OFM_Feature_10thAnn - FINAL_Pages 10 / 29 / 20 4 : 47 PM Page 5 Making Headlines OFM : The biggest news to hit Central Florida in the past decade APerfect 2010 expanded Orlando’s cultural offerings greatly . An Unthinkable Attack Since then , the center’s multiple stages have hosted everyone and everything from the Orlando After SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau’s death Ballet and classical composers to children’s at the hands of a killer whale named Tilikum , theater performances and some of the biggest things at Shamu Stadium were never the same . names in comedy and music . After questions were raised about the park’s handling of the captive animals , many changes were put into place , including ending the orca 2015 breeding program . This year , SeaWorld changed A Major Deal the nature of its shows to put more of a focus After moving from Austin , Texas , and spending on education and less on performance . three years as a minor league squad , Orlando City Soccer Club officially joined Major League Soccer in 2015 . Over the course of the past With the Wave of a Wand handful of years , the team has built up a steady After two - and - a - half years of construction , The fan base , which was rewarded when Orlando Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at hold names for the wrong reasons . Zimmerman City earned its first postseason berth in November . Universal Studios Islands of Adventure in June . famously shot and killed Martin after a physical As of press time , the team was reportedly on the An eager crowd , some of whom had been waiting altercation and the former was charged with the cusp of being sold to new ownership for a stag - murder of the 17 - year - old boy . Zimmerman gering $ 400 million . was acquitted at trial after claiming self - defense and the verdict sparked outrage across the country , instantly turning Martin into a symbol The Ultimate Traffic Jam for social injustice . When I - 4 was originally built in the ’ 60s it was ideal to accommodate a much smaller Central Florida population . But , in 2015 the need to The Magic is Gone expand the roadway to better serve the crush of The No . 1 overall pick in 2004 ’ s NBA Draft , cars ( more than 1.5 million trips daily ) became Dwight Howard was the face of the Orlando a reality with the start of the I - 4 Ultimate Magic franchise . After numerous seasons of construction project . The $ 2.3 billion overhaul dominance and a trip to the 2009 NBA Finals , was slated to be completed in early 2021 , but his relationship with the team soured and public delays have pushed that date back until at least trade demands began to fracture the fan base . next fall . In August 2012 , Howard was dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers and both he and the Magic have m . arguably not been the same since . 2016 k.co A Singer Silenced k.com rstoc for as long as eight hours to be one of the first 2014 Christina Grimmie was an hutte rstoc to experience the new attraction , flooded the up - and - coming singer from Dynamic Destination hutte on / S gates . Since then , guests both in and South Jersey who skyrock - out of cos - Always a popular tourist spot , Orlando set a Gord nt / S eted to popularity thanks tume have faithfully visited for a chance to live new record in 2014 when it welcomed 62 limo hael to a star turn on The Voice . out a real - life fantasy . million visitors to town . The previous record De Mic ta Tragically , she never had was 59 million set the previous year . The Dani by to the opportunity to become openings of FantasyLand at Walt Disney World 2011 pho by o r the star she was destined to and The Wizarding World of Harry Potter Di - The Case that Captivated a Nation phot otte be . During a meet and greet agon Alley were believed to help drive the rush P The Casey Anthony trial made national headlines , Irma arry with fans after a show at The Plaza Live , Grimmie of visitors . but in Orlando the story hit especially close to H ane m . was fatally shot by a man who had traveled by home . Ultimately , Anthony was acquitted in urric ck.co cab from his home in St . Petersburg to the venue . the death of her 2 - year - old daughter Caylee All Aboard H rsto om . and only found guilty of four misdemeanor The SunRail made its debut in May 2014 , con - hutte ck.c counts of providing false information to law en - necting Central Floridians in Volusia , Seminole , A Harrowing Evening tersto tic / S forcement . Two years later , an appeals court Orange and Oscela counties . The commuter What started out as a regular evening at Pulse Shut Bos threw out two of her convictions , but the court rail system had its fair share of detractors , but nightclub ended up as one of the deadliest mass Ira hins / y of public appeal had long formed its opinion as was also seen as a logical step to help fill the shootings in modern U.S . history . Just one night b Hutc oto the case dominated the news cycle for months . void left by a lack of public transportation in after Grimmie’s murder , Omar Mateen opened ph athy st the region . fire inside the club , killing 49 and wounding rote K by p more than 53 others . The attack had a profound 2012 hoto rtin effect on the community and the days that The Trayvon Tragedy The Arts Come Alive Ma p ie n followed saw not only Orlando , but the entire After the night of Feb . 26 , 2012 , Trayvon Spanning two Downtown blocks , the arrival of rimm rayvo country grieving the senseless act of violence . Martin and George Zimmerman became house - the Dr . Phillips Center for the Performing Arts T G 24 ORLANDO FAMILY november 2020 ORLANDOFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM