Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings
Traffic congestion is an issue most of us will encounter on the roads of Central Florida. In Orange County, resident surveys revealed it is the top transportation challenge they face. Mayor Jerry Demings pushed for a Regional Transportation Sales Tax to pay for transit needs for the growing county. But residents voted against adopting a one percent tax increase in November of 2022. Mayor Demings is revisiting the idea of letting voters weigh in again this year.
Social Media and Child Psychology
On Tuesday Governor Ron DeSantis spoke about concerns with legislation from state lawmakers to ban social media accounts for children under 16 – even if their parents allow it. The Florida House overwhelmingly passed the bill last month. A similar measure is being considered in the state Senate.
The bill does not list specific social media platforms. We know it targets sites that track user activity, lets kids upload content and interact with others, and uses features designed to cause compulsive use. Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram encouraged the Florida House to find other solutions. Lawmakers in favor of the ban contend it will protect the mental health of children.
We talked to licensed marriage and family therapist Cherlette McCullough about what kind of impact she is seeing social media taking on children.
Orlando Poet Laureate Shawn Welcome
The City of Orlando has an official storyteller. Shawn Welcome is Orlando’s second Poet Laureate. The UCF graduate is an ambassador for literary arts. He educates and entertains with his performances. The professional poet shared his passion for spoken word with us.
Little Dragons Preparing for Lunar New Year Parade
The students of the Chinese School of Chinese American association of Central Florida are getting ready for the 2024 Central Florida Dragon Parade on February 25th. The Little Dragons are practicing at the Charles Clayton Campus of the Lake Highland Preparatory Academy in Orlando.
