A $5 Publix scratch-off bought in Apopka paid $1,000,000; the winner took a $616,700 lump-sum payout.

Slick search ads are leading people to paid sites that bill them for passport forms the government gives away for free. We explain the Orlando case and how to respond.

An Apopka resident claimed a $1 million top prize from a $5 AMERICA 250 FLORIDA scratch-off bought at a Wawa on East Colonial Drive. She accepted a $606,600 lump-sum payout.

Margate commissioners and animal advocates blocked a proposed sloth‑encounter storefront by a controversial exhibitor with a troubled record, citing safety and welfare concerns. The denial follows public outrage over dozens of sloths that died at an Orlando attraction.

A DeFuniak Springs man claimed the $5 million 200X THE CASH prize and took a $2.78M lump-sum; the winning ticket was sold at a local Tom Thumb, state records show.

A Rapid Response job fair at Lake Buena Vista High on July 22 will connect former Spirit Airlines employees with employers hiring across hospitality, healthcare and logistics.

Florida’s jobless rate slipped to 4.7% in June — the first monthly decline since late 2024 — as payrolls added about 11,100 jobs amid uneven sector gains. The year‑over‑year jump in unemployed keeps policy makers on alert.

Lake County School Board has opened a search for a new superintendent after Diane Kornegay announced she will retire effective May 28, 2027.

Lake County’s master plan would place a $214M high school and a $47M elementary near the Wellness Way corridor, with officials aiming to secure land and funding by 2028.

Three unclaimed Fantasy 5 top‑prize tickets were sold in Miami‑Dade, Lakeland and St. Cloud; each is worth about $38,663.

Tree limbs and memorial items were scattered across Astatula Cemetery after what officials and footage suggest was a brief tornado; crews cleared signs and town leaders say headstones were spared.

Homeowners in Lake County say loans arranged through Momnt paid contractors who vanished, leaving borrowers with monthly bills for work that never happened. Regulators and attorneys are now looking at refunds and legal options.

SeaWorld Orlando security officers say understaffing and $16.50 wages have left some posts dangerously thin while the company resists bargaining. The union says it filed an unfair‑labor‑practice complaint in August 2025.