When Seminole County decided last February to let hotels put a new $1.75 per-night fee on local hotel rooms, the idea was to raise millions of dollars to build a new indoor events center.

But with an estimated price tag of upwards of $100 million for the 172,000 square-foot facility — roughly twice what the hotel fee could support — county leaders now realize their plan has a big hole.

“The math doesn’t work,” Commissioner Andria Herr said Tuesday during a staff presentation. “We all need to have realistic expectations or be willing to have realistic expectations elsewhere in the spending of the county dollars.”

Advocates had hoped it might be possible for the complex to be built entirely with revenue from Seminole’s new tourism improvement district fee, or TID.

Now they are asking whether Seminole should tap other revenue sources for the additional millions needed, such as its penny sales tax, sponsorships, or the taxpayers’ money set aside for parks in the county’s general fund. read more

Dragons, wizards, classic monsters and videogame legends all live in Epic Universe. Their five themed worlds have a big theme-park element in common: Rides.

At Epic, the attractions range from calm kiddie rides to elaborate, technological marvels that transport passengers to disorienting alternate dimensions. Here’s what to know — along with a Fear Factor Guide (1 being mildly scary and 10 being toe-curling terrifying) — before braving the 11 rides of Epic Universe.

Yoshi’s Adventure

Fear factor: 1

What: A kiddie ride

Where: Upper level of Super Nintendo World.

What to expect: It’s the most low-stakes, all-ages ride at Epic. Passengers glide by scenes from Mushroom Kingdom and participate in an egg-based scavenger hunt. See one? Press a button.

Feels familiar? Maybe like the Cat in the Hat ride at Islands of Adventure but without the verve.

Fear factor explained: Virtually none, unless you’re triggered by slow forward motion, mild altitudes or the blazing Florida sun in a couple of stretches.

Height requirement: 34 inches (although under 48 inches requires a supervising companion) read more

One distinguishing look of Epic Universe is its portals, the physical gateways that lead into its themed worlds. They are rounded walk-through chutes topped by spires with symbols corresponding to the upcoming land. At the top of each curve is a bit of prose.

The first portal stands at Epic’s entrance and opens up to Celestial Park, the theme park’s introductory land. From there, four more portals connect to Dark Universe, Super Nintendo World, Wizarding World of Harry Potter – Ministry of Magic and How to Train Your Dragon – Isle of Berk.

The ceilings and walls of the tunnels include striking lighting and digital screens with special effects but, with the exception of the Super Nintendo World escalators, there are no moving parts in these symbolic transitions. But they are striking photo opportunities, already an Epic trademark.

Universal Orlando’s newest theme park opens May 22. Here’s what you’d see on a clockwise tour of Epic portals.

Entering Celestial Park

Up top: The main portal, which Universal has dubbed Chronos, is topped by a spinning armillary, an old-timey astronomical tool. Symbols of the other four lands descend the 78-foot structure – the “Harry Potter” time turner, Mario, a shadowy dragon and a purple sphere for Dark Universe and its classic monsters. read more

Where is Epic Universe located?

Universal Orlando’s new theme park is about 2.5 miles southeast of its original parks, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. The property is east of Kirkman Road and north of Universal Boulevard, near Orange County Convention Center.

When does the theme park open?

After weeks of previews for select groups, Epic officially opens to the public May 22.

Where is the park entrance and parking area?

To drive to Epic Universe, take Destination Parkway and turn onto Epic Boulevard. After navigating through a traffic circle, a road on the right leads to the parking booths and the lot. There is no garage, but there are valet and premium options. The main parking lot is divided into Viking, Hero, Monster, Gamer and Explorer sections.

Visitors walk to the main entrance. No trams run between the parking areas and the park.

Universal provides bus transportation from its resort hotels and Universal CityWalk, which is estimated to be a 15-minute drive.

Where are the security checkpoints?

The procedure is similar to Universal’s original parks. On the approach to Epic’s entrance, all bags (and all contents of visitors’ pockets) go through a metal detector. Then, steps away, is the ticket checkpoint. Epic visitors then pass through the nearby Chronos portal into the theme park proper. read more

A new-to-Orlando aspect of Epic Universe theme park is the arrival of Power-Up Bands, brightly colored wristbands that boost the interactivity in Super Nintendo World.

When users wear them and perform certain tasks in the video game-inspired environment, they earn digital keys and other powers. They’re a bit like the magic wands in Wizarding World of Harry Potter lands mixed with the MagicBands of Walt Disney World.

Here are things to know before you go on the grid in Super Mario Land and Donkey Kong Country.

Powering up

First, purchase a Power-Up Band at Epic or other Universal Orlando outlets. They’re a little clunky and themed to characters such as Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad and others. The price is $42. (There’s a kiosk dedicated to the bands near the entrance to Donkey Kong Country.)

The bands are not required to enter Super Nintendo World or to experience its three rides. Some members of your group – very young or noncompetitive types – may not need one at all.

The bands are synched up to the Universal Orlando app via a QR code on the back of the band. Time-saving tip: Download that before arrival at Epic Universe. read more