Lillian Hernández Caraballo
ReporterLilly is a bilingual, multimedia journalist covering housing and homelessness for Central Florida Public Media, as a Report for America corps member. Before joining public radio, she was an editor at Hometown News and an associate producer at Spectrum News 13 — a Top 20 TV market.
Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Lilly moved to Central Florida as an adult, where she graduated University of Central Florida with degrees in journalism, writing and rhetoric, and Hispanic media. At UCF, she served as editor-in-chief for NSM Today, the institution's student-led news outlet, now called The Charge. While there, she also hosted, managed, and web produced WUCF's “The Road to Freedom Avenue: The Legacy of Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore,” a student project and audio series that won a National Edward R. Murrow Award in 2022 for Excellence in Digital Reporting, a 2021 Sunshine State Award from the Society of Professional Journalists, and the Broadcast Education Association's 2021 Best in Show award for Student Audio.
Lilly serves as vice president of her National Association of Hispanic Journalists' local chapter board and as vice president of Report for America's members council. Most recently, she received a 2024 Florida Association of Broadcast Journalists' Award for her political coverage on Central Florida development and property taxes.
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At its apogee, the protest had about 1,000 people speaking out against Pres. Trump’s administration and its policies that, they said, violate human rights. -
Overall, homelessness case numbers are on par with last year for Orange, Seminole, and Osceola counties. Nearly half of them are children and seniors. -
The 2025 Gap Report showed the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Metro Statistical Area only has 19 affordable units for every 100 households. -
Seven Central Florida counties reached record eviction filings in 2024, according to data gathered. More than 50% end with tenants being removed. -
The project will repurpose two Greyhound-style buses as shelters, providing nearly 40 overnight beds for the unhoused in the Downtown Orlando area. -
Area residents who stood against the shelter said they were relieved by the news but want to see the city work on “actual solutions” to homelessness. -
The Downtown Orlando Community Redevelopment Agency board approved the bus shelters on Wednesday, in need of immediate shelters. -
Activists said incidents will continue until unhoused people in east Orlando get shelter or other alternatives. The county said deputies have yet to arrest anyone for public camping. -
After adopting a camping ban in January, Brevard County's most developed city announced its shift away from homeless services and toward housing. -
Local nonprofits are helping an increased number of families and children with evictions, housing insecurity and homelessness handle their stress, anxiety, and depression. -
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside Orlando City Hall to fight for the rights of LGBTQ+ people, immigrants, women, people of color, and the unhoused. -
The decision follows years of residents' grievances due to major losses caused by floods that they claim are a direct result of the county’s overdevelopment.
