Civic Issues

100 Orlando-based Black-owned businesses, creatives, entrepreneurs, restaurants, and nonprofits

A list of 100+ Orlando-based Black-owned businesses – nonprofit and for-profit You should know Any time is a good time to support Black-owned businesses. Right now, the Black community is disproportionately affected by COVID-19, and so many Black people and allies are working to dismantle systemic racism. Our local Black community could use support more […]

/ June 11, 2021


Want to go car-less in Orlando?

What would it take for more of us to get around Orlando without our four-wheeled favorite mode of transportation? That’s the question we’ll be digging into with you this month.

/ March 8, 2021


5 Ways to Celebrate Giving Tuesday in Orlando

Can you lend a hand to help your community? Here’s a tip sheet on ways you can give back, from volunteering to donating and more.

/ December 1, 2020


Your guide to voter guides

We’re five days away from Election Day. Have you made your voting plan yet? If not, we’re here to help with a list of voter guides for you to reference.

/ October 29, 2020


The Orlando procrastinator’s guide to voting in the 2020 general election

Read this before you head to the polls to make sure you’re an informed voter. And why not share this guide with a friend while you’re at it?

/ October 6, 2020


Is local government incentivized by increased housing costs?

(📸: giphy) Our last reader-submitted question in our series about the current housing crisis in Central Florida is about property taxes and how they incentivize local government.  It comes from Kelsey K. who asked: “Does the city/county have a perverse incentive to allow housing costs to go up? Local governments receive the majority of their […]

/ November 27, 2019


Could strip malls be a solution to Orlando’s housing crisis?

(📸: Image by Clker-Free-Vector-Images from Pixabay) Mark Brewer, CEO and President of Central Florida Foundation says turning old strip malls into housing could be one of many solutions needed to address our lack of affordable housing in Central Florida, but the practice comes with a lot of challenges. It’s a question our reader M. Adkins […]

/ November 20, 2019



The case for co-housing

(📸: @giphy) The first question in the third month of our deep dive into Central Florida’s affordable housing crisis comes from Kayla Mitchell, who asks, “Do you think co-housing could be a solution?” The tl;dr or short answer is no, co-housing is not a solution to affordable housing but it IS a possible solution to […]

/ November 5, 2019


Why do state legislators raid the Sadowski Fund?

“Why do our state legislators continue to raid the Sadowski state housing trust fund — a fund set-up and dedicated to affordable housing?” That’s the most recent question we’ve received from a reader as part of our series spotlighting our affordable housing crisis and the region’s quest to provide attainable housing for all. Thanks to […]

/ September 17, 2019