Things To Do In SW Florida

Paul-Henri Nargeolet, one of the five people who died aboard the submersible Titan this week, was a contributor to the Titanic attraction on Orlando’s International Drive.

Nargeolet, a French explorer known as ‘PH,’ supervised the recovery of 5,000 pieces of Titanic, including a 3-ton chunk of the hull that’s displayed at Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition. That section, dubbed the “Little Big Piece,” is the second-largest relic ever recovered from the ship, which sank in 1912.  Nargeolet, who was 77, had also been a speaker at the I-Drive attraction.

Operated by RMS Titanic Inc., I-Drive’s Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition contains about 300 artifacts from the ship and features full-scale room re-creations.

Nargeolet had made more than 35 trips to the site of the Titanic in the North Atlantic.

“Our hearts are with the families and friends of those aboard the submersible as we are collectively and individually mourning the lost of our long-term employee and colleague Paul Henri ‘PH Nargeolet,”  Jessica Sanders, president of RMS Titanic Inc., said in a release Thursday. read more

A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked a Florida law that he says is aimed at limiting the rights of drag performers.

U.S. District Judge Gregory Presnell of Orlando wrote in his order that “this statute is specifically designed to suppress the speech of drag queen performers.”

“In the words of the bill’s sponsor in the House, State Representative Randy Fine: “…HB 1423…will protect our children by ending the gateway propaganda to this evil — ‘Drag Queen Story Time,’” Presnell’s ruling said.

Fine, a Republican from Brevard County, declined to comment.

The court battle was initiated by the Hamburger Mary’s restaurant in Orlando over a law that contains penalties for any venue allowing children into a sexually explicit “adult live performance.”  The law includes potential first-degree misdemeanor charges for violators.

“Of course, it’s constitutional to prevent the sexualization of children by limiting access to adult live performances,” said Jeremy Redfern, a spokesman for Gov. Ron DeSantis, who signed the law in May. “We believe the judge’s opinion is dead wrong and look forward to prevailing on appeal.” read more