwards of 725,000 Florida students go to college. AdIf you would like to hear more of what Clark has to say about Bright Futures, ballot boxes and more, click on the link to Florida’s Fourth Estate. Look for new episodes of Florida’s Fourth Estate every Friday wherever you listen to your favorite podcasts.

ORLANDO, Fla. – More than 36,000 Florida voters previously registered as Republicans have left the GOP since the November election, a News 6 review of state voter records has revealed. “It’s not going to make any difference at all in an election.”State GOP leaders downplayed the recent defections, believing that most former Republican voters will eventually return. “It’s not that big of a deal,” said Joe Gruters, chairman of the Republican Party of Florida. News 6 spoke with about a dozen former Republicans who changed their party affiliation after the election. Only Florida voters registered with a political party can participate in that party’s primary elections.

ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida lawmakers are getting ready to descend on Tallahassee to debate policy, pass new laws and put together a state budget. Perhaps the biggest hurdle lawmakers will face during the 60-day legislative session is the record $96.6 billion budget put forth by Gov. News 6 political expert Dr. Jim Clark joined anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly on ClickOrlando.com” to break down what to expect over the next two months. State Rep. Anna Eskamani, (D) District 47, also appeared on the program to explain what her legislative priorities are this year and whether she’s considering a run for governor in 2022. Florida’s legislative session kicks off Tuesday, March 2.

The final vote in former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial was vastly different than the first vote in 2020, when Senators voted down party lines, nearly 50/50. In the second trial in early February, seven Republican Senators voted to find Trump guilty, still not nearly enough to reach the two-thirds majority necessary for conviction but still far more than in 2020. [TRENDING: HOA charges family $927 for trash on curb | Doctor faces hate crime charge in social distancing attack | Mandatory vaccines for first responders?] “Remember, two of those seven aren’t running for re-election, one is up in 2022,” Clark said. Ad“I think the Republican Party is skewing older and losing voters, we’ve seen this since the election, where tens of thousands of Republicans have switched their registration to Democratic or Independent,” Clark said.

But the decision perplexed some county officials who say they don’t even have enough doses right now to vaccinate those who were already eligible. California has received more than 2.4 million vaccine doses as of Monday, but only a third of them have been used. This is about life and death,” Santa Clara County Supervisor Cindy Chavez said. So can you send us 4 million doses?”About 375 miles (600 kilometers) to the north, Santa Clara County officials made their pitch to Gov. Santa Clara County wants at least 85% of its eligible residents vaccinated by Aug. 1.

Pressure from top Democrat leaders calling for the president to be removed from office increased on Thursday. Pollical expert Jim Clark said that there’s essentially no time for the impeachment process before the president’s term is over. “There were some harrowing hours of being locked down and trying to find safety and security,” Murphy said. “I know that the conversations are ongoing right now and I am open to hearing how leadership thinks that we could progress.”Following the riot on Capitol Hill, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called on Vice President Mike Pence to involve the 25th amendment to remove President Trump from office. Rep. Murphy also said that given how long it took to impeach the president the first time, it doesn’t seem logistically possible to complete the process prior to January 20, 2021

From voting machines to poll workers, President Donald Trump is claiming all types of voter fraud, but the president’s claims aren’t credible, according to election experts. [TRENDING: Eta floods Florida | Romaine calm: Florida man arrested after lettuce tirade | DeSantis accused of wanting herd immunity]In the fight for the White House, Trump is still fanning the flames of alleged voter fraud -- with no evidence, according to Clark. “We still cannot come up with a single case where someone could prove voter fraud." Twitter flagged the tweet, posting “this claim about election fraud is disputed.”It’s been disputed by both states. “While in earlier elections poll watchers were able to just stand over the shoulder of the workers,” Clark said.

ORLANDO, Fla. – President Donald Trump, his lawyers and some of his allies have repeatedly claimed widespread voter fraud illegally tilted last week’s election in favor of former Vice President Joe Biden. “I don’t know how he votes because his vote is secret,” said Giuliani, who had not filed a lawsuit alleging voter fraud by late Monday. “It doesn’t mean there is anything illegal about this.”Should Trump’s lawyers eventually present proof of voter fraud, Clark believes judges will be reluctant to intervene. “(Trump) would have to find 120,000 votes of fraud, or a mistake, or whatever in four or five states,” Clark said. But when it comes to accusations of widespread voter fraud, News 6 gives the claim “Be Careful” on the Trust Index since, at the time of this publication, no attorney has formally made such claims in a lawsuit.

This has also led to a series of lawsuits in contested states two of which have already been dismissed. “All of the recent Biden claimed states will be legally challenged by us for voter fraud and state election fraud. In Michigan, Trump claims an election challenger was excluded from the counting board during the absent voter ballot review process, according to the lawsuit. Clark says Trump’s claims are short on evidence. Based on information from a law professor and political analyst, we give the President’s claims of voter fraud “Be careful” on the Trust Index.

In fact, Clark told News 6 anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly” that Florida could decide the presidential election. After President Barack Obama won Florida in 2008 and 2012, President Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 1.2% in 2016. While he lost Seminole County, Trump did especially well in Miami-Dade County this year. In the 2016 general election, Trump received 333,999 votes and Hillary Clinton received 624,146 votes. Use the interactive map below to find out how each Florida county voted in the 2020 presidential election.

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, Fla. – President Donald Trump is leading Democratic opponent Joe Biden in Florida in the race for the top office in the United States, and Trump’s support in South Florida is a big reason why. The latest numbers show Trump with 529,202 votes and presidential candidate Joe Biden with 612,756 votes. In the 2016 general election, Trump received 333,999 votes and Hillary Clinton received 624,146 votes. Trump’s vote total in Miami-Dade County is one of the main reasons he is projected to win Florida in this year’s general election. President Trump received more votes in Seminole County and Pinellas County than Clinton did in 2016.

Find All Race Results HereORLANDO, Fla. – On Nov. 3, Florida voters will weigh in on a number of federal, state and local elections. Of course, Floridians will play a key role in the presidential election, as the winning candidate will need the Sunshine State’s 29 electoral college votes, according to News 6 political expert Dr. Jim Clark. They’ll also be asked to vote for or against six proposed amendments to the state constitution. Some of the key races in Central Florida include State Senate District 9, Orange-Osceola state attorney and Brevard County sheriff. Check out all the races in Central Florida, including how residents voted for president, in the list below.

More than 647,000 Florida voters switched their political party affiliation in the two years leading up to this week’s general election, state voter registration records analyzed by News 6 show. Although more than 95% of Florida’s 14.4 million registered voters have maintained the same political party affiliation since October 2020, some independent voters have committed to a political party while other voters have changed their registration from one party to another. More than 72,000 voters who were registered as Republicans in 2018 now identify themselves as Democrats, state records show. Another 178,000 No Party Affiliation voters became Democrats, state records show. But she said she later changed her mind and voted for Joe Biden, despite now being a registered Republican.

SUMTER COUNTY, Fla. – Across Central Florida, voters are already turning out in huge numbers. In Sumter County, the Supervisor of Elections reported nearly 80% of people have already voted. That’s why Clark said those votes may be the best early indicator of how the election may turn out. Monday, the Sumter County Supervisor of Elections reported an early voter turnout of nearly 80%. In 2016, Trump led in Sumter County by more than 30,000 votes, according to the Department of State - Division of Elections.

He’s also accused of accessing the voter records of Sen. Rick Scott and sports figures Michael Jordan and LeBron James. I don’t know any place that’s using punch cards anymore,” he said. With record-setting numbers of voters casting their ballots by mail, this year, Gilbert said he’s concerned about a growing issue: signatures on those ballots not matching. For example, in Lake County on Wednesday, a record-setting 56,000 voters had already cast their ballots by mail. He said the software is free for election workers to use, but he’s not sure if any are using it yet.

Find All Race Results HereORLANDO, Fla. – On Nov. 3, Florida voters will weigh in on a number of federal, state and local elections. They’ll also be asked to vote for or against six proposed amendments to the state constitution. Some of the key races in Central Florida include State Senate District 9, Orange-Osceola state attorney and Brevard County sheriff. Check out all the key races in Central Florida, including how residents voted for president, in the list below. Check all the races in Central Florida and statewide in the dropdown menu below.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – With six days left until Election Day, hundreds of thousands of votes have already been cast in Orange County. “It’s traditional for Democrats to outnumber Republicans in mail-in voting, it’s traditional for Republicans to outnumber Democrats in early voting and on Election Day,” University of Central Florida historian Jim Clark said. When you look at early voting compared to vote-by-mail, the gap between Democrats and Republicans shrinks. But it’s not until you take a closer look at the early voting numbers, from day to day, that a trend is established. For example, when early voting started on Oct. 19, if you look at the Orange County Supervisor of Elections Office, which is one of the county’s busiest early voting locations, Democrats had 969 voters, compared to 352 Republicans.

Find All Race Results HereORLANDO, Fla. – On Nov. 3, voters across the U.S. will decide who will be the country’s next president. Republican President Donald Trump faces former Vice President and Democratic nominee Joe Biden in the race for the White House. In fact, Clark told News 6 anchor Justin Warmoth on “The Weekly” that Florida could decide the presidential election. After President Barack Obama won Florida in 2008 and 2012, President Trump defeated Hillary Clinton by 1.2 percent in 2016. Clark told Warmoth the president needs a repeat performance if he wants to be re-elected.