Things To Do In SW Florida

Mia Taylor | TravelPulse (TNS)

The Mattel Adventure Park slated to open in Arizona next year will feature two Hot Wheels-themed roller coasters and — just in time to ride the Barbie-craze sweeping the country — a life-size Barbie beach house.

There will also be attractions based on longtime kid-favorite Thomas & Friends, Masters of the Universe, Magic 8 Ball, Pictionary, and UNO at the nine-acre park, which will be located in Glendale, south of State Farm Stadium.

The park is planning to operate year-round and its attractions will be located both outdoors and indoors in air-conditioned facilities (which is good news in a hot climate state like Arizona).

“Mattel Adventure Park features a unique and strategic year-round indoor and outdoor design providing acres of air-conditioned space to ensure a cool guest experience all summer long here in the heat of Arizona,” Mark Cornell, president at Epic Resort Destinations, said in a statement. “Our attractions development team are simply redefining the entertainment channel by bringing Mattel’s powerhouse, evergreen brands to life like never before.” read more

Glen Gilzean, the head of Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Disney World oversight district, has continued to serve as the chairman of Florida’s ethics commission, despite a state law that members of the government watchdog panel cannot hold “public employment.”

Florida law specifies that “no member may hold any public employment” and serve on the ethics board. Gilzean was hired by the governor-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District in May, drawing a $400,000-a-year salary from the special taxing district.

The Florida Bulldog, an investigative news website, revealed Gilzean’s potential conflict of interest, which had gone publicly unnoticed. Gilzean attended ethics commission meetings in June and July, videos of those meetings show.

Gilzean’s dual roles as ethics commissioner and government administrator appear to violate state law, said Michael Barfield, director of public access initiatives for the Florida Center for Government Accountability.

“The legal requirements are there for a reason, and that is for transparency and to prevent conflicts of interest,” he said. “You can’t be sitting in a watchdog capacity in the position of the ethics commission and at the same time be … subject to the authority of the ethics commission. That is an inherent conflict of interest.” read more

Former President Donald Trump is receiving the vast majority of attention from Fox News and the two smaller conservative cable channels, making it vastly more difficult for Gov. Ron DeSantis and the other lagging candidates to get their messages to Republican primary voters.

DeSantis, who is running a distant second place to Trump in public opinion polls, is faring even worse in the amount of exposure he’s getting on the cable channels that are a direct pipeline to Republicans.

Trump had had more than 6½ times the candidate airtime that DeSantis received on Fox, Newsmax and OAN in June and July. The figures were reported Monday by Media Matters For America, a left-leaning organization that monitors conservative media.

“Trump dominated the three networks’ candidate airtime,” Media Matters reported, receiving 32 hours and 28 minutes — more than half the total. DeSantis “garnered a comparatively paltry” four hours and 57 minutes.

Overall, Media Matters found, 16 Republican candidates received 63 hours of interview time and live event coverage in June and July on the three right-wing channels. read more

Dina Cheney | Bankrate.com (TNS)

The search for the right living arrangements for older parents or relatives can be challenging, particularly as their needs regarding assistance and care evolve with age. Luckily, a variety of choices exist, ranging from simple adjustments in a current home to retirement communities and assisted living or nursing facilities.

Read on to learn effective strategies for gracefully navigating the often stressful — and sometimes emotional — task of locating elderly housing options and places for senior living.

2023 senior housing data

Here’s the latest data on the current state of senior living:

Senior living options

Aging in place

Many seniors prefer to remain in their homes as they age. This often requires renovations to make the home easier to navigate, as mobility decreases and things like stairs get harder to manage. The costs of these modifications can vary wildly, from a few hundred dollars for grab bars in a bathroom to thousands for bigger projects or additions. Plus, if these fixes are not aesthetically pleasing or look hospital-like, they could decrease a home’s value. To avoid taking on these projects, seniors can investigate other real estate options, like purchasing a home that’s already been renovated. read more

By Anna Helhoski | NerdWallet

Nearly 68 million people in the U.S. were facing extreme weather alerts as of Aug. 7 — that’s about one-fifth of the U.S. population. Due to climate change, more people experience hazardous weather conditions like extreme heat, wildfires, storms and floods, and they experience them more often. Some places are more vulnerable to climate change’s impact than others, but that doesn’t stop people from moving to those spots.

A new analysis by NerdWallet finds that the majority of the fastest-growing places in the U.S. are also high-risk areas for natural hazards.

“Extreme heat and humidity is going to be a reality pretty much no matter where you move,” says Alex De Sherbinin, senior research scientist, deputy director and adjunct professor of climate at the Columbia Climate School at Columbia University in New York. “But life-threatening damages from those kinds of things are going to be more restricted to some locales than others.”

You’re more likely to experience extreme weather right now than at any other time of year. That’s because the U.S. is in its “danger season,” the period between May and October when North America experiences its worst climate impacts, according to the Union of Concerned Scientists, a nonprofit advocacy organization. read more