Hilton plans approved for Okaloosa Island
(Crestview News Bulletin © 12/18/2008)
FORT WALTON BEACH - Don't expect Paris and Nicky to become regulars of the Gulf Coast, but plans have been approved for a four-star Hilton resort on Okaloosa Island. Okaloosa County Commissioners on Tuesday evening unanimously approved plans for the proposed 450-room Hilton Emerald Coast, to be located on the sound-side of U.S. Highway 98, across the street from Beasley Park. "It's going to be a
Ag museum funding request tabled
(Daytona Beach News-Journal © 12/18/2008)
BUNNELL -- The ongoing debate over the future of the Florida Agricultural Museum took another turn Wednesday when the county's Tourist Development Council tabled a museum request for $55,000 to fund a marketing campaign. Museum director Bruce Piatek was on hand to make a pitch to the council, which makes recommendations for disbursement of tourist development funds generated from bed-tax revenues
Future boardwalk hinges on consensus
(Destin Log © 12/18/2008)
Convincing 20 property owners spread along a half-mile of Destin harbor to support a harbor boardwalk isn’t easy but it has to be done, City Manager Greg Kisela says. “Our goal is to get this built sooner rather than later,” Kisela told The Log after a recent morning meeting with owners. “The only way is to get the cooperation and participation of the affected property own
Pancho the crocodile, suspected of eating three dogs, relocated again
(Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
By Mike Clary December 18, 2008 A huge American crocodile called Pancho, suspected of eating three dogs in a bayside Coral Gables neighborhood, has been caught and relocated for the second time, the state's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission announced Wednesday. If the federally protecte
Reasons to stay home
(Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
Pompano Beach High December 18, 2008 This year, many of us will be not be traveling during the winter break. We will instead be stranded here in sunny but slightly cooler South Florida. But there are plenty of fun things to do right here that you may have been missing. A "staycation" is a perfect time to r
Struggling cruise lines' economic pain can be travelers' gain
(Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
South Florida Sun-Sentinel December 18, 2008 Cruise fares to the Caribbean, Mexico and other popular winter destinations have fallen below the half-price deals offered in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States. Some seven-night Caribbean cruises are selling for under $400
AAA: Christmas season travel to drop
(Jacksonville Business Journal © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
AAA has projected declines for all major travel holidays so far this year, and the organization on Wednesday said the Christmas season isn’t likely to buck the trend. Online survey data indicates nearly 63.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the holiday season, down 2 percent from last year’s 65.3 million. If AAA’s projections are accurate, it will be the first decline in Ch
JetBlue adds local flight to D.C.
(Lehigh News Star © 12/18/2008)
JetBlue Airways will start daily nonstop service to Washington D.C.-Dulles from Southwest Florida International Airport Thursday, the Lee County Port Authority announced today. The daily flight arrives from at 4:55 p.m. and departs from at 5:35 p.m. JetBlue will operate this new route on an Airbus A320 with 150 leather seats, free satellite television and radio programing. Current s
Florida panther plan will be unleashed Thursday
(Naples Daily News © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
NAPLES — A plan setting benchmarks to take the Florida panther off the endangered species list is set to be announced Thursday. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has taken years to finalize Thursday’s plan, which changed little since the agency unveiled a draft plan in January 2006. The big cat has been staging a precarious comeback from a toehold in Southwest Florida, but the plan e
Gatorland presents white alligators
(Orlando Business Journal © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
Gatorland will put four giant, and extremely rare, white alligators on display starting Feb. 13. The leucistic alligators weigh more than 500 pounds and are 10 feet to 11 feet long. The Orlando tourist attraction said the gators will be exhibited in a 2,500-square-foot area along its main walkway. Gatorland, a 110-acre theme park, said 17 white alligator hatchlings were found in Louisiana, a
Important information about Port Canaveral
(Orlando Sentinel © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
Sentinel Staff Writer Port Canaveral is also called Florida's Fun Port. Imagine that ? located near Orlando and called the fun port. The port is located approximately 60 miles from the attraction and resort areas in Orlando, making it the perfect location for those who are consider
Planning a family cruise
(Orlando Sentinel © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
You might, like us, wonder if sailing over the blue horizon as a family group is a good idea, especially as the holidays near. Earlier this year, we weighed the advantages of holding a family gathering at sea versus, say, a week at a land resort or mountain retreat. There was much to consider, including cost. We are an aging group of four couples -- sisters, brothers and their spouses -- all
Water parks scramble to comply with new pool-safety law
(Orlando Sentinel © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
Water parks across the country, including those at Walt Disney World, Wet 'n Wild and SeaWorld, are scrambling to comply with federal swimming-pool-safety regulations that take effect Friday, even as they raise concerns that the new rules and equipment might be an awkward fit for their pools. Officials at all of the water parks open in Central Florida insisted this week that the parks are sa
TDC votes to increase bed tax
(Panama City News Herald © 12/18/2008)
PANAMA CITY BEACH — The full board of the Bay County Tourist Development Council voted unanimously Wednesday to raise the bed tax paid on short-term condo rentals and hotel rooms by 2 cents. The recommendation now goes to the Bay County Commission, which must approve the hike by a super majority before it can be implemented. The tax would increase from 3 cents on every dollar to 5 cents. T
Airport Hyatt gets OK
(Pensacola News Journal © 12/18/2008)
Innisfree Hotels won approval Wednesday for a Hyatt Place Hotel to be built on a piece of land owned by Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport. Julian MacQueen, owner of Innisfree, said Global Hyatt Corp. executives notified him his company would be awarded the hotel franchise, the first in the Pensacola market. "We've got our anchor hotel now. And as soon as the site is turned over to us, which
Zoo gets funding to help make it through winter
(Pensacola News Journal © 12/18/2008)
The Zoo Northwest Florida has secured funding to stay open through the winter and is in talks with an unidentified investor who may relieve the zoo's budgetary woes. "It's somebody who has a private zoo in Connecticut. We are still in discussions with her. She has made an initial loan (of $100,000) to the zoo," said Danyelle Lantz, executive director of the 24-year-old, 50-acre Gulf Breeze animal
Hertz rolls out car sharing program
(San Jose Mercury News © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
NEW YORK—A cherry red Mini Cooper convertible enjoyed center stage at Hertz's launch Tuesday of a car sharing service in New York, London and Paris—the most ambitious step yet into that market by a traditional car rental company. Like existing car sharing companies, Hertz Global Holdings Inc. will place cars in a variety of locations that members of the sharing program, called "C
Chapter 12: At the top, a view of history
(Sarasota Herald-Tribune © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
CLERMONT - When Clermont natives describe the good old days, with the rolling hills covered by a lush green carpet of citrus groves, their eyes gleam and nostrils flare. They can almost smell the orange blossoms. "That is the most beautiful odor," said Dolores Walker, 82. "Even if you're blind, you can appreciate it." In the days before air-conditioning, Floridians drove with their car windows
Orioles dealing might be over
(Sarasota Herald-Tribune © 12/18/2008) (Registration Required)
SARASOTA - The effort to keep spring training alive here seems all but over after the County Commission on Wednesday offered the Baltimore Orioles a deal that the team has already rejected. By voting to allocate only $22 million toward a renovated Ed Smith Stadium, the commissioners effectively snubbed what the Orioles wanted -- a new stadium complex. The commission was set to vote on appro
City, UF prepare for historic move
(St. Augustine Record © 12/18/2008)
The committee charged with guiding how the University of Florida will manage the dozens of historic buildings it will take over from the city next year held its last meeting Tuesday, focusing its attention on what it hopes tourists will focus theirs on. The so-called "interpretive center," proposed to be built along Avenida Menendez, would be a museum of the city's history, centrally located bet
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