Audi of America CMO Tara Rush is leaving
Rush ends four-year stint with the luxury auto brand, which included time as chief communications officer.
DeSantis and Disney prepare for a long battle ahead
As Gov. Ron DeSantis has embarked on his presidential run, a pillar of his message is “holding woke corporations accountable.” And to hammer home that sentiment, he has been railing against one target at nearly every campaign stop: The Walt Disney Co.
“We’ve put this company on a pedestal — in the past, it has been like the all-American company,” DeSantis said at a recent town hall in New Hampshire. “But they’ve really embraced the idea of getting the sexualized content in the programming for the young kids. And that is just a line that I am not willing to cross.”
Despite the partisan attacks, Disney remains one of the strongest brands in the world. But cracks in its public reputation are showing, and the company is now facing the uncomfortable possibility that it will remain under siege by DeSantis for at least another year. The Republican presidential primary runs until July 2024.
The two sides have been at loggerheads since last year, with DeSantis bragging in speeches and on a book tour about how he punished the company for opposing a contentious education law that opponents labeled “Don’t Say Gay.”
Icon Park’s Museum of Illusions introducing date-night event
Museum of Illusions Orlando is introducing an evening event with date-night feel and components at the neighboring Max Action Arena.
The museum, located at Icon Park on International Drive, will hold Enchanting Illusions: A Night of Wonder on Friday nights in July.
The date-night package includes admission for two people to Museum of Illusions and a guided tour of the attraction. It also features two beverages (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) at Max Action and an activity there for the discounted price of $15.
Universal: 3 free months added to annual-pass purchases, renewals
“This new package allows couples to rediscover the childlike wonder of our optical illusions and makes for one of the most unique and captivating date nights in Orlando,” Stephanie Berrios, sales and marketing manager of Museum of Illusions Orlando, said in a news release.
The attraction features 50 mind-bending, eye-catching interactions. Some are flat pieces of artwork. Some play tricks on the brain, presenting an alternate reality where humans are giant or tiny or mysteriously upside down. In some cases, there is science on display amid the dozens of Instagram-able opportunities.
Rising Orlando shopping center rents squeeze small businesses
Sweet by Holly, which made award-winning cupcakes and other desserts, took to social media last month to reveal it was closing in the face of what it said was an anticipated 60% rent spike.
The Waterford Lakes business is likely not the only Central Florida restaurant or retailer looking at higher bills coming from their landlords.
Shopping center rents in the region are growing faster than they typically have in the past, thanks to high occupancy and demand, said Justin Greider, a senior vice president and Florida retail lead at real estate firm JLL.
The average asking rental rate price in Orlando shopping centers for the first three months of this year was up 4.4% over six months ago, according to a report from JLL. Typically, rents will go up just 2% to 3% over an entire year, Greider said.
Average occupancy in Orlando was at 93.9% in the first quarter, a 0.3% decrease from the third quarter of 2022.
“There is a race between retailers to fill those final vacant spaces that are available,” Greider said.
Tesla price cuts help deliver record quarterly sales
Tesla delivered a record 466,140 EVs worldwide in the second quarter, outpacing Wall Street estimates.