PINE HILLS, Fla. — With more than 60,000 residents, Pine Hills is a heavily-populated part of Orange County.
What You Need To Know
- 98.5 The Wire is a nonprofit radio station serving Pine Hills and metro Orlando
- Jae Fortune says he uses his radio show to combat the negative narrative surrounding Pine Hills
- Data from the Orange County Sheriff's Office shows other parts of the Orlando area with nearly twice as many crimes as Pine Hills
It’s also an area which many have called a high-crime area. In fact, Pine Hills is also sometimes called Crime Hills.
It’s a reputation 24-year-old Pine Hills resident Jae Fortune says isn’t accurate, and he’s doing his part to take control and change the narrative.
“I love it here. It’s actually a community I’m really proud of. It’s a place I’m really proud of," he said. "I’m looking forward to raising a family here one day and being in this space where we can combat that narrative, it means the world to me."
Fortune and his family have lived on the same street, in the same house for his entire life. Many of his relatives also live nearby. Fortune sees no reason to leave. He grew up in Pine Hills, attending Evans High School, and now Fortune works at the local radio station The Wire 98.5.
Fortune says his drive to work is a constant inspiration, since he drives by Evans High School along his regular route.
“It’s pride, it helps me hold my head up a little bit higher,” he said.
After graduating Evans High School in 2016, Fortune began working at 98.5, which serves the Pine Hills and Metro Orlando areas.
“It means service, it means hope really at the end of the day a community like this, a place like this where hope is so important because a lot of times you don’t get to control your narrative and I think this place gives us an opportunity to do that,” Fortune said.
It’s a narrative often focused on crime, which Fortune says that isn’t accurate.
According to data from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, there are areas of Orlando, like South Orange Blossom Trail near the Florida Mall, with nearly twice as much crime as Pine Hills.
For Fortune, it’s about the future and using his voice to advocate for his community. He’s hoping to inspire a younger generation to do the same.
98.5 is a nonprofit radio station. And if you’d like to catch Fortune on the airwaves, his show airs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mondays through Fridays.