Things To Do In SW Florida

You can’t really be angry while queuing up at SeaWorld Orlando for “Baby Shark Mini Live Show.” You asked for this.

There are tons of strollers. Wandering kids fall into bushes. None of the preschoolers will look at mommy whilst getting their umpteenth pictures taken.

To be clear, it’s not a newborn, real live, swimming shark in the show, but the animated Baby Shark character and family who went viral a decade ago with an earworm song and dance.

Demand remains. On opening day, 45 minutes before showtime, the line of young families stretched from Seaport Theater to the pearl diving tank.

More evidence: The “Baby Shark Dance” video is the most-watched YouTube entry ever — more than 16 billion views. (In a distant second place is “Despacito” by Luis Fonsi featuring Daddy Yankee, with 8.7 billion.)

Here’s what to know before you go. (Pro tip: You don’t need to bone up on the lyrics.)

Soggy sing-along

It’s not all just that one do-do-do-do-do-do song, and even that’s not as pervasive as one might expect. The show has a half-dozen tunes, including one tailored to SeaWorld and its animal residents that’s on-point with the theme park’s conservation messages. read more

AdventHealth has chosen a new leader for its flagship facility in Orlando.

The health care provider announced Monday it had named Abel Biri to lead AdventHealth Orlando along with having executive oversight of AdventHealth for Children. He succeeds Rob Deininger, who was recently appointed president/CEO for the East Florida Division of AdventHealth.

“Abel is a purpose-driven leader who keeps patient care front and center,” said Kari Vargas, CEO of AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division – North Market, in a news release. “His leadership not only reflects a deep commitment to our mission, but to building stronger, healthier communities, which makes him the right person to guide AdventHealth Orlando into its next chapter of delivering exceptional, whole-person care.”

Most recently, Biri spent eight years as CEO of AdventHealth Waterman where he led efforts to expand access and improve care throughout Lake County, the release stated. Under his leadership the hospital opened a new patient tower, introduced its first robotic surgery program and launched the county’s first children’s emergency department. read more

By DAVID McHUGH

FRANKFURT, Germany (AP) — The head of the European Central Bank said inflation has become more unpredictable due to shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine — and that policymakers need to take the possibility of such extreme scenarios into account and communicate them to the public as well.

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“The world ahead is more uncertain, and that uncertainty is likely to make inflation more volatile,” ECB President Christine Lagarde said Monday in a speech opening the central bank’s annual conference in Sintra, Portugal. “It’s pretty basic but that’s the reality.” read more

Fits of showers and downpours forecast across Central Florida this week may put a fizzle on backyard barbecues, firework shows and other traditional Fourth of July activities as weather experts predict increasing chances of rainy weather through Saturday.

Despite the gloomy skies, tens of millions of people are expected to travel by plane or car this holiday weekend, making it one of the busiest Independence Days in years. The holiday falls on a Friday, giving many workers a chance to take advantage of a long weekend.

According to the National Weather Service in Melbourne, the Orlando area could receive up to three inches of rain in total through Saturday, with some pockets seeing more.

That may seem like a lot, but so far this month Central Florida has received three fewer inches of rain for the month of June than normal.

The Orlando area usually gets 7.78 inches of rain for the month, but so far has received only 4.7 inches through Sunday. The rainiest day was June 27, when Orlando received 1.65 inches, according to NWS data. read more

By JAMES POLLARD, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — GoFundMe CEO Tim Cadogan had some complications while fundraising on his own website last fall.

Several friends wanted to help Cadogan reach his $28,000 goal as he crowdfunded for a Los Angeles area wilderness rescue team. But they tried to donate through a lesser-known wealth management tool called a donor-advised fund, or a DAF, a no-frills investing vehicle for money earmarked as eventual charitable gifts. After cutting checks and waiting three weeks, Cadogan said, the money finally arrived.

“It was just a bit of a thing,” he added. “If they were using a Giving Fund, it would take ten seconds.”

Giving Funds are GoFundMe’s latest in a flurry of product rollouts with the purported goal of moving stagnant U.S. charitable contributions beyond the 2% GDP mark where totals have long hovered. But the for-profit company’s DAF, announced Monday, enters a crowded market of more than a thousand providers — products often with older, wealthier clienteles that are often criticized for warehousing gifts. read more