Things To Do In SW Florida

Among the monsters unleashed within the Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment attraction at Epic Universe is the fearsome Wolf Man. As guests try to escape the catacombs of Frankenstein Manor, they’ll come within inches of his razor-sharp teeth and jagged claws. (Courtesy Universal Orlando)

Universal Orlando Resort is sharing a first, up-close glimpse at some of the Universal Monsters that will come to life like never before in the all-new “Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment” attraction at Dark Universe – one of the five immersive worlds coming to Universal Epic Universe in 2025. Among the monsters unleashed within the attraction is the fearsome Wolf Man. As guests try to escape the catacombs of Frankenstein Manor, they’ll come within inches of his razor-sharp teeth and jagged claws. (Universal Orlando)

Universal Orlando Resort is sharing a first, up-close glimpse at some of the Universal Monsters that will come to life like never before in the all-new “Monsters Unchained: The Frankenstein Experiment” attraction at Dark Universe – one of the five immersive worlds coming to Universal Epic Universe in 2025. Created by science and feared by most, Frankenstein’s Monster walks tall at nine feet and weighs over 800 pounds. Guests will first encounter this figure within the queue of the attraction – where he will actually walk within Dr. Victoria Frankenstein’s lab during the preshow. (Universal Orlando) read more

TALLAHASSEE — Florida Power & Light customers likely will face increased monthly bills in 2025 after the utility Tuesday requested approval to collect nearly $1.2 billion to cover costs of restoring power after hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton and to replenish a storm reserve fund.

FPL wants to recover an estimated $1.179 billion over a 12-month period starting in January, with much of the cost stemming from Hurricane Milton, which made landfall Oct. 9 as a Category 3 storm in Sarasota County before crossing the state, according to a filing at the Florida Public Service Commission.

The filing said Milton affected electric service for 2 million FPL customers, and the utility used 20,000 workers from as far away as Canada to restore power.

The Public Service Commission would need to approve FPL recovering the money, but utilities have regularly received such approvals in the past. In addition, storm-cost recovery was contemplated in a broader 2021 rate agreement for FPL.

Storm costs are essentially a temporary add-on to customer bills. Utilities typically use as a benchmark residential customers who consume 1,000 kilowatt hours of electricity a month — though actual electricity use varies widely. read more

FORT LAUDERDALE — The Seminole Tribe of Florida and a group of businesses that operate racetracks and poker rooms have settled a yearslong legal dispute over whether the Seminole Tribe should have exclusive rights to online sports betting in Florida, the tribe announced Monday.

The Seminole Tribe, along with West Flagler Associates and the Bonita-Fort Myers Corp., have entered into a comprehensive agreement where the companies have agreed to end litigation against the tribe’s gaming operations and instead will begin a new partnership to offer Jai Alai waging on the tribe’s Hard Rock Bet app.

“Rather than engaging in years of additional litigation, this agreement will allow the parties to work together to promote Jai Alai, which has played an important role in Florida’s gaming landscape for nearly 100 years,” Seminole Gaming CEO Jim Allen said in a statement.

The companies that had been suing the Seminole Tribe took a blow in June, when the U.S. Supreme Court refused to take up a challenge to an agreement that gave the Seminole Tribe exclusive rights to handle online sports betting in Florida. The nation’s highest court denied a petition from opponents of the compact, which promises to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars for the tribe and the state. In March, the Florida Supreme Court had ruled that the companies had filed the wrong type of petition to challenge the 2021 compact between the Seminole Tribe of Florida and Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration. read more

By Eliza Haverstock, NerdWallet

Yes, college is expensive. The real surprise: Housing can be pricier than tuition. At public four-year colleges in 2023-24, the average cost for housing and food was $12,770 — higher than the $11,260 for tuition and fees, according to a 2023 College Board report. Students at community colleges and private schools also faced similarly high housing costs.

High housing prices can impact a student’s ability to thrive at college or complete their degree. According to a 2019 report by Temple University’s Hope Center in Philadelphia, about 56% of surveyed students said they experienced housing insecurity — including the inability to pay rent — in the previous year.

“We see escalating prices and escalating costs whether you’re on- or off-campus, and so it’s becoming a bigger piece of the college education funding puzzle for a lot of families,” says Olan Garrett, associate vice president of student affairs at Temple University.

There are strategies to lower your college housing costs, from getting roommates to carefully comparing on- and off-campus options. Advisors at your college can guide you toward affordable options, even in emergency situations. read more

Inflation and job growth could determine the next president.

It’s not whether the nation’s economic performance influences voting, it’s what slice of the economy has the most say.

Personal finances are very personal. The parts of the business world that sway your checkbook might be inconsequential to others.

My trusty spreadsheet looked at seven economic yardsticks — cost of living, hiring pace, gross domestic product, mortgage rates, unemployment, the stock market and wages — seeking any hints as to who will control the White House next year.

The third-quarter performances of these metrics were compared with four years earlier for the last 12 presidential election years, from 2020 back to 1976. Ranking those periods was a modest calculation of the “are you better off than four years ago” question.

To create a historical scale, the 12 presidential terms were divided into thirds for the seven benchmarks. The four best performances were viewed as economic signals that the incumbent party would stay in power. The bottom four outcomes were seen as predictions for a change. The middle third was an “undecided” opinion. read more