Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article many locals said they believed the death toll had been about 30 or 35 the mob torched at least two dozen houses along with Black churches and other buildings Ocoee had been established in the 1850s by a white settler who brought 23 enslaved African Americans with him. The town grew after the Civil War as more white Southerners—including many Confederate veterans—settled there and Black laborers worked their land African Americans were able to buy property in the town and by 1920 the census indicated that Ocoee had a population of 815 people More than a third of the Black Ocoeeans owned their homes “and he who interferes must face the consequences.” Norman disappeared and was not heard from again arrived several days after the massacre and was told by a real estate agent and cab driver that the African American body count was 56 The NAACP’s official estimate was that somewhere between 30 and 60 Black Floridians had died Nearly all the Black residents who survived fled town immediately or were eventually forced out White found that many of the local whites were thrilled about what had happened The United Confederate Veterans changed the timing of their convention in Orlando so the attendees could visit Ocoee and witness firsthand the victory for white supremacy No one was ever prosecuted for the violence the group approached the Orange County Regional History Center in Orlando which created an exhibit for the centennial of the event The center has also mapped out dozens of properties lost by Black residents and tracked down the descendants of survivors informing them of how much the land is now worth The properties are worth at least $10 million altogether OCOEE – UPDATE: Christ-Clara Charles has been found safe the Ocoee Police Department announced Thursday ORIGINAL STORY: Police are searching for a 15-year-old girl who was reported missing out of Ocoee who goes by “Clara,” has been missing since Tuesday when she was last seen at Ocoee High School and did not board the bus to return home the Ocoee Police Department said in a news release She was last seen wearing blue jeans and a Sprayground bookbag sometimes wears glasses for style and resides in the Orange County Sheriff’s Office’s jurisdiction Anyone who sees Charles or has knowledge of her whereabouts is urged to contact Detective Ashley Correa at 407-905-3160 Copyright 2025 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved joined the ClickOrlando team in November 2021 TV Listings Email Newsletters RSS Feeds Contests and Rules Contact Us / Follow on Social Media Careers at WKMG Closed Captioning / Audio Description Public File Current EEO Report Terms of Use Privacy Policy Do Not Sell My Info FCC Applications EEO Report Disability Assistance Copyright © 2025 ClickOrlando.com is managed by Graham Digital and published by Graham Media Group Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More — Ocoee City Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday evening for a six-month development moratorium that will give city staff a temporary pause allowing them to focus on rewriting the land development code and comprehensive plan for the city.  City staff said this will pave the way to making sure any future development coincides with the city’s long-term vision The decision to do so has stirred mixed feelings for residents in the community Some residents acknowledge that a six-month halt for development is not ideal but is necessary to ensure that the city’s land development regulations are up to code Others say stopping the momentum for development will put a wrench in the city’s progress Doug Gomber has been living in Ocoee for 11 years living in Ocoee allows him to get the best of both worlds As an insurance agent who represents businesspeople from retail store owners to builders and contractors he said Ocoee is standing on a great deal of potential for future development.   But he’s concerned that a six-month moratorium will halt the city’s momentum “When you throw up a six-month red flag and say nobody come to Ocoee for six months manufacturers that Ocoee is closed for business,” he said Gomber says growth in Central Florida is not stopping anytime soon and he’s fearful that imposing this six-month moratorium will make it more complicated to do business down the line.  “If they think that at the first day after a six-month moratorium that everything is going to open up again and people are going to line up doing business with Ocoee it takes a while to get that going again,” Gomber explained Although Ocoee City Manager Craig Shadrix agrees with Gomber he said the city’s code isn’t sustainable with its long-term plans to make Ocoee more urban which he says the community has been calling on for a long time “We want more urban walkable places where we can have multiple unplanned exchanges Those types of things and what our code does currently but I think we’re going to be okay,” Shadrix expressed Shadrix said Ocoee citizens have been clear that they want to see an urban-style commercial neighborhood with wider streets and access to public dining on sidewalks He said city staff are also projecting population growth on tournament weekends ever since travel sports have become its own “market” in Ocoee Ocoee resident Kellie Beck is among those who agree that the moratorium reflects the community’s needs “An update to the land development code that brings it in line with more modern development that’s going to allow us to design for what benefits the people that live here and the businesses that are here I think it’s a step in the right direction and really going to make sure we have what we need to continue growing as a community,” Beck said who has lived in the Greens at Forest Lake neighborhood since 2021 Having grown up in Clermont and Lake County Beck said she sees the development happening there and is confident that it’ll carry over in a similar fashion in Ocoee due to its accessibility to major roadways and appeal to homeowners and businesses The moratorium will temporarily stop any construction and development projects within the city limits until March 17 of next year, unless the city decides to extend or terminate the motion altogether It will also not affect the existing 23 projects that are currently under construction in Ocoee — Ocoee could soon become home to a $1 billion youth sports complex The project would feature more than a dozen outdoor sports fields three hotels and an entertainment district.  It's called The Dynasty and this week local leaders had the first reading of the ordinance that would make it a reality The city is moving toward rezoning about 160 acres of land located in the southeast corner of the intersection of Ocoee Apopka Road and Fullers Cross Road they looked at locations all over the world with it being so close to what they called the entertainment capital of the world It’s an exciting prospect for those involved in local youth sports, like Jane Rainer. As one of the owners of GGS Soccer Academy in Ocoee sharing lessons that expand beyond the field to trust people because they're relying on a team.” She’s even more excited about the development of youth sports in the area since learning about a proposed sports complex Montierre Development shared renderings of what it could look like Husband and wife developers Jaime and Anne-Marie Douglas want it to be a one stop shop for families “We’d like for people to come and enjoy our development park their car and have a have a weeklong vacation right there on site," said Montierre Development CEO Jaime Douglas so close to the amenities of such a fantastic location such as Central Florida is a is a positive as well.”  They shared that between the cost of the land drawing events and visitors from around the world while creating over 5,000 jobs “It's a lot of money and initially out-of-pocket up front,” said Douglas “But the return on it for everybody is just tremendous.” They are aiming to create a place where children can develop their futures "We are excited for them to be able to come to our complex for them to be able to cherish this portion of their childhood and take that with them to wherever their life may lead them,” said Montierre President  Anne-Marie Douglas we want to help and create a solid foundation to become good strong adults and instill values at our complex that allow them to thrive.” However they also acknowledge sports can be expensive and said they hope to offer cost-conscious options for families “They have to just sit and make a decision between a vacation or do a sporting event during the summertime and that was one of our biggest drivers is how do we create a more affordable convenient location or opportunity for individuals to not have to make that decision?” said Douglas she’s excited at what the facility could add to the community she hopes it will help her grow her business as well so hopefully with this new complex where we will be able to expand some more,” said Rainer According to the developers, the ordinance will be read and potentially adopted by city leaders on Feb. 18. From there they say they would hope to break ground in the following months and complete the facility in 2027 – Central Florida families came together Sunday morning for a unique event that focused on holistic wellness and giving back to the community Body & Soul Experience” held in Ocoee offered attendees a chance to participate in group workouts and emotional resilience sessions — all while helping to pack more than 100 care bags for unhoused residents in the area Hosted by Brown Girls on a Mission in partnership with Miles To Go Charities the event emphasized the importance of physical mental and emotional well-being through community engagement “This event is about community healing and support,” said one of the organizers “We believe true health isn’t just physical — it’s emotional Families and volunteers of all ages joined in a high-energy workout led by Vishant Dave and took part in interactive sessions on stress management holistic health and positive mindset strategies Organizers say the event was designed to be more than just a wellness day — it was a hands-on effort to inspire long-term lifestyle changes while directly supporting people in need Brown Girls on a Mission and Miles To Go Charities plan to continue these efforts and hope to expand their reach in future events For more information on upcoming initiatives or how to get involved, visit https://www.bgoam.org/ — The Ocoee City Commission on Tuesday unanimously approved changes to the city's comprehensive plan and rezoning of land in the southeast corner of the intersection of Ocoee Apopka Road and Fullers Cross Road to allow a developer to build a youth sports and hotels project valued at up to a billion dollars The vote changed 117.7 acres of low-density residential property and 32.3 acres of conservation property to commercial including a football field; a 150,000-square-foot state-of-the-art indoor sports facility The company seeking approval of the project expressed their appreciation and excitement about moving forward with the project.  "We are beyond grateful to the City of Ocoee and its residents for their continued support of The Dynasty|Ocoee project," a spokesperson for the company said in a statement "We look forward to the positive impacts our project will bring to not only to the city residents and visitors but to the entire vivacious world of youth sports."   a Montierre spokesperson said the company expects the project to create up to 10,000 construction jobs and up to 5,000 direct and indirect jobs in the area Residents who commented on the project mostly were in favor who has a farm that backs up to the project expressed concerns about whether barriers would be set up to close it off from his property and wanted to know whether access points would be available to his property once the roadways for the sports complex were built A Montierre spokesperson said the company would work to address any outstanding concerns including monitoring and containment of a brownfield area of the property A brownfield is previously developed property that has been abandoned or underdeveloped Chevron previously had owned part of the property and had to conduct some Environmental Protection Agency-mandated soil cleanup and groundwater monitoring and containment because of hazardous substances left behind This website is unavailable in your location It appears you are attempting to access this website from a country outside of the United States therefore access cannot be granted at this time – Ocoee police are searching for a 14-year-old boy reported missing and considered endangered Eric Ron Lamonte King Jr. was last seen around 8 a.m. Wednesday in the area of Ocoee Middle School, the Ocoee Police Department said in a news release King is believed to have left the school on foot 4 inches tall and 112 pounds with black hair King was last seen wearing a red hoodie with a ticking bomb picture Anyone who sees King or knows of his whereabouts is urged to contact Detective Justin Hutchinson at 407-905-3160 commissioners in the city of Ocoee gave their approval of an agreement that will allow selected law enforcement personnel to be trained by immigration officers There was not an in-depth discussion about the memo included in the city commission’s agenda packet The item was approved along with other matters in the consent agenda Our News 6 Team reached out to the city again Wednesday to see if anyone from the police department or administrative staff would be available to explain the next steps We were told that no one was available to speak on camera [EXCLUSIVE: Become a News 6 Insider (it’s FREE) | PINIT! Share your photos] Documents obtained by News 6 describe how the 287(g) task force model will work and what authority select officers will have It states personnel must complete mandatory training both in-person and online before they are authorized to perform the functions of an immigration officer There are several designated authorized functions An agenda for a Satellite Beach council meeting Wednesday night shows they will also be presented with a similar 287(g) task force model to approve A summary of the agenda item states once officers undergo training they will “gain authority to enforce immigration laws such as questioning individuals about their immigration status and detaining those suspected of being unlawfully present in the county.” where he announced the statewide expansion of immigration enforcement “We’re the only state in the country where all of the counties have done this,” DeSantis said we’ll honor a detainer or a warrant.’ Of course you have to do that This is a task force model which will lead to street-level enforcement operations.” While supporters have praised the ICE training agreements and Florida’s efforts to align with the Trump administration’s immigration policies others argue the program will be used to target people based on race the communications director for the Florida Immigrant Coalition said previous 287(g) agreements have a track record of not working and they had to basically shut it down because they were infringing on the rights of people citizens who were racially profiled,” Rivera said “We’re seeing people who have no police backgrounds people who even have a legal status in the country being swept up by this hysteria that we’re living under.” Rivera said she is also concerned about the resources and burden placed on local taxpayers so local officers can carry out the tasks of federal immigration officers “Everybody that pays taxes in their local cities and counties are the ones who are paying the vast majority of the costs associated with joining and carrying out the duties of the ICE task force,” Rivera said this would mean that we’re paying the salaries the supplies for police to handle immigration enforcement including when these officers are sued for violating the resident’s constitutional rights.” Rivera said city and county officials should consider the values of the jurisdiction they represent before giving their approval “It’s important that people know that these cities and counties are not required to join the ICE task force under Florida law – One person was rescued from a vehicle on Wednesday after it crashed into a body of water in Ocoee The Ocoee Police Department and firefighters responded around 7:15 a.m to the body of water near Colonial Drive and Blackwood Avenue adding firefighters were able to extract the driver shortly after Orange County Fire Rescue assisted with the call reporting no injuries or medical transports after the patient was extracted from the vehicle The view from Sky 6 showed what appeared to be a gray SUV partially submerged The scene at Blackwood Avenue and Colonial Drive was just north of Orlando Health - Health Central Hospital — At the Ocoee City Commission meeting on Tuesday city leaders and the police department joined the long list of Florida municipalities moving toward becoming compliant with the enforcement of state immigration laws The Ocoee City Commission unanimously approved the Memorandum of Agreement for the 287(g) Task Force between the U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Ocoee Police Department This decision will allow officers to get the required 40 hours of training by the Department of Homeland Security to help ICE arrest those who are here illegally they will be able to fulfill the duties of the agreement if they happen to come into contact with an individual that meets the criteria,” said Ocoee Police Department Chief Vincent Ogburn that criteria would be anyone found on the list of 700,000 administrative civil arrest warrants issued by ICE But Ogburn says his officers will not be chasing down or actively looking for anyone who may have one of those warrants “If we come across anybody who have criminal charges and as a result of running them in the system and they will then take them to the jail and notify the jail of this warrant,” Ogburn explained But unlike other municipalities complying with state law Ogburn says the department will only be able to have one officer trained we’re currently staffed with maybe 95 officers “So that’s why we aren’t able to put a lot of people on this task force.” the officer chosen will have the power to arrest people with warrants from ICE but the overall duties of that officer won’t change and neither will the department “I just want to let our citizens know that we are not going to change the way we’re doing business,” Ogburn said still do our community events and nothing is going to change with the Ocoee Police Department.” Ogburn says they need at least 20 more officers to be fully staffed but they have not discussed how many more officers will be trained for the task force if they meet that number He also says that they’re still in the process of picking that one officer to represent the department in the training A week after Hurricane Helene tore a historic an Ocoee River rafting operation owner who is also an expert in logistics has spent the past week in the storm-torn North Carolina mountains hauling donated food water and resources to storm victims while many.. Ben Benton is a news reporter at the Chattanooga Times Free Press Ben has worked at the Times Free Press since November 2005 He has a bachelor's degree in communications from the University of Tennessee This document may not be reprinted without the express written permission of Chattanooga Times Free Press Material from the Associated Press is Copyright © 2025 audio and/or video material shall not be published rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium Neither these AP materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and noncommercial use The AP will not be held liable for any delays errors or omissions therefrom or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part thereof or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing Voters in five Orange County municipalities elected local officials to various posts Tuesday The election included a grudge match in Ocoee and a mayoral contest in Belle Isle In Belle Isle voters promoted City Council member Jason Carson to Mayor Unofficial final results showed Carson leading with almost 57% of the vote Commissioners appointed Hart to the position and Oliver won his District 4 seat in an election last year Unofficial results showed Oliver taking 53.4% of the vote on Tuesday In Maitland voters elected a new City Councilperson for Seat 3 Results showed French winning almost 55% of the vote In Windermere voters elected three City Council members out of a five-person field and Tony Davit have all won new terms on the Board beating Rotary Club President Frank Krens and High Gear Specialties Vice President of Sales Jessica Lee And in Winter Park City Commissioner Kris Cruzada defended a Seat 3 position fending off a challenge from lawyer Justin Vermuth The final tabulation showed Cruzada with almost 63% of the vote This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL © Copyright by Extensive-Enterprises 2025. All rights reserved. STAFF LOGIN – Ocoee city leaders are considering bringing a $1 billion sports and entertainment complex stretching 159 acres to the area Developers say it’s a plan that’s been in the works for several years and believe it will bring millions of dollars to the city The area off of Ocoee-Apopka and Fullers Cross roads doesn’t seem like much, but it could be the site of a sports complex with 17 multi-sport fields. the company that wants to create the complex said the “The Dynasty” would also feature a 150,000 square-foot indoor facility 1,100 hotel rooms as well as 500,000 square feet of retail said that they decided to choose Ocoee because it is a central hub for the state and the area has so much to offer “It gives opportunity to allow families to not have to choose between taking a vacation or attending a sporting event,” Douglas said.” They can have both at the same time and that creates a lot of off-the-field activities for families to participate in Douglas said Ocoee is easy to access from anywhere in the state Douglas said they want to start breaking ground on construction this year to hopefully open the complex in 2027 The city commission had their first reading Tuesday and will have a final reading on Feb Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: — City of Ocoee commissioners are moving forward with a proposed development moratorium The potential six-month moratorium is designed to give city staff time to review and update regulations to ensure that future projects align with the city’s long-term vision but we don't have a big staff," said Ocoee acting assistant city manager Michael Rumer "So it provides us a little pause to be able to focus .. so we can let the development community to know what to expect the moratorium would stop new construction and development projects within city limits until March 17 unless the city commission decides to extend or terminate the ordinance earlier the 23 projects currently under construction in Ocoee would not be impacted by this temporary halt the owner of Shantall's Flower & Gifts in downtown Ocoee has witnessed the area transform into a vibrant community a change she attributes to the ongoing development in the city moved to the area with a passion for flowers a passion she turned into a business 16 years ago has flourished alongside the downtown area’s growth My daughter is everything to me,” Gomez said She worries that a pause in new projects could slow the momentum that has benefited her and other local businesses all the people who move will buy flowers to say welcome to the new city.” According to a report from the city commission the pause would provide the city to focus on "writing standards that will improve the city’s place-making standards and to develop context-based development regulations so that architecture of buildings and other infrastructure reflect the vision as stated by the Commission and citizens on numerous occasions before allowing new developments to proceed." Editor's note: Another version of this article stated 13 projects were currently under construction – A New York WaterMaker and Boar’s Head meat are some of the key ingredients that make Grand Central Pizza Station successful This Central Florida pizza shop is celebrating its grand opening on Friday and Saturday who is handling the marketing side of this operation With this being their first restaurant venture Rommel’s husband and her father both attended Pizzaiolo School to learn the tricks of the trade “There are only two schools that offer this level of training in the U.S with certifications from Italy,” Rommel said what makes this pizza shop unique is its mission — giving back and honoring veterans One of our visions for (Grand Central Pizza Station) is to be an option for veterans who are looking to open their own business,” she said it’s important that each owner is a veteran so that we can continue to give back to that community.” It will also offer a discount to veterans and first responders Rommel said she plans to keep growing this brand in the Orlando market as she and her team are planning to open two to three more shops in the next five years To check out more of Rommel’s story and to find out how to join the team click here. News 6 first told you about this shop back in, July, but the team said that the name and logo change was due to them feeling it was a better fit for the direction of the company It also faced delays in opening due to hurricanes Helene and Milton Check out the Florida Foodie podcast You can find every episode in the media player below: Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved