Family of 4 Beat Hotel Worker Over Parking Spat

A parking dispute inside one of Universal Orlando’s luxury hotels exploded into a late-night brawl, leaving a restaurant employee bruised and a visiting family facing criminal charges.

Police say the chaos unfolded on Jan. 19 at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel, a waterfront resort modeled after an Italian seaside village. But instead of a quiet evening, officers walked into a scene one employee described as “terrifying.”

According to the arrest affidavit, the confrontation began over something small: parking validation. The employee reported validating two tickets but refusing to validate two more. She told officers she watched one of the women attempt to validate a ticket on her own, which is not allowed. She then warned the valet team not to let the group exit without proper verification.

That’s when the situation spiraled.

The worker told police that Amanda Brito, 45, suddenly snapped. She claimed Brito “yelled, smacked the work iPad, and got in my face.” The worker says she called for a supervisor, but, as she put it, “the argument turned physical instantly.”

She alleges Brito punched her, pulled her hair, and triggered a group assault involving Brito’s relatives — identified as Laura Alonso Silva, 23; Humberto Dorto, 18; and Brito’s daughter, Olivia Nicole Brito.

“It happened so fast,” the employee said. “Next thing I knew, all four of them were on me. Punching. Kicking. I hit the ground. I was just trying to protect my face.”

Hotel staff rushed to break up the fight. Police noted the victim had redness on her arm, though they couldn’t confirm whether it was from the scrum.

A supervisor told officers he had seen the family return “several times” trying to get all their tickets validated. He said he witnessed the blow that started the fight and described the group as “agitated and aggressive.”

But the family told a very different story.

Amanda Brito insisted the worker had insulted her. “She called me ugly,” Brito said, adding that the employee hit her first. She told officers she was acting in self-defense.

Olivia backed her mother. She said she tried to “calm” the worker by putting her hands on the employee’s chest. Humberto claimed he didn’t take part, only watched.

Police still moved forward with charges. Court records show Silva, Brito, and Dorto each face one count of first-degree battery. Olivia, 20, was not charged.

Universal Orlando declined to comment. The Orlando Police Department also did not issue a statement.

The victim, however, made her position clear. She told officers she fully intends to pursue charges.

“I just came to work,” she said. “I didn’t expect to get jumped over a parking ticket.”