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Protect Your Pet: Orange County offers free rabies vaccines and microchipping

The average cost of microchips and vaccinations for rabies is approximately $90 for pet owners. Orange County Animal Services wants to assist residents by providing free access to these services.
Celebrate love and strengthen relationships at the SMART Couples Celebration
The event will include insightful presentations, Q&As with the speakers and giveaways, including a date night for two at a Florida resort hotel.
How to deal with a Florida winter weather event
These simple safety reminders can help you and your family better prepare for Florida's winter weather events.
Orange County Animal Services: 89% of animals adopted in 2024
The report comprehensively examines the shelter’s accomplishments and community support in the past year. Most notably, OCAS achieved a 91% live release rate for dogs and 88% for cats, contributing to an overall live release rate of 89%.
Venice Police Department rescue crews assist residents after conducting door-to-door wellness checks in coastal areas flooded by Hurricane Helene.
Climate-fueled hurricanes make Florida’s rampant growth slow down
This past week, the South Florida Sun-Sentinel ran a story headlined, “Residents moving to Florida drop to levels of those leaving. Should we be worried?”
Hurricane Ian caused widespread damage in Florida in 2022, estimated at over $112 billion. This scene was once a shopping center.
If FEMA didn’t exist, could states handle the disaster response alone?
FEMA was created in 1979 to coordinate national responses to disasters, but the federal government has played important roles in disaster relief since the 1800s. Hurricane Ian caused widespread damage in Florida in 2022, estimated at over $112 billion. This scene …
Duke Energy Florida offers free home and business energy assessments, money-saving rebate programs
Home Energy Checks can be completed in one of the following ways – all of which are free to residential customers: Online, over the phone, or in person, which involves a Duke Energy advisor coming to the home to perform the comprehensive assessment.
Flower Power: Master Gardener volunteers help beautify Orange County
Master Gardener Volunteers ensure that all residents know what plant will flourish in the local landscape. This benefits local ecosystems because people use less water, less fertilizer, and fewer pesticides when choosing and maintaining the appropriate plants.
Orange County opens Temporary Warming Centers on Thursday and Friday evenings
Due to this predicted cold weather, Orange County will support the Homeless Services Network in welcoming residents and people without stable housing to two area Warming Centers.
n this aerial view, Flood waters inundate a neighborhood after Hurricane Milton came ashore on October 10, 2024, in Punta Gorda. The storm made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane in the Siesta Key area of Florida, causing damage and flooding throughout Central Florida.
Citizens Property Insurance paid $823 million for 2024 hurricane season claims
While nearly half of the people who opened claims after Milton received payment from Citizens, the payout rates for Debby and Helene's claims were much lower (24% and 28%, respectively) because floods mainly caused the damage.
Neighborhood Goodness: Taking a break to appreciate
If you want to participate, your community’s leadership can request a brief presentation and get the ball rolling. Two options are available: Yard of the Month and Yard of the Quarter.
Unhoused Lewiston. Maine, residents huddle for the evening at the city’s new warming center.
Camping ban enforcement in Maine highlights patchwork of solutions to homelessness
Advocates both believe homeless shelters can be a short-term solution to enforcing the camping ban since most agree that being outside, especially in Maine winters, is the worst-case scenario.
Workshops designed to build stronger communities in Orange County
The Community Connections Workshop Series offers citizens a platform to learn about topics such as neighborhood organization, leadership development, and navigating local government resources.
The City of Las Vegas set up a barricade at a homeless encampment.
Camping bans, penalties after Supreme Court ruling could worsen homelessness, experts say
With homelessness rising, driven by the lack of affordable housing, low wages, and limited access to social services, among other factors, advocates say the court decision stands to worsen an issue that has become more politicized in recent years.
Looking Ahead: Embracing sustainable energy with direct-use natural gas
This year’s passage of new ordinances in Apopka and Winter Garden solidifies natural gas as a reliable energy option, ensuring future residents can enjoy an affordable, efficient, and environmentally friendly energy source from day one.
Teresa Sawyer is pictured here with Joe Chessa and Mike McFadden from the Knights of Columbus.
The Above and Beyond Pregnancy Center in Apopka receives large donation from local nonprofits
"We are so thankful to St Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Apopka, and the Knights of Columbus who just did a 'daily bread' bank drive and raised $5,000 for us, plus donated close to $6,000-worth of brand new baby items."
Apopka and Orange County announce Christmas curbside collection schedule
As Christmas day approaches, Apopka and Orange County residents can expect a change in their garbage collection routine.
George Henry Durrie’s ‘Winter in the Country: A Cold Morning’ (1861).
Why there’s no place like home for the holidays
Listen closely to “I’ll be Home for Christmas” or “White Christmas,” and you’ll hear a deep yearning for home, and sorrow at having to spend the holidays somewhere else.
The secret of making neighborhoods into outdoor living rooms
Commissioner Moore: "With less traffic and slower traffic, streets become more like living rooms where residents meet and grow. It is safer to walk and bike, and thus, there is more chance of meetups."