Sanford cop arrested after being paid for 79 allegedly fake off-duty shifts

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/17 7:47A Cristóbal Reyes

A 23-year veteran and former spokesperson for the Sanford Police Department was arrested Tuesday after being paid thousands of dollars for allegedly fake off-duty work shifts. Ronny Neal, an investigator in SPD s Professional Standards unit, was...

Maxwell: Indicted, investigated, embarrassing. Two Florida reps show the problem with partisanship

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/17 7:03A Scott Maxwell

Cory Mills has been an embarrassment ever since he first set foot in Congress three years ago. Mills kicked off his tenure by joking about tear-gassing journalists and laughing about the bloody beating of Nancy Pelosi’s elderly husband. Mills...

Pictures: Central Florida Homeless Persons’ Memorial Service 2025

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/17 6:49A Joe Burbank

Paper doves representing homeless individuals who passed away in the last year are placed on a Christmas tree in Heritage Park during the annual Central Florida Homeless Persons’ Memorial Service in...

Patchy fog, a chance for light rain and partly sunny skies for Central Florida

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/17 12:16A Garfield Hylton

Central Florida begins the day with patchy fog with a chance for light rain after 10 a.m. The fog should dissipate around 8 a.m., and rain chances are 10 to 20 percent, according to NWS Melbourne. Once the fog clears, morning temperatures will be...

Health inspectors shut down 4 Central Florida restaurants last week

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/16 11:00P Garfield Hylton

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation shut down four Central Florida restaurants for health code violations during the week from Dec. 7-13. Orange Sushi B Hibachi & Grill at 12141 Collegiate Way in Orlando shut down on Dec. 10....

Amid the specialty drink explosion, does anyone just drink coffee anymore?

Orlando Sentinel (Osceola County News) 12/16 10:00P Amy Drew Thompson

I went to meet a friend and colleague recently at a cool, new local coffee shop. She was parked in the back of the place when I arrived, ensconced amid thrifty furniture. I put my stuff down and was...

Florida seeks to head off challenges to law suspending local growth limits

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/16 4:05A Jim Saunders

TALLAHASSEE — With a judge slated to hear arguments this week, the state is trying to short-circuit constitutional challenges to a new law that blocks cities and counties from approving more restrictive or burdensome changes to growth plans....

Oviedo Hanukkah celebration offers healing insight with Jewish traditions

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/16 3:02A Rich Pope

Rabbi Dubov, of Chabad of Oviedo–Winter Springs, at the forefront of a Hanukkah celebration held at Center Lake Park in Oviedo on Monday night, greeted and mingled with those in attendance. Young...

I got to help release a bald eagle back into the wild, and it was amazing

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/16 2:31A Roger Simmons

I was invited by the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland to help release a rehabilitated bald eagle on Dec. 5. And it was an amazing experience. The female eagle, who was about 5 years old,...

Preschool expulsions target of counselors working in Orange daycares

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/16 2:00A Michael Cuglietta

When Dawn Orsaeo dropped her son Gabriel off at preschool, the boy would usually cry because he didn’t want his mother to leave. For much of the day, the three-year-old would remain upset, often...

Cool start will have pleasant and cloudy afternoon

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/16 1:46A Garfield Hylton

Tuesday starts cool, but pleasant weather will arrive during a cloudy afternoon. The day will be mostly dry, but a few sprinkles could move onshore, according to NWS Melbourne. Orlando and the surrounding areas have peak temperatures at 71...

Driver dead, passenger injured after rollover crash in Winter Garden

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/15 3:44A Elainie Barraza

Two men from Orlando are dead after a fatal crash Monday morning on State Road 429 southbound at mile marker 17 in Orange County, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The fatal crash happened in the southbound lanes of S.R. 429 near Winter Garden...

Pictures: Best of 2025 feature photos by Orlando Sentinel photographers

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/15 1:34A Joe Burbank, Stephen Dowell, Wil

A great egret makes a snack out of a bluegill sunfish on Lake Sybelia in Maitland on April 30, 2025. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) Dancers from Visit Orlando entertain with colorful balloons as the...

Florida’s new immigration policies are upending lives, USF study finds

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/14 11:00P Juan Carlos Chavez

Immigration policies in Florida and under President Donald Trump’s administration have not only upended the lives of unauthorized immigrants, but have also deeply affected those with legal status, according to a new study by researchers at...

Weather might cause issues, but ULA, SpaceX could fly 3 launches within 12 hours

Local News : Orlando Sentinel 12/14 2:21A Richard Tribou

Dicey weather could cause issues, but three rockets from SpaceX and United Launch Alliance are lined up to launch from the Space Coast beginning Sunday night that could set a record with three Florida-based missions launched within 12 hours. Up...