Watermark Out News • 15th June 2026

PHOTOS: Community gathers in Orlando for Pulse 10th anniversary - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Families, survivors and first responders gathered June 12 at First United Methodist Church in downtown Orlando to honor the lives lost and those forever impacted by the Pulse nightclub tragedy.

Watermark Out News • 11th June 2026

Orlando marks a decade since the Pulse nightclub shooting - Watermark Out News

A decade ago, 49 lives were taken and 53 were wounded at Pulse nightclub in what was then the deadliest mass shooting in the country.

Watermark Out News • 28th May 2026

Orlando's LGBTQ+ Weekend marks 35 years of magic - Watermark Out News

Orlando’s big LGBTQ+ weekend has celebrated the city’s community for 35 years. From red shirts to pool parties to drag pageants, the idea has always been to be visible and proud.

Watermark Out News • 15th May 2026

Orlando releases new designs for permanent Pulse memorial - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Officials and designers for the permanent Pulse memorial revealed new renderings at the 60% design meeting May 14 at City Hall.

Watermark Out News • 14th May 2026

Jason Mraz finds freedom in new album, tour ahead of Florida stops - Watermark Out News

Two-time Grammy winner and Songwriters Hall of Fame Honoree Jason Mraz will uplift Florida with his “Still Yours” tour May 16 in Clearwater and May 17 in Orlando.

Watermark Out News • 24th April 2026

No charges filed for 6 arrested in Pulse crosswalk chalking - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | No charges will be filed against the six people who were arrested for using chalk to repaint the Pulse memorial crosswalk, according to Osceola-Orange State Attorney Monique Worrell.

Watermark Out News • 15th April 2026

Former owner of Southern Nights pleas guilty to coercion of a minor - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Richard Kowalczyk, the previous owner of Southern Nights Orlando and Tampa, entered a plea of guilty March 27 to attempted coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity, court records show.

Watermark Out News • 2nd April 2026

Orlando moves forward with permanent Pulse memorial - Watermark Out News

The Pulse nightclub was demolished in just two hours March 18, an action that took nearly a decade.

Watermark Out News • 18th March 2026

PHOTOS: Pulse nightclub demolished to make way for permanent memorial - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Construction crews demolished the Pulse nightclub March 18 to make way for a permanent memorial, a process that began with the removal of the site’s sign.

Watermark Out News • 11th March 2026

PHOTOS: City of Orlando removes Pulse nightclub sign ahead of demolition - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Construction crews removed the Pulse sign outside the nightclub March 11 to make way for a permanent memorial.

Watermark Out News • 10th March 2026

PHOTOS: City of Orlando begins removal of Pulse nightclub sign - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Construction crews began the process of removing the sign outside the Pulse nightclub March 10 to make way for a permanent memorial.

Watermark Out News • 5th March 2026

LGBTQ+ Floridians seek gun safety training amid rising tensions - Watermark Out News

In the so-called “gunshine state,” LGBTQ+ Floridians are taking steps to learn gun safety and training due to rising tension towards minorities and marginalized people.

Watermark Out News • 19th February 2026

Orlando Museum of Art debuts largest David LaChapelle retrospective - Watermark Out News

In his largest U.S. museum retrospective yet, celebrated photographer David LaChapelle is presenting “David LaChapelle: As the World Turns” at the Orlando Museum of Art through May 3.

Watermark Out News • 22nd January 2026

Former Orange County teacher pleads guilty to trying to lure teen for sex - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Eric Patrick, a former Orange County Public School teacher whose husband Richard Kowalczyk previously owned Southern Nights Orlando and Tampa, pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to attempting to lure a 15-year-old for sex, court records show.

Watermark Out News • 12th January 2026

PHOTOS: Hundreds attend anti-ICE protest in downtown Orlando - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Hundreds gathered on the street corners of City Hall in downtown Orlando Jan. 11 as part of the “Keep ICE Out of Orlando for Good” protest.

Watermark Out News • 30th December 2025

One person’s journey through IVF and into the health care industry - Watermark Out News

Choosing to have two children by in vitro fertilization as a solo mother was something Athena Reich was ready for.

Watermark Out News • 29th December 2025

PHOTOS: Orlando commissioners paint rainbow medians on Urban Trail after Pulse crosswalk removal - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Orlando City Commissioners Robert Stuart and Patty Sheehan have painted a rainbow on two medians on the Orlando Urban Trail as a response to the removal of the Pulse rainbow crosswalk.

Watermark Out News • 26th December 2025

Looking back on LGBTQ+ Central Florida and Tampa Bay in 2025 - Watermark Out News

Watermark Out News is proud to be the leading LGBTQ+ news source of Central Florida and Tampa Bay. Look back on our 2025 coverage below.

Watermark Out News • 19th December 2025

City of Orlando to 'carefully remove select artifacts' from Pulse before memorial construction begins - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | The City of Orlando will “begin to carefully remove select artifacts” from the Pulse nightclub Dec. 22 as it works toward creating a permanent memorial at the site of the mass shooting that claimed 49 lives and injured many more.

Watermark Out News • 18th December 2025

Court rules Florida can enforce state's 'anti-drag' law - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit ruled Dec. 15 that Florida’s Protection of Children Act, widely known as the state’s “anti-drag” law, can be enforced at every venue except Hamburger Mary’s Orlando.

Watermark Out News • 9th December 2025

PHOTOS: MadSoul Festival 2025 combines music and advocacy in Orlando - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost brought his MadSoul Music & Arts Festival to the Orlando Amphitheater Dec. 6 for a day of music and advocacy.

Watermark Out News • 4th December 2025

Orlando pastry chef Jean Carlos De Araujo competing on Food Network’s ‘Holiday Baking Championship’ - Watermark Out News

With almost 10 years of experience in the confectionery industry, Jean Carlos De Araujo, pastry chef at Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel, is shining on Season 12 of Food Network’s “Holiday Baking Championship.”

Watermark Out News • 1st December 2025

Florida driver arrested after allegedly trying to hit LGBTQ+ running group - Watermark Out News

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. | The West Palm Beach Police Department arrested an SUV driver on Nov. 24 who attempted to strike members of a local LGBTQ+ running club at a park.

Watermark Out News • 26th November 2025

Two arrested at Pulse crosswalk for 'aggressively' chalking - Watermark Out News

ORLANDO | Two individuals were arrested Nov. 23 for defacing the Pulse memorial crosswalk with chalk and charged with  interference with a traffic control device or a railroad sign.