Things To Do In SW Florida

Universal Orlando is now selling more tickets to Epic Universe, including a one-day pass to the new theme park currently under construction.

Admission is available as of June 1, although Epic officially opens to the public on May 22.  Tickets are now on sale for dates through the rest of 2025. The price varies by date.

The current one-day price for Epic ranges between $139 and $199. According to Universal’s website, tickets for June 1 are $179. They fall to $139 after Labor Day, typically a less congested time for theme parks. Admission surges to $199 for this ticket in the final week of 2025. (Tickets for children ages 3 to 9 are generally $5 less.)

Universal: New online maps give bird’s-eye — or dragon’s-eye — view of Epic Universe’s layout

The resort also added a two-day pass for Florida residents that includes one day at Epic, then another day at Universal Studios or Islands of Adventure. Prices range between $232 and $340, depending on date. (Price is determined by rate on the first day of pass.)  Some versions allow park-to-park movement between Islands and Studios on the non-Epic day. read more

Despite not having launched anything in more than five months, United Launch Alliance still expects to fly around 12 missions this year. But it’s still waiting on the Space Force to certify its new Vulcan rocket for national security launches.

Vulcan flew twice in 2024, but the second mission had a rough ride to space. Just after launch, one of the nozzles sheared off one the two attached solid rocket boosters provided by Northrop Grumman. The Vulcan’s main BE-4 engines, built by Blue Origin, were powerful enough to compensate for the booster damage on flight, but the event has been the primary culprit for the delay in certification.

“They have all the data. We’ve completed everything that you’re supposed to do. We’ve submitted that back last month,” said ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno on Wednesday during a media roundtable discussion. “Typically, it’s not a very long process in the past when vehicles are certified, so they have it.”

Bruno said the nozzle damage was due to a manufacturing defect that has since been corrected. read more

By MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writer

The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits fell slightly last week, indicating a still-healthy U.S. labor market.

U.S. jobless claims filings fell by 2,000 to 220,000 for the week ending March 8, the Labor Department said Thursday. That’s fewer than the 226,000 new applications analysts forecast.

It’s not clear when job cuts ordered by the Department of Government Efficiency will show up in the weekly layoffs report, though some analysts expect them to surface in data in the coming weeks.

Those layoffs are part of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal workforce through billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

Senior U.S. officials set the government downsizing in motion weeks ago via a memo dramatically expanding President Donald Trump’s efforts to scale back the workforce. Thousands of probationary employees have already been fired, and now the Republican administration is turning its attention to career officials with civil service protection. read more

Q: I live in a great condo community, but recently we have experienced raccoons getting inside the engine blocks and causing severe damage to our vehicles. This includes biting into the wiring system, fluid lines and hood insulation. When we approached the association, they were dismissive and said, “it’s out of our hands.” What options do we have? — Evelio

A: Generally, wildlife removal falls on individual homeowners rather than the community association, unless the governing documents direct otherwise.

Your first step is to review your community’s documents to see if this is a specific responsibility of your association. If they do not mention the subject, it is the responsibility of the individual owners.

However, the issue is happening in the parking lot, which is part of the community’s common elements, so the answer is a bit less clear.

Your association is responsible for maintaining the parking lot and grounds, so it has some responsibility as the property owner, even if it did not as the association. read more

Spirit Airlines said Wednesday it formally has exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings “with significantly less debt and greater financial flexibility” after the South Florida-based carrier rejected multiple takeover bids by rival Frontier Airlines in favor of pursuing its own recovery plan.

“We’re pleased to complete our streamlined restructuring and emerge in a stronger financial position to continue our transformation and investments in the Guest experience,” Ted Christie, CEO and president, said in a statement. “Throughout this process, we’ve continued to make meaningful progress enhancing our product offerings, while also focusing on returning to profitability and positioning our airline for long-term success. Today, we’re moving forward with our strategy to redefine low-fare travel with our new, high-value travel options.”

Christie said he will continue to lead the airline with the support of its existing executive group. Spirit is headquartered in Dania Beach and remains one of the predominant carriers at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The company, which hadn’t earned a net profit since before the COVID-19 pandemic, filed for Chapter 11 last December in the face of heavy debt obligations and an eroding customer base. read more