These were the 20 most read stories on OrlandoSentinel.com in 2019

Dec. 31--Orlando's top news is often Florida news, and some of the big stories that hit the state in 2019 were among the most viewed by those on OrlandoSentinel.com.

So there were alligators. There were sharks. And there were hurricanes. In fact, Hurricane Dorian and the parade of tropical systems that followed including Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto and Nestor, all posing some threat to the state, made up 20 of the top 40 stories on the website for 2019. On either side of the tropics though were stories that grabbed readers' attention including breaking news, strange news, an editorial about who the newspaper was endorsing for president and an investigation into the lives of Central Florida's tourism workers.

Here's the list counting down, with stories ranked by how many people visited them. Multiple stories about the same topic were only counted once, based on the individual story that had the most traffic.

20.

Study shows Central Florida is the most dangerous place to walk in the United States

A study from Smart Growth America has found that between 2008 and 2017, drivers struck and killed 49,340 people who were walking on streets across the United States. The study shows that 5,433 of those people died in the state of Florida, but an alarming 656 of those fatalities occurred in Central Florida. That makes the Orlando, Sanford and Kissimmee metropolitan area the most dangerous place in the United States to walk, according to the report.

19.

Woman stabbed her daughter, 11, to prevent her from having sex, cops say

A woman who stabbed her 11-year-old daughter more than a dozen times in March said it was because the girl smiled "different," causing the mother to think her child was having sex, authorities said. Rosa Rivera, 28, then drove Aleyda Rivera to Winnie Palmer Hospital, where Rivera was detained by hospital security after wielding a purple-handled pocket knife soaked with blood.

"My baby is gone," Rivera told first responders, according to her arrest report. Aleyda had 15 stab wounds to her back and a defensive wound to her right arm, authorities said.

18.

Boeing 737 Max makes emergency landing at Orlando International Airport

A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 plane -- the same model that had been grounded after two recent crashes -- made an emergency landing in March at Orlando International Airport, a spokeswoman said. There were no passengers aboard. Two pilots were flying to California when they encountered engine problems about 10 minutes after takeoff, said Rod Johnson, spokesman for the Greater Orlando Aviation Authority.

17.

Laborland: In a theme park parking lot at night, a worker sleeps in her car. This is life in America's most visited city

Laborland is a four-part investigative series into the lives of the thousands of people who work at the theme parks and Orlando's tourism industry. Part 1 was the most viewed of the series, focusing on wages, but all four parts and related stories amassed tremendous attention as it revealed the hardships of the people who help the juggernauts of Disney, Universal, SeaWorld and others rolling along. Read the whole series at OrlandoSentinel.com/Laborland.

16.

When a hurricane hits, what happens to sharks, dolphins and marine life?

While storm coverage gets the most views, sometimes the side stories that come from hurricanes garner attention. One of those was a feature about how marine animals deal with the destructive force of tropical systems. When a hurricane passes over the ocean, it can cause great upheaval to the marine inhabitants under the sea, but it can do a surprising amount of good, as well.

15.

Another Florida body found in the mouth of an alligator

Alligator news in Florida is as likely as the sun rising. Whether people are running through a convenience store with one, or tossing one through a drive-through window, gator news always gets eyeballs. Sometimes it's tragic, as is the case with alligator attacks. Other times, the tragedy is uncertain, as is the case when an alligator is found chewing on the body of some poor soul that may have died from other causes and just happened to be in one of Florida's alligator-infested bodies of waters. In one week in summer 2019, though, two such cases arose, and thus the unsurprising headline "Florida body found in mouth of alligator" became surprising by adding the word "Another" to the front.

14.

5 children in van headed to Disney World among 7 killed in fiery Interstate 75 crash near Gainesville

Seven people were killed -- including five children who were in a van bound for Walt Disney World -- in a fiery four-vehicle crash on Interstate 75 near Gainesville on Jan. 3, 2019, the Florida Highway Patrol said. The children who died were identified as Joel Cloud and Jeremiah Warren, both 14; Cara Descant, 13; Brieana Descant, 10; and Cierra Bordelan, 9. The van's driver, 45-year-old Amy Joffrion, was seriously injured, as were one adult and five child passengers, ages 9 to 14.

In a statement, Disney spokeswoman Jacquee Wahler said, "There are no words to convey the sorrow we feel for those involved in yesterday's tragedy. We extend heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones impacted by this tragic accident."

13.

Construction crane crashes into Royal Caribbean's Oasis of the Seas in Bahamas; 8 hurt

A crane toppled over onto a Royal Caribbean cruise ship on April 1 with no passengers on board in the Bahamas, according to news reports. The Oasis of the Seas vessel was in dry dock and out of service at the time of the accident, the cruise line said in a statement. Royal Caribbean said eight people were injured in the accident and the line had to cancel some sailings because of extra repair time to the damaged ship.

12.

Bufo toad kills another Florida dog as poisonous invader leaps north

Bufo toads have been a plague in South Florida for some time, but a Central Florida woman's pet made headlines in April. The Tampa woman's dog collapsed and died after she saw him with a toad in his mouth. Also known as the cane or marine toad, the world's largest toad has invaded South Florida since the 1950s and in recent years has been spotted more frequently in Central Florida as well.

11.

Bianchi: It was 25 years ago in Orlando when Jerry Jones killed the Dallas Cowboys -- Commentary

An item about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones by Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi shot up the charts for several days in December. Bianchi recounted a story told to him by former Cowboys head coach Jimmy Johnson about things Jones said to reporters at the NFL Owners Meeting in Orlando in 1994, that Bianchi said led to Johnson quitting, and the franchise losing its way. The column was to mark the 25th anniversary of the Cowboys' downfall.

10.

2 dead and 2 wounded, including cop, in shooting at Walmart in Mississippi; suspect arrested

Sometimes national news spikes on the website, and that was the case with a shooting at a Walmart two states away. A gunman described as a disgruntled Walmart employee fatally shot two co-workers and wounded a police officer before he was shot and arrested in July at a Walmart store in northern Mississippi, authorities said. Both the people killed were Walmart employees, Moore said. Employees told The Associated Press that the first was shot in the parking lot, and the second was shot inside the store.

9.

Lines disappeared and arena seats remained before Trump took stage in Orlando

President Donald Trump chose Orlando as the location to make his official announcement that he was seeking a second term as president. The June 18 event saw the Amway Center nearly filled to capacity. The arena has a capacity of about 20,000. In his speech to supporters at Amway, Trump said 120,000 people had requested the free tickets to the event. Whether it was the weather -- hot earlier in the day, rainy in the afternoon -- or people just wanting invitations to the historic event for keepsakes, it did appear there were fewer people than were planned. The planned overflow area across from the arena was virtually empty as the rally began inside the arena.

8.

UCF student arrested, had fully automatic AR-15 in vehicle at campus dorm, police say

An engineering student at UCF was arrested in January after police discovered he was keeping a fully-automatic AR-15 in his car at an on-campus dorm, authorities said. UCF police began investigating Max Bennett Chambers, 19, after receiving a tip that he possessed drop-in auto sears, which can be used to convert a semiautomatic rifle into an automatic weapon. According to an affidavit, Chambers allowed police to search his vehicle at the Towers at Knights Plaza, a complex of apartment-style dorm towers on the main campus. The AR-15 was found inside the vehicle and Chambers admitted to owning it, police said.

7.

Five guys arrested after fist fight at Five Guys

This one was all about the headline. It just wrote itself. The location: A Five Guys burger establishment in Stuart, Florida. Those arrested: Five guys. In a brief and rather cryptic Facebook post that started to go viral soon after it was published in July, the Stuart Police Department said little more than a lunchtime fist fight had broken out at the burgers and fries eatery.

6.

A Disney World tourist didn't have a FastPass to Tower of Terror, so she punched an employee and started pressing buttons

A Chicago tourist who was angry she didn't have a FastPass to Tower of Terror ended up punching a Disney World cast member in the face and began pushing buttons, which the employee warned could have affected the ride, according to a sheriff's report. The 23-year-old woman wasn't charged; the Disney worker didn't want to press charges, said the Orange County Sheriff's Office report.

The attack began in the evening of July 13 when the Chicago woman and her group were upset their FastPasses weren't valid for the popular ride at Tower of Terror that often draws a long wait at Hollywood Studios.

5.

Caylee Anthony would have turned 14

Casey Anthony and the case of her missing 2-year-old daughter owned Orlando and national headlines in 2008 and through 2011 during Casey's trial and acquittal in Caylee Marie Anthony's death. This story was just to remind people that had she lived, Caylee would have turned 14 this year and would have been getting ready to begin high school. She never made it to her third birthday though.

4.

New rankings list worst cities to live in, and 4 of them are in Florida

Crime, poverty and unemployment are the common threads in rankings released in February of the worst places to live in the U.S., and four cities in Florida made the list. The financial website 24/7 Wall St. measured 25 factors in four categories: affordability, economy, quality of life and community. The authors noted that "while there is no such thing as the perfect city, the United States is full of places with few, if any, strengths."

Most of the cities are located in the South and the West, along with several in Michigan. Detroit was the only large city, described as "a shadow of its former self." All four Florida cities that made the list were particularly small cities.

3.

Our Orlando Sentinel endorsement for president in 2020: Not Donald Trump -- Editorial

The following are the opening lines to the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board's nonendorsement of President Donald Trump that coincided with his Orlando rally at the Amway Center to announce his re-election campaign on June 18:

"Donald Trump is in Orlando to announce the kickoff of his re-election campaign. We're here to announce our endorsement for president in 2020, or, at least, who we're not endorsing: Donald Trump. Some readers will wonder how we could possibly eliminate a candidate so far before an election, and before knowing the identity of his opponent. Because there's no point pretending we would ever recommend that readers vote for Trump. After 2 1/2 years we've seen enough."

The editorial received a lot of attention from both the president's supporters and his opposition.

2.

Former Florida Gators LB Neiron Ball dies at age 27

Former Florida Gators linebacker Neiron Ball died at the age of 27, leaving behind a powerful legacy along with a trail of tears from his former teammates. In a battle for his life due to a brain aneurysm that left him paralyzed in all four limbs, Ball passed away at 4:15 a.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 10,, according to his sister, Natalie Ball Myricks.

She wrote: "Neiron was a very special and loving father, brother, and teammate. Neiron has transitioned to a place of peace."

1.

Hurricane Dorian's destruction and the busy season that followed

Hurricane Dorian looked like it was going to slam into Florida. It was deadly and destructive and huge. The Category hurricane was headed right for Florida's East Coast with the Bahamas unfortunately bearing the brunt of its wind damage and storm surge, leaving at least 70 dead in its wake and more than $3 billion in damages.

Each day, people looked to the Orlando Sentinel to see if and when it would hit, and it wasn't until it slowed down over the Bahamas that its path slowly shifted eventually taking it off Florida's shore and up into Georgia and the Carolinas. The top seven stories on OrlandoSentinel.com were about Hurricane Dorian, with the most viewed being the Saturday of Aug. 31 as the storm slogged its way across the northwestern Bahamas islands and Floridians wondered where it would hit next. That story alone had nearly 2.3 million pages views.

The 2019 hurricane season was by far the most viewed content on the site with Dorian damage and recovery continuing to make headlines.

So that's a wrap on 2019, with a good chance that hurricanes, sharks and alligators will keep at it in 2020.

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