Things To Do In SW Florida

Universal Orlando is introducing a specially ticketed preview night to its Halloween Horror Nights event, offering limited capacity and shorter wait times for haunted houses on the eve of HHN33.

The first-ever Premium Scream Night is set for Aug. 29 at Universal Studios theme park. It will include access to all 10 of the event’s mazes and the five scare zones. There will be staggered entry into the haunted houses, increasing the odds of scares throughout the experience.

Tickets also include specialty food items, non-alcoholic beverages, self-parking, access to select attractions inside Universal Studios theme park and a souvenir credential and lanyard.

Tickets go on sale June 6 for $350. Annual and season passholders can get tickets for $325.

Halloween Horror Nights: Universal planning triplets-themed house

Universal has identified six of the haunted houses for 2024 Horror Nights, which runs on 48 select nights between Aug. 30 and Nov. 3.

For single-night tickets and more information, go to universalorlando.com/halloween. read more

SeaWorld Orlando launches an expanded version of its Viva La Musica concert series and festival this weekend with Sunday performances by Sergio Vargas.

The Latin music performances will be spread over the five Sundays in June. Other scheduled artists include Proyecto Uno (June 9), Tony Vega (June 16), Milly Quezada (June 24) and Jon Secada (June 30). The concerts, included with regular SeaWorld admission, are inside the park’s 2000-seat Nautilus Theater at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m. each day.

These are the sole live music concerts at Orlando theme parks this summer until SeaWorld’s Bands, Brew & BBQ starts July 6, and then Eat to the Beat kicks in with the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival at Walt Disney World on Aug. 29. Artists have not been announced for either of those events.

SeaWorld’s Viva La Musica also features Latin cuisine sold at food and drink huts. New offerings for 2024 include steak pinchos, guava and queso empanada, arroz con pollo, seafood paella, quesito and flan.  A tequila testing from 21Seeds returns this year, too. read more

Florida’s tourism oversight district is poised to adopt a new development agreement with The Walt Disney Co. that officials say will bring up $17 billion of investments at Disney World over the next 10 to 20 years.

The district’s board will take up the plan on Wednesday, addressing a key source of contention between Gov. Ron DeSantis and Disney.

“With Walt Disney World’s substantial investments, we anticipate economic growth, job creation, and support for local businesses, alongside environmental stewardship and workforce housing initiatives, benefitting Central Florida’s community,” Stephanie Kopelousos, administrator of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, said in a prepared statement.

In the 15-year agreement, Disney pledges to fund at least $10 million in affordable housing projects and create a local business hiring program that would award a minimum of 50% of the value of all construction work to Florida-based businesses.

District officials say they have agreed to continue providing infrastructure to support Disney’s growth. Both parties would have to consent to changes to the plan, according to the district. read more

Despite high interest rates and rising insurance costs, property values across Seminole County are expected to rise again this year as buyers continue snatching up new and existing homes.

“The Seminole County real estate market remains healthy,” Property Appraiser David Johnson said. “People are willing to pay to live in Seminole County because of the quality of life.”

According to estimates released by Johnson’s office Wednesday, the taxable values in unincorporated Seminole will climb 8% compared to last year to just over $53.5 billion.

And it’s not just in the county. The taxable values of properties in Seminole’s seven cities are expected to follow with soaring increases.

Leading the way is Sanford, estimated to see an 11.5% jump from last year to $6 billion, followed by Casselberry with a forecasted 9.2% increase to over $2.5 billion. Lake Mary is expected to see the smallest at 5.5% to nearly $3.7 billion.

Seminole also anticipates adding more than $731 million in new construction to the tax rolls this year, according to data. read more

Jim Rossman | Tribune News Service

Father’s Day is around the corner, and Dad deserves something nice. I know my dad suffered through years of ties and cologne before I was old enough to know what he really wanted.

I’ve got three gift ideas and one is bound to make him happy. I’ve used all three of these items and your dad will love all of them.

OnePlus Watch 2

I’ll admit, I went for years without wearing a watch, but when the features on smart watches became compelling, I was hooked.

The OnePlus Watch 2 ($299.99, oneplus.com) is a Google-powered watch with a 1.48” AMOLED round face, which is a more traditional look than Apple’s boxy shape. The screen is covered with sapphire crystal for durability.

It is waterproof down to 50 meters, but it is not designed to be used in salt water, so no diving.

The watch has an impressive 100 hours of battery life with normal use. It can charge fully in just 60 minutes, but if you’re in a hurry, just 10 minutes of charging will keep the Watch 2 going for more than 24 hours. read more