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Longwood highlights community events, new ER and homelessness services at March meeting
Summary
Commissioners and community presenters reviewed recent events — a crowded Strawberry Festival — celebrated the opening of a revamped Orlando Health ER and heard homelessness figures and outreach opportunities; an organ-donation volunteer group thanked the city for support of its annual run.
LONGWOOD, Fla. — Commissioners used parts of their March 3 meeting to recap recent community events, spotlight a new local emergency room and note continuing homelessness outreach efforts.
Karen Bush, a volunteer with Our Legacy (an organ and tissue donation program for Central Florida), thanked the city for supporting the group’s annual 5K/8K run and presented commemorative shadow boxes to the city. “This race means so much to me because my husband, Wayne, got a kidney transplant 14 years ago,” Bush said. She told the commission the run raises awareness about organ donation and honors donors and recipients.
Commissioners and staff also reviewed the weekend Strawberry Festival, which drew large crowds and sold out strawberries early. Commissioner Tony Morgan called the event a “grand slam home run” for the city’s outreach and family programming and praised Leisure Services staff for the event’s kid zone.
The commission celebrated the reopening and ribbon cutting for the Orlando Health Longwood ER. Commissioners said the remodeled emergency facility will continue to serve local residents; multiple commissioners attended the ribbon-cutting event.
On homelessness and services, Commissioner McMillan — who attended a mayors-and-managers meeting and a leadership seminar focused on human services — cited McKinney-Vento Act school-count figures from Feb. 3, 2025, saying the Seminole County school system identified 3,151 students as homeless under the McKinney-Vento definition and 355 as unsheltered. McMillan encouraged attendance at a community homelessness symposium scheduled for March 4 at Action Church, moderated by Seminole County Chairman Jay Zembar.
Other community items included notices about a Mercy Road seniors wellness symposium (MercyRoadSeniors.org) on March 12, a Rescue Outreach Mission fundraiser (a percentage of sales at Bronx Pizza to support the county’s only emergency homeless shelter), Next Step Orlando Paralysis events, and Longwood’s third annual Walk for Autism Awareness and Inclusion on April 26 at Ryder Park.
Quotes and context - “This race means so much to me because my husband, Wayne, got a kidney transplant 14 years ago,” said Karen Bush, volunteer with Our Legacy. - “That event was a grand slam home run for this whole city,” said Commissioner Tony Morgan about the Strawberry Festival. - “As of 02/03/2025 … there are 3,151 [homeless students] … and 355 that are unsheltered,” said Commissioner McMillan, citing the McKinney-Vento definition used by the school district.
The items covered community outreach and services rather than new policy decisions; commissioners encouraged residents to attend upcoming events and to support local nonprofits.
