Today we have news about a new hotel in Orlando, surprisingly good legislation in Tallahassee and Florida headlines about turtles and twerking.

But first, as the Orlando Magic head to the NBA playoffs for the first time in seven years, I caught up with the guy who took the team to its last playoff series — former Coach Stan Van Gundy.

The team may have dumped Stan in unceremonious fashion (more on that in a moment). But Stan still loves the team, the fans and his good friend, Coach Steve Clifford.

Still, when Stan joined me for the latest installment of the Sentinel’s “Conversations” podcast series, we talked less about sports and more about his passion for politics, public policy and community activism. (The man is so into local issues, he helped lead Seminole County’s sales-tax-for-schools campaign a few years back … making him 5-0 in reaching the playoffs for the Magic and 1-0 in local referendums.)

Among the highlights of our conversation:

He’s “Professor Stan” these days, teaching a sports-business course at Stetson University. In his class, he says “It’s hard to get an A, but it’s really easy to get a B.”

He believes everyone, including athletes, has a right to speak up about politics. “Regardless of the profession you’re in, this is the world we all live in. And I’ve always thought I had as much right to be involved – and no more right to be involved — than anyone else. We should care about these things.”

He loves to hear opposing arguments. “It’s going to test your beliefs in your own side. If you’re afraid to hear the other side on anything — politics, religion, anything — I think it’s probably a little bit of a lack of confidence in what you believe, and you don’t want to have it tested.”

While he’s no fan of Donald Trump , Stan said he’s particularly bothered by Trump supporters who seem unwilling to acknowledge character flaws or biases in the president. Stan said he can freely admit flaws with Hillary Clinton and is disturbed by the Trump supporters who won’t do the same with their guy.

, Stan said he’s particularly bothered by Trump supporters who seem unwilling to acknowledge character flaws or biases in the president. Stan said he can freely admit flaws with Hillary Clinton and is disturbed by the Trump supporters who won’t do the same with their guy. He has thought of running for office himself, maybe school board, but was shocked at how nasty it was, even in his local sales-tax referendum.

He’d like to coach once more — partly because his stint in Detroit wasn’t as good as the one in Orlando. “That’s what drives me back, wanting to have one more shot of doing a little bit better. It’s the competitiveness.”

He still smarts over the way Magic management fired him after Dwight Howard started griping. Stan said management waited for him to leave practice one day “just to avoid me” and then called on the phone to deliver the news. “Those things hurt after five years of putting in a pretty good effort. So I think those hard feelings will always be there.” But he’s still rooting for the team.

You can catch the full, 30-minute conversation at orlandosentinel.com/conversations.

Wow, that’s good

Normally, bad bills in the Florida Legislature are like clumps in a litter box — abundant and stinky. But today I have words of praise for two good ones. (Bills, that is.)

Legislators are advancing a bipartisan justice-reform initiative that focuses more on rehabilitation than jail time for petty crimes in attempt to save taxpayers money and reduce recidivism. And they seem to be moving toward more earnestly implementing Amendment 4 to restore voting rights to ex-felons.

These things would make government more efficient — and more responsive to citizens. So thanks, House Speaker Jose Oliva and Senate President Bill Galvano. Let’s get ‘em done and see more like it.

Turtles and twerking

This week’s Only-in-Florida headlines:

Interestingly, that last headline isn’t even the best Spirit Airline headline about a Florida flight. That honor goes to this one from the Washington Post two years ago: “Woman gives birth on Spirit Airlines flight, does not incur extra fees.”

How neighborly

And finally, the Sentinel’s GrowthSpotter carried recent news about a developer planning to replace the past-its-prime Travelodge behind the Orange County courthouse with a modern Hilton-branded hotel.

The plans themselves weren’t that remarkable. The place could use a makeover. What was, however, were details about how the developer worked with neighbors in the Lake Eola Heights Historic Neighborhood Association to address their concerns. As a result, 3H Group agreed to do everything from planting more trees to using paint colors that match a nearby church.

“They met with the neighborhood,” said association President David Martens. “They were sensitive.”

Amazing how much smoother things go when growth happens that way.