Latest news with #Demings
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
No longer ‘disappeared', Orange County ICE detainees are now public
Orange County has begun identifying — in prominent fashion — the jail inmates it holds on immigration detainers, reversing its practice of hiding their names that drew angry protests. Now, beneath a detainee's mugshot on the jail's website, a yellow banner displays 'Immigration Hold.' The county previously had insisted its agreement with federal authorities required it to withhold the names of detainees, though other jails have shown such immigration detainers. But families complained their loved ones were being 'disappeared' into the immigration detention system. Mayor Jerry Demings directed corrections staff to reverse course in late June. 'Moving forward, this database will include ICE immigrant detainees,' Demings said in a statement. 'I believe this will assist family members of detainees in locating their loved ones. Relevant information for the public is now available on the jail's website.' Such information is valuable to attorneys and family members who are trying to find inmates though the value can be fleeting. Federal immigration detainees are often transferred swiftly to facilities in Miami, the new 'Alligator Alcatraz' in the Everglades, or other facilities in Texas and New Mexico. Once they're transferred to an ICE facility, finding them can be challenging. 'It's an incredibly good first step and we're deeply grateful to the elected officials who are finally listening to us,' said Felipe Sousa Lazaballet, the executive director of the Hope CommUnity Center in Apopka. 'It's completely unacceptable to live in a community where people disappear.' Under Orange County's Intergovernmental Service Agreement with Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the county jail serves as one of a handful of facilities across the state that houses federal inmates. County commissioners are expected to further discuss the agreement at a meeting next week. That means people arrested on immigration charges beyond the county's borders – in some cases 100 miles from Orange County – are booked and housed into the jail until they can be transferred to an ICE facility. That agreement has come under fire as well, in part because the county is only reimbursed $88 per day an inmate is held, while it costs about $145 to detain someone. Sousa Lazaballet said he believes the county should terminate the IGSA agreement all together. Previously, when inmates were booked in the jail with an immigration detainer but no local charges, their name never appeared on the jail's roster. But when a person was booked on a criminal charge or even a traffic ticket with such a detainer, they'd appear on the jail's website until the local charge was settled. After that, they'd become a federal inmate and be removed from the roster – despite often still being in the same jail. 'I'm grateful that there's more transparency now in the data for families to be able to find their people in the Orange County Jail,' said Commissioner Kelly Martinez Semrad, who had been calling for the change. Even still, she said, some people are being lost in the system when they're transferred from the Orange County Jail to another facility and then brought back to the local jail, she said. 'That's where we're still losing people,' she said. 'Families feel as though their loved ones are being lost.' rygillespie@ shudak@
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Dreamers not alone: Others this year sought to bring MLB to Orlando, said mayor
Editor's note: This story is available as a result of a content partnership between WFTV and the Orlando Business Journal. The Orlando Dreamers, the well-known baseball effort spearheaded by the late Pat Williams, was not the only player trying to bring Major League Baseball to Central Florida this year, revealed Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. Advertisement Demings, during his June 6 State of the County address, said that he has been approached by other entities interested in bringing Orlando a team. This is the first time the county revealed additional groups were making moves simultaneously as the Dreamers — which Williams started in 2019. Demings did not identify the other groups and was unaware of whether they were still active. Click here to read the full story on the Orlando Business Journal's website. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Orange County Mayor discusses efficiency at State of the County Address
Mayor Jerry Demings gave the State of the County Address, emphasizing the importance of working together efficiently. On Friday morning, Mayor Jerry Demings gave the State of the County Address, highlighting Orange County's growth in many areas. Building together through efficiency was the message of Friday's address. Mayor Demings said he thinks the county needs to get used to doing more with less. He said they expect budget cuts at the federal level to eventually trickle down to impact state and local governments. With that, he said there is a mission to continue to focus on a culture of excellence and innovation while building better through efficiency in the county. 'I believe Orange County is a good local government,' Mayor Demings said. 'We strive for perfection but we're not there yet. We're trying to improve on our efficiency.' In some ways, that means environmental sustainability now preserving an additional 23,000 acres of sensitive land and reusing 100% of the county's wastewater. It will also allocate funds where they are most needed, such as $1 billion towards public safety and $100 million to improve area roads. 60 transportation projects were completed this year. Demings also touted record-breaking tourism numbers and a booming sports industry. Success brings its own set of challenges and even with $160 million committed to affordable housing, he believes more public-private partnerships are necessary. 'If we bring the housing cost down for low-wage owners, effectively, that gives them more discretionary income to do other things with,' Mayor Demings said. 'If we improve their skill sets through education, we're able to uplift their ability to earn a greater amount of money.' The mayor said that to continue being efficient, the county will use technology more, like artificial intelligence, in the future. Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pulse memorial gets $5 million pledge from Florida's Orange County
ORLANDO, Fla. — Orange County commissioners unanimously pledged $5 million today to support the city of Orlando's plan to build a memorial to Pulse, honoring its victims and survivors at the site of the former LGBTQ nightclub as the ninth anniversary of the horrific massacre approaches this month. The decision followed a presentation of the proposed memorial, on which construction would begin next summer. It marked another step forward for a remembrance effort that began as a privately led campaign, collapsed amid infighting and misspending, and is being carried forward now by government agencies and public dollars. 'It's time that there is a memorial,' said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who was the sheriff when a lone gunman opened fire during Latin Night at the club on Orange Avenue on June 12, 2016. 'None of us thought that it would take nine years to get to this point and we can't go back and relitigate all of the failures along the way that have happened, but what we can do is control how we move forward together.' Demings said he did not want the county to be an obstacle to a memorial. The rampage at the club killed 49 people, wounded 53 others and at the time was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Demings asked the capacity audience inside the commission chambers Tuesday to pause for a moment of silence at the beginning of the meeting, then described the proposed memorial as an appropriate tribute to the people and the diverse communities affected by tragedy. Heather Fagan, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's chief of staff, lauded the county's pledge as another step in the healing process. Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan urged her counterparts on the county board to help the community move forward. 'I can never forget the screams of the relatives on Orange Avenue as they found out their children and family members were victims. It haunts me to this day, but I also remember how our community came together, city and county to assist the victims and their families,' she told county commissioners. 'I got to know 38 of the 49 families, and they want their loved ones remembered.' As she spoke, Sheehan clutched a rainbow rosary, a gift from Teresa Jacobs, county mayor when the tragedy occurred. 'You have an opportunity to be part of the healing,' Sheehan said. 'This didn't just impact the gay community. There were members of the LatinX community, the African-American community, there were straight allies who were murdered that day. It's important for us to remember all those beautiful people who simply wanted to dance.' The city sought county funds to help design and build a memorial — estimated to cost $12 million — and has itself pledged more than half the anticipated bill. Orlando took over the memorial effort in late 2023 amid the messy collapse of the private onePulse foundation, oversaw a recently concluded citizens' design process, and has promised to complete the structure by the end of 2027. Created to design a memorial, the onePulse Foundation shut down after spending most of the millions it raised to defray its own lavish expenses, including hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to high-priced architects and consultants. Mayra Alvear, whose daughter Amanda, died at Pulse, said a completed memorial has much to offer Central Florida. 'This memorial will provide solace, a place for reflection, contemplation … a special place for years to come,' she said. _____
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Pulse memorial gets $5 million pledge from Orange County
Orange County commissioners unanimously pledged $5 million today to support the city of Orlando's plan to build a memorial to Pulse, honoring its victims and survivors at the site of the former LGBTQ nightclub as the ninth anniversary of the horrific massacre approaches this month. The decision followed a presentation of the proposed memorial, on which construction would begin next summer. It marked another step forward for a remembrance effort that began as a privately led campaign, collapsed amid infighting and misspending, and is being carried forward now by government agencies and public dollars. 'It's time that there is a memorial,' said Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings, who was the sheriff when a lone gunman opened fire during Latin Night at the club on Orange Avenue on June 12, 2016. 'None of us thought that it would take nine years to get to this point and we can't go back and relitigate all of the failures along the way that have happened, but what we can do is control how we move forward together.' Demings said he did not want the county to be an obstacle to a memorial. The rampage at the club killed 49 people, wounded 53 others and at the time was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Demings asked the capacity audience inside the commission chambers Tuesday to pause for a moment of silence at the beginning of the meeting, then described the proposed memorial as an appropriate tribute to the people and the diverse communities affected by tragedy. Heather Fagan, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer's chief of staff, lauded the county's pledge as another step in the healing process. Orlando City Council welcomes new design for Pulse Memorial Orlando City Commissioner Patty Sheehan urged her counterparts on the county board to help the community move forward. 'I can never forget the screams of the relatives on Orange Avenue as they found out their children and family members were victims. It haunts me to this day, but I also remember how our community came together, city and county to assist the victims and their families,' she told county commissioners. 'I got to know 38 of the 49 families, and they want their loved ones remembered.' As she spoke, Sheehan clutched a rainbow rosary, a gift from Teresa Jacobs, county mayor when the tragedy occurred. 'You have an opportunity to be part of the healing,' Sheehan said. 'This didn't just impact the gay community. There were members of the LatinX community, the African-American community, there were straight allies who were murdered that day. It's important for us to remember all those beautiful people who simply wanted to dance.' The city sought county funds to help design and build a memorial — estimated to cost $12 million — and has itself pledged more than half the anticipated bill. Orlando took over the memorial effort in late 2023 amid the messy collapse of the private onePulse foundation, oversaw a recently concluded citizens' design process, and has promised to complete the structure by the end of 2027. Created to design a memorial, the onePulse Foundation shut down after spending most of the millions it raised to defray its own lavish expenses, including hundreds of thousands of dollars paid to high-priced architects and consultants. Orlando seeks $5 million from Orange County for Pulse memorial; some commissioners are hesitant Mayra Alvear, whose daughter Amanda, died at Pulse, said a completed memorial has much to offer Central Florida. 'This memorial will provide solace, a place for reflection, contemplation…a special place for years to come,' she said. shudak@
