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Universal Orlando officially announced last week that a roller coaster called Fast and Furious: Hollywood Drift will open at Universal Studios Florida theme park in 2027. The construction site is visible from Universal CityWalk. The ride essentially replaced the Hollywood Rip Ride Rock-It, which closed in August and demolition began soon after. Yes, this new coaster has the same name as the thrill ride scheduled to open at Universal Studios Hollywood this year. No, it’s not the same ride, Universal confirmed. That’s right, the Fast & Furious Supercharger attraction, a screen-centric motion simulator dark ride in Orlando, is scheduled to…
Celebrate Lunar, one of Orlando’s major Lunar New Year events, returns as a super-sized one-day festival on Saturday (January 31) from noon to 9 p.m. Taking over Luminary Green’s spectacular green space in downtown’s Creative Village district, this celebration is filled with both traditional flavor and cultural performance, as well as its evolution. There will be vendors offering products and spaces that represent the diversity of the region. A dance battle between traditional dance and hip hop will be held. Asian street racers will also be participating. There will be food, food, food. “This is a very large Asian tent,”…
Tens of thousands of art lovers will flock to Mount Dora this weekend as an annual tradition returns to the historic downtown streets. The 51st Annual Mount Dora Arts Festival brings 300 artists to Lake County for a free outdoor event from Jan. 31 through February. 1. Visitors can browse a wide selection of glass art, jewelry, paintings, photography, sculpture, wood, and more. As a nationally well-known festival, it attracted a lot of interest from domestic and international artists this year as well. “We had a record number of applications this year. More than 800 applications for 300 spaces,” he…
If a passenger is dissatisfied with a recent flight, they typically call the airline or airport. But if you can manage either, your next move will probably be to contact the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Customers file complaints in what is called the TSA Contact Center Traveler Complaint Report. Rustic Pathways, a student travel company, conducted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) analysis of passenger complaints to the TSA’s contact center from 2015 to 2024. This data is based on a study of 63 of America’s busiest airports. To calculate each airport’s complaint rate per 100,000 passengers, we compared complaints…
Michelin returns to City Beautiful magazine in 2025 with three new stars. Two of them were at Solekala, one of the Orlando Sentinel’s new restaurants of the year at the time. The other one we went to was OS’s best new restaurant, Ômo by Jônt. Of course, it’s great to have a fine dining restaurant of choice in a city where talent is exploding. And while luxury competition continues to intensify, patrons here don’t seem to be as concerned as others, as they’re eating out far less frequently than last year, according to YouGov’s year-end survey. A significant 37% of…
Maria Sherman, Associated Press LOS ANGELES (AP) – The 68th Annual Grammy Awards will be held Sunday and will be broadcast live on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. What can viewers expect? According to the Recording Academy, some are new, some are old, and we’re very excited. Executive producers Raj Kapoor, Ben Winston and Jesse Collins return with a different show from last year, when the event was completely changed to help those affected by the devastating Los Angeles area wildfires. Here are four big questions and answers ahead of the event. What’s the latest…
For homeowners, seeing an insurance claim marked “closed” often feels like the end of the road. Many believe that once the carrier closes the file, no further action is possible. In fact, the closing of a claim does not necessarily mean that the matter is legally or financially resolved. In Florida, homeowners still have options, depending on timing, documentation, and how the claim is handled. It is important to understand what “closed” actually means before accepting a loss that may not reflect the full extent of your damages. What does it mean for an insurance company when a claim is…
WASHINGTON – Republican Congressman Vern Buchanan, who has represented Florida’s 16th Congressional District for 20 years, announced Tuesday that he will retire at the end of his current term. Mr. Buchanan, 74, has been a member of Congress since 2007 and currently serves as vice chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, which oversees federal tax, trade and health care policy. His retirement marks the end of his tenure as the longest-serving Republican representing Southwest Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives. “After 20 years of service, I believe this is the right time to pass the torch and…
Automobile problems remain the number one complaint of American consumers. In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) reported more than 350,000 complaints. A recent survey of a major dealer group found that as many as 80% of customers were charged for “required” add-ons they didn’t want, and felt they had signed a wasted deal, even after signing the paperwork. “Legally, if you signed all the paperwork, completed the purchase, and drove your new car home, there’s not much you can do legally in most jurisdictions. From a legal perspective, you own the car. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t practical…
How does MSC Cruises stand out in the increasingly competitive cruise market?We offer a value proposition that rivals Carnival Cruise Lines, attracting guests with low fares and new ships with plenty to do on board. MSC Cruises began year-round service in North America in 2014, making it a much newer cruise in this market than Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian. The cruise company finally debuted a ship in Port Canaveral in 2021 and has since continued to grow its presence in Florida, particularly with the addition last year of MSC World America, which sails from Port Miami. MSC Grandiosa in…