Things To Do In SW Florida

The pearl divers are back in business at SeaWorld Orlando, where theme-park visitors are picking out underwater souvenirs again.

In some ways, it’s so very Orlando to turn shopping into a little show and game. SeaWorld’s divers sink into a tank to gather a handful of oysters. We can all see this through glass walls that face a sunken amphitheater on the dry ground adjacent to the park’s Oyster’s Secret store.

Visitors who pay for the pearl experience ($18.98) select an oyster from the hands of a diver who has resurfaced at the top of the tank. From there, buyers move to a desk — so rarely do we use “shucking station” in the newspaper – where the oyster is cracked open to the cheer of “Opa, opa, oyster!” The color of the pearl is revealed, and a bell is rung.

All this is explained and narrated by a host, who ventures into “step right up, folks” territory without completely diving in. Although, on the day of my visit, there were dad jokes. Shucks.

SeaWorld Orlando: New ‘Surf Holiday’ stage show celebrates conservation, dude read more

Our Florida oranges, the celebrated official state fruit that we see nearly every day, are in the middle of a citrus crisis, with crop production plummeting to some of the lowest levels in almost 90 years.

This fruit calamity, a product of a disease called citrus greening, created a nearly 20-year battle that continues to destroy citrus acreage, farmers’ livelihood and scientists’ efforts — and orange juice prices at the supermarket are becoming more expensive, too.

This year, Florida’s final orange production forecast, which is measured by how many 90-pound boxes are filled, fell to 15.9 million boxes, according to figures released by the United States Department of Agriculture on Wednesday. It’s the lowest since 1936 when production also hovered around 15.9 million (when irrigation barely existed).

This year, production fell due to a lethal combination of citrus greening, as well as the lingering impact from Hurricanes Ian and Nicole last year.

“It just continues to be shocking to people who have been in the industry for the last three decades that we’ve gone from where we were to where we are,” said Brantley Schirard Jr., a third-generation citrus grower in Fort Pierce. read more

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex has become a Certified Autism Center, a designation earned in conjunction with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards.

To earn this certification, the attraction’s employees had training to better understand autistic or sensory-sensitive visitors. IBCCES also provided more ways it could accommodate visitors and guidance for signs at each exhibit.

“This certification is just one way we are working to ensure that Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex is accessible to each of our guests,” Therrin Protze, chief operating officer of the visitor complex, said in a news release.

“The extensive autism sensitivity and awareness training our staff has undergone has already impacted the way we interact with all families and children with of all abilities, but specifically those with autism and other sensory sensitivities,” he said.

As part of the certification, the visitor complex will designate areas where people with sensory sensitivities can relax in less stimulating surroundings, providing a break from potential sensory overload. It’s also providing an updated sensory guide for guests on its website, its app and at the attraction. read more

Lizzie Kane | Chicago Tribune (TNS)

Zhiqiang Su, 50, and Yuping Liang, 50, moved from China to Chicago in 2020, seeking a life with better education opportunities for their now 21-year-old daughter and more freedom.

They have been renters since they immigrated, living in a single-family, two-bedroom home in Bridgeport for $1,200 a month, never having missed or been late on a payment.

But, Su said, they want a place to call their own to help them achieve their American Dream.

“I want to purchase a house because it will allow me to have a more stable life,” Su said in Cantonese as Ivan Man and Sharon Wong, two members of his real estate team, translated.

Being immigrants, however, adds extra layers of difficulty to the already challenging housing market.

The couple works hard to make a living: Su works 10-hour days, six days a week making sushi in a restaurant, and his wife does the same while working a part-time job as a home care aide. But their real estate team expects them to run into challenges qualifying for a home loan given that they may have a limited credit profile. Typically, someone needs a credit score of 620 or higher from a traditional lender to qualify for a home loan. (The Federal Housing Administration, Su’s likely lender, requires a lower score of 580 or 500 with a higher down payment.) read more