Things To Do In SW Florida

On Friday, Central Florida’s annual “407 Day” celebration received an early start.

The annual regional event has been expanded to run for 18 days featuring exclusive deals and special events inspired by two Central Florida area codes, 321 and 407. More than 50 deals are in play from March 21-April 7.

A digital passbook platform has “dozens of offers” from restaurants to hotel staycations to bioluminescent tours.

“407 Day has evolved into a celebration of Orlando’s hometown pride, uniting residents and visitors in support of the local businesses and experiences that make our region truly Unbelievably Real,” said Casandra Matej, president and CEO of Visit Orlando.

Free events include the Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival (March 21-23), Spring Fever in the Garden (April 5-6) and the Spring Fiesta in the Park (April 5-6).

Ticketed events to SeaWorld, Epcot and Orlando Magic games are also available.

To get the digital passbook and see a complete list of deals, you have to sign up with your phone or email at Visit Orlando’s blog. You can then present your phone at the establishments to get the deal. read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, Associated Press Business Writer

Johnson & Johnson says it will invest more than $55 billion within the United States over the next four years, including four new manufacturing plants.

A number of companies have highlighted investments in the U.S. in recent months, a focus of the Trump administration. J&J rival Eli Lilly and Co. announced in late February that it planned to build four new factories in the U.S. Both Lilly and J&J cited tax cut legislation passed in 2017 as factors in their U.S. investments.

Johnson & Johnson said Friday that it is a 25% increase in investment compared with the prior four years and estimates the U.S. economic impact will be more than $100 billion a year.

“Our increased U.S. investment begins with the ground-breaking of a high-tech facility in North Carolina that will not only add U.S.-based jobs but manufacture cutting edge medicines to treat patients in America and around the world,” Chairman and CEO Joaquin Duato said in a statement. read more

By DAMIAN J. TROISE, AP Business Wirter

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks fell in morning trading Friday and Wall Street is veering toward its fifth straight weekly loss.

WINTER HAVEN – A new underwater habitat is taking form at Legoland Florida Resort. Work continues on Sea Life Florida Aquarium, the latest piece of the attraction’s expansion plan.

For now, there’s no sea life — or enough water — to see inside Sea Life. Curved rebar shows how faux rock work will frame views into giant tanks that will house more than 3,000 animals representing 150 species.

Sea Life Florida is wedged between two theme parks — Legoland and Peppa Pig parks — but it will have its own submerged park as decor in its large ocean tank. The concept was what fish want to do when they come to Florida, said Blake Boyter, senior project manager with Merlin Magic Making, the creative arm of Legoland’s parent company.

“Of course, being the theme park capital of the world, they want to come to a theme park,” Boyter said during a recent hard-hat tour of the aquarium building.

“We’ve got the castle with all the different roller coaster features around it,” he said. “We’ve got a Ferris wheel in the back corner that’s got clams.” read more

Amazon is ending a little-used privacy feature that let some users of its Echo smart speaker prevent their voice commands from going to the company’s cloud.