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In recent years, enrollment in Florida’s public schools has been on the decline, while participation in the school choice movement has been on the rise.According to Step Up for Students, 53% of Florida’s K-12 students take advantage of educational choice options, and more families are deciding that traditional public schools are not the right fit for them.Since 2019, public school enrollment has declined by more than 1.4 million students nationwide. Homeschooling remains well above pre-pandemic levels, with an estimated 3.4 million K-12 students currently learning from home, while charter schools, private schools, and other educational options continue to grow. U.S.…

Q: I am growing impatiens in a container in the shade, but they are not blooming as expected. The stems are long and spindly. How can I get more flowers to bloom? A: Impatiens prefer shade, but they also like sunlight. The best location for your plant is a sunny spot where it can enjoy sun and shade throughout the day. Spindly growth suggests too much shade, and even if the plant survives, it won’t produce as many flowers. Try moving your plant to a new location where it gets a little more sun, especially in the morning. Also, try…

Although attendance at Universal Orlando’s theme park declined in the second quarter of this year, Comcast executives remain optimistic about the business and tourism industry. Revenue from the company’s content and experiences division, which includes attractions, increased, but “growth in Orlando was lower than expected as attendance began declining in June and remained under pressure in the third quarter,” Comcast Chief Financial Officer Jason Armstrong said on an earnings call this week. Comcast’s global theme park revenue increased 2.7% in the April-May-June 2025 period, from $2.34 billion to $2.41 billion. The company does not release attendance figures for individual parks,…

On July 19, 2025, Carnival Cruise Line cut the ribbon at Celebration Key in the Bahamas in a ceremony that included a Bahamian brass band, company executives and celebrity Shaquille O’Neal. One year later, the cruise line welcomed 2.4 million guests to its Grand Bahama Island destination, where they enjoyed the Caribbean’s largest freshwater lagoon, a 10-story sandcastle with two waterslides, swim-up bars, food trucks, Bahamian culture, and more. Over the past 12 months, Celebration Key has hosted 500,000 thrill-seekers down its waterslides, sold 400,000 sweet treats with its Mini Donut King food truck, served 100,000 piña coladas and brought…

Lowering your monthly payments may feel like an instant financial victory. This number is easier to fit into your budget, leaves you with extra money in your checking account, and gives you the appearance of being able to manage big-ticket purchases. If your lender offers an extension to your repayment period, accepting it may seem like the obvious solution.This is especially appealing when purchasing a home. Home affordability calculators can help you estimate your payments, but the monthly numbers are only part of your borrowing decision. A longer term reduces the amount left out of your account each month, but…

Paintings by Central Florida artist Xavier Moss are overlaid with neon-colored classic animals, personal journeys, and even secret messages revealed only under a black light. Approximately 20 of these works can be seen in the solo exhibition Flesh & Face: Wild Meets the Way in Mills Gallery’s Lamp Gallery. Moss, who won the $500 People’s Choice Award at Winn Win Emerging Artists Exhibition 2025, will be returning with a solo exhibition as part of the award. The 22 works on display range in size from a 4-by-4-inch piece that took one to two hours to complete to a gigantic 48-by-60-inch…

The Polar Express returns to Gaylord Palms Resort this holiday season. Kissimmee Resort’s annual story-driven ice sculpture exhibit — Gaylord now stylizes its name as “ice!” In contrast to “ICE!”, it will feature elements from the animated film “Polar Express” starring Tom Hanks. It’s a promise of return. The 2004 film was the inspiration for Gaylord Palms’ 2019 event. “Our guests are always talking about when it’s going to come back, and I think we were like, ‘Oh, eventually we’ll rotate it again,’ or ‘We’ll find the right opportunity,'” said Nico Nicolaou, senior director and creative of special events at…

This week, a total of 12 of Orlando’s Main Street neighborhoods are coming together to celebrate Sip and Saver Week, a citywide celebration highlighting the diverse, independent culinary experiences of our neighborhoods, the foundation that makes our city not only beautiful but delicious. “This is one of those rare initiatives where everyone benefits,” said Misty Heath, executive director of the SoDo Main Street District. “All 12 Main Street neighborhoods are working together to celebrate the uniqueness of Orlando’s neighborhoods, with businesses gaining visibility and residents finding new favorites at affordable prices during a traditionally quiet season. There’s a real camaraderie…

With the countless restaurants and cafes surrounding this charming Lake County burg, it’s surprising that it took this long for the Mount Dora Area Restaurant Week to be announced, but the inaugural Restaurant Week will officially begin Saturday (July 25). “This idea came to us about two to three months ago through Salt and Ember, a new member of the chamber and one of Mount Dora’s newest restaurants,” says Rachel O’Ryan, president of the Mount Dora Area Chamber of Commerce. “They proposed holding a Restaurant Week in the area, and we immediately recognized its potential as a powerful summer promotion…

Democracy is only as strong as a people who understand how it works. Florida has taken that idea to heart and is investing in civics education starting in the early grades. This summer, I saw that investment pay off as Tallahassee event halls filled with middle school students, their families, and the buzz of anticipation.At the end of June, Florida State University’s Institute for Governance and Civics (IGC) hosted the Florida-wide finals of the National Civics Bee®, a competition for middle school students. Twelve middle school students from across the state qualified by writing essays about issues in their communities…