Public Health & Safety

New Start Program Aims to Stabilize Inmates with Mental Illness

It may seem unconventional but a program at the Orange County Jail involving yoga, arts and role-playing is helping inmates with mental illness reduce the symptoms of depression and other disorders. Called New Start, the program was formed to address the needs of the jail’s mental health population who have been cleared from sub-acute mental […]

Reducing Pedestrian Deaths: Orange County Traffic Safety Experts Focus on Crossings

In recent years Central Florida has had the dubious distinction as being one of the deadliest regions in the country for pedestrians, but Orange...

Orange County Steps Up to Make Pedestrian Safety a Top Priority

Accelerated Transportation Safety Program and Vision Zero Initiative Now Active For years, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles has found that...

New Sidewalks in Orange County: A Safe Path for Pedestrians

Safe sidewalks save lives. Orange County leaders know this, and have made sidewalk safety a key focus area within the Accelerated Transportation Safety Program...

Promoting Pedestrian Safety in the Wedgefield Community

Orange County Public Works has recently coordinated with Orlando Utilities Commission (OUC) to complete the Bancroft Boulevard Lighting Project, a 3.5-mile project to provide...

Light it Up! More Roadway Lighting Underway to Improve Pedestrian Safety

As motorists, most of us take streetlights on our roads for granted, but when it comes to pedestrians and cyclists, lighting represents a critical...

Orange County Corrections Officer Honored as Florida Missing Children’s Day Citizen of the Year

In a true act of courage and outstanding citizenship, Orange County Corrections Officer Timothy Williams prevented the kidnapping of a young girl in Polk...

Flood Watch: Storm Awareness Critical as Hurricane Season Ramps Up

It may be surprising to know the wind speed associated with a tropical cyclone does not cause the most damage to local communities. In...

Orange County Mosquito Control Tackles Dengue Fever Threat

Orange County Mosquito Control crews are busy at work targeting a specific breed of mosquito after the Florida Department of Health in Orange County...

Keep Your Pets Safe from Heat Danger

Summer heat is nothing new to Floridians, but it is important to remember that high temperatures can be extremely dangerous, and even fatal, for...