Things To Do In SW Florida

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer outlined a plan Tuesday to use tourist-tax revenue to pay for an upgrade of Camping World Stadium, improvements to Amway Center and an addition to the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Not counting interest, the bill would be over $700 million — including $400 million for the stadium and $256 million for Amway — and require the city to issue bonds that it would pay off with future revenue from the tourist development tax.

“The city will take on the obligation of constructing [both projects] and any cost overruns for that, which we think is a substantial risk in any type of construction project right now as prices keep going up,” Dyer said.

He discussed the idea at the end of a 2½-hour meeting of the Tourist Development Council, a nine-member advisory panel on which both he and Orange County Mayor Jerry Deming recommended spending revenues raised by the 6% tax be added to the cost of a hotel room, a home-sharing rental or other short-term lodging. read more

Erik J. Martin | (TNS) Bankrate.com

You’ve probably heard of “workcations” that combine work travel with leisure trips, often in desirable locations. But there’s a new twist on this trend: The “hush trip,” in which employees don’t tell their bosses they’re actually working from vacation locales. These secret getaways by remote workers while on the clock seem to be gaining in popularity and frequency, although many companies frown upon this activity.

Thinking about taking a hush trip, especially during the upcoming holiday season? Read on to learn more about the benefits and risks of this practice, what employers think of hush trips and ways to pay for your next holiday trip.

Understanding the hush trip phenomenon

A hush trip can be defined as an excursion where an employee works remotely, usually in a vacation spot, without disclosing to their boss or colleagues where they’re temporarily located, according to Vicki Salemi, a career expert with Monster.

“Hush trips are growing more popular because more workers see opportunities to work remotely in places other than their homes,” she says. Salemi cites a recent Monster poll that reveals approximately one-third of workers didn’t think their managers needed to know that they were working from somewhere other than their home. A further one-fifth of respondents didn’t think their managers would approve of a “workcation,” and 16 percent believed their managers and colleagues would have a negative view of hush trips. read more

When Osceola Heritage Park opened in Kissimmee in 2003, the venue hosted the Silver Spurs Rodeo, the county fair and a handful of other events.

Skip ahead 20 years, and the space, which is managed by ASM Global, has grown to host an average of 10 or more events per week, welcoming in an estimated 750,000 visitors annually and creating $108 million in economic impact for the Kissimmee area in 2023.

Robb Larson, the venue’s general manager, has been working at Osceola Heritage Park since it opened, starting as the director of marketing and sales.

“When I arrived, the focus was primarily on the Silver Spurs Rodeo, the largest rodeo east of the Mississippi. The arena was built at pretty much the same location where they used to have their outdoor arena,” he said. “When I first got here, we had 200 acres and a few buildings and kind of an empty canvas other than the rodeo and the fair.”

Once the event center opened up, the park was soon bustling with jewelry shows, conventions, banquets and wedding receptions. read more

SpaceX is still waiting on the results of an updated environmental impact of its new Starship and Super Heavy rocket, but the Federal Aviation Administration has signed off on the safety of the massive vehicle after its initial orbital launch attempt in April ended with it exploding over the Gulf of Mexico.

The April 20 launch saw the rocket produce more than 15 million pounds of thrust on liftoff that destroyed much of the launch pad at SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas, facility called Starbase. And while it did make it several minutes into flight, the second stage Starship was not able to separate from the Super Heavy booster, and teams attempted to activate its flight termination system, but the rocket did not explode immediately on command.

The orbital launch attempt was labeled a “mishap” by the FAA and the craft was grounded during a SpaceX-led investigation. The FAA performed its final review of the investigation in August officially closing the incident in September, but the final report listed “63 corrective actions SpaceX must take to prevent mishap reoccurrence.” read more

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Disney oversight district revealed Tuesday it had canceled a contract with a politically connected telecommunications entrepreneur’s company as scrutiny mounted over its decision not to open the project to competitive bids.

Earlier this month, the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District authorized a $242,500 no-bid contract with Figgers Communication to help update its 911 network.

That company’s founder, Freddie Figgers, briefly served with Disney district administrator Glen Gilzean on the Florida Commission on Ethics. Both were appointed to the ethics board by DeSantis.

District officials said they would open the contract to bids at Figgers’ request and defended their rationale for wanting to expedite the project. WFTV first reported on the no-bid deal, putting a spotlight on the district’s decision to waive competitive bidding.

“They [Figgers Communication] do not wish to continue under the current atmosphere and wish to participate in a bidding process instead,” Matthew Oberly, the district’s director of external affairs, said Tuesday. “Which is unfortunate as now we will have to start over.” read more