+ YOUR Local
A Year in
Review
By Lyndsay Fogarty
44 Central Florida Lifestyle | December 2019
COURTESY OF THE ONEPULSE FOUNDATION/COLDEFY & ASSOCIÉS/RDAI
Central Florida
Lifestyle counts down
some of 2019’s most
memorable moments.
Winning design rendering for the National Pulse Memorial & Museum by Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP.
1. Design team chosen for
National Pulse Memorial &
Museum
In March, the onePulse Foundation
launched an international design
competition for the National Pulse Memorial
& Museum, which received 68
submissions from 19 countries. On Oct.
30, a jury comprised of community
members, leaders and architects chose
Coldefy with RDAI | HHCP because
they felt their design best represented
community interests, demonstrated
design excellence and aligned with one-
Pulse’s core values.
2. Autonomous shuttles
introduced in Lake Nona
In February, a first-of-its-kind
transportation option was announced
for Lake Nona through a partnership
with mobility solutions provider,
Beep. Two autonomous shuttles hit
the road on Sept. 18, running daily
routes from Lake Nona Town Center
to Laureate Park.
3. New attractions open to
much fanfare
Two of the area’s biggest theme
parks introduced new, exciting experiences
this year. On June 13, Hagrid’s
Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
opened with long wait times, reportedly
up to 10 hours, at Universal’s
Islands of Adventure. Then, on Aug. 29,
Disney’s Hollywood Studios welcomed
guests to the planet of Batuu, where they
could build their own lightsaber and
even fly the Millenium Falcon.
4. Orlando Pride players
compete in 2019 FIFA
World Cup
Over the summer, nine Orlando
Pride players represented five countries
in the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
This included United States representatives,
Alex Morgan, Ali Krieger and Ashlyn
Harris, who took home the trophy.
5. Tracking Hurricane
Dorian
Hurricane Dorian formed on Aug.
24 and quickly took aim at Florida.
As Orlando residents cleared stores of
supplies, Dorian was projected to go
straight through the city as a strong hurricane.
While Orlando was spared, the
storm battered the Bahamas. Since then,
residents have donated supplies, chartered
boats and offered support where
possible to lend a helping hand.
6. On May 3, the City of Orlando
opened rideshare hubs with latenight
weekend service as part of
a six-month pilot program aiming
to manage downtown traffic
during those hours.
7. On June 25, two black-necked
male swans were introduced
to Lake Eola park with the
hope that one would become a
companion to Queenie, the lake’s
only female black-necked swan, in
a Lake Eola love story.
8. In August, Universal Orlando
announced plans for its fourth
theme park, called Universal’s
Epic Universe, which will be built
south of Sand Lake Road and the
its three sister parks.
9. Also in August, the 2022
Special Olympics USA Games
Organizing Committee revealed
its logo, which was designed by
nine Special Olympics athletes.
ESPN Wide World of Sports
Complex will host the games in
June 2022.
10. In September, Pet Alliance of
Greater Orlando launched its
Hound Around Town program,
which allows residents to
take a dog out of the shelter
environment for fresh air and a
fun outing.
COURTESY OF LAKE NONA