Things To Do In SW Florida

Central Florida-based SpaceKids Global founder Sharon Hagle has been to space, and the nonprofit’s newly announced CEO Maryann Barry is scheduled to one day follow in her footsteps.

Barry, who has been the CEO of Girl Scouts of Citrus Council for the last 13 years, is slated to fly on one of Richard Branson’s future flights of his Virgin Galactic spacecraft. Hagle first flew to space on board Blue Origin’s New Shepard in 2022 with husband Marc.

But their past and future experience in space, while personally fulfilling, stands to inspire a future generation. That’s the point of SpaceKids Global, to stoke the passion for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) careers in elementary-age children.

Winter Park couple finally makes it to space on Blue Origin flight

Hagle founded the nonprofit in 2015 and has put a big focus in generating space enthusiasm among girls in particular, including organizing several partnerships with the regional Girl Scouts council that covers six counties. read more

Grand opening day for Epic Universe theme park will be May 22, Universal Orlando announced Thursday morning. And the first phase of its ticket sales will begin next week, the company confirmed.

Epic’s first day of operation will be the Thursday that leads into Memorial Day weekend of 2025.

“This is such a pivotal moment for our destination, and we’re thrilled to welcome guests to Epic Universe next year,” Karen Irwin, president and chief operating officer of Universal Orlando Resort, said in a news release Thursday.

Step one of Epic ticket sales begin Tuesday and be limited to specific multiday tickets and vacation packages with three, four or five days admission to Universal parks — but with a limit of one day at Epic Universe.

On Oct. 24, Universal Orlando’s annual passholder will be able to buy single-day tickets for Epic Universe before they go on sale to the general public. There will be a limit of six transactions per account.

Ticket prices vary with date and length of stay. Universal’s pricing example for a three-day ticket package is $352 to $521 per person. The ranges will be posted on universalorlando.com.  The first tickets sold will be valid for use through Dec. 31, 2025, the website says. read more

Visitors to Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando theme parks reported chest pains, dizziness, seizures and other maladies on attractions between July and September, a state document revealed this week.

A total of 11 incidents were recorded at Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. No ride was mentioned more than once in the quarter, and the rides ranged in intensity between dark, slow-moving attractions and a spinning indoor roller coaster.

Affected visitors in the report were between the ages of 5 and 79.

The state’s major theme parks self-report about guests who are injured on rides that prompt at least 24 hours of hospitalization under an agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees ride regulations. The state shares the results with the public on a quarterly basis.

In July, a 68-year-old male with a pre-existing condition felt chest pain after riding the Seas with Nemo and Friends at Epcot. At Universal Studios, a 68-year-old man reported dizziness after being on Trollercoaster and another man, age 70, experienced nausea after riding the Revenge of the Mummy roller coaster. read more

Three years ago, billionaire businessman Joe Lewis, who developed the exclusive Isleworth Golf & Country Club, sold his luxurious, Georgian-style estate on Lake Bessie for $11 million.

The buyer was another billionaire, sports beverage mogul Mike Repole, who promptly demolished the 17,000-square-foot mansion in 2022 to build a new home for his family — only to abandon those plans when he found another home in Isleworth he liked better.

Gone was the seven-bedroom, eight-bathroom mansion Lewis designed back in 1990 to resemble an English manor with stately columns, custom woodworking and marble floors. Also gone, the swimming pool, pool house and driveway. What remained was six acres of lakefront property between the seventh and eighth holes of one of the nation’s top golf courses.

Now that vacant lot has sold, GrowthSpotter reported — for $4 million more than the mansion itself. Repole just agreed to part with it in a cash deal for $15 million.

“This was just something he was left with,” Isleworth Realty President Wayne Sheffield, who originally sold the Lewis estate to Repole in 2021, said of the lot. Sheffield’s wife, Carey, brought in the new buyer, who has not been identified. read more

Patrick Clarke | (TNS) TravelPulse

Two devastating hurricanes thrashed the Southeast with high winds and heavy rainfall in the past couple of weeks, reminding travelers of the importance of protecting their travel investment with a solid insurance plan.

Unlike auto, renters and other insurances, Americans aren’t forced to invest in travel insurance, but the benefits can be immense.

This peak Atlantic hurricane season only serves as a reminder.