🌱 Thanksgiving Meal Help+ Enzian '12 Days Of Christmas' + Flagler Book Controversy

Get on up, Orlando! Let's get you all caught up to start this Sunday, November 21st off on an informed note. Here's everything happening today in Orlando.

First, today's weather:

A stray afternoon shower. High: 79 Low: 66.

Here are the top stories in Orlando today:

1. Heart of Florida United Way distributed 1,800 Thanksgiving meals to families in Orange, Osceola, Seminole counties. More than 18,000 pounds of Thanksgiving meal items were assembled and distributed by nearly 600 volunteers. (Click Orlando)

2. Universal Orlando announced recently that employees who are vaccinated against COVID-19 will no longer have to wear face masks. Universal says workers who are not vaccinated must continue to wear masks while on property. (Spectrum News 13)

3. Central Florida State Representative Anna Eskamani has filed HB 6075 to lift a restriction on tourism tax revenue spending and give local communities more control over how funds raised in communities are spent. Eskamani says important transit projects in the International Drive tourism area cannot currently be fixed currently with tourism tax revenue due to the restriction. (Orlando Weekly)

4. Enzian Theater in Maitland is hosting a “12 Days of Christmas” series this year. The series will feature a number of holiday movies and holiday-inspired events throughout the season, including Dr. Seuss's The Grinch, White Christmas, Home Alone, Lethal Weapon, and more. (Bungalower)

5. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office has determined not to launch a criminal investigation following a complaint made about a controversial LGBTQ-themed book. The office determined there is no evidence the book violated existing school district standards. The complaint led to students rallying against censorship at the latest school board meeting and back and forth in the community. (WESH)

Today in Orlando:

• Wall Crawl's Winter Wonderland Santa Crawl. (9:00 AM)
• Longwood Arts and Crafts Festival. (9:00 AM)
• Brunch with Snow White at Eagle Creek Clubhouse. (10:30 AM)
• The Florida Vintage Market Orlando at Ace Café Orlando. (12:00 PM)
• Pokemon Open Play at Coliseum of Comics. (1:00 PM)

Orlando Patch Notebook

• Visit Orlando: "Let's Go Magic 👏" (Instagram)
• Orlando Fire Department: "What an accomplishment to newly promoted Orlando District Chief Massot. Congratulations" (Facebook)
• Orlando Health: "We're lighting our downtown campus purple for the Orlando City Soccer Club Lions. #VamosOrlando and good luck in this year's playoffs! #MLSCupPlayoffs #LightItPurple #ChooseOrlandoHealth" (Facebook)
• City of Orlando - Government: "Our Lake Eola Tree is ready to be lit up with 88,000 lights on December 3 to launch the holidays in @Downtown Orlando. The decorations are 100% powered by solar energy from the OUC - The Reliable One Community Solar Farm, another step fo..." (Facebook)

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Events:

• Celebrate Thanksgiving With 15 Percent Off Floral Centerpieces (November 26)
• Flagler Auditorium Presents Last Child - Aerosmith Experience (November 27)
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Now you're in the loop and ready to start this Sunday. See you all tomorrow for another update! If you're enjoying these newsletters, consider inviting some of your friends and neighbors to read along. You can send them this link to subscribe.

— Carlos Hernandez

About me: Hello my name is Carlos Hernandez and I am a food writer with over 10 years of experience in the industry. I write the food blog Carlos Eats (http://www.carloseats.com) and also contribute to several newspapers and magazines with food-related blogs and articles.

Have a news tip or suggestion for an upcoming Orlando Daily? Reach out anytime to carlosreportsnews@gmail.com.