Celebration, FL Deals With First Homicide

It turns out that, 14 years later, the town that Disney built is not all that different from many other communities. Its neo-traditional look, straight out of 1950s suburbia, and white rail fences could not prevent crime from catching up to Celebration, Florida, as it recorded its first ever homicide last week. At some point over Thanksgiving weekend, Matteo Patrick Giovanditto, 58, was found murdered in his condo. No arrests have been made, but the sheriff’s office said it had some “substantial leads.” Days later, Celebration’s squeaky clean image was tarnished again when a domestic dispute led police to rope off seven blocks while they resolved the standoff with the help of a SWAT team. “It’s like Manhattan!” said one resident, who moved from New York City 12 years ago.