Right now they stand empty, but it won't be long before lockers are crammed and the halls are bustling with students.  

As Lake County ushers in the new school year on August 24, Mount Dora Middle School will be welcoming a new principal, Jacob Stein.  The school's new top administrator is a former teacher in Mount Dora and answered a few questions for Mount Dora Buzz to help the community get re-acquainted with him.   Read interview...

Some rumors just don't go away.   Some don't have to.

A new shopping center in Eustis, across from Target on the north side of US 441, is in the final approval stages with the city.  If all goes as expected, the land just west of Chili's will be home to an Aldi, Panera Bread, Vitamin Shoppe and more.  The retail center will be in close proximity to the Epic Theatre to be constructed in Mount Dora.   Read more...

It's said you can never go home again.  Luckily, for downtown Mount Dora that saying isn't always true.

Double Creek Pottery, will be re-opening a new store on Alexander Street next to Maggie's Attic and Gianni's. The family originally opened in Mount Dora in 1996 on Donnelly Street in the current space of Home & Garden Treasures.  The creative retail space was run by mother and daughter potters, Joanne & Betty Barwick.    The duo, worked and created together for forty years and eventually decided to close that store to focus on their wholesale business and international orders.   Read more...

Even for those that age gracefully, after a hundred years a facelift may be in order.    That was the case for the Mount Dora Historic Train Depot. 

Originally built in 1915, the depot's renovation was ten years in the making and cleared many hurdles before construction finally began in 2014.   The  project was completed earlier this month.   Read more...

AN UPDATE ON THE WARRIOR PRINCESS
Captivated by immense compassion, Mount Dora residents rallied together three years ago for baby Joss, the little Warrior Princess in need of perhaps the most risky medical procedure available.    Read more...

Three of the most enjoyable attributes in people are insane creativity, humility and wicked humor.  Mount Dora Buzz sat down last week with an atypical Southern belle who exudes healthy doses of all three. 
Lauren Graham Cunningham and The Buzz chatted about everything from the predictable to the slightly off-the-wall.  Read more...

An intriguing part of Mount Dora's lakefront, Boathouse Row's exact origin is ambiguous.  It was a fish camp.  It was built for commerce purposes.  It was because a wooden boat works was located there.

These are some of the answers longtime Mount Dora residents provide about the history of Boathouse Row, a small stretch of eclectic homes perched on pilings on Lake Dora's eastern edge.  However, the definitive answer--backed up with historical facts-to why and when Boathouse Row began was elusive.
Read more...

It's the brown craft paper that always makes passersby curious.  Once it comes off, it's like unwrapping a present.

That will be the case when a new store, Blue Sky Blue Water, opens on Fourth Avenue in August.   Read more...

Even the best kept secrets eventually get spilled.  The Leesburg Lightning is no exception.

The Lightning, a Florida Collegiate Summer League baseball team, consists of talented players from colleges throughout the country that compete in their off-season.   Commonly referred to as the Florida League, the Lightning is as close to a minor league team as Lake County claims.

Among the power hitters, double plays and curve balls, the Lightning experience delivers a big dose of summer nostalgia.   Read more...

Perched on a hillside, Mount Dora's newest neighborhood is progressing quickly.  Dora Parc sits on the southeastern border of Mount Dora on Clayton Street and will have 38 luxury homes with access to Lake Dora.  Read more...

In the dictionary, under the word  passionate there reads a statement: "having, showing, or expressing strong emotions or beliefs."  What should be listed next: Irene O'Malley,  Executive Director of Lake Cares Food Pantry. 

"I've been at Lake Cares Pantry since 2010 and trust me without the volunteers and community support we get --we could not do what we do," said O'Malley.  

Lake Cares Pantry distributes more than 7000 pounds of food a month to 800 families.  This year more than 30,000 families will benefit from the food bank.  This is an increase of 10,000 families from last year.

" We've had several food banks close this past year and those families now come to us," O'Malley said.  "We picked up all of those people and our 140 volunteers and the community has not missed a beat.  We  answered the call to help-- for food, understanding, compassion and any other assistance they may need."

Lake Cares needs more help.  Volunteers are needed to help bag the food, conduct client interviews and unload the trucks and pull wagons to the cars.   In addition to man or woman power, they also need donations of money and food. 

For every five dollars donated, the pantry can buy 27 pounds of food from Second Harvest.  For increased purchasing power, donations made through July 25 will be matched dollar for dollar.

" Even the B.O.G.O. [Buy One Get One free promotions] which several of our supermarkets offer can help us," O'Malley said.  "If people were to take advantage of those and bring the second item to us....it fills our shelves."    

"You know people ask me what do I get from all the hours I spend at the pantry," O'Malley said.  "I get more back from helping others than one can imagine.  It fills my heart and soul."

Lake Cares is located at 2001 West Old Highway 441 in Mount Dora.

By Sharon G. Nichols
Senior writer

For local news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis, click here for your free subscription to the Mount Dora Buzz online magazine..  'Like' Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook for breaking news.

A tremendous shout-out is in order to local talent, David Oliver Willis for organizing the "One Night Stand" music festival last night in Mount Dora.  The free event rocked the hills surrounding the stage at Renningers Twin Markets and showcased the amazing talent of Willis, Jeff Whitfield, Savion Wright, Sweet Bea, and Jillian Jensen among others. 

Music lovers brought lawn chairs and sat on benches under the open sky to take in the artistry.  It was the perfect evening of musicians sharing their talent with an appreciative community.

Watch for pictures of the event to be posted on Mount Dora Buzz's Facebook page.   

For local news, reviews and events in Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis, click here for your free subscription to the Mount Dora Buzz online magazine.

After months of construction, the area's newest discount chain store, Ross Dress for Less,  will open on July 17 at 9:30.

The new 26,000 square foot store will be in the location of the former K-Mart at 16900 US 441 in Mount Dora.    The store will be the same average size as the chain's other new stores.

"Every new Ross store is unique with the merchandise assortment it carries. We’re excited about our new Mount Dora location and encourage customers to come visit the new location to see what new and exciting bargains Ross has to offer soon", said the company spokesperson.

In addition to its discounted apparel, home decor, jewelry and linens, the store also expects to add fifty new full-time and part-time jobs.

For local news, reviews and events in Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis, click here for your free subscription to the Mount Dora Buzz online magazine..  'Like' Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook for breaking news.

Mount  Dora City Council voted 7-0 tonight to approve a compromise landscape plan for four Live Oaks trees to be added downtown.  The trees will be planted on 4th Avenue (between Donnelly Street and Baker), as well as Donnelly Street (between 4th and 3rd  Avenue) in lieu of four parking spaces.    

The council also discussed re-visiting last year's downtown streetscape that lined a portion of two streets, Donnelly Street and 3rd Avenue, with palms instead of shade trees.

The council will now be moving on to other city matters, including exploring improving downtown parking.  There is a public workshop scheduled for the issue on July 22.

For local news, reviews and events in Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis, click here for your free subscription to the Mount Dora Buzz online magazine..  'Like' Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook for breaking news.

Sixty million years ago, there were 23 species of its kind.  Due to predators, poaching and development, the numbers have dwindled to a present day total of four species.

The gopher tortoise is in trouble.  If the trend continues, this slow -moving, gentle creature that creates homes for other animals by burrowing holes in the ground, may be doomed to extinction.

 "Right now, the state of Florida is doing a study on whether to keep them on the threatened list or move them to the endangered list for animals", said Charlie Pedersen, a biologist with the Florida Forest Service since 1997, then called the Division of Forestry.  

"People don't realize the tortoise and its burrow are protected under state law," he said.  "Property owners or builders must obtain the proper permits from the FWC (Florida Wildlife Commission) before building on vacant land which has known tortoises on it.  Only then can relocation experts capture and relocate the tortoises."

"The gopher tortoises are probably the most prehistoric looking, unlike land or aquatic turtles that roam throughout the state," said Pedersen.

Adding, "The tortoise lives in a hole which we call a burrow.  That burrow in a 30-40 year span can serve as an apartment complex for up to 300-350 species of sandhill habitats."

The gopher tortoise is a herbivorous brown or tan medium-sized turtle with a wide, muscular head covered with scales and flattened forelimbs that look like shovels.  Those forelimbs can dig a burrow 15-30 feet in length and up to 6 feet deep.  In many cases, an indigo snake, armadillo, and several spiders will take refuge in the burrow with the tortoise.  Numerous animals seek shelter from predators, adverse weather conditions and even fire.  Some of these creatures would not exist if not for the burrow.  It has been noted that during a fire, sometimes 30 species of animals run or crawl to the burrow.  The last one entering is the tortoise, which then blocks the entry way.  No one leaves until the tortoise departs; it is the burrow's safety monitor.

Tortoises are territorial.  The female, sometimes in her 40 years plus, never ventures farther than three-quarters of a mile from her burrow.  Research shows the male leaves more often and roams as far as two miles from his burrow.

Pedersen feels very strongly about the tortoises, stating  "If dogs don't kill the tortoise, man either through building on vacant land  or putting in new asphalt roadways, or poaching,  will."

He cautioned, "What happens now matters in fifty years." 

It's against the law to kill or harass gopher tortoises, their eggs or their burrows.  If you suspect a wildlife law violation, report it to the  FWC's hotline at 888-404-FWCC (3922), 24 hours a day.

By Sharon G. Nichols, senior writer

At times, the wheels of change seem to move at a snail's pace.  The case of deciding whether to replace shade trees on downtown streets is no exception.  However, changes to the previously approved plan require adequate time to follow the necessary procedures of meetings, redesign, and approval.   

Mount Dora City Council is finally expected to vote tomorrow night on a revised plan that will remove four parking spaces to accommodate four Live Oak trees.  The compromise calls for these trees to be added to 4th Avenue (between Donnelly Street and Baker), as well as Donnelly Street (between 4th and 3rd  Avenue).  This revision totals an addition of four Live Oaks downtown which helps bridge the gap in the total net loss of canopy shade trees on downtown's streets.

The proposed comprise is in response to public outcry that the lack of large shade trees diminished the city's charm and increased downtown's heat  thereby making it significantly less pedestrian friendly.  Residents also encouraged the council to re-visit last year's landscape plan that lined a portion of two streets, Donnelly Street and 3rd Avenue, with palms instead of shade trees.

Residents interested in this issue are encouraged to attend the city council meeting, Tuesday, July 7th at 6pm when the revised plan will be presented.  Supporters of downtown shade are encouraged to wear green.

For local news, reviews and events in Mount Dora, Tavares and Eustis, click here for your free subscription to the Mount Dora Buzz online magazine..  'Like' Mount Dora Buzz on Facebook for breaking news.

4th Avenue, after removal of shade.

4th Avenue with shade (before picture).