Dog trainer who sued Disney parks dies
A woman known for training her colorful poodles at Walt Disney World and later sued the theme parks over them has died.
Disney filed a motion to dismiss the lawsuit after Susan Grill’s death on June 18, according to court documents filed last month.
“We were saddened to hear this news and remain focused on our longstanding commitment of providing a welcoming environment for all of our guests, including those who require service animals,” said Disney spokeswoman Erica Ettori in a statement about Grill’s death.
Grill, 51, was remembered as a passionate animal lover, some wrote on social media.
“She was loved by many, touched many, and saved many lives with her work with service dogs. You can’t think about Susan without thinking about others. We will miss her greatly,” said a Facebook post from Trained and Maintained Service Dogs, a Winter Haven service animal organization that Grill had been president of until earlier this year.
The organization did not return a message seeking comment.
Grill’s death was reported to the District 10 Medical Examiner’s Office but no autopsy was done, according to the office in Winter Haven.
Grill had said she had health problems, including epilepsy and chronic migraines, court documents said.
Her service animals were an important part of her life and could detect her seizures, help her navigate crowds and retrieve something she dropped when she felt dizzy, she said.
The animals also were a source of contention at the parks, where she sometimes took her three dogs for training, the lawsuit said.
Grill sued Disney a year ago, claiming she had been harassed over her poodles, some of which she dyed in bright colors.
At Disney Springs, two security guards stopped her and told her she could not train her dogs on Disney property and demanded to see the animals’ certification papers, she said in her federal lawsuit.
She said she also faced harassment at Magic Kingdom and other theme parks when Disney employees filmed her, made comments about her or ignored her when she needed help, according to an amended lawsuit filed in November.
A Disney spokeswoman had said earlier that Grill’s complaints “were already reviewed by the Florida Commission on Human Rights, which found that no unlawful practice occurred.”
UCF Rosen gets high marks
The University of Central Florida’s Rosen College of Hospitality Management received recognition for its academic research, the school announced.
The college was ranked No. 5, up from the last year’s 11th place, of the top 500 list released by the Academic Ranking of World Universities.
The college attributed jump to the UCF faculty publishing more than 130 research articles and
partnering with international institutions, the school said in a news release.
“We have been working diligently with our faculty to expand the breadth and level of their research by taking on projects that impact the hospitality and tourism industries day-today operations, not simply theoretic practices,” Dean Youcheng Wang said in the news release.
Hotel tax revenue is up
May brought in nearly 5 percent more hotel tax revenue in Orange County, generating $22.6 million, the comptroller’s office announced.
“It is good to see another increase in the last full month of spring. I hope that this trend continues over the summer,” Comptroller Phil Diamond said in a news release.
The 6 percent tax is charged on short-term rentals, which are mostly hotels and motels, and is also called the tourist development tax.
May’s rise comes before what’s expected to be a busy summer in Orlando as both Universal and Disney debut their latest attractions. Universal’s new roller coaster in the Harry Potter universe opened June 13, and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge lets visitors in starting August at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Sentinel releases Tower of Terror podcast
Mark Silverman, the voice behind the Tower of Terror, shared what it was like to play Rod Serling on the Orlando Sentinel’s new theme parks podcast.
Twenty-five years ago this July, the attraction opened at the Orlando theme park with Silverman’s voice narrating the 100-foot drop through the haunted hotel. Serling, the original Twilight Zone host was unavailable. He had been dead since 1975.
“To do a really good impression, a really good sound-alike, you have to momentarily be possessed by the person that you’re doing the voice of,” Silverman said on the podcast.
The Orlando Sentinel Theme Park Rangers Podcast is available for download on Spotify and Apple.