Things To Do In SW Florida

TAMPA — A sinkhole recently opened under a wastewater treatment pond at Busch Gardens, dumping an estimated 2.5 million gallons of treated wastewater into the earth below, according to state environmental regulators and a theme park spokesperson.

Busch Gardens employees discovered the 15-foot-by-15-foot sinkhole in the early morning hours Nov. 18. The sinkhole opened in the last of a train of three ponds used in the park’s on-site wastewater treatment process, according to Brian Humphreys, a spokesperson for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

After finding the sinkhole, Busch Gardens closed a low dam connecting the second and third treatment pond, but not before enough wastewater to fill nearly four Olympic swimming pools dumped to the ground below. That dam between ponds remained closed as of Friday, Humphreys said.

The wastewater pond with the sinkhole is located a few hundred feet northwest of the popular water ride Congo River Rapids, according to coordinates of the spill provided by the park. read more

Erik J. Martin | Bankrate.com (TNS)

Detached structures are a great way to add space and value to your home. Whether it’s a workshop, storage space, garage or accessory dwelling unit (ADU), the presence of a detached structure to your property could positively impact its worth.

While the long-term benefits are great, detached structures are expensive to build. If you do not have the funds to pay upfront, there are financing options available. Let’s look at the ins and outs of these add-ons.

Should you borrow to finance a garage or detached structure?

You can, of course, pay for your detached structure in cash, but considering that they can cost well into the five figures — even up to $110,000 in some elaborate cases — that might not be the most feasible option.

Some scenarios when it might make sense to finance your detached structure project include:

•If you don’t have all of the cash needed to pay the full cost of the project.

•If you have equity in your home that can be tapped to fund the project.

•If you have a solid credit score and will be able to obtain a competitive interest rate on a loan. read more

By Jackie Veling | NerdWallet

Shoppers gearing up for the 2023 holiday season won’t have to look hard for a convenient way to pay for all those presents.

“Buy now, pay later,” a type of payment plan that divides the total cost of your purchase into smaller installments, is offered at most major retailers, including Walmart, Target and Amazon. It’s expected to fuel $17 billion in online holiday spending this year — up almost 17% from 2022 — according to forecast data from Adobe Analytics, an analytics and measurement tool from software company Adobe.

The short application, immediate approval decision and no hard credit check can make buy now, pay later seem like a no-brainer financing option, but experts say it’s risky. Ask yourself these five questions before opting in.

1. Does this plan charge interest?

While most shoppers will encounter zero-interest, pay-in-four plans — which divide the cost of your purchase into four equal installments with the first due at checkout, and the remaining three due every two weeks — longer, interest-bearing payment plans are becoming more common. read more

There’s still two months to go before the first paying customers climb on board, but Royal Caribbean officially took possession Monday of the world’s largest cruise ship, Icon of the Seas.

Cruise line officials joined leadership with the Meyer Turku shipyard along with about 1,200 employees in Turku, Finland, for the handover ceremony of the 250,800-gross-ton, 1,198-foot-long, 20-deck vessel that had its first steel cut 31 months earlier.

“Delivering Icon of the Seas represents all that can be accomplished with strong partnerships and a commitment to delivering memorable vacations responsibly, and we thank Meyer Turku and an incredible village of skilled partners for joining us on this journey,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean Group, the parent company to Royal Caribbean International along with Celebrity Cruises and Silversea Cruises.

The ship has a distinct 363-ton glass-and-steel dome that was an engineering feat to get into place at the top of the vessel during construction. Called the AquaDome, it’s one of five new neighborhoods of eight total that mirror the approach taken on what is now Royal’s Oasis class of ships. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS (AP Business Writer)

NEW YORK (AP) — Have a Google account you haven’t used in a while? If you want to keep it from disappearing, you should sign in before the end of the week.

Under Google’s updated inactive-account policy, which the tech giant announced back in May, accounts that haven’t been used in at least two years could be deleted. Accounts deemed inactive will be erased in a phased-approach beginning Friday.

If you have an account that’s at risk for deletion, you should receive multiple notices from Google sent to the email affiliated with that account and its recovery address (if one exits). But if you’re still catching up on this new policy — and want to ensure that your content on Google Drive, Docs, Gmail and more is saved — here’s what you need to know.

In May’s announcement, Google attributed its inactive-account update to security issues.

Accounts that haven’t been used for a long time are more likely to be compromised, the company said, noting that “forgotten or unattended accounts” typically have old passwords, often lack two-factor authentication and receive fewer security checks. As a result, these accounts could be hijacked and used for spam or other malicious content, as well as identity theft. read more