Welcome to Thursday Morning, Orlando!
Received a bunch of lovely replies from Monday’s newsletter wishing me well, where I mentioned feeling terrible after getting a shingles vaccination. Thank you!
Truth is, I whine sometimes, but I know in the long-run I’m going to stave off a nasty illness after getting vaccinated.
Your body, your rules, but if you want to do everything you can to stay healthy, don't ignore the vaccine. We only get one body. Let’s protect it!
Now, in today’s issue:
- Your Waste, Their Energy Source
- Summer Paw-Looza
- Backyard Propagation
- + lots of weekend recs
Did a neighbor forward this to you? Subscribe here.
Let’s roll!
- Philip
P.S. Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
P.P.S. Check out tons of open Orlando area jobs at the Orlando Signal Job Board, right here.
3 QUICK NEWS BITS ⏲️
Your Waste, Their Energy Source
Nature took millions of years to make fossil fuels. Altamonte Springs is doing it in 20 minutes, with sewage.
Every day, toilets flush and pipes carry their cargo to treatment plants, where sludge typically gets dumped on farmland, quietly loading soil and water with forever chemicals (PFAS). One small Florida city decided there had to be a better ending to that story.
Hydrothermal liquefaction, HTL for those who prefer not to say the whole thing, blasts sewage sludge with heat and pressure, producing oil, gas, and clean water while torching 96% of PFAS in the process.
Next up: taking the whole operation regional.
(Learn a ton more about Altamonte’s sewage-to-fuel breakthrough with Molly Duerig, right here)
Orlando's Historic District Is Caught in a Tug-of-War
Orlando city council members are eyeing a three-year timeout on Historic Preservation Board oversight downtown, the city's bet that loosening the rules will finally lure private investors to buildings that have sat empty despite $200 million in nearby public spending.
Board chair Jeffrey Thompson isn't buying it. The 18-year veteran points out the downtown district hasn't turned away a single applicant in five years, and the council already has the power to overrule the board whenever it wants.
His take is Preservation isn't the problem holding Orlando back. It's actually the secret weapon the city keeps ignoring.
(Learn a ton more about the proposed moratorium's impact with Stephanie Rodriguez, right here)
Property Tax Puzzle
Central Florida commissioners have a message for voters, but they have to be careful how they deliver it, without crossing the legal line into advocacy.
A November ballot measure would let homeowners exempt up to $250,000 of their home's value from property taxes by mid-2027.
Sounds great, right? Not if you depend on city services.
Orange County alone is staring down a $250 million budget hole. Orlando, which pulled in $360 million in property taxes last year, won't even put a number on what it stands to lose.
Commissioners aren't saying vote no. They just really, really want you to know what gets cut: think first responders, schools, and infrastructure, and what goes up: fees, rates, and whatever else it takes to plug the gap.
(Learn a lot more about the tradeoffs hiding inside Florida's tax cut with Sam Stockbridge, right here)
WEEKEND SPOT HIGHLIGHT 🔦
Makers Market in Orlando
Source: Pop Up Gallery
📍Grape and the Grain Wine Bar. 1110 Virginia Dr, Orlando, FL 32803. Map to this location.
🕐 Sunday, June 14th, 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Pop Up Gallery is taking over Grape and the Grain wine bar for an afternoon of local art, handmade goods, and one-of-a-kind gifts you won't find anywhere else.
Browse a curated lineup of Orlando's best makers, then pair your finds with a glass of something good, because that's exactly the kind of Sunday this is.
Free, family-friendly, and worth every minute.
👉 Check It Out
TOP 3 FUN RECS FOR THE WEEKEND 🍊
3rd Annual Summer Paw-Looza
Source: Central FL Dog Moms
📍Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company. 1300 Alden Rd, Orlando, FL 32803. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, June 13th, 5 p.m. - 9 p.m.
Now in its third year, Summer Paw-Looza returns to Ivanhoe Park Brewing on Saturday, June 13th from 5–9 p.m., and Orlando's dog-loving community wouldn't have it any other way.
Expect local pet and lifestyle vendors, CFLDM raffles, Christmas in July photos with Santa, pup cups, tropical music, and the kind of crowd where nobody minds a little dog slobber.
Bring your pups, your people, and your best leash.
👉 Get more info, right here
Senior Luau Party
Source: Riverside Senio Activites
📍Oviedo Amphitheatre & Cultural Center. 357 Center Lake Ln, Oviedo, FL 32765. Map to this location.
🕐 Friday, June 12th, 5 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Aloha, Seniors. Your Tropical Night Out Awaits!
Somewhere between a Hawaiian daydream and a perfect summer evening in Oviedo, there's a luau with your name on it. If you're 55 or older, you're exactly who they're looking for.
Pull out your boldest tropical print and head to Oviedo in the Park and the Oviedo Cultural Center for an evening of music, dancing, and tropical-flavored bites.
Don't miss it.
👉 Get the full details
Backyard Propagation 101
Source: UF/IFAS Extension Orange County
📍UF IFAS Extension Orange County. 6021 Conway Rd, Orlando, FL 32812. Map to this location.
🕐 Saturday, June 13th, 9 a.m. - 11 a.m.
The plants already growing in your backyard are quietly offering something for free: more of themselves.
Backyard Propagation 101 is an in-person class teaching home gardeners how to multiply existing plants through simple, time-tested techniques.
Starting in an air-conditioned classroom, students learn leaf, stem, and root cuttings, then head outside for a guided garden walk to collect real propagation material to take home.
Pre-registration required. Bring a hat and water.
👉 Check It Out
THIS WEEKENDS HAPPENINGS 🎭 🥁
Multi-day
Carnival Weekend | Fri, Sat, Sun | Lake Nona | More
Friday
Wekiva Fishfest | 8:00 am | Sanford | More
Orlando Collage Club Presents: Love Letters | 6:00 pm | Maitland | More
RnB LIVE | 9:00 pm | City District | More
The Bunny The Bear, Living Dead Girl, Possessia | 7:00 pm | Winter Park | More
Supernova - A Tribute to Oasis | 7:30 pm | Lake Buena Vista | More
Between Shadows and Lightness | 7:00 pm | UCF | More
Friday Muscle Car Show & Cruise | 3:00 pm | Kissimmee | More
Saturday
Food Truck Fiesta Summer Nights Passport | 5:00 pm | Sanford | More
Florida GALA Choruses present Rainbow Connection | 7:00 pm | City District | More
Tai Chi in the Garden | 10:30 am | Winter Park | More
Crispy Boi Beer Fest | 12:00 pm | Ivanhoe Village | More
Caribbean Culture Celebration | 4:00 pm | Hiawassee | More
Pride and Proud Pub Crawl | 6:00 pm | Thornton Park | More
Rollins Museum Highlights Tour | 1:00 pm | Winter Park | More
Sunday
Beads and Buddies - DIY Summer Jewelry | 1:00 pm | City District | More
Norberto Vélez: Romance y Sabor | 7:00 pm | City District | More
Wale & Smino - Everything Is A Lot... The Tour | 8:00 pm | I-Drive | More
Donefor, We're Wolves | 7:00 pm | Winter Park | More
Nona Nerds PokeMOM Cards Show | 10:00 am | Lake Nona | More
Success Jr. - Son of a Haitian Tour | 6:00 pm | I-Drive | More
🎭 Have an event to share?Submit it here.
THANKS!
🧠Interested in reaching smart Orlando readers like you? Grow with us right here.
🌟 Know a community superstar? Tell me about them, right here.
We’ll see you on Monday.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
