Ramsey announced his candidacy for the Osceola County School Board, District 5, in August 2023. His deep roots in the community and business background bring a unique perspective to the board, where he aims to contribute to the educational landscape of the county.

The upcoming election will be a critical juncture for the District 5 seat, as the candidates present their visions for the future of education in Osceola County. Ramsey’s appointment and subsequent campaign will be closely watched by the community as they prepare to vote on their preferred candidate for the next term.

The post Scott Ramsey Sworn In as Osceola’s District 5 School Board Member, Will Face 3 Opponents for 4-year Term appeared first on Positively Osceola.

Every year outreach staff visits each public high school in the county one to two times to reach all their senior students. At these visits, elections outreach staff help eligible students to register to vote and educate all students on how, when, where and why to vote. Students wishing to register to vote need to know either their Florida Driver License/Permit/ID card number or the last 4 digits of their Social Security Number.

Staff will be at the following high schools this semester:

• NeoCity Academy                                        1/31/24
• Gateway High School                                 2/2/24
• St. Cloud High School                                2/7/24
• PATHS                                                           2/14/24
• Liberty High School                                     3/25/24
• Osceola High School                                  4/10/24
• Osceola School for the Arts                       4/12/24

For additional information, please visit www.voteosceola.gov or call 407-742-6000.

The post Empowering Tomorrow’s Voters: Elections Office Engages Osceola County High School Seniors in Voter Registration appeared first on Positively Osceola.

“I look forward to working with the Commission and County staff in the coming year. As Chair, I feel I can help strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and harmonious community,” said Grieb, the District 4 Commissioner. “This board is committed to forging a path that not only anticipates the future but actively leads it forward to better our community and its residents.”

Grieb previously served as Chair of the County Commission in 2019.

The Chair’s duties include running commission meetings and heading ceremonial events like ribbon cuttings and groundbreakings, as well as delivering the annual State of Osceola County address, scheduled for October 9, 2024.

The Vice Chair assumes those roles in the Chair’s absence. This is Choudhry’s first time as Vice Chair.

“I extend my heartfelt gratitude to my fellow board members, for entrusting me with the role of Vice Chair,” said Choudhry, the District 1 Commissioner. “I am deeply committed to making a positive impact on our community through this position, and I eagerly look forward to the opportunity to contribute to the continued progress of our County.”

Grieb succeeds District 2 Commissioner Viviana Janer, who served as the 2023 Chair.

“My thanks to my fellow commissioners and County staff for their assistance. It’s been an eventful year, and the County is well-positioned to be First to What’s Next,” said Janer. “I look forward to the leadership of Chair Grieb in steering us towards continued progress and innovation.”  

Grieb Seleccionada Como Presidenta del Condado de Osceola

Choudhry es Vicepresidenta de la Comisión

Cheryl Grieb fue seleccionada Presidenta de la Junta de Comisionados del Condado de Osceola el lunes. La comisionada del Distrito 1 del Condado, Peggy Choudhry, es la nueva Vicepresidenta. Ambos votos fueron unánimes.

“Espero con ansias trabajar con la Comisión y el personal del condado el próximo año. Como presidente, siento que puedo ayudar a fortalecer las bases para una comunidad próspera y armoniosa”, dijo Grieb, la Comisionada del Distrito 4. “Esta junta está comprometida a forjar un camino que no sólo anticipe el futuro, sino que lo impulse activamente hacia adelante para mejorar nuestra comunidad y sus residentes”.

Grieb se desempeñó anteriormente como presidente de la Comisión del Condado en 2019.

Las funciones de la Presidenta incluyen dirigir reuniones de la comisión y encabezar eventos ceremoniales como cortes de listón e inauguraciones de construcción, así como entregar el discurso anual sobre el Estado del Condado de Osceola, programado para el 9 de octubre de 2024.

La Vicepresidenta asume dichas funciones en ausencia de la Presidenta. Esta es la primera vez que Choudhry ocupa el cargo de Vicepresidenta.

“Extiendo mi más sincero agradecimiento a mis compañeros de la junta directiva por confiarme el cargo de Vicepresidente,” dijo Choudhry, Comisionada del Distrito 1. “Estoy profundamente comprometida a generar un impacto positivo en nuestra comunidad a través de este puesto, y espero ansiosamente la oportunidad de contribuir al progreso continuo de nuestro condado”.

Grieb sucede a la Comisionada del Distrito 2, Viviana Janer, quien se desempeñó como presidenta de 2023.

“Agradezco a mis compañeros comisionados y al personal del condado por su ayuda. Ha sido un año lleno de acontecimientos y el condado está bien posicionado para ser el primero en lo que sigue”, dijo Janer. “Espero que el liderazgo de la Presidenta Grieb nos guíe hacia el progreso y la innovación continuos”.

The post Cheryl Grieb Chosen as Osceola County Chair, Peggy Choudhry Named Vice Chair of Commission appeared first on Positively Osceola.

Seoul National University is a national research university located in Seoul, South Korea and will be focusing on smart city initiatives in “The OC.” Founded in 1946, Seoul National University is widely regarded as the most prestigious university in South Korea.

Osceola County’s OC is the second building within the NeoCity technology district and is an innovative, state-of-art 100,000 square foot building that includes zones for collaboration and idea sharing, meeting/conference rooms, a board room, open office space, and traditional private offices. The space between the two buildings creates a courtyard that takes advantage of the Florida weather and provides another place for researchers and visitors to collaborate, socialize or focus.

Attending the ribbon cutting ceremony were Osceola Chairwoman Viviana Janer Commissioner for District 2, District 5 Commissioner Ricky Booth, District 4 Commissioner Cheryl Grieb, Osceola County Manager Don Fisher, Congressman Darren Soto, Seoul National University Executive Vice President Jae Young Kim, and Dr. Junseok Hwang, Director of Seoul National University Global R&DB Center.

SOURCE: Osceola County

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The closure is in effect from Macy Island Road to Cross Prairie Parkway. Schedules may vary based on weather conditions or equipment-related issues. Traffic delays can be expected in the area.

The post Osceola County announces road temporary closure of Henry Partin Road for repair, resurfacing beginning August 9 appeared first on Positively Osceola.

Several schools from Osceola County participated in the Florida Citrus Sports High School Media Day on Monday as an unofficial kickoff to the 2023 season.   Player and coaching contingents from Osceola, St. Cloud, Poinciana, Celebration, Tohopekaliga and Harmony participated in the event.

Practices can begin on Monday, July 31.  Teams may play in a non-counting Kickoff Classic exhibition game the weekend of Aug. 18 and the 10-game regular season begins the weekend of Aug. 25.  St. Cloud High will get a jump on other county school when they will have a “Midnight Madness” season-opening practice a few minutes after 12 a.m. on Monday morning.

“We did it last year and the players had a lot of fun,” Head Coach Mike Short said. “It’s just a different way to start pre-season camp.”

Short told reporters he was “quietly optimistic” after his team won seven games last season and returns a solid contingent of players including junior quarterback Logan King, athlete TJ Griffin, WR Owen Conner, and OT Conner Howes.  King is a two-year starter who threw for 1900 yards and 18 touchdowns as a sophomore and Conner is a junior tackle who already has had numerous D-1 offers.

“We lost some good football players to graduation, but we have been a really young team the last couple of years and those guys are maturing,” Short said.  “We have some depth now and we have some guys that are ready to step up and become starters.”

Long-time Harmony assistant Nick Lippert takes over the Longhorn program from veteran coach Don Simon, who resigned last spring to move into the Athletic Director’s role at Tohopekaliga.  Under Simon, Harmony won six games last year and earned an at-large playoff bid.  

Lippert loses his entire offensive backfield and several key defensive starters to graduation and also saw top tackler Dalton Phelan transfer, but he remains optimistic with the players he has returning. “Jeremy Hilliard is a talented back who has waited his turn behind Tyler Emans and Cooper Richards for two seasons.  I have a lot of confidence that he can have a big year for us.”

Defensively, Lippert returns three talented defenders in defensive backs Alex Nash (Central Michigan commit) and Chase Adams, as well as defensive tackle Clayton Williams. 

Osceola High Coach Eric Pinellas lost a huge list of senior starters – including five who inked D-1 scholarships – but it’s doubtful any area coaches are shedding tears for the Kowboys — who went 10-4 last season and made it to the Class 7A State Championship semifinals. 

The big question for the Kowboys will be at quarterback as a pair of transfers –Anthony Powers (Live Oak) and Cameron West (Tohopekaliga) — will battle in camp to replace last year’s starters David Buggs (graduation) and Gunner Holland (left team to concentrate senior season on wrestling).

The Kowboys tend to reload, not rebuild.  Star running back Taevion Swint (UCF commit), WR Notorious Reynolds, LB Elijah Morales, SS Jalen Bell, CB Ja’Mario Bradford, S Jeff Banks, and RB Jeff Sinophat are just a few of the outstanding players Pinellas will have at his disposal as they seek another deep run into the post-season.

Tohopekaliga’s Anthony Paradiso turned around that program quickly, posting six wins in his first season after taking over a team that went 2-8 the year before.   

Several talented senior transfers aided in the turnaround and they have now graduated, but Toho has a lot of firepower returning – including sophomore quarterback Sabby Meassick, who passed for 3081 yards and 38 touchdowns as a freshman.  Julian Nasco is a top returning receiver and Churandy Duval is a threat as both a runner and receiver.  

Paradiso believes the greatest improvement in 2023 will come from the offensive and defensive lines after those athletes have spending the last year in a strength and conditioning program.  “We simply were not very strong last year and could not compete against teams like Osceola.  We have made a lot of progress in the weight room and need to continue to improve in that area.”

Independent Poinciana had only is second winning season in school history last year, going 8-2 under Randy Beeken.   The Eagles hope to build off of that record and may have the firepower to do so.  Ernest Nunn, Elijah Bowser and Akeem Knox all have big-play capabilities for the Eagles.

Beeken says Poinciana’s independent status gave them the flexibility to schedule all 10 opponents.  “We looked at it and tried to schedule a third of our opponents we thought we should beat, a third that we knew we would be pretty even with and a third that we would have to play well to beat and I think it played out that way.   After decades of struggling, we are trying to build a program and being an independent for now was the best way to try and accomplish that.”

When Celebration opens camp, Coach Jeremy Palmer will have just a handful of returning players on both sides of the ball from a team that went 1-9.  Palmer will have an incredibly young team with 27 freshmen and sophomores on his roster.   With few winning seasons in school history, Palmer said he is working hard to change that history.  “The few times we had a good record, the head coach would leave for another opportunity usually the very next year.  You can’t build any consistency that way.  I’m planning on being here for the long haul and build that consistency that we have been missing.”

Led by junior center Gavin Konopka, the Storm offensive line should be the strength of the team; while sophomore Landen Yaw has the inside track at becoming Celebration’s starting quarterback.

First-year coach Dee Hart has a tremendous rebuilding job in front of him, as taking over a Charger team that went 0-10 and was out-scored 453-12 last year.  The former Alabama/Colorado standout may be the right person for the job, as Liberty traditionally had a solid core of athletes.

Hart will attempt to build his program around quarterback Jeremiah Pierre-Louis and running back JJ Vaughan on offense and brothers Xae’dyn and Xae’vez Brown on defense.  He also has nearly 40 new players on his roster.

Veteran coach Marlin Roberts expects to welcome 42-50 players when camp opens on Monday.  Perhaps no program in the county has been ravaged by injuries like the Panthers, who went through four starting quarterbacks a year ago.  

Depth and health will be a huge key for the Panthers, who have some talented players on the roster like OL/DL Chris Charity, RB/CB Delvin Pryor and athlete Josh Fuller, but Gateway must stay healthy and  develop some depth as they try to improve on last year’s two-win season.

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