Maxwell: Hugs for Orlando arts scene. Slugs for FPL and Florida debate-dodgers

It's time for another round of hugs and slugs - hugs for the people and groups doing things to make our community a better place to live and slugs for those doing things that make you roll your eyes, shake your head and hold your nose.

Let's start with a hug for all of Metro Orlando for running over fewer people than before.

That may sound callous, but it's deadly serious. For years, Central Florida has been ranked as one of the most likely places for pedestrians to be killed. But as the Orlando Sentinel reported, the annual "Dangerous by Design" report from Smart Growth America found we were one of only 18 regions to post a lower fatality rate in recent years.

This didn't happen by accident. Transportation planners throughout the region have been installing safety devices - crosswalks, blinking lights and metal fences that separate bike and walking lanes from the roads - on roads like Alafaya Trail and Orange Blossom Trail where pedestrians have historically been killed in record numbers. The region has also actively promoted better, safer behavior among both drivers and walkers.

There's still work to be done. Our region still ranks as the 25th most dangerous among the nation's 101 largest metros. And national road-safety engineers worry that the governor's crackdown on crosswalks, forcing them to remove bright colors and make them less visible, may be a setback. But for now, we can cheer the improvement.

Orlando roads are still dangerous for walkers - but they're getting better

A trio of financial analytic firms has delivered yet another slug for Florida's proposed property tax amendment, concluding the proposal could wreck local governments' ability to borrow money at reasonable rates.

One of the most remarkable things about the steady stream of objections to this amendment is that many are coming from institutions that aren't the least bit left-leaning. They're all conservative, fiscally conservative or simply fiscally focused.

The recent alarms were sounded by Moody's Ratings, Standard & Poor's and Fitch. But they come on the heels of criticism from both the Wall Street Journal, which called the plan a "mistake" and "poorly designed measure," and Florida TaxWatch, which described the special session that produced the amendment as "hurried" and "unnecessary." Both of those groups expressed concern that the new tax scheme will increase the tax burden on businesses. The same is true for renters.

Put it all together and you see that most of those who actually studied the financial impacts of this deal for longer than the 28 hours Florida Republicans took to ram it through a special session have concluded it's a recipe for trouble.

Property tax cuts could hurt local government credit ratings

Here, we have hugs for a trio of cultural groups that all recently marked impressive milestones.

First, there's Orlando Fringe, which attracted more than 60,000 festivalgoers to the two-week, grassroots theatrical extravaganza that included hundreds of performances, many of which were sold out.

Then there's Shawn Welcome and the Literary Arts Council of Central Florida, which scored a cultural coup in getting Orlando to serve as first-time host for the prestigious Southern Fried Poetry Slam.

And kudos to Winter Park's Morse Museum, a cultural gem that punches above its weight class and just announced a major expansion project.

These are the kind of institutions, efforts and offerings that make Central Florida more just a backdrop for theme parks and, in fact, a vibrant place to live.

Orlando Fringe Festival nearly hits record high

Speaking of the Orlando Fringe, let me tell you who else deserves a hug - Matt Palm.

Every year, the Sentinel's theater critic performs a Herculean feat by reviewing most of the Fringe festival's shows. We're talking about more than 100 reviews in less than two weeks.

There aren't many newspapers our size that still have that kind of cultural coverage. And it's largely because of Matt.

Now, Matt got an assist from a trio of Fringe correspondents: Lania Berger, Dewayne Bevil and Patrick Connolly. So we can make this one a group hug. But Matt did the lion's share of the work and organized it all. So he deserves not only a hug, but probably a standing ovation.

I'm not sure whether this next one merits a slug, a shrug or an ugh, but it says a lot that Florida Power and Light agreed to pay a whopping $150 million to settle complaints from its own shareholders after the utility was linked to various schemes and scandals.

If you're not familiar with all FPL has done in recent years - involvement with everything from the state's "ghost candidate" scandal to an effort to knee-cap the solar industry - you can check out the piece I wrote two weeks ago: "FPL looks to go national, and the nation should be nervous."

And this settlement looks very much related to FPL's desire to become the largest for-profit utility in the United States. Basically, spend $150 million to paper over past money-making schemes so the company can launch bigger money-making endeavors. In other words, just the cost of doing business in America.

FPL parent company agrees to $150M to end lawsuit over past controversies

And finally, a slug to the Republican Party of Florida for its cowardly debate-dodging scheme.

Even Gov. Ron DeSantis has been chastising his own party's leaders for refusing to schedule a debate among the Republican candidates for governor. All so frontrunner Byron Donalds won't have to answer tough questions alongside fellow candidates.

"What a farce," the governor tweeted Tuesday.

He's right. Strong candidates shouldn't be scared to answer questions or face their opponents.

All the more laughable is the Republican party's fake-tough-guy name for this weekend's party event - the "Sunshine State Showdown," which now looks more like the Sunshine State Surrender.

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This story was originally published June 18, 2026 at 1:33 PM.