Stephen Hudak

Orlando

Writer at Orlando Sentinel

Orlando Sentinel writer, covering Orange County and bears! You can also email me at [email protected]

Featured in: Favicon

orlandosentinel.com Favicon

msn.com

yahoo.com (+3) Favicon

latimes.com Favicon

usnews.com Favicon

chicagotribune.com Favicon

freep.com

seattletimes.com Favicon

startribune.com Favicon

baltimoresun.com + 96 more

Articles

Michelin Guide finds culinary talent, public money aplenty in Orlando

2 days ago | orlandosentinel.com | Stephen Hudak

Long before the Michelin Guide's "famously anonymous" inspectors sneaked into Orlando to gauge its gastronomical genius, TastyChomps food blogger Ricky Ly believed the city's chefs had the chops to rank with the world's best. "We were all sure Orlando had these great places and, given a chance, could make any list," he said. The talent of local chefs made it so, Ly said. But so too did another Central Florida resource: tourist-tax money.
Orlando Dreamers eye county-owned land for potential MLB stadium. Will it work?

3 days ago | miamiherald.com | Ryan Gillespie |Stephen Hudak

From the moment he saw the 35 acres of wooded, county-owned land next to Aquatica, Pat Williams believed he had found what he was looking for: the perfect site to build a baseball stadium. It was shown to the longtime sports executive years ago during a lunch-hour meeting with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and other county staff, Williams recounted at a 2023 meeting of a citizens' task force of the Tourist Development Council.
Orlando Dreamers eye county-owned land for potential MLB stadium. Will it work?

3 days ago | orlandosentinel.com | Ryan Gillespie |Stephen Hudak

From the moment he saw the 35 acres of wooded, county-owned land next to Aquatica, Pat Williams believed he had found what he was looking for: the perfect site to build a baseball stadium. It was shown to the longtime sports executive years ago during a lunch-hour meeting with Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and other county staff, Williams recounted at a 2023 meeting of a citizens' task force of the Tourist Development Council.
Orange, Osceola boards rebuff Split Oak Forest defenders' last-ditch pleas

1 week ago | orlandosentinel.com | Stephen Hudak |Natalia Jaramillo

Defenders of Split Oak Forest tried but failed Tuesday to persuade Orange County government to take legal action to halt construction of a toll road through the public land's southern wedge. Forest advocates insist Orange County has grounds to oppose the highway, even though it sits solely in the Osceola County portion of the preserve. County lawyers say they don't.
Orange, Osceola boards rebuff Split Oak Forest defenders’ last-ditch pleas

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Stephen Hudak |Natalia Jaramillo

Defenders of Split Oak Forest tried but failed Tuesday to persuade Orange County government to take legal action to halt construction of a toll road through the public land’s southern wedge. Forest advocates insist Orange County has grounds to oppose the highway, even though it sits solely in the Osceola County portion of the preserve. County lawyers say they don’t.
Orlando's tourist tax pulled in $40 million in March. Will it continue?

1 week ago | gazettextra.com | Stephen Hudak

By Stephen Hudak - Orlando Sentinel (TNS) ORLANDO, Fla. - The tax on Orlando area hotel rooms just raked in the second-largest, one-month bonanza ever. But optimism over Orange County's near-record collection of $40.1 million in March, announced this morning, was tempered a bit by Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks the money generated by the 6% surcharge on hotel room rentals. Copyright 2025 Tribune Content Agency.
Orlando’s tourist tax pulled in $40 million in March. Will it continue?

1 week ago | thederrick.com | Stephen Hudak

ORLANDO, Fla. — The tax on Orlando area hotel rooms just raked in the second-largest, one-month bonanza ever. But optimism over Orange County’s near-record collection of $40.1 million in March, announced this morning, was tempered a bit by Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks the money generated by the 6% surcharge on hotel room rentals. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading.
Orlando's tourist tax pulled in $40 million in March. Will it continue?

1 week ago | orlandosentinel.com | Stephen Hudak

The tax on Orlando area hotel rooms just raked in the second-largest, one-month bonanza ever. But optimism over Orange County's near-record collection of $40.1 million in March, announced this morning, was tempered a bit by Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks the money generated by the 6% surcharge on hotel room rentals. "On one hand, it's the second-most ever," he said. "On the other, it's a decrease from [March] last year."The year-over-year drop was slight - less than $400,000.
Orlando’s tourist tax pulled in $40 million in March. Will it continue?

1 week ago | dailygazette.com | Stephen Hudak

ORLANDO, Fla. — The tax on Orlando area hotel rooms just raked in the second-largest, one-month bonanza ever. But optimism over Orange County’s near-record collection of $40.1 million in March, announced this morning, was tempered a bit by Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks the money generated by the 6% surcharge on hotel room rentals. kAm“~? @?6 92?5[ :E’D E96 D64@?5\>@DE 6G6C[” 96 D2:5] “~? E96 @E96C[ :E’D 2 564C62D6 7C@> ,|2C49.
People aghast after paragliders invade Florida wetlands, spooking animals

1 week ago | tampabay.com | Stephen Hudak

Most weekends, the Facebook pages dedicated to the Orlando Wetlands focus on spectacular pictures of nature in action — huge, hungry gators, mischievious otters and a flamboyant array of nesting birds.