Shades of Green: One Military Benefit Not Being Reduced

Posted on January 19, 2014 by floridatraveler

Shades of Green: One Military Benefit Not Being Reduced

In recent years there has been a lot of controversy as U.S. military benefits have been impacted by reductions and changes. There’s one benefit for active-duty and retired military that has improved each year – the 27 acre Shades of Green resort at Walt Disney World.

The resort, located on the site of the first housing for WDW staff and builders, was once the Disney Golf Resort, but was leased and then obtained by the Department of Defense. Today it is the only Armed Forces Recreation Center (AFRC) in the Continental USA.

No public funds are used at the resort open only to active-duty and retired members of our Uniformed forces, current Reserve and National Guard members, 100% disabled vets, and civilian employees of the Defense department. With a sliding scale based upon rank and service, Corporals pay less than Colonels.

Shades of Green has its own bus service to the parks for it is not a Disney resort. But merchandise is exempt from local taxes and there are no hotel taxes.

The rooms and suites are larger than Disney resorts. The service staff is great. The new pool complexes are heated. The restaurants include buffets and fancy meals. Shades of Green is a wonderful experience for our troops past and present and an asset to WDW and Florida.

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Florida’s College Population: Booming and Surprising

Posted on January 16, 2014 by floridatraveler

Florida's College Population: Booming and Surprising

People who don’t follow higher education are often stunned when they discover that four of the ten largest universities in the United States are found in Florida: #2 University of Central Florida (60,048 students), #7 Florida International University (50,396), #8 University of Florida (49,913), and #10 University of South Florida (47,646).

Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale (29,000) is the state’s largest private university, larger than the University of Miami (15,657).

But the greatest change in the last ten years is that half of Florida’s community colleges have added bachelors and advanced degrees. Miami-Dade College now has 135,148 students, residing in just one Florida county. Florida State College at Jacksonville has 84,486 students; Valencia College in Orlando (62,524); and Broward College in Fort Lauderdale (60,462).

Even Florida educators can’t keep tract of the increase in Private Non-Profit Colleges (46 in 2012) and For-Profit Colleges (18 in number). You might even call Florida the Education state if you put the title on sheer numbers.

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Snow and Florida – It’s A Rare Treat

Posted on January 8, 2014 by floridatraveler

Snow and Florida - It's A Rare Treat

One of the delights of living in Florida this time of year is to hear all about the bad weather and snowy conditions from relatives up North. My brother called to tell me it was -11 at Purdue (West Lafayette, IN) and in a rare event the college closed down due to snow and freezing winds.

The coldest recorded temperature in Florida history is -1 degrees F in Tallahassee on February 13, 1899. Getting light snow, however, hits the Florida Panhandle interior every few years and Jacksonville gets snow flurries several times a decade.

The most snow officially recorded in Florida was four inches in Milton (on a hill) on March 6, 1954 and March 12, 1993. Floridians get so excited about snow that often frost is called snow by Sunshine Staters when they wait up on a cold morning. Sorry – frost can even form at 45 degrees if the elements are right.

We had real snow here in Tampa in January of 1977 (see photograph) and the furthest south snow flurries was ever filmed was on January 8, 2010 in Kendall (Miami-Dade County). Snow can cause some excitement here in Florida, but I want it to be an unusual occurrence. .

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2014: The Year Florida Becomes #3

Posted on January 3, 2014 by floridatraveler

2014: The Year Florida Becomes #3

By the time the USA celebrates its next birthday in July, Florida will surpass New York as the nation’s third most populated state – one with over 20 million people.

Considering the fact Florida in 1900 was the least populated state in the South, Florida has come a long way to be “Number 3.” But Florida today is not the stereotype that New York comedians continually recite.

Only 10% of Florida’s 2013 537,000 new residents were over 65 years of age – in fact 40% were under the age of 25. Florida is booming with immigrants from the Caribbean and Central America as well as people willing to take a lower paying job in a better place to live. Florida has recently added 200 “green” factories in medicine and manufacturing along the I-4 corridor between Tampa and Daytona Beach.

Low salaries is a major complaint in Florida, but many jobless young people have at least found jobs in Florida’s recovering construction and tourist industries. Florida’s climate will always score points as does the lower taxes.

Social scientists in future decades will look to Florida as the place to study how to handle such issues as: a huge retired population, overcrowded roads, and growing urbanization effecting the environment.

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Jamais Winston Continues Florida College QB History

Posted on January 2, 2014 by floridatraveler

Jamais Winston Continues Florida College QB History

When Jamais Winston, the sensational redshirt frosh of Florida State University, won the 2013 Heisman Trophy, he became the eighth football player for a Florida college to win the award. And they are all Quarterbacks. (CBS Sports photo)

Winston joins Charlie Ward (1993) and Chris Weinke (2000) as the third FSU QB to grab the Heisman. All three were two sport athletes: WInston: baseball and football; Ward: football and basketball; and Weike: football and baseball (pro). Ward never played in the NFL, but played basketball in the NBA for ten years.

Miami’s two Heismans were won by Vinny Testaverde (1986) and Gino Torretta (1992).

Florida’s three awards went to Tim Tebow (2007), Danny Wuerffel (1996), and Steve Spurrier (1966). Only Tebow (St Augustiine Nease) and Danny Wuerffel (Ft. Walton Beach HS) were Florida high school grads of the eight quarterbacks.

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Merry Christmas From Florida

Posted on December 24, 2013 by floridatraveler

Merry Christmas From Florida

As we leave for St. Andrews Church in downtown Tampa, my wife Barbara and I wish to say Merry Christmas to all and a safe holiday across this nation.

This website likes to tell people about all things Florida so you might be interested to know what Florida churches will have the largest weekend attendance based upon active membership. Florida has seven of the 100 largest congregations in the USA, topped by the Calvary Church of Fort Lauderdale (see photo) with 15,600 members.

Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens is second at 12,339 members. Cooper City’s Flamington Road Church has 10,500 members while the Calvary Chapel of Melbourne is fourth with 9,200.

Northland – A Church Distributed in Longwood has 8,792 members while Bethel Baptist in Jacksonville has 8,168.

Iglesia Cristiana Segadores de Vida in Hollywood has 7,400 members, the First Baptist Church of Jacksonville has 7000 as does the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church of Miami.

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It Is Always A Holiday In Christmas

Posted on December 15, 2013 by floridatraveler

It Is Always A Holiday In Christmas

Christmas, Florida, is located 20 miles east of Orlando on SR 50 on the way to Kennedy Space Center and the Canaveral National Seashore. This time of year people make the drive to the Christmas Post Office to send off letters and packages.

But there is another good reason for people to stop at this small village. Fort Christmas, a full-sized replica of the Seminole War fort started on Christmas Day in 1837 is here in a large park.

The fort houses an impressive museum of frontier and later Victorian artifacts showing the story of East Orange County homesteading, cattle ranching, farming, and citrus growing. Perhaps equally important the fort grounds house seven historical “Cracker architectural” homesteads completely furnished.

There are picnic pavilions, barbeque grills, electrical outlets, and sports fields for visitors. Kids will love the Gift Shop run by the Fort Christmas Historical Society for it stocks pioneer and native American toys, crafts, and candies.

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Christmas in Florida: The Ringling Estate in Sarasota

Posted on December 3, 2013 by floridatraveler

Christmas in Florida: The Ringling Estate in Sarasota

One of the most joyous tourist attractions at Christmas time is the massive Ringling Estate in Sarasota which includes the famous Ringling Art Museum with its incredible collection of Renaissance religious art. The extensive gardens and grounds add to the holiday spirit.

My favorite spot, however, is the waterfront mansion of circus magnate John Ringling – Ca’ d’ Zan, which with Vizcaya in Miami is Florida’s most beautiful historic house.

In December, for an additional admission, you can visit Ca’ d;Zan Thursday nights from 5 to 8 pm when the mansion is really lit up with its Christmas decorations from the playroom attic to the main living-room.

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Christmas Tours in Florida: Pinewood Estate at Bok Tower

Posted on December 1, 2013 by floridatraveler

Christmas Tours in Florida: Pinewood Estate at Bok Tower

Christmas in Florida is a wonderful time to visit your favorite vacation spots and this is particularly true at Bok Gardens in Lake Wales.

The spectacular gardens are filled with Christmas ornamentation all the way up the hill to the Bok Tower, the highest spot in Southern Florida. Special holiday programs are part of the weekly calendar in December.

My wife’s favorite spot is the holiday home tour (Nov 29 to January 5) of the twenty room El Retiro estate built in the 1930’s for Bethlehem Steel VP Charles Austin Buck. The grounds are lovely but at Christmas various groups decorate each room in stunning color and design.

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Busch Gardens Turning Timbucktu Into Pantopia

Posted on November 24, 2013 by floridatraveler

Busch Gardens Turning Timbucktu Into Pantopia

Busch Gardens is not only opening a massive new thrill ride this spring, the Tampa (FL) park is also redesigning its Timbuktu theme area into Pantopia.

Pantopia celebrates the spirit of animals and will feature fantastic architecture symbolizing the legends and dreams of adventurers entering the lands of the unknown. Everything from the indoor theater to the restaurants will be transformed into the new theme.

The big attraction is Falcon’s Fury, the tallest freestanding drop tower in the USA. What will make this ride quite unique is it rotates the riders so they face down as they reach forces of 3.5 Gs. The tower is so high, it will be seen from downtown Tampa.

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