Free Republic

Years before Jason Rodriguez allegedly opened fire in a former employer's office Friday, he scared people with his spiral into erratic behavior. "He was a very, very angry man," said his former mother-in-law, America Holloway. She recalled Jason Rodriguez saying that "nobody liked him" at Reynolds, Smith and Hills Inc., an architectural-engineering firm in downtown Orlando where he worked as a draftsman until he was fired more than two years ago. In the past three or four years, 40-year-old Jason Samuel Rodriguez struggled with divorce, mental-health treatment, debt, underemployment, personal bankruptcy, and -- according to those who know him --...

Another shooting on the very day we vote in Health Care. ORLANDO, Fla. -- At least eight people were shot inside a downtown Orlando high-rise Friday morning. Firefighters were called to Gateway Center at 1000 Legion Place around 11:30 a.m. The building is near Lake Ivanhoe. All patients have been taken to Orlando Regional Medical Center. At least four of the eight patients are serious trauma cases.

At least eight people were injured in a mass shooting inside a downtown Orlando high-rise just before noon Friday, according to the Orlando Fire Department.According to Orlando Fire Department District Chief Michael Droege, an unknown number of people are still in the building and could be injured. He said the SWAT team is still trying to pull people out of the building.WESH 2 reporter Gail Paschall-Brown, who is at the scene on the ground, said that 15 employees came out of the building very distraught. Paschall-Brown spoke with one who said that a former employee came into the office who...

ORLANDO, Fla. — Police in Orlando say a gunman has been apprehended after killing one person and injuring five others at a downtown office building where he was let go two years ago. Police Chief Val Demings says 40-year-old Jason Rodriguez surrendered to police at his mother's home after officers saw him through a window and asked him to come out.

Excerpt: And when Republicans demanded an apology, guess what? He said no! No apology for you! What’s more, he twisted the knife by apologizing instead to the people who died because they didn’t have health insurance! Do you understand how scary this man is? HE COMMUNICATES WITH THE DEAD!

Bryce Williams wasn't expecting to walk through a metal detector or have his bags screened for explosives at the Greyhound bus terminal near downtown Orlando. But Williams and 689 other passengers went through tougher-than-normal security procedures Thursday as part of a random check coordinated by the U.S. The idea is to keep off guard terrorists and others who mean harm, thereby improving safety for passengers and workers. There was no specific threat to the bus station on John Young Parkway south of Colonial Drive. Although the TSA is best known for its agents at airports, the agency's Visible Intermodal Prevention...

On October 13, 2009, (10/13 Sheriff's call reports) two small business owners arrived home after a 12-hour workday to find burglars rifling through their house and wearing their jewelry. At least one of the suspects was armed with a gun. The victims armed themselves with handguns and entered their home, confronting two or 3 suspected burglars. One burglar was killed and another wounded, with a possible third still at large. According to the Orlando Sentinel (Link to story), it seems that youths were just committing a harmless misdemeanor prank when they were attacked by two pistol-wielding vigilantes intent on killing...

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- An Orange County man caught two burglars breaking into his house, so he pulled out his gun and shot them both Tuesday night. One of the burglars was killed and the other is in critical condition. The deceased burglar was identified as 17-year-old Brandon Martinez. Deputies say the owner of the house on Rubens Court (see map) won't be arrested. They say he did nothing wrong. The homeowner, along with his brother and son, had just gotten home from work when he confronted the burglars Tuesday night. They had already ransacked his house and even tried...

The Republicans had put Webster among a trio of their best-bet candidates to retake the seat Grayson won last year by ousting four-term incumbent Ric Keller. But two other possible candidates — Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty and state Rep. Stephen Precourt, R-Orlando — both opted out last week. That's left a pair of grass-roots Tea Party activists, Patricia Sullivan of Eustis and Dan Fanelli of Orlando, as the only two candidates to formally file for a Grayson challenge so far. However, South Florida developer and recent Orlando transplant Armando Gutierrez Jr. says he filed to run on Friday, and...

As Alan "Dick" Grayson . . . . . . . . . . . As "Robbin'". . . . . . . . The DUmmies have a new superhero! He is Alan "Dick" Grayson, aka "Robbin'." Forget Kookcinich, forget Daffy Dean! No, the Flavor of the Month for the Looney Left is this guy Grayson! What is his claim to fame? The new congresscritter from Florida recently said that Rethuglicans are "knuckle-dragging Neanderthals" who want sick people to "die quickly." Whoa! That kind of trash talk is right up the DUmmies' alley! But now, after the furor those...

Amid the shiny stripper poles, strobe-lit stages and scantily-clad performers at Rachel's Gentlemen's Club, you'll find Barbara and Sylvia, two old beauties who come for the free food and flu shots -- and stay for the ambiance. "I love it, I want to know where the girls got those sexy stockings that stop up here. I need some of those," said Sylvia. Every year around this time, the flesh den in the small town of Cassleberry, north of Orlando, offers the shots in a setting way more exciting than a sterile doctor's office. And the return of the complimentary lunch...

This year's summer season was the worst on record for Orlando-area hotels. the Orlando hospitality market wrapped up the three-month season by filling only 58 percent of its available rooms in August, or 8.9percent fewer than in August 2008. That's the worst August on record since Smith Travel Research started keeping track in 1987. The June and July occupancy rates were also the worst for those months since the hotel-tracking company began conducting its local surveys. And hotel operators were not able to make up for the empty rooms with higher prices: Room rates were down by double-digit percentages all...

Orlando, the vacation destination for millions of families worldwide, is getting a bit of a smackdown: Children's Health magazine, in an issue on newsstands Tuesday, has ranked the 100 best and worst cities to raise a family -- and Orlando finished almost last. Burlington, Vt., came in first, while Orlando finished 98th, ranking just above Miami and last-place Detroit. What doesn't Orlando have? Editors at the magazine dinged the City Beautiful for its relatively low per-pupil spending, high crime rates, low homeownership rate, high unemployment and the number of sex offenders and missing children per capita. Burlington, by contrast, was...

Note: Video included. Suspicious device found under WDW bus Updated: Friday, 18 Sep 2009, 12:19 AM EDT Published : Thursday, 17 Sep 2009, 5:34 PM EDT SNIPPET: "LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Investigators with the Orange County Sheriff's Office Hazardous Device Unit have determined that an object attached to a Walt Disney World bus is not explosive or hazardous. Once that determination was made, investigators removed the object from the bus for further examination. It is still unclear what the object is or why it was placed on the bus. Employees located the object attached to the...

MIAMI — It sounds like a new book in the Harry Potter series, but "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" will be a high-tech ride and the marquee attraction at the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter," a new theme park area opening in spring 2010 at Universal Orlando Resort. The "Forbidden Journey" ride was named by author J.K. Rowling and described Tuesday by Universal officials in a Web cast revealing details of what the Potter park will look like. Guests will enter the "Wizarding World" through a station archway named for Hogsmeade, the magical village near Hogwarts. A plume of...

Teenager Says Her Parents Will Kill Her Over Conversion. The Muslim community if speaking out about a so-called religious runaway who came from Ohio to Florida saying she feared her parents would kill her because she converted to Christianity. On YouTube, Fathima Bary, who is known as Rifqa, says her parents must kill her because she has converted. "It's an honor. If they love God more than they love me they have to do this," she said. "I'm fighting for my life." Rifqa's attorney has said that the mosque attended by her parents has terrorist ties.

“Mr. Marcus, Thank you so much for emceeing the Orlando Tea Party. I was very impressed with your voice and the lyrics of your songs. All of us are striving for freedom, but those amongst us with the power to communicate are better suited to that cause. You can project our vision 10 times stronger than the majority of us without that gift. You are one of those people and you have my thanks.” Brendan Dwyer Hulk Hogan made a surprise appearance. VIEW…. LLOYD MARCUS LIVE Kick Off of Orlando’s Tea Party! ORLANDO DOES AMERICA RIGHT! “Livin’ In America”,...

Uniting for America Orlando, Fl. 08-22-09 A short list of the FReepers on hand for the Rally for America. Brytani Rafterman FreeKeys Bushbacker1 & Penny Seekthetruth & Mr. Seekthetruth McMuffin TigerBill Roosgirl Bob Ireland & Quintin RoadDog 727 Ricebug A table was set up and a lot of talk about who and what FreeRepublic.com stood for. One of the FReepers was Road Dog 727 A.K.A. Stefon Cook. For any of you don’t who he is, he is the MAN who asked BO to prove he is the CIC. He said to me the fight was not over. We all wish...

Orlando Tea Party 8/22/09 We went to the Tea Party today in downtown Orlando, we arrived early and it was already crowded, we had to park on the other side of the lake.Here is a shot of the bandshell from across the lake.All the seats were taken already.Lots of people with signs, I didn’t see anyone that looked like terrorists, but they are sneakyObviously a traitor to his race, racist!Another traitor to his race on the stage!

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Orlando Tea Party is being broadcast live on BTR, NOW Lots o Freepers there! http://www.blogtalkradio.com/freedomswings/2009/08/22/Orlando-Tea-Party-Special-LIVE-broadcast

Disgust and Loathing – Report From Congressman Grayson’s So-Called “Town Hall Meeting” I have just returned from Congressman Alan Grayson’s so-called Town Hall meeting on healthcare. I can not tell you how much disgust and loathing I have for him and his system. 1500 citizens were turned away, so 95 pre-selected Dems could fill a room with 126 seats. When the questions were too much for him to handle, he called them off, saying his children in attendance had to go home and to bed! I’ll keep it simple. It wasn’t the answers that were so bad, it was the...

Our Central Florida Very Far-Left Congressman Alan Grayson has come out of hiding to hold a town hall meeting. It is set for Monday night at 7:45, at a Union Hall at 820 Virginia Drive in Orlando. But be there early. It's easy to get to. Take I-4 to Exit 85, Princeton Street. If coming from South, turn right, eastbound at exit. If coming from North, turn left under I-4 to go eastbound on Princeton. Proceed 1/4 mile east on Princeton to first traffic light at North Orange Avenue. (Big enclosed 7-11 on Corner) Turn right to go southbound on...

ORLANDO, FLA. A number of guns are off the streets in Central Florida following the annual Kicks for Guns event. In Orlando, this is the 10th year for the event that allows residents to turn in guns, no questions asked, and get shoes or gift certificates in return for the gun. Police said 108 guns were removed from the streets in yesterday's event. Two of them were connected to crimes. Daytona Beach also held the event this year and took in 300 guns. The city of Palm Bay in Brevard County decided to try the event this year and collected...

Folks, meet Sarah Starchak, brilliant student, super talented singer/songwriter, dancer, beautiful and conservative. Sarah endured severe harassment in high school from her fellow students for her reasoned opposition to worshiping their rock star, Barrack Obama. Winning a scholarship, Sarah begins college in the fall. If I sound like a proud uncle, I am. Not by blood, but by my relationship with Sarah's family and her dad, master music producer/engineer Frank Starchak. Frank is the producer of my national “American Tea Party Anthem”. (Deltona Records)When Sarah was six, she sang on my “Amazing Grace” project. I am grateful that Sarah has...

Posted: 11:44 am EDT August 3, 2009 Updated: 11:56 am EDT August 3, 2009 ORLANDO, Fla. -- Eyewitness News learned that federal agents are raiding a Colonial Bank building on Pine Street late Monday morning. The agents are taking out boxes of documents from the building in downtown Orlando. WFTV.com will update the story as it develops

I met Warren Kaul when I performed at the O Town Tea Party in Orlando, Florida. He was manning the Fair Tax booth. On stage, Warren expressed his displeasure with Obama's stimulus “nightmare” and his plans to transform America. Warren was born into extreme poverty and grew up in a two room shack in the hollows of Charleston, West Virginia. Encouraged by his mother, Warren was the first in his family to graduate high school. This was a major achievement for the Kaul family. Warren took it further and graduated college. Warren's success inspired his two sisters to graduated...

Local TV in Orlando, Florida is reporting an explosion at a local Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.Nothing on the wires yet. Will post more when reported.

This morning on KXNT, Casey Hendrickson broke the news that the legislation that resulted in the federal agency travel ban to Las Vegas was supported by Harry Reid, and was not a Bush policy. Hendrickson had Mayor Goodman on the show to explain what headway was made in handling the situation. Yesterday, Mayor Goodman was furious at the policy on KXNT with Alan Stock. He vowed to get to the bottom of it, and call back … he did. The Mayor said that Rahm Emanuel told him this all stems from a law that was passed years ago. That law...

Uh huh? Reid really can’t let Bush go can he? This is where Reid unnecessarily took a bullet for the White House. The memos Reid presented appear to be nothing more than part of an official procedure to approve a destination before booking arrangements. That should be standard policy to begin with. I would assume an audit of rates for certain destinations would be made, and that would approve certain destinations. Following that list of approved destination, the agency could make its arrangements. Simple enough, and common in virtually all businesses. Reid presented nothing that would suggest that Bush had...

What do Reno, Orlando and Las Vegas have in common? To some pockets of the federal government, they just seem like too much fun. Instead, employees at some big agencies, like the U.S. Department of Agriculture, are being encouraged to host meetings in more buttoned-down places such as St. Louis, Milwaukee or Denver. Travel-industry lobbyists say government policies have essentially resulted in a blacklist of some destinations, such as Las Vegas, top, and Orlando, Fla., above, where Walt Disney World is located. ..When a conference planner for MGM Mirage's New York-New York Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas tried to...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A teenager filed an "intent to sue" the Orlando Police Department because he says a cop shot him from behind after a traffic stop. Police said they opened fire, because 17-year-old Dorall Marshall had a gun. However, Eyewitness News could not find any documentation on a weapon and the teen said he wasn't trying to do anything but run away. Dorall Marshall may never regain the full use of his left leg. In May, the Orlando police officer shot him from behind and shattered his hip and femur. "I think it was unnecessary I wasn't trying to...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- A third incident of groping occurs at a Central Florida water park in just over two weeks. Robert Double, 51, of Farmington, New York, was arrested Friday at Disney's Typhoon Lagoon. He's accused of groping girls and pulling off their bikini tops in the wave pool. The incident occurred at about 5:45 p.m. Orange County investigators said Disney Security officers watched Double on security monitors repeatedly assaulting young girls. Deputies talked to the victim and her father at the park. The 15-year-old victim told deputies that Double had been deliberately crashing into her while she was waiting...

<p>NEW YORK -- When the United Football League debuts in October, Michael Vick could be one of its players.</p>

Another woman shot herself at a Central Florida gun range Saturday in a suicide attempt, authorities said. The woman rented a handgun and filled out paperwork indicating she had no mental-health problems, wasn't on drugs and had no other conditions or situations to preclude her from shooting safely, said John Ritz, manager of the east Orange County range. Like other customers, she also was read the safety rules. The shooting happened about 12:30 p.m. at East Orange Shooting Sports on Gardner Street, east of Winter Park. There was a suicide there several years ago. < snip >

Orlando defeats Cleveland 4 games to 2 and will travel to Los Angeles for Game 1 on Thursday.

ORLANDO -- Orlando Magic fans received a special treat Tuesday night when they heard Gina Incandela, 7, sing the national anthem. Believe it or not, Gina is autistic and never spoke a single word until she was three. With the use of music therapy, Gina learned to talk, and to her parents' surprise, she had a beautiful voice.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The City of Orlando is looking to get a new road in honor of the President. The city wants to rename South Mission Road, near Conroy, "Barack Obama Parkway."However, the road is only one tenth of a mile long.

TALLAHASSEE - The SunRail commuter train derailed on the Senate floor Thursday, likely ending Central Florida's five-year quest for the $1.2 billion project. Despite lobbying that continued almost unabated throughout the day, an amendment that would have approved a $200 million insurance policy for SunRail was defeated by a 23-17 vote. A second amendment was pulled without a vote. SunRail proponents could try to bring up the measure again today — the last day of the regular session — but its chances of success are low because it would take 27 votes to do so. "It'll take some maneuvering to...

Posted: 10:41 am EDT April 28, 2009 Updated: 12:48 pm EDT April 28, 2009 ORLANDO, Fla. -- Eyewitness News has learned of Orlando's first confirmed case of swine flu, however Florida Hospital is denying the claim, which was made by one of their own officers in an email. According to the chief medical officer for Adventist Health System, which operates Florida Hospital, the case was diagnosed Tuesday morning. "A case was diagnosed here in Orlando today on a tourist from Mexico who came to Disney attractions two days ago to visit," CMO Loran Hauck wrote in an email obtained by...

ORLANDO, Fla. -- Eyewitness News has learned of Orlando's first confirmed case of swine flu. According to the chief medical officer for Adventist Health System, Loran Hauck, the case was diagnosed Tuesday morning. "A case was diagnosed here in Orlando today on a tourist from Mexico who came to Disney attractions two days ago to visit," Hauck wrote in an email obtained by Eyewitness News. No further details have been released, but Eyewitness News is working to learn specifically what days the tourist was at the parks and which park the tourist went to. Details about the tourist, beyond being...

I haven't posted in a very long time and I hope the pictures post correctly. The Convention was held in Orlando at the Gaylord Palms. It was a fun, informative event and nice to put a face to all the Freepers. Our thanks go out to ROOS_Girl, MinuteGal, and seekthetruth for organizing the event. Thanks to Surfer for moderating...what a great job he did. Special thanks to all the speakers who shared their knowledge with all of us. Please share your comments about the event.

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- An Orange County man was arrested Thursday night after he allegedly attempted to kidnap a 9-year-old girl who was playing with friends in her neighborhood. Marcus Younge, 23, was booked into jail, but was released on $5,000 bond Friday morning. The girl's mother says Younge tried to grab her daughter while she was playing outside near Pershing Avenue and Goldenrod Road in Orlando. The girl told investigators that she was playing hid and seek with neighborhood friends when an unknown black male came out of nowhere, grabbed her by the wrist and tried to pick her...

Updated information on Orlando Tax Day Tea Party from http://taxdayteaparty.com/teaparty/florida/ City: Orlando When: April 15, 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm Where: Orlando City Hall, 400 South Orange Avenue Other Info: http://orlandoteaparty.webs.com Other: We are asking all Tea Partiers to bring a personal hygiene item to donate to the Orlando Union Rescue Mission, a homeless outreach that has served homeless men, women, and children for decades. They are in need of razors, shaving cream, soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, deodorant, hand towels, etc.

Who created this video? He says he put it together out of love for our country. Mark Bishop of Central Florida is a man of many interests, including writing books about the Islamic cells that exist in the Orlando area. Mark will join us on my radio program tonight with all the details. You're invited to come along too -- we start at 9 p.m. ET - link to the show here.THE ANDREA SHEA KING SHOW - "RADIO FREE ANDREA" To watch the vid Mark put together, capturing the essence of the March 21st Orlando Tea Party, head here: The...

The saying goes that when America catches a cold, the black community catches pneumonia. And when the economy goes into a recession, in minority neighborhoods it feels like a depression. Andrae Crayton can testify to that. The deepening economic crisis is taking its toll on him and other members of the emerging black middle class, which had seen its income and homeownership levels rise in recent decades. Educators, business owners, government employees and other professionals have lost their jobs, seen their hours cut back or felt squeezed by the credit crunch. Crayton sat solidly inside Central Florida's black middle class....

Hundreds of immigrant supporters rallied Saturday at a Family Unity forum south of Orlando, decrying deportations that tear apart families and calling for immigration reform. They were pastors from dozens of churches of various denominations, activists and local politicians, and a largely Hispanic crowd that easily overshadowed the sole anti-amnesty protester reported to have been escorted off the property. It was standing-room only inside Pabellón de la Victoria, a Hispanic evangelical church that seats about 1,500 people, as participants listened to U.S. citizens separated from their loved ones. .... A Puerto Rican mother of five told how her Mexican husband...

Make sure to check out our ongoing thread for updates about the Regional Convention being held in Orlando on April 25. The convention will be at the spectacular Gaylord Palms hotel and we've gotten a group rate of just $99/night on guest rooms. Updated information will be posted Monday on how to make your reservations. RG, Convention Chair

Fox News Channel today gave some great publicity to the Orlando Tea Party held last Saturday at Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. Singer/songwriter Lloyd Marcus was interviewed by Bill Hemmer shortly before 11 a.m. ET about his song "American Tea Party" which is quickly becoming the anthem for ALL tea parties nationwide. Later in the day, event organizers Lisa Feroli and Shelly Ferguson were on Glenn Beck's TV show. Tomorrow the pair will be on Fox & Friends. **TONIGHT 9 PM ET** Lloyd Marcus, WFLA's Bud Hedinger, and Free Republic's Kristinn Taylor will join Andrea Shea King to recap the...

Hey y'all, I am in the process of negotiating with the Gaylord Palms hotel to hold our Freeper Convention there on April 25. We can get a rate of $99 per night (which is a great rate for this really nice hotel) and the convention room will be complimentary. For that rate they are asking for us to block a minimum of 40 rooms; if some people are staying both Friday and Saturday nights that would count as 2 rooms. The contract will be written such that if all 40 rooms are not picked up we would have to pay...