TRT for Men in Pine Castle, FL

Orange County is home to six districts that each has a distinct personality when it comes to history, natural beauty, parks and recreation options, resident diversity and business opportunities. District 3 Commissioner Mayra Uribe gave us her Top 5 things to know about her district:

The original Pine Castle was a private residence built by poet Will Harney, who settled in the area from Ohio immediately following the Civil War. After claiming the land on Lake Conway south of Orlando, he built a castle using the native pine trees naming the structure “Pine Castle.” Within a few years, the entire neighborhood was referred to as Pine Castle. In 1974, as the community continued to flourish and develop, residents created an annual festival – Pioneer Days – to celebrate their pioneer spirit.

Barber Park has a dog park section (divided with one side for small dogs and one side for large dogs), a playground, soccer fields, volleyball area, basketball court, skate park and hockey rink. The skate park is free and the location of the 1^st Annual District 3 Skate Event. A wide sidewalk surrounds the park and is perfect for walking or jogging. The Conway Community Market is also ideal for a Sunday family experience.

Cypress Grove Park is a 90-acre park located on beautiful Lake Jessamine. It features great walking trails and recreation areas. The park’s restored 1925 estate house is a highly sought-after venue for weddings, meetings, receptions and special occasions. There is plenty of picnic space, and the park’s pavilion and group area are also available for rental.

District 3 is the smallest but most populated district in the County with parts of three municipalities within its jurisdiction: the cities of Orlando, Edgewood and Belle Isle, each with its own distinct personality and offerings.

District 3 has a number of pristine lakes that offer boat ramps, including on Lake Conway, Lake Holden, Lake Jessamine, Lake Anderson and Lake Mary. The boat ramps give residents ample opportunity to enjoy recreational options such as fishing, water skiing, wakeboarding or simply relaxing on the open water.

For more on District 3 and Commissioner Mayra Uribe, go to the Orange County website.

Do you want to know what District you reside in and who your Commissioner is? Visit ocfl.net/bcc and type your street address and you can find your District and Orange County Commissioner.

Next Meeting Set for TONIGHT, Thursday, June 29 at 6 p.m. at Gotha Middle School

WHO:

Orange County Government wants to hear from residents! Please join the conversation about the future of our community. Vision 2050, Orange County’s comprehensive plan, will guide our next phase of growth. The plan strives to protect natural resources and habitats, respect the diversity and character of established communities, increase transportation choices, encourage housing that meets the needs of every family, and connect vibrant places.

Town hall meetings are taking place throughout the county so residents can learn about the principles of Vison 2050, as well as how to share their thoughts using online tools and resources.

Each town hall meeting is tailored to its region and community and will consist of brief staff presentations, question and answer sessions and panel discussions.

WHEN AND WHERE:

Thursday, June 29, 2023, 6 p.m. Orange County District 1—Commissioner Nicole Wilson Gotha Middle School (Cafeteria) 9155 Gotha Road Windermere, FL 34786

Upcoming town hall meetings scheduled for July 2023 include:

Thursday, July 6, 2023, 6 p.m. Orange County District 3—Commissioner Mayra Uribe Pine Castle Women’s Club 5901 S Orange Ave Orlando, FL 32809

Monday, July 10, 2023, 6 p.m. Orange County District 3—Commissioner Mayra Uribe IFAS Extension Orange County 6021 S Conway Rd, Orlando, FL 32812

Wednesday, July 12, 2023, 6 p.m. Orange County District 1—Commissioner Nicole Wilson LOCATION TBD

Thursday, July 13, 2023, 6 p.m. Orange County District 4 – Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero Meadow Woods Recreation Center 1751 Rhode Island Woods Circle Orlando, FL 32824

Monday, July 17, 2023, 6 p.m. Orange County District 6 – Commissioner Michael Scott Barnett Park 4801 W Colonial Dr Orlando, FL 32808

Thursday, July 20, 2023, 6 p.m. Orange County District 4 – Commissioner Maribel Gomez Cordero Timber Creek High School Cafeteria 1001 Avalon Park Blvd Orlando, FL 32828

MORE INFORMATION:

Orange County is in one of the fastest growing regions in the United States. The Bureau of Economic & Business Research (BEBR) of the University of Florida estimates that by 2050, our population will increase by 700,000 people, with a total population expected to exceed 2.1 million. To prepare for this future in a smart and responsible way, Orange County has created Vision 2050 – an initiative that will guide us towards responsible growth and greater resilience.

The Vision 2050 Comprehensive Plan focuses on environmental preservation, community character and public spaces. Residents will have a chance to shape the County’s vision by reviewing the plan and providing feedback through a new interactive mapping website, which can be accessed at www.bit.ly/v2050web.

For more information and a complete list of meetings, visit: www.ocfl.net/Vision2050.

About Orange County Government: Orange County Government strives to serve its residents and guests with integrity, honesty, fairness and professionalism. Located in Central Florida, Orange County includes 13 municipalities and is home to world-famous theme parks, one of the nation’s largest convention centers and a thriving life science research park. Seven elected members make up the Board of County Commissioners, including the Mayor, who is elected countywide. For more information, please visit www.OCFL.net or go to Orange County Government’s social media channels.

PINE CASTLE, Fla. —

Olde Dixie Fried Chicken, the longtime, no-frills restaurant in Pine Castle, is closing its South Orange Avenue location later this year.

But a new location may open in the future.

Related Content

"We're looking for another location in the area," Olde Dixie Fried Chicken general manager Anthony Lupo said.

The restaurant, which many Central Floridians know by its iconic sign featuring a chicken wearing a Confederate flag hat, is closing "its current location" in May, according to a post on the restaurant's Facebook page.

Lupo would not say why the restaurant, which opened in 1962, is closing the South Orange Avenue location.

Owners of the restaurant posted a letter on Facebook that reads:

"Due to circumstances beyond our control, it is with great sadness we announce that Olde Dixie Fried Chicken will be closing its current location at the end of May 2016."

Recommended

Bear captured after sighting prompts closures at Magic Kingdom

The letter thanks the restaurant's employees, suppliers and customers.

Olde Dixie Fried Chicken at 5925 S. Orange Ave. has been operating for more than 50 years. Menu items include a three-piece fried chicken dinner for $5.70 or a two-piece chicken and roll snack for $3.25.

In 2015, Orlando My Way readers named Olde Dixie Fried Chicken the best spot in Central Florida for fried chicken.

Lupo said he is looking for a location in or around Pine Castle, which is roughly 6 miles south of downtown Orlando.

If the restaurant does open in a new location, the sign will likely not make the move, Lupo said. It's so large, it wouldn't be pass the coding process in most municipalities, he said.

Lupo said he hopes to donate the sign to the Charles Hosmer Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park. The museum has a vast collection of old Central Florida signs, including those from Gary's Duck Inn and the Merita Bread factory.

There is no exact date when Olde Dixie Fried Chicken will close, but Lupo has a bit of advice for anyone who wants to visit and eat the chicken: "Get it while you can."

At a workshop on Jacksonville's Southside, a group of special-needs adults gather this time of year to turn flat-bottom bags, votive candles and premium sand into luminaria kits that will light up neighborhoods all over town.

They are proud to be part of the city's holiday tradition.

“Well, I put the candles in the box because I can count," said Michelle Cooks, 56. ”I like that they will look nice at people's houses."

The workshop is at Pine Castle, a work- and life-skills training and activity center for adults with intellectual and developmental differences. Some clients get job opportunities at area businesses, others work onsite assembling and packaging for businesses or on Pine Castle product lines such as stakes for construction and survey companies and the holiday luminaria kits.

"Every time you walk into a Pine Castle workshop and see the participants hard at work you cannot help but smile," said Cory Clarkston, business and employment placement officer. "The participants bring an energy each and every day that lights up our campus and to see the pride they take in their work is an experience unlike any other."

"The ongoing development that the … employment program provides brings opportunities to each participant that they might not otherwise have and creates pathways that help them reach their highest potential," he said.

White luminaria bags — containing a small candle anchored by sand — are traditionally used to light and decorate walkways, paths, porches or entryways during the holidays. The 25-year-old Pine Castle project sells about 4,000 kits annually at $10 each plus tax. Each kit contains 12 white flat-bottom bags, 12 white votive candles and two bags of premium sand, as well as the story and a photo of a client who made the kit.

The 20 Pine Castle clients who participate "are hard workers and are very diligent in the assembly of each kit," Clarkston said. "They take great pride in ensuring their specific role in the process is done correctly and understand it is critical to the success of their team to produce a complete kit."

The reward for them, he said, comes not only with their paychecks but as they "see the kits being used around their communities to brighten up the holidays."

"They take great pride in their work," Clarkston said. "Like all of us, they want to work and earn money to take care of their needs and to buy things they want. … Others are excited to be able to go see a movie or to share a meal with a friend. But all of them are happy to be working each day, learning new skills and preparing themselves for future work in our community. You will not find a more enthusiastic workforce anywhere."

The clients are paid based on the number of pieces produced or hourly wages, or a combination of the two, according to spokeswoman Amber Sesnick. The U.S. Department of Labor allows "adults with differences the opportunity to do work at their pace and earn a paycheck based on their level of production," she said.

The kits are sold to homeowners associations and community organizations that host luminaria nights, as well as through local retailers, media advertisements, referrals to friends and neighbors and the Pine Castle website, digital newsletter and social media.

Riverside Avondale Preservation ordered kits two years ago.

"We thought that this special gift kit would be a nice addition to our inventory," said Executive Director Warren Jones. "We have not sold out of the kits yet, so we will reorder when we do so. We picked Pine Castle to do the work because of their mission. A staff member and I took a tour of the facility and were very impressed with the breadth of services and the work they are doing."

Brittany Patrick, 37, said she has the same reaction when she completes a kit and when she envisions them being placed outside Jacksonville homes.

"I feel happy," she said.

Alex Thomas, 28, was new to the process.

“This year is my first year. I never done it before," he said. "I put the sand in the bag and then I stack up the boxes when they are done.”

Seeing the finished product, he said, is “pretty good.” But helping create something special for the community, he said, is "great."

Beth Reese Cravey: bcravey@jacksonville.com

PINE CASTLE LUMINARIA PROJECT

To order a kit, contact Cory Clarkston at (904) 733-2650 ext. 245 or CClarkston@PineCastle.org or go to pinecastle.org/luminaria. Proceeds support Pine Castle.

PINE CASTLE LUMINARIA PROJECT

To order a kit, contact Cory Clarkston at (904) 733-2650 ext. 245 or CClarkston@PineCastle.org or go to pinecastle.org/luminaria. Proceeds support Pine Castle.

Update April 24: The 55 churches were approved for disaffiliation.

Fifty-five churches are asking to leave The Florida Conference of The United Methodist Church this weekend as part of a nationwide split between traditionalists and progressives.

The divide, while ongoing for decades, reached a head over the support of the LGBTQ+ clergy and marriages in the church.

“Voters in 2019 at the General Conference of The United Methodist Church established the disaffiliation process in the wake of controversy over... the ordination of LGBTQ+ pastors and to permit same-sex marriages at UM churches,” FLUMC said in a news release.

Some churches are now leaving for the more traditional and conservative Global Methodist Church, which started in 2022, even though it will likely cost more money.

The Florida conference is holding a special session Saturday to vote on whether to allow 55 churches — 20% of the weekly in-person worship attendance — to leave.

There are currently 550 churches in the conference. In 2021 and 2022, 17 Florida churches were approved to disaffiliate.

In order to leave, the churches must pay a share of the clergy pension liabilities and two years of the money normally paid to the conference, plus repay any loans.

Some churches will have to pay as much as $400,000 to leave, and the highest is over $1 million.

But if the plan proposed in 2020 is passed in 2024, the churches may not have to pay those fees.

The value of the 55 churches’ assets, not including real estate, is $35,792,640, according to the conference.

Last year, over 100 churches sued the Florida Conference to be able to leave without following the process outlined in the national conference’s governing laws, which includes payment.

But this week, the Eighth Judicial Circuit Court in Starke dismissed the case saying the court does not have jurisdiction in church affairs.

Other state conferences have seen the same schism, such as North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and more. Late last year, over 400 churches in Texas voted to leave.

The list of Florida United Methodist churches who want to disaffiliate, locations and what they will pay to leave:

Atlantic Central District

East Central District

Gulf Central District

North Central District

North East District

North West District

South East District

South West District

This story was originally published April 20, 2023, 5:49 PM.