Top 100 Stories

'Handwriting was on the wall' for School Superintendent Margaret Smith with today's expected retirement

DELAND, Fla. -- The way School Board member Melody McSorley Johnson sees it, colleague John Hill's public demand for the firing of the superintendent of schools before speaking to her privately, may not have been in good taste, but she was quick to add "the handwriting was on the wall" regarding Margaret Smith's decision to retire as soon as today.

Kem McNair's surfing gull of New Smyrna Beach: 'Nature never ceases to amaze me'

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Kem McNair surfer dude series / Headline Surfer®
First in a year-long series of feature stories published on the final Sunday of each month on the adventures of surfer dude Kem McNair, who has surfed the waves of New Smyrna Beach for more than half a century, chronicling the creatures of the land, sea and air along the way.
Surfer Kem McNair captures Seagull riding surf on camera in New Smyrna Beach, FL / Headline Surfer®
Video by Kem McNair / for publication by HeadlineSurfer.com /
A juvenile seagull bodysurfing a wave at the inlet in the South Jetty of NewSmyrna Beach inlet on Nov. 24, 2011.

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- "This was no accident! I saw him swim up the whitewater, turn at the top and drop in on the wave and ride it all the way to the beach, while using his wings to turn right, then left in the whitewater. I could not believe my eyes."

Chip Ganassi Racing wins 53rd Rolex 24 at Daytona in dramatic fashion

 

Chip Ganassi Racing crosses finish line to win Rolex 24 at Daytona / Headline Surfer®DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Chip Ganassi Racing proved its endurance with the big win in the 2015 Rolex 24 at Daytona -- the sixth checkered flag for the renowned racing team's ownership. 

Scott Dixon wheeled the No. 02 Riley-Ford DP to a 1.333-second win over the No. 5 Action Express Racing Corvette DP of Sebastien Bourdais, after a last-minute caution and miscalculation in switching drivers for the runner-up team sealed the win.

Speedway's investment in state legislators' campaigns paves way for expected receipt of $90M in taxpayer subsidies

DAYTONA BEACH — Daytona International Speedway is a step closer to securing up to $90 million in state sales-tax incentives over the next three decades, thanks to its investment in the re-election campaigns of state legislators who will vote on approval.

The Speedway is vying for funding under under a program that rewards sports organizations for major improvements through sales tax payments.

Rolex 24 at Daytona: Michael Shank Racing Liguier has pole in race of endurance

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Jerry Markland / Getty Images / For Headline Surfer® /
The No. 60 Michael Shank Racing Ligier will start the 2015 Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona from pole position.
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Michael Shank Racing will kick off its new era by starting the 53rd Rolex 24 at Daytona from the pole position, following a quick lap by Ozz Negri in qualifying for the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship season-opener.

Oak Hill city staffer calls it a day after decade of service

Jeany Gozalez leaves Oak Hill / Headline Surfer®OAK HILL, Fla. -- In tiny Oak Hill, where there are less employees than the fingers on one hand, Jeany Gonzalez has quietly gone about her tasks as an administrative assistant at City Hall. But after a decade on the job, Gonzalez, has called it a day for good.

Kissimmee cops: Argument escalated into gunfire that left a 24-year-old man dead outside a restaurant Sunday night

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Scene of fatal shooting in Kissimmee / Headline Surfer®Locator of deadly shooting in Kissimmee / Headline Surfer®Juan Carlos Quiles, 24, of Kissimmee, murdered Sunday / Headline Surfer®Photos for Headline Surfer® /
Juan Carlos Quiles of Kissimmee, shown here, was gunned down Sunday night outside an eatery.

KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- Just what led to a double shooting outside the El Cibuco Restaurant, that left a 24-year-old man dead and a 30-year-old woman injured remains a mystery, Kissimmee cops said.

Here is a synopsis of what was released by Kissimmee police: The shooting happened around 9:40 p.m. Sunday outside the restaurant in the 2200 block of Fortune Road. When officers arrived, they found a man dead from a single bullet wound.

Kissimmee News Brief

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City of Kissimmee Presents Ruby Award to Orange Bowl Lanes

KISSIMMEE -- As part of its economic development retention efforts, the City of Kissimmee continues to recognize companies that have been in business, within the City limits, for more than 40 years.

As such, during the Dec. 16 City Commission meeting, a Ruby Award was presented to Orange Bowl Lanes, a company that opened in the City of Kissimmee in 1960. Orange Bowl Lanes, located on Vine Street, is a popular 12-lane bowling center and is home to third- and fourth-generation league bowlers. Children who grew up with the youth league continue to play as adults and have brought their children, and now even their grandchildren to participate in leagues. Orange Bowl Lanes Sunday night league has been taking place for 50 years.

Video ReWind: Dale Jr.'s 2014 Daytona 500 win from in-car cam

Video by NASCAR / For Headliner Surfer® / A view of the finish of the 2014 Daytona 500 from inside-the-car cam of winning driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr.

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Here's an entirely different view of Dale Earnhardt, Jr's woin in the 2014 Daytona 500: from the inside-the-car cam in the closing laps of the race.