Things To Do In SW Florida

Following a record-breaking year, Osceola County’s tourism development tax funds have slowed in recent months, a trend that is expected to continue.

TDT funds were 5% below the previous year in November, at $6.1 million, and down 4% year-over-year in December, to $7.1 million.

Despite the dip in funds, collections are still on the second-highest pace in the county’s history as it closes its first quarter, according to Experience Kissimmee, the county’s tourism authority. The county’s current fiscal year began in October.

“We anticipate that for the rest of the year there… will be a slight softening compared to the collections of last year but we have to remember that was a record high,” said Frida Bahja, Director of Research for Experience Kissimmee.

Bahja said the dip in tourist tax revenues is also being seen in neighboring Orange County.

The TDT decrease is indicative of a softening of the tourist economy but Bahja said she can’t pinpoint the reason.

“We see the slowing economy overall for the U.S…. so it’s just a reflection of the economy overall,” Bahja said. read more

About 100 drivers for Uber, Lyft and other app-based gig services are going on strike Wednesday in Orlando, joining numerous others in cities across the country protesting what they call “poverty wages,” fears of being unfairly deactivated from the app and unsafe working conditions.

The nationwide Valentine’s Day work stoppages could hamper travel for some – though representatives of Uber and Lyft say previous strikes have had minimal impacts on wait times and ride prices. Many drivers in Orlando and elsewhere are expected to continue working despite the Wednesday job action.

Adalberto Perez, a full-time driver using both major platforms who plans not to work on Wednesday, is hoping the strike leads to improvements in pay. He said drivers currently receive about 30% of the total fare a rider pays, which means they get about $35 for a drive from Orlando International Airport to the Tampa area, and about $15 from the airport to Walt Disney World.

“We’ve tried to let them know that we need at least 70% for the drivers and 30% for Uber,” he said. “We don’t have benefits. We pay for the car, for the gas, for the maintenance…so now we need to do something all together.” read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS (AP Business Writer)

NEW YORK (AP) — It turns out there are lots of sharp elbows in the plush toy business. Build-A-Bear and the makers of Squishmallows are facing off in federal court.

Kelly Toys and its Berkshire Hathaway -controlled parent company Jazwares have sued Build-A-Bear, saying its new “Skoosherz” toys copy the look and feel of their mega-popular Squishmallows products.

The Skoosherz line, which Build-A-Bear began selling last month, has the “same distinctive trade dress” of Squishmallows, the complaint filed Monday says, pointing to similarities in shape, face style, coloring and fabric.

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, comparing the Squishmallows original products to Build-a-Bear’s copycats speaks volumes,” Moez Kaba, an attorney representing Kelly Toys and Jazwares, said in a statement. The companies will “vigorously defend” their intellectual property rights, he added.

Jazwares is seeking unspecified damages and for Build-A-Bear to stop selling Skoosherz products. read more

Carnival Cruise Line made a splash with the debut of Excel-class ship Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral in 2021 and has since followed up with sister ships Carnival Celebration from Miami in 2022 and the new Carnival Jubilee sailing out of Galveston, Texas.

Now the three sister ships will get a fourth sibling, as Carnival Corp. announced Tuesday it has ordered construction of a new ship from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, for a debut in spring 2027.

It’s actually the 10th Excel-class ship across Carnival’s brands that also includes the new Princess Cruises’ Sun Princess set to debut this year and begin sailing from Port Everglades this fall.

The class of ships run on liquefied natural gas, a cleaner burning fuel that’s part of cruise lines’ efforts to reduce carbon emissions. Mardi Gras became the first LNG-powered cruise ship to homeport in North America when it began sailing from Port Canaveral on July 31, 2021.

Disney Cruise Line’s new ship Disney Wish followed soon after along with Celebration out of Miami and Royal Caribbean’s new Icon of the Seas. read more

Ted Rossman | (TNS) Bankrate.com

“You bought what? And it cost how much?”

Be honest: Have you ever been called out by your spouse for spending too much? Or maybe you’ve been the one to bristle at a fresh batch of shopping bags brought home by your better half?

Bankrate’s latest financial infidelity survey revealed that 30 percent of U.S. adults who are married or living with a romantic partner have spent more than their spouse/partner would be okay with. That makes secret spending the most common form of financial infidelity, a broader category that also includes secret debt (23 percent), secret savings accounts (19 percent), secret credit cards (18 percent) and secret checking accounts (17 percent).

The most common explanation among those who have committed financial infidelity is “privacy/a desire to control my own finances.” But even this well-intentioned explanation can drive a wedge into relationships, making it important to find a way to maintain some financial independence, while also working toward shared financial goals. The “yours, mine and ours” approach could be the answer. read more