Things To Do In SW Florida

I find it remarkable that the Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board published such a one-sided editorial regarding the current discussions by the Orange County Board of County Commissioners about future expenditures of its Tourist Development Tax (TDT) revenues. These discussions have been ongoing for several years, especially since the devastating drop in revenues caused by the onset of a global pandemic in 2020.

Editorial: Rushing into convention center deal won’t fix tourist-tax problems

We are fortunate that due to sound fiscal and managerial decisions that were made by Orange County, our tourism-based economy quickly rebounded, as did our TDT collections. In fact, we have seen historic high collections for the last year or better with over $300 million in annual collections. Even though we saw declines during the months of April, May, and June of this year, with the lowest month of collections occurring in June, the TDT still fell within the 12th-highest month of collections in the 40-year (480 months) history of collections. The good news is that Orange County continues to lead the state of Florida in TDT collections by a wide margin. read more

By Liz Weston | NerdWallet

At some point, most older people will need help getting through the day. Someone turning 65 today has a 70% chance of eventually requiring assistance with basic living activities, such as bathing, dressing and using the toilet, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

That’s the grim reality. Even grimmer is that Medicare typically doesn’t pay for such help. Plus, families often don’t try to figure out how to provide this care until there is a health crisis, which can lead to unnecessary stress, conflicts and escalating costs, says certified financial planner and physician Carolyn McClanahan of Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida.

Making a care plan well in advance allows families to get organized, locate appropriate resources and figure out ways to pay for care before a crisis hits.

“A care plan is thinking through the logistics of what you’re going to need as you age, so that when the poop hits the fan with aging, then you are prepared,” McClanahan says. read more

This week we’re meeting characters at Universal Studios’ Minion Land, welcoming parking lot trams back to two Walt Disney World theme parks and congratulating an unusual cover girl at Gatorland.

Theme Park Rangers Radar is a weekly roundup of news and nuggets from Central Florida attractions. It is posted on OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

Meet a Minion

There’s a little life hack at Illumination Theater, the meet-and-greet area at Minion Land at Universal Studios theme park.

When facing the theater’s facade, look to the right.  Digital posters indicate what characters are appearing there, and which ones are on deck to come out next.

“Guests can get an idea if they want to wait around for the next set,” Michael Aiello, senior director of creative development, said.

“We designed this to be able to house any character both now in our currently library and – knowing that Illumination will continue to make amazing animated films – be able to incorporate any new character,” Aiello said.

Currently, Universal guests can encounter minions and other “Despicable Me” types there as well as characters from “Sing.” read more