Things To Do In SW Florida

Universal Orlando annual passholders can now purchase one-day preview tickets to Epic Universe theme park, the resort revealed Tuesday.

The price of the ticket is not included with the pass.  Universal’s official website says the cost varies by date and starts at $118.15.  By early Tuesday afternoon, the available dates were selling for between $123 and $144, starting April 17 but with no availability between May 9 and the park’s opening date, May 22.

Annual passholders previously were able to buy a one-day ticket after Epic’s grand opening date. Currently, there are tickets available on most dates between June 1 and the end of 2025 (Labor Day weekend appears to be sold out). The price range is $119 to $170 for those tickets.

Epic Universe preview: An early walk (and rides) in the park

There has been a “high volume of requests,” the website says.

Guests staying at a Universal Orlando hotel, Universal Rewards Signature Visa Card members and active 2025 Military Freedom Pass ticket holders can also purchase the preview tickets. Other groups will be offered preview tickets “in the weeks ahead,” a Universal news release says. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, AP Business Writer

Olja Ivanic looked forward to welcoming some cousins from Sweden to her Denver home in June. Ivanic and the four travelers were planning to go hiking in Colorado and then visit Los Angeles and San Francisco.

But then President Donald Trump berated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in a February meeting at the White House. Ivanic’s four relatives immediately canceled their scheduled trip and decided to vacation in Europe instead.

“The way (Trump) treated a democratic president that’s in a war was beyond comprehensible to them,” said Ivanic, who is the U.S. CEO of Austria-based health startup Longevity Labs.

The U.S. tourism industry expected 2025 to be another good year in terms of foreign travelers. The number of international visitors to the United States jumped in 2024, and some forecasts predicted arrivals from abroad this year would reach pre-COVID levels.

But three months into the year, international arrivals are plummeting. Angered by Trumps’ tariffs and rhetoric, and alarmed by reports of tourists being arrested at the border, some citizens of other countries are staying away from the U.S. and choosing to travel elsewhere. read more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH, Associated Press Business Writer

BANGKOK (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump and China sparred over tariff hikes and other retaliatory moves on Tuesday, as governments elsewhere were brainstorming strategies to cope with the trade war between the global economic giants.

China said it will “fight to the end” and take countermeasures against the United States to safeguard its own interests after President Donald Trump threatened an additional 50% tariff on Chinese imports in retaliation for Beijing’s backlash against the 34% tariffs he ordered on his April 2 “Liberation Day.”

“The U.S. threat to escalate tariffs on China is a mistake on top of a mistake and once again exposes the blackmailing nature of the US. China will never accept this,” the Commerce Ministry said in a statement read on state-run broadcaster CCTV.

When asked about the possibility of talks between Washington and Beijing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said “I think what the US has done doesn’t reflect a willingness for sincere dialogue. If the US really wants to engage in dialogue, it should adopt an attitude of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit.” read more

By WILL WEISSERT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the early days of the Great Depression, Rep. Willis Hawley, a Republican from Oregon, and Utah Republican Sen. Reed Smoot thought they had landed on a way to protect American farmers and manufacturers from foreign competition: tariffs.

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President Herbert Hoover signed the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in 1930, even as many economists warned that the levies would prompt retaliatory tariffs from other countries, which is precisely what happened. The U.S. economy plunged deeper into a devastating financial crisis that it would not pull out of until World War II. read more

Spirit Airlines CEO Ted Christie, who led the pioneering discount carrier as it navigated a Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring, multiple takeover bids and efforts to make the airline more customer friendly, has stepped down from his post after 13 years with the company, officials announced Monday.

According to a regulatory filing and statement, the airline will be run at least for now by committee. Its board of directors established an Office of the President to be occupied by three incumbent executives: John Bendoraitis, executive vice president and chief operating officer; Fred Cromer, executive vice president and chief financial officer; and Thomas C. Canfield, senior vice president, general counsel and secretary.

“On behalf of the Board and the Spirit team, I thank Ted for his tireless efforts over the course of his 13 years at the Company,” Spirit Chairman Robert Milton said in a statement. “He has seen a lot and done a lot during his tenure here, including navigating the Company through the COVID crisis and multiple strategic junctures, as well as most recently, a corporate restructuring. Ted has kept the company together through challenging times, and for this we wish him all the best going forward.” read more