Things To Do In SW Florida

Walt Disney World, Universal Orlando Resort and SeaWorld Orlando are closing Wednesday and Thursday amid the impacts of Hurricane Milton in Central Florida, adding to the list of attractions that are closed for the storm.

Discovery Cove and Aquatica Orlando, which are under the SeaWorld umbrella, are both closed during the same time period. Legoland Florida, Busch Gardens Tampa and Gatorland previously announced closures through Thursday.

Disney World is closing its theme parks and Disney Springs in phases beginning at 1 p.m. Wednesday. It is likely the theme parks will remain closed on Thursday, including the cancellation of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom on Thursday. Event tickets will be refunded.

Disney will consider opening Disney Springs on Thursday in the late afternoon with limited offerings.

Additionally, the company has shared the following updates online:

• Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground and the Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will temporarily close beginning at 11 a.m. on Oct. 9. They are likely to remain closed until Oct. 13.
• Walt Disney transportation will stop operating on Oct. 9 after Disney Springs and the Walt Disney World theme parks close. Limited Minnie Van and Mears taxi service will be available to Walt Disney World Resort Guests.
• Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park, Winter Summerland Miniature Golf and Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf will be closed on  Oct. 9. Disney’s Blizzard Beach water park remains closed for planned refurbishment.

Universal Orlando Resort has shared the following modifications to its operations (which may be subject to change): read more

When things “go terribly wrong” on a theme park ride, that’s typically intentional. Designers use that story gimmick all the time to create a sense of danger and suspense for guests.

Yet now and then, something really does go very wrong on a theme park ride, requiring an extensive refurbishment or even a redesign. Ultimately, roller coasters and other theme park thrill rides are machinery, and even the best designed and maintained machines eventually reach the end of their useful life.

Some theme park rides are a modern-day Ship of Theseus, with almost all their original parts replaced at some point over the years. But some rides, especially innovative roller coasters, show their problems early. Several parks around the world are facing that challenge right now, with prominent coasters in the midst of rebuilds.

RELATED: Top 25 for 2024: Best new theme park rides and attractions

Most prominent might be Cedar Point’s Top Thrill 2, which barely finished its media preview before closing in May. That Zamperla coaster was an attempt to redesign the park’s Top Thrill Dragster, an Intamin Accelerator that suffered a major accident in 2021. read more

By Olivia Chen | NerdWallet

Whether it’s to manage finances, accept payments or reach new customers, more small-business owners are optimizing their business operations with digital tools — leaving them increasingly vulnerable to digital security breaches and cyber attacks.

Exposure to cyber attacks topped the list of the biggest worries small-business owners face, even surpassing concerns about inflation and other economic issues, according to a 2023 report on cybersecurity released by Hiscox, a business insurance company.

The consequences of these breaches can extend beyond the initial threat, as well. Twenty-five percent of business owners surveyed by Hiscox indicated that cyber attacks had an overall negative impact on their business’s brand or reputation, and 20% said they had trouble attracting new customers as a result.

Here‘s what your business needs to know about the vast and evolving landscape of digital security.

Even the smallest businesses are at risk

While it may seem more lucrative for cyber criminals to go after big corporations and larger firms, the Hiscox report indicates that smaller businesses are increasingly under threat. Cyber attacks on firms with fewer than 10 employees have risen 13% since 2020. read more

By Kimberly Palmer | NerdWallet

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

Rahkim Sabree, a financial therapist and accredited financial counselor based in the Hartford, Connecticut area, worked hard in his 20s to achieve his dream of buying a house. At age 26, he finally did.

But soon afterward, he second-guessed himself after he came across a financial expert online who declared that buying a home was a bad move for young people. This particular expert encouraged renting instead.

Sabree felt crushed.

“Buying a home was an emotionally charged and scary decision for someone who didn’t grow up in a house and aspired for homeownership,” says Sabree, now 34. “To have it pooh-poohed was disheartening.”

Now, Sabree, along with a new wave of financial experts — many of whom have backgrounds in financial therapy and trauma-informed training — want to put a stop to online “financial shaming.” read more

Orange County tourist-tax revenues were up slightly in August from a year ago, pushing the fiscal year’s total closer to last year’s record haul.

Collections for the month, which tend to be smaller than average because families travel less as the school year starts, brought in $23.1 million, about $1 million more than in 2023. Revenues were down from July’s total by about $3.4 million, a drop that was expected.

With September’s collections not yet counted, the fiscal year total of $333.4 million is on pace to contest the Fiscal Year 2022-23 record of $359.3 million, significantly exceeding forecasts, according to a revenue report released Monday by Comptroller Phil Diamond.

If September’s number tops $25.9 million, 2023-24 will be the best year ever for the Tourist Development Tax, commonly called lTDT.

Monthly TDT collections have averaged $30.3 million through 11 months.

TDT revenues fund Visit Orlando, the region’s marketing agency; expansions and operations at the Orange County Convention Center; and additions and improvements to Camping World Stadium, the Kia Center and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts. read more