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Dorothea Lange’s famous Migrant Mother portrait shows a mother of seven children in California in 1936.
From hidden women to influencers and individuals – putting mothers in the frame
The popular Instagram account and book Mothers Before shows photographs of mothers before they became mothers, submitted and captioned from the perspective of their children.
Community Action Division helps low-income seniors stay cool
This program provides low-income seniors (60+) with air conditioner replacement, service or system upgrades.
The Calusa golf course has become a de facto wildlife refuge and significant bird rookery in urban Miami.
On idled Florida golf courses, nature stages a comeback
Some Florida communities owe their very existence to golf. Sarasota is one, and The Villages is another. The Naples area is so linked to the links that it currently boasts the most golf courses per capita in the nation.
A wake-up call in the fight against hunger
While other metrics show Florida is getting “back to normal” from a business standpoint, statistics on hunger are grim.
Farm Share to lead Florida efforts in nation's largest food drives, encourages Floridians to help “Stamp Out Hunger”
Farm Share, Florida’s largest independent food bank, invites Floridians to participate in the nation’s largest one-day food drive this Saturday, May 11th, by placing a bag of nonperishable food items by their mailboxes.
Local News
How does the VA support veterans 65 and older?
Census Bureau data shows that in 2021, nearly half of U.S. veterans were 65 years or older, compared to about 17% of the general population.
Apopka Police Department Arrest Report
The Apopka Voice publishes a weekly arrest report that includes arrests, crashes, calls for service, and traffic citations. This report is for the week ending May 4th.
According to the APD report, at approximately 12:40 pm, Apopka Police Officers responded to a Bank Robbery at the Fifth Third Bank, located at 1495 Rock Springs Road.
Breaking News: APD responds to bank robbery in Apopka
According to the APD report, at approximately 12:40 pm, Apopka Police Officers responded to a Bank Robbery at the Fifth Third Bank, located at 1495 Rock Springs Road.
Breaking News: APD responds to emergency plane landing in Apopka
Officers from the Apopka Police Department responded to a report of an airplane crash  in Apopka this morning.
Playing hardball with the Golf Group makes sense for Apopka and Rock Springs Ridge
It's time for Code Enforcement, the Apopka City Council, and the RSR Homeowners Association to push back on the Golf Group with the authority and leverage it possesses.
Downtown Deland
The transformation of Deland: Part Two
"We broke up into three teams to better discuss the tactics Deland employed. We discussed who could be responsible for similar improvements. We learned Deland was intentional about collaboration."
The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) will conduct its annual national food drive on Saturday, May 11, 2024. NALC's food drive, which was first held in 1983, helps feed millions of Americans.
Business
Blackberries in Florida may become even more nutritious in the future
UF/IFAS researchers are trying to breed and grow blackberries, which ripen in April, May and June in the Sunshine State.
Wekiwa Springs ranked as the 11th-best suburb in Orlando
The Wekiwa Springs neighborhood is a hidden gem that offers a unique blend of natural beauty and urban convenience. Now, it has a ranking to match.
Labor Department cites Florida contractor for lack of heat prevention after heat stroke claims 26-year-old worker's life
As average temperatures rise across the U.S., heat illness is a growing safety and health concern for workers indoors and outdoors. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that environmental heat exposure claimed the lives of 36 workers in 2021 and 56 in 2020.
When households pay more than 30% of their income toward housing, the census calls those households “cost-burdened.”
According to Wallet Hub, Apopka is ranked #58 in the United States among small towns for starting a business. The study analyzed 1,334 small towns across the country.
British Swim School, the nation’s leading “learn-to-swim” franchise with a stellar 40-year track record, is thrilled to expand its locations with the grand opening on March 25th in Apopka.
Planet Fitness has firmly established itself as a top choice for those in search of a comfortable yet effective workout experience.
Health

Florida's Community Health Centers step up as Walmart closes rural healthcare services

The Community Health Center in Apopka is located at 225 East 7th Street.

Community Health Centers are in all of Florida's 67 counties, serving patients in more than 800 locations - including Apopka, and dozens of mobile units and school-based sites statewide.

Advocacy groups urge Florida to apply for 2025 summer meal programs for low-income kids

In participating states, low-income families will receive $40 each month for each eligible school-aged child, up to $120, to buy groceries, beginning in the summer of 2024.

While Florida was one of 15 states that opted out of the Summer EBT program this year, according to the department's guidelines, state officials have until August 15th to notify the U.S. Department of Agriculture whether Florida will participate in the summer of 2025.

DOH-Orange highlights National Water Safety Month

Florida offers countless opportunities to enjoy water recreation in pools, lakes, and other surrounding bodies of water. That is why water safety is critical.

AdventHealth Apopka debuts $26.3 million expansion 

This new floor will address the increasing demand for complex care within the community. The 30,230-square-foot expansion adds 38 inpatient beds, including cardiovascular progressive care beds and four dialysis bays.  

Cannabis legalization has led to a boom in potent forms of the drug that present new hazards for adolescents

Many of today’s cannabis products barely resemble the ‘weed’ that most middle-aged adults grew up with.

Arguments are for and against increasing the legalization of cannabis for adult use in the U.S., but expanded access to legal cannabis may also have unintended consequences for adolescents.

Removing PFAS from public water systems will cost billions and take time – here are ways you can filter out harmful ‘forever chemicals’ at home

PFAS are showing up in water systems across the U.S.

Under the new EPA rules, public water systems have until 2027 to complete monitoring for PFAS and provide publicly available data.

Dozens of groups call on DeSantis to veto bill denying heat protections for outdoor workers

A farmworker in Immokalee harvests tomatoes.

he groups have penned two separate letters in recent days to the governor, who received the bill (HB 433) on Tuesday from the Legislature.

Florida Blue Foundation announces 2024 Food Security Grant

Research has shown that when people have reliable access to fresh, local foods, they are more likely to make healthier choices, leading to better health outcomes. 

Government
New data released shows Florida’s average teacher pay dropped from being ranked #48 in the nation last year to #50 in the latest study.
The Apopka Voice publishes a weekly burglary report from the Apopka Police Department that includes reported burglaries of businesses, residences, and vehicles. 
On Monday, April 15th Hilary Patricia Ramos Acosta, a 26-year-old Hispanic female, departed her residence on East Lisa Lane in Apopka. She was located on May 7th.
"I could never have imagined what Deland looked like today after beginning its revitalization in 1985." Orange County Commissioner Christine Moore's two-part series on the transformation of Deland.
The National Fallen Firefighters Memorial in Emmitsburg, Maryland.
Austin Duran to be honored at the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Weekend ceremony
Austin Duran's tragic death in 2022 shocked the community and tore apart the morale of the Apopka Fire Department. Now, he will be honored nationally at a weekend ceremony.
The Northwest Recreation Complex
Infrastructure and a lack of staffing are at the core of numerous problems in Apopka
Olsen: "They're saying we're going to be adding 500,000 people. How many of those are coming to Apopka? What's our 2025 plan, or 2026 plan, or 2050 plan? We need to be thinking in advance."
Veteran homelessness is on the rise despite government efforts—here's how it happens
At least 35,000 veterans were experiencing homelessness in 2023, according to HUD. While that's about half of what it was in 2009—things have plateaued in recent years despite active efforts to get that number to zero.
Opinion

The environmental education of Bob Graham offers lessons for Florida today

Bob Graham, on his first workday after being elected governor, handles sod for a Tallahassee road project, working eight hours in a light rain.
The environment wasn’t even an issue that Graham ran on, not at first.  In seeking election as governor in 1978, he focused on education and crime. But then, well into his first term, a national magazine slammed him on his environmental record.
Bob Graham — two-term governor, three-term U.S. senator — was always thinking about Florida, how to preserve Florida’s waters and save the Everglades, how to improve K-12 education, how to promote civic engagement, how to alleviate poverty.
A forensic audit of a City's finances focuses on examining the financial records, transactions, and processes of municipal government entities such as departments, agencies, or public funds. Opinion by The Apopka Voice Managing Editor Reggie Connell.
Becker was a generational leader. People with his skill set usually skip municipal politics and aim for a fast track to a CEO role in a Fortune 500 company or a higher office. 
Bonus Content

What are roads made of? A pavement materials engineer explains the science behind the asphalt you drive on

While on the road, you’re probably thinking more about your destination than the pavement you’re driving over. But building roads requires a host of engineering feats, from developing the right pavement materials to using heavy equipment to lay them down. …

Sports gambling creates a windfall, but raises questions of integrity – here are three lessons from historic sports-betting scandals

Sports betting is having a big moment across the United States. While gambling on sports has been legal for decades in countries such as the U.K., it wasn’t until 2018 that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could legalize sports betting. …

How Jason Kelce built his personal brand and became a Philly legend

Philly icon and former Eagles star Jason Kelce has continued to make headlines since he announced his retirement from the NFL on March 4, 2024. A few days after Kelce’s announcement, Campbell Soup unveiled its first Legend Edition Chunky can that pays homage to the former football center. …

A jacket, a coin, a letter − relics of Omaha Beach battle tell the story of D-Day 80 years later

Between the villages of Vierville-sur-Mer and Sainte-Honorine-des-Pertes in Normandy, France, is a 5-mile stretch of beach that was once called Côte d’Or, or “golden coast.” …