Welcome to Monday Morning in Orlando
As per usual, I was in bed by 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night, and every savage in the neighborhood was launching fireworks. These good looks don’t show up on their own and require good nightly sleep! 💤
In today’s issue: 👇
- A Busted Back Door
- Toll Roads 1, Wallets 0
- Papa Llama
- ….and much more
Did someone forward this email to you? Join over 20K insatiably curious Orlandoans, right here.
Let’s dive in!
- Philip
P.S. Want some hawt community sourced foodie recommendations? Check out the Orlando Signal Restaurant Guide, right here.
(GREATER) ORLANDO REWIND ⏪
A Busted Back Door and a 32-Year Run
A perfectly unremarkable CVS on Colonial and Mills is sitting on hallowed movie-house ground, whether the pharmacy line realizes it or not.
From 1940 to 1972, that corner belonged to the Vogue Theatre, a 900-seat Streamline Moderne stunner that made its debut on Christmas Day 1940 with Four Mothers, starring Priscilla Lane. Stained glass glowed along the walls, kids ruled Saturday mornings at the "Great Big Armstrong Club" for a quarter apiece, and Colonialtown had itself a proper neighborhood hangout.
The good times couldn't last forever, though.
Suburban multiplexes started stealing the crowds through the 1960s, and by 1968 the Vogue made the classic last-gasp pivot to X-rated films, reportedly aided by a famously busted back door that let neighborhood kids sneak in for free. 🤣
The lights finally went out for good in 1972, closing a 32-year run that started with holiday cheer and ended somewhere far seedier.
Nothing marks the spot today, just pharmacy aisles and shampoo shelves. But the corner it once anchored lives on in the name Mills 50, and in the Little Saigon energy that thrives there now.
🔥 Want to deep dive into the Vogue Theatre's fascinating history? Check out my expanded version, right here.
THE SQUEEZE 🍊
Toll Roads 1, Wallets 0 as Central Florida's Annual Rate Bump Arrives
Central Florida's toll roads got a price bump on July 1st, with the Expressway Authority nudging up rates on State Roads 408, 417, 528, and 42, part of an annual ritual tied to inflation, since CFX bumps prices every year by 1.5% or the Consumer Price Index, whichever higher, obviously. 👎
Transponder drivers get off easy with a 2-to-7-cent nibble per toll, while pay-by-plate folks take a heartier 4-to-16-cent bite. Some commuters now watch their monthly toll tab creep toward $100, basically earning its own line item next to rent.
There's grumbling about 528's toll-booth conga line, where one wrong exit means paying twice.
Some drivers will end up plotting toll-free detours; most others just make peace with their fate.
(Learn a ton more about the toll hike hitting your wallet with Tylisa Hampton, right here)
Florida Restaurants Must Come Clean About Those Sneaky Fees
More laws hit the books on July 1st that affect your wallet, and this one's about the sneaky charge lurking at the bottom of your dinner bill.
Florida restaurants can no longer play hide-and-seek with fees.
Senate Bill 606 forces eateries to spell out every "operations charge," gratuities, service fees, delivery add-ons, credit card surcharges, right there on menus, websites, apps and itemized receipts, in fonts you can actually read.
Blessed by the restaurant lobby itself, the law doesn't kill surcharges, just drags them into daylight. Mom-and-pop joints aren't exempt.
And enforcement? Still delightfully foggy, with even industry experts shrugging at how it'll actually work.
(Learn lots more about the great Florida fee reveal with McKenna Schueler, right here)
Psst….Orange County Might Owe You Some Cash
Somewhere in a filing cabinet, the Orange County Clerk of Courts is sitting on over 9,000 unclaimed checks. We’re talking anywhere from a few cents, to thousands of dollars.
Vendor payments, refunds, restitution, returned bail money (←I doubt this one applies to our fine OS readers!)...all mailed out, all never cashed.
Good news: checking takes two minutes. Search your name RIGHT HERE. Find a match? Claim it by Tuesday, September 1, 2026 because after that, Florida law sweeps it into the county's Fine and Forfeiture Fund. Gone for good.
(Cash in on everything you need to know about unclaimed checks with Zach Van Dyke, right here)
👉 Partner With Orlando Signal 👈
💼 This Week’s Curated Jobs
Sourced from the Orlando Signal Job Board!
🏥 Regional Growth Manager - Medicare. The Baldwin Group | Orlando (Field-Based)
Build and lead a bilingual Medicare sales team, recruit brokers, and crack open new markets for one of the top 20 insurance firms in the country, your hustle directly drives your income.
💰 Competitive base + commission | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🏈 Team Captain, On Field Operations. DICK'S Sporting Goods | Orlando
Coach the sales floor crew at America's favorite sporting goods chain. Lead merchandising, drive athlete experiences, and run the store like your personal championship game.
💰 Competitive hourly | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🩺 Disability Representative Sr.. Sedgwick | Orlando (Hybrid)
Play detective and advocate rolled into one. Analyze complex medical claims, negotiate return-to-work arrangements, and make real decisions that impact real people's lives.
💰 Competitive salary | 👉 Learn More & Apply
🔧 Purchasing Agent. CACI International | Orlando (Up to 10% travel)
Keep defense manufacturing humming by sourcing critical technical components, wrangling MRP systems, and ensuring nothing stands between the production line and mission success.
💰 $49.2K-$100.9K/year | 👉 Learn More & Apply
Tap/click here for lots more opportunities. Over 100 added last week!
✈️ Orlando’s best flight deal - Neon and no sleep edition
Nobody goes to Las Vegas in August by accident, they go on purpose, knowing full well it's 105 degrees (dry heat, y’all!), and having the time of their life, anyway. The casinos are ice cold, the restaurants are world-class, and the city's even more alive when the heat outside makes venturing out feel like an achievement. Shows that'll genuinely blow your mind, Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon just a quick drive away, and a 24-hour energy that never runs out of things to do. Book it.
Orlando (MCO) → Las Vegas (LAS) for 218 bucks*, round-trip Thursday through Sunday, mid-August. See the deal.
*Price shown above is accurate as of the time this newsletter was sent.
TASTY NEWS 🧑🍳
Orlando Area Eateries Coming & Going
1️⃣ OPENING SOON: Alma Argentina - A Slice of Buenos Aires
College Park, get ready to fall in love with Argentina! Alma Argentina's (Insta) third location is firing up the grill on Edgewater Drive, serving sizzling steaks, hand-folded empanadas, and crispy milanesas, washed down with Argentine wine and beer. Doors open in about a month!
2️⃣ OPENING SOON: Void Restaurant - Air-Fried, All-Day Vibes Coming
With doors opening in a few months, Void Restaurant is spicing up Edgewater Drive, turning a lounge into an all-day hangout with breakfast wraps, penne and wings. All air-fried. One side struts Miami swagger, the other goes full tiki with bamboo vibes. Add indoor-outdoor seating, live brunch tunes, and delivery on demand.
#ORLANDOSIGNAL 📸
“It’s already hot out here, boss”
📷 via @orlandosignal |📍The toaster
Tag @orlandosignal to get your photo featured in the newsletter!
FOODIE FIND, FORK YEAH! 🤩
Papa Llama
📍2840 Curry Ford Road, Orlando, Florida 32806. Map to this location.
Papa Llama (Insta) sits inside a Curry Ford Road strip mall, right next to a Winn-Dixie, holding a Michelin Bib Gourmand like it's no big deal. Because to Kevin and Maria Ruiz, it isn't.
The Peruvian immigrant couple simply cook what they love: smoky shrimp anticuchero, skirt steak lomo saltado, and sweet potato picarones, all anchored by a natural wine list that makes everything better. Intimate, personal, and unforgettable.
👉 Check out the goodness, right here 👈
Source: Papa Llama. Skirt steak with golden oyster mushrooms.
MORE PULP! 😎
Weekday things to check out
🌿 Make & Take: Preserved Moss Art
📅 Monday, July 6th | 6-7pm
📍 4Roots Farm Campus – Education Building
Arrange preserved moss and natural botanicals into a stunning, maintenance-free framed art piece to take home, all materials included for $25!
👉 Bring Nature Home
🎨 Sanford Seminole Art Association: "Summer Fun" Exhibit
📅 Tuesday, July 7th - Tuesday through August 25th | 10am-5pm
📍 Historic Sanford Welcome Center
Bright, vibrant paintings and sculptures by talented local artists celebrating the joyful energy of summer; many pieces for sale, Opening Reception August 5th, 6-8pm.
👉 Summer Art Vibes
🍔 Tasty Takeover in The Milk District
📅 Tuesdays | 6:30-10pm
📍 The Milk District – 2424 E Robinson St
Orlando's premier weekly food truck block party featuring diverse culinary offerings behind the shops and bars.
👉 Dine Alfresco
📖 Storytellers of Central Florida
📅 Tuesday, July 7th | 7-8:30pm
📍 Winter Park Library
Experienced and emerging storytellers gather monthly to share tales and sharpen their craft. Come listen or take the floor!
👉 Tell Your Story
🍃 Cooking with Confidence: Simply Pesto
📅 Wednesday, July 8th | 6-7pm
📍 4Roots Farm Campus – Education Building
Chef Isabella Fry unlocks the magic of fresh pesto as a dip, dressing, marinade, spread, and more. Your pasta nights will never be the same!
👉 Pesto Power
🎨 Art Night Out: Serpentine Studio with Xavier Moss
📅 Wednesday, July 8th | 6pm
📍 Orlando Museum of Art
Slow down and discover the artistry hidden in snake movement and patterns with instructor Xavier Moss; all materials and an adult beverage included!
👉 Draw the Wild
📓 Pages of You: Crafting Your Personal Journal
📅 Thursday, July 9th | 6-8pm
📍 Albin Polasek Museum & Sculpture Gardens
Transform simple materials into a one-of-a-kind handmade journal that's as unique as the stories you'll fill it with.
👉 Write Your Story
🎭 Want to share an event? Use this link.
THANKS!
✅ Want to connect with 20K+ curious Orlandoans for your business?, start a conversation here.
🌟 Know a community superstar? Tell me about them, right here.
Thanks for reading! I’ll see you again on Thursday’s weekend fun issue.
My Best,
Philip - Publisher, Orlando Signal
