Florida Attractions and Activities

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Florida offers an incredible mix of superb locations, each one providing unique opportunities for Florida golf, beach and family vacations that cater to all tastes and interests.

Perennial  favorites such as Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, Busch Gardens and Sea World Orlando are the focal points for the majority of Florida vacations.

The entertainment parks are complimented by superb natural attractions such as the Everglades, Florida Keys and the Gulf Islands that have been attracting visitors for many generations.

But it is the beaches that are the jewel in the Florida tourism crown. The soft, white, powder-fine sand and the clear, warm, inviting waters make Florida beaches the equal of any of the world’s best beaches.

Daytona Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Marco and Sanibel Islands, Clearwater and St Petersburg…. these are just a few of the Florida destinations renowned for the quality of their beaches.

Florida Golf Vacations

Many holiday makers come to experience the unrivalled Florida golf vacations on the manicured greens of some of Florida’s leading courses. There is a mix of over 1100 public and private membership golf courses throughout Florida.

Given the enormous popularity of golf throughout the state, it comes as no surprise to find that golf vacation packages are available to suit all tastes and budgets.

Many major courses are available via resort and vacation packages that incorporate an agreed number of rounds of golf combined with resort accommodation and access to the resort’s guest facilities.

Florida Beach Vacations

A vacation at a Florida beach is all about basking in the sunny warmth, swimming in the warm clear waters and enjoying the relaxed lifestyle.  There are numerous beach vacation destinations to choose from within the 1100 miles (1760km) of incredible Florida beaches that fringe this unique peninsula.

Magnificent sandy beaches stretch as far as the eye can see and the oceans, waterways and lakes attract anglers from all parts of the world for the incredible Florida fishing.

Many of the best destinations for beach vacations are available throughout the year.  Birding, surfing, shelling, hunting for treasure, snorkeling in the emerald waters, reliving Florida’s history, enjoying a romantic getaway….. Florida has a beach that’s perfect for you.

Florida Family Vacations

It’s easy to understand why family vacations in Florida are the preferred choice for both USA families and visitors from overseas. Family vacations are available throughout Florida to suit every taste and budget.

Some visitors come to swim with dolphins while others appreciate the preserved Florida heritage and history that is so accessible with a Florida driving vacation. Florida is driver friendly with an excellent road network and numerous RV parks.

Miami Boat Show

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The Miami Boat Show, the largest event of its kind, is less than a month away. Rooms for this world-class event typically book up a month in advance so make your reservations now.

The nation’s boat industry has been rocked by the downturn in the economy, so with sales down, manufactures are ready to wheel and deal. Consumers looking for a bargain boat should find plenty of boats to choose from when the doors open Feb. 12.

Here are a few tips for first-time boat buyers or veterans boaters looking to upgrade to a larger vessel:

Plan your day. Make a list of the manufacturers that you want to visit and then hit them one by one. Take notes, so you can compare and contrast standard equipment and options.

Don’t buy the first boat you see. Look around. The Miami Boat Show will have hundreds of models on display, you might find three or four different models that will suit your needs.

Once you decide on a boat, don’t be afraid to haggle. The sticker price is just that. The bottom line might be something entirely different.

Sailing enthusiasts will also enjoy Strictly Sail Miami, which runs concurrent with the 68th Annual Miami Boat Show. Mark your calendars. The shows run Feb. 12-16 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, the Sea Isle Marina & Yachting Center and the Miamarina at Bayside.

Features at a Glance

WIN A $1000 BOATER’S WORLD GIFT CARD

Enter for your chance to win a $1000 Boater’s World Gift Certificate. To enter simply complete an entry form available in the show lobby. One lucky person will be awarded a $1000 Boater’s World Gift card. No purchase necessary. Complete rules available at the show.

Big Game Room

The Big Game Room celebrates it’s 6th Year and returns with all of your favorite events.  Have a drink at the Marlin Bar while waiting for the next educational seminar to begin.  Take a walk over to the Bait Rigging Station and improve your rigging techniques or try the new Chair Fighting Challenge – the Mechanical Bull of the Fishing World.  And of course you’ll see the latest in products for the fishing world and destinations with the best sport fishing in the world. Don’t forget to sign up for the Exhibitor Prize Give Away!! The Big Game Room has it all – don’t miss it

Discover Boating Center

Your one-stop resource for boating information and advice. Staffed by experts who can answer all your questions and set you on a course to choosing a boat that will give you and your family years of enjoyment, the Discover Boating Center is here to help you become a boater.

• Straightforward answers to all your boating questions
• Expert, unbiased advice on buying a boat
• Information you can trust and local resources to help you get started

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Sea Tow Foundation for Boating Safety & Education

The Sea Tow Foundation for Boating Safety & Education (located in booth 1765) is scheduled to help raise awareness for boating safety.  Visitors to the show are encouraged to “Take the Sea Tow Challenge” and try boating safety activity while at the show.  The challenge encourages recreational boaters to learn more about boating safety concepts and the importance of wearing a life jacket while on the water.

We encourage all boat show attendees to stop by the Sea Tow Foundation booth and try a boating safety activity.  Prizes will be awarded for various levels of participation.  People come to boat shows to learn more about boats and boating.  These activities will give them something fun and interesting to do while shopping and will hopefully make folks aware that they can never know enough about boating safely.

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Custom and Border Protection

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers will be at the show to enroll eligible participants in the CBP Local Boater Option (LBO).  Participants must be U.S. Citizens or Lawful Permanent Residents (Green Card Holders).  The LBO is a new voluntary, free of charge, program which allows a participant, under certain circumstances, to telephonically report the arrival of their private vessel, make customs declarations, submit any necessary additional information, and be cleared for Immigration purposes without the need to report to a port of entry in person.  The program is only available to private vessels arriving into ports of South Florida, Tampa, Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands.  To enroll in the program, an individual must present him/herself to a CBP officer with the appropriate documentation (passport is preferred) to verify identity, citizenship or lawful permanent immigration status.  PLEASE, all family members must be present to register; registration is on an INDIVIDUAL basis.  The office will then register the individual into the program, and create a Boater Registration Number (BR).  This number will then be used during the telephone arrival notification process.  

 Officers will be available all days of the show from 10 am – 6 pm. in booth #1747 in C Lobby.  

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Block Party

Celebrate the South Florida sunsets with food and drink specials from 5 pm to 7 pm, Friday, February 13, through Sunday, February 15, along Convention Center Drive at the Miami Beach Convention Center. 

Blue Man Group at Universal Orlando

For more information about vacation rentals and real estate please visit www.SWFloridaRentals-Team.com  Contact Christina Felgenhauer Phone: 1-239-699-1462 or email us swfloridarentals@gmail.com

The arrival of Blue Man Group – which occupies a newly created live performance venue accessible from both Universal CityWalk and Universal Studios – adds an entirely new dimension in live entertainment for Universal Orlando theme park guests and Florida residents.

The unique style of Blue Man entertainment has been experienced by more than 10 million people worldwide.  They have entertained audiences of all ages with their live stage shows, their touring rock concert, television programming and albums.

And now, Blue Man Group brings their live show to Universal Orlando Resort.  The show combines music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to create the blissful party atmosphere that is a Blue Man Group trademark. 

Blue Man Group performs from a specially created theater at Universal Studios.  The building once housed Nickelodeon Studios and has been re-designed as a 1,000-seat theater complete with its own box office. The Blue Man Group show is custom-designed for Universal Orlando and includes elements of the group’s existing shows as well as newly created material.

Blue Man Group is a creative organization dedicated to creating exciting and innovative work in a wide variety of media.

Blue Man Group is best known for their wildly popular theatrical shows and concerts which combine music, comedy and multimedia theatrics to produce a totally unique form of entertainment. The blissful party atmosphere created at their live events has become the trademark of a Blue Man Group experience.

Currently, their live stage shows can be seen in New York, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Berlin, and Tokyo. Blue Man Group also frequently tours and is on its Megastar World Tour this year.

The company applies its unique creative process to a wide variety of projects, including the recording of several albums:

•    The Grammy-nominated
•    The Complex, which became the musical basis for The Complex Rock Tour
•    How To Be a Megastar LIVE!, a two-disk DVD/CD of Blue Man Group’s popular rock concert tour
•    Live At The Venetian ® – Las Vegas, which is available exclusively on iTunes.

Blue Man Group has also ventured into toy development (with their Keyboard Experience and Percussion Tubes, produced by ToyQuest), film and TV scoring, commercial campaigns, television program appearances (like Scrubs and Arrested Development), and a children’s museum exhibit, Making Waves, which is currently touring the country.

As the company grows, it remains true to its vision of providing exciting experiences in a variety of media which appeal to a broad range of age groups and cultural backgrounds.

Guided Nature Walk at Tigertail Beach

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Venue:	Tigertail Beach 400 Hernando Drive Marco Island, FL 239-642-8414
Description:	Free guided nature walks are offered 8:30 a.m. Tuesday-Friday through April 24 through Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Parking is free with a Collier County beach sticker, otherwise parking is $6. Meet the guide at the kiosk
Phone number:	262-0304 or conservancy.org

 

Source: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=EVENTS&query=Event&site=GMTI&tpl=Event&ID=35103

 

CITIZENS PROPERTY INSURANCE

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TAMPA – Jan. 5, 2009 – Policyholders of Citizens Property Insurance Corp. could face sizable rate increases and lose the option to stay with the state-backed property insurer if a task force’s recommendations are approved.

The group meets in Tampa on Tuesday to discuss those and other changes to Florida’s largest property insurer.

Currently, Citizens policyholders can reject offers from private insurers that want to assume their policies. Policyholders would lose that option under recommendations being considered by the 11-member task force charged with returning Citizens to its original role as the state’s insurer of last resort. Private insurers removed nearly 400,000 homeowners policies from Citizens in 2008. More than 33,000 homeowners, however, rejected takeout offers from the private market.

In addition, the task force will consider a recommendation to eliminate the freeze on Citizens’ rates. Eliminating the rate freeze could open the door to a sizable rate increase for policyholders.

In 2005, Citizens asked state regulators for permission to raise rates 44 percent on average.

Instead, regulators approved a 25.9 percent rate increase for Citizens. A few months later, however, the increase was removed and Citizens’ rates were frozen through 2009 with legislation backed by Gov. Charlie Crist, a move designed to punish private insurers for not lowering their rates.

Also, state law was changed to allow homeowners to qualify for Citizens coverage as long as the premiums offered by private insurers were 15 percent higher than Citizens’ rates.

That law would be repealed under a recommendation the task force will consider this week.

The task force will meet for the final time Tuesday at Tampa Airport Marriott and will vote on the recommendations. The task force must submit its recommendations to the Florida Legislature by Jan. 31.

Citizens has 1.1 million policies, down from a high of 1.4 million.

 

Source: http://www.floridarealtors.org/NewsAndEvents/n3-010509.cfm

Lee County promised 30 years of Red Sox

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Lee County Commissioners narrowly agreed Tuesday to a 30-year lease with the Boston Red Sox to keep spring training in Lee County. It’s the next step in the county’s decision to build the franchise a complex in south Lee County.

The lease passed 3-2 with Commissioners Bob Janes, Ray Judah and Tammy Hall voting in favor. Commissioners Frank Mann and Brian Bigelow voted against.

The 44-page lease is largely based off current agreements between Lee County the Red Sox and Minnesota Twins, said John Yarbrough, the county’s hired consultant on the deal. The Twins hold spring training at the Lee County Sports Complex.

The lease does not outline the project cost, which has been estimated around $80 million.

The quest for a new stadium became public when Sarasota officials announced earlier this year they were making a play to pull the Red Sox out of Lee County. That pushed local officials into overdrive to get a new deal.

The project will be funded in part by Tourist Development Council money. The county will spend up to a cent of the 5-cent tourist bed tax on baseball projects.

The lease spells out details such as concessions and parking revenues which go to the Red Sox. It also discusses the insurance and advertising rights standard in lease agreements. Exactly which companies will have advertisements and handle concessions are not in the agreement.

Three terms are different from past leases:

• It’s a 30-year lease, compared to 15 for the Twins. There is no clause allowing the team to buy its way out of the contract. The old lease for the Red Sox runs through 2019, but the club could have bought its way out as early as next year by paying a $1 million fee.

• The Red Sox will pay $500,000 per year in rent, compared with the $300,000 it pays at City of Palms Park. The rent will increase 3 percent every five years. The current agreement has no escalation.

• Lee County will match the money the Red Sox agree to put into a capital improvement fund. On average, the team will contribute $100,000 per year over the next 30 years to maintain and upgrade the facility. That totals $6 million between the club and county, which will be put in an interest-bearing account. The Red Sox currently pay $20,000 per year.

“We recognize this is a big commitment for the county,” said Red Sox Chief Operating Officer Mike Dee. “From our point of view, we believe the steps have been taken to make this fair and balanced.”

Dee said he and county officials will turn toward interviewing construction managers and hope to have one chosen by the January’s end. The team and county will have a specific site identified by June.

That site will be south of Daniels Parkway and north of Bonita Beach Road. It will be at least 80 acres.

Mann said he wants the project to work and having the Red Sox train in Lee County is beneficial to the community. He couldn’t, however, support the lease as presented.

“It’s a huge imbalance here, it is not something I would vote for myself. I would never enter into a contract like this myself,” Mann said.

Yarbrough said the agreement is not perfect, “but it is the best agreement Lee County has done with a baseball team since we have been doing them,” Yarbrough said.

Hall said she is “not a kookie baseball fan,” but it’s not about baseball.

“The Red Sox are a huge economic boost to Lee County,” Hall said. “This is a business decision for Lee County.”

A state study showed a professional team’s economic impact is about $25 million per year. Sarasota officials hired a consultant who put the Red Sox potential impact on that area at $46.5 million per year.

Bigelow said he too wants the agreement to work, but he could not vote for it with no third spring training team signed to occupy the the City of Palms Park in Fort Myers.

“I am really worried this field of dreams maybe become a field of nightmares for the City of Palms Park,” Bigelow said.

Fort Myers City Councilman Randy Henderson wants to focus on the future of the City of Palms Park.

“Now we can say that deal is done. Good luck, hope you get the money, 30-year deal is good for the county, hope that works out,” Henderson said. “Now let’s turn our focus to the City of Palms and who’s next.”

In a news conference later in the day, Yarbrough addressed his talks with other franchises.

“I have not had direct contact with any teams,” Yarbrough said. “I have talked to people who have talked to people.”

Red Sox owner John Henry had planned to visit commissioners, but had a scheduling conflict and will visit in early January instead, Dee said.

About 50 people, including heads of county departments, showed up for the meeting. Only those representing a group, such as the Estero Chamber of Commerce, spoke about the project.

Source: http://www.news-press.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008812100364

 

Cape Coral’s History

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In 1957 two brothers, Leonard and Jack Rosen, from Baltimore, Maryland, spent weeks looking over Southwest Florida for a piece of property to develop. Late that year they purchased a parcel of land from Grandville Keller and Franklin Miles,(owner of the Alka Seltzer Company ) for $678,000. The land once known as Redfish Point was renamed Cape Coral. The development company, Gulf American Land Corporation started what was to be known as the “Waterfront Wonderland.” Ground was broken on November 4, 1957. On June 10, 1958 the first residents moved into their home in the southeastern part of the Cape. At that time a waterview homesite sold for $990, waterfront, $1,990 and riverfront $3390. Property sales reached over $9 million the first year. By 1965 approximately 500 prospects a day toured the property. When sales reached a peak in 1969, Cape Coral was sold to General Acceptance Corporation of Allentown, Pennsylvania for $250 million.

    In 1970 with the population at 11,470 the City of Cape Coral was incorporated becoming Florida’s second largest in area, trailing only Jacksonville. Barely a decade old, Cape Coral was poised and ready for the future, destined to become one of the nation’s fastest growing and most desirable cities. In the ensuing years since incorporation, the city population has steadily increased to exceed 150,000. At buildout it is estimated Cape Coral will have a population of approximately 400,000.

 

Source:  http://www.cape-coral-daily-breeze.com/page/content.detail/id/500015.html?nav=5047

Top sculptors turn Fort Myers Beach into fantasy in the sand

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With all the elaborate, awe-inducing sand sculptures competing in this weekend’s festival, one question begs to be asked.

What wins?

 

“They like sculptures with dragons, high ones, that take a lot of artwork,” says Georgia Reinmuth, coordinator of the 22nd annual American Sandsculpting Championship Festival on Fort Myers Beach.

“People like to see the fantasy stuff,” she continues.

The judges come from architectural firms, the Lee County Commission and tourism bureaus.

This year, 29 top sculptors from across the nation, Canada and Italy will flock to the beach to make art on their plots of sand. Amateurs make up the rest.

The sand artists fall in three categories: master sculptors, semiprofessional Florida state sculptors and amateurs.

At least 60,000 people are expected to ogle the art behind the Outrigger Beach Resort and the Holiday Inn on Estero Boulevard.

For those not creating, a few tips could help.

Although admission is free and unrestricted, getting there could be a problem with all that traffic on the two-lane boulevard.

So event organizers laid out parking and shuttling options to help ease the jams.

People driving from the southern Bonita Springs and Naples areas can take Bonita Beach Road west, then Hickory Boulevard north, and park at Lovers Key State Park, 8700 Estero Blvd., or the north field on the bay side before Little San Carlos Pass.

It’s free to park, and four 32-passenger buses will shuttle people to festival.

Those coming from the northern Cape Coral and Fort Myers areas can park at Summerlin Square Plaza, 11418 Summerlin Square Drive. It’s at Summerlin Road and San Carlos Boulevard. A trolley will pick people up at regular intervals.

For both, people will be dropped off at two spots: Holiday Inn on the south end and Charley’s Boat House on the north end.

Food, drink and craft vendors will be in the middle of those sculpture areas.

The best days and times to attend depends on what you want to see, Reinmuth says.

People can check the schedule to see if they want to watch the sculptors work or the final judging and awards. The five-day festival is progressive.

 

Source:  http://www.news-press.com/article/20081105/GCLIVE07/811050352/1013/LIFESTYLES

Jilted by the Red Sox

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With news Saturday that the Boston Red Sox signed a deal with Lee County, Sarasota once again became the bridesmaid — not the bride — of spring training.

It was a big disappointment to thousands of Sarasotans who eagerly wooed the team. And coming after the Cincinnati Reds — the city’s current stadium partner — “broke up” with us to move to Arizona, the community is now a two-time loser, baseball-wise.

Sarasota could be tempted to crawl off and nurse its wounded ego. Civic energy is drained after years of often bitter public debate over various proposals to perpetuate — and subsidize — the city’s baseball tradition. A respite from the battle and a little time to recharge would be welcome.

But reality won’t allow it. The clock is ticking toward the day when city taxpayers are the only ones left to shoulder the entire maintenance costs of Ed Smith Stadium. Sarasota needs to find another team or an alternative use for the facility.

There is interest in talking with the Baltimore Orioles, who need a new spring training home, but signs suggest the team is in no rush to chat with local officials. The O’s are being courted by other cities in Florida as well.

There also has been some discussion about turning the stadium property into a north-county recreational complex, to be run by the county.

In short, the situation is tenuous and unclear.

The County Commission is scheduled today to consider raising the tourist tax, a step proposed weeks ago as a means of helping the Red Sox. But with Boston now out of the picture, the situation is too cloudy to go forward with an increase.

Commissioners should shelve a tourist tax hike until they have a better sense of how the revenue would be spent. (Baseball is not the only option). Input from the local tourism industry is essential.

In the meantime, make sure the Orioles understand that Sarasota means business — and hasn’t given up hope.

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20081104/OPINION/811040321?Title=Jilted_by_the_Red_Sox

Fort Myers, Florida Overview

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Fort Myers is on the lower Gulf Coast of Florida, 125 miles south of Tampa. Positioned slightly inland of the coast and on the Caloosahatchee River, it was best known as the winter home of Thomas Edison. The old city by the river has undergone renovation after renovation and is worth a look. The drive out MacGregor Boulevard from downtown is unforgettable. Side roads off the Boulevard are filled with lush, tropical landscapes and wonderful old houses.Fort Myers provides Spring Training for a few Major League Baseball teams. It also has a Minor League home team. There is winter minor league hockey in Estero, 20 minutes south.

Due to its location and favorable climate,

The area is replete with boating activities. Saltwater canals, refreshed from the tidal flows into the mouth of the Caloosahatchee River from the Gulf of Mexico, are all along its river and bay shorelines. Great fishing can be experienced in the abundant back bay areas or offshore in the Gulf. These waters, with their associated tributaries and estuaries are also great for wildlife viewing and photographic expeditions. Several local islands, which can be reached only by boat, offer a day at the beach in solitary comfort.

The Intracoastal Waterway runs through the bays which border the Fort Myers shoreline and memorable vacation trips up and down the coastline are possible for even smaller boats. There is also an Intracoastal Waterway running through the Caloosahatchee River allowing travel from the East Coast at Stuart through Lake Okeechobee and past Fort Myers to the Gulf of Mexico. It also intersects with the Gulf and Atlantic Intracoastal Waterways.

The Southwest Florida International Airport is 15 minutes southeast of the city. Eco parks abound with the Orange River area, east of Fort Myers, providing manatees and other exotics.

Source:  http://www.florida-tourism.net/southwest-florida/fort-myers.htm