Oil Free Destin & Panama City Beach, FL, Offer Big Attraction Deals in 2011 to Lure Spring Break Travelers

It's been a challenging 2010 for most businesses along the coast of Northwest Florida as the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill caused thousands of travelers to spend their spring and summer vacations elsewhere. Luckily for those who live and travel to Northwest Florida, the region was spared and the beaches and emerald green waters are more beautiful than ever.

Read more: http://www.benzinga.com/press-releases/11/02/p876312/oil-free-destin-panama-city-beach-fl-offer-big-attraction-deals-in-2011##ixzz1EfzNt7Wm

Beach day in store for Palm Beach County, Treasure Coast

On holidays, South Florida knows how to give its residents a beautiful warm beach day for those who are off today and ready to relax.

But the morning will start off a little hazy, since all of the interior areas of South Florida are under a dense fog advisory until 9 a.m. The National Weather Service says some areas may have visibility reduced to a quarter of a mile or less.

Once the sun burns of the fog, however, a high of 80 degrees is in store for Palm Beach County, along with a low of 60 degrees. If you intend on heading to the beach, be careful, as there is a moderate chance of rip currents because northeasterly winds.

Tuesday will be just as warm, with a high of 81 and a low of 62 degrees.

For the Treasure Coast, this morning is clear of fog with a high of 78 and a low of 59 expected for today.

Forecasters say, however, that after 4 a.m., Tuesday, patchy fog will show until 7 a.m. By then, the sun will burn up the fog, leaving a high of 79 and a low of 58 degrees.

Florida arrest over "Bloody Valentine's Day" threat

MIAMI (Reuters) - A Florida man who allegedly wished his girlfriend a "Happy bloody Valentine's Day" and threatened to cut off her head with a knife and choke her with a belt was arrested by police, the Monroe County Sheriff's Office said on Monday.

Nathan Hemby, 33, of Key Largo was arrested on Sunday after his 50-year-old girlfriend dialed 911 after locking herself in the bathroom. She told officers he had been threatening her in recent days with a knife, a box cutter and a screwdriver.

According to the victim's testimony cited in the sheriff's office report, she said he held his hand over her mouth, put the knife to her throat and told her he was going to cut off her head and "grind up her body to sell for meat."

She said he had also threatened to choke her with leather belts hanging on the wall of their apartment and had taken a pair of her underwear, telling her he was going to "add it to his collection of the other girls he had to do this to."

The officers who responded to the call discovered her underwear tucked in the back of his shorts and the weapons and belts described were all found in the apartment.

Disney Dream not just for youngsters

From the outside, and it's easy to see how different the Disney Dream is from other 4,000-passenger cruise ships.

The design is "classic, evoking a sense of romance," said senior creative vice president Joe Lanzisero, whereas other similar-size ships have lost their classic shapes.

Maybe that's one sign things will be a little different on this ship.

Once aboard, passengers will notice another thing that sets the Dream apart from other cruise lines: There are no casinos.

Having a casino on board one of the company's ships is "totally inconsistent" to what Disney is all about, Disney Cruise Line President and CEO Karl Holz said.

"I cannot in a million years imagine that," he said. "We offer a unique Disney product, a family cruise product that is uniquely Disney in all we do."

But that's not to say the Dream is strictly kids' stuff.

This is where the ship makes its distinction from other ships in the Disney fleet. There's something aboard for everyone in the family, even the adults.

When Disney first dipped its toe into the cruise industry, it was family-oriented in just about everything.

But it is Disney, after all, filled with pixie dust, magic and technological amazement. With the Dream, the key was amazing the adults as well as the children.

Watery thrill

Let's start with the Aqua Duck, the first water coaster at sea. When looking at the ship from the outside, the see-through coaster is the first thing you notice.

The Aqua Duck takes cruisers on a 760-foot-long ride that shoots out 10,000

gallons of water per minute and includes a segment that extends off the ship, high above the ocean.

"We looked at the ship and thought, 'We want to do a roller coaster, but not the norm,' " said Peter Ricci, show design and production manager and one of the Aqua Duck's designers.

So what are you waiting for book yourself one of the Florida luxury villas or an Orlando holiday rental to enjoy your vacation

Read More

http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20110206/LIFE/102060310/0/LIFE/Disney-Dream-not-just-youngsters?odyssey=nav|head

77 Year Old Woman Dies After Riding Disney World Carousel

Today, the Walt Disney Company announced to authorities in Florida that a woman collapsed and died after riding in the carousel at Walt Disney World. According to the report, the incident occurred back in December and the park officials explained that the woman had a heart condition before she took the ride. The 77-year-old woman died after riding in the Prince Charming Regal Carousel.

In the same report, Walt Disney World reported that two other people have been injured at the park. The report indicated that in the fourth quarter of last year, a 71-year-old woman broke her shoulder and a rib after she rode in the carousel. The report also contained details about the injury to another older woman. This time a 76-year-old woman fell on a moving platform and injured her leg as a result.

Amusement parks in Florida are required to file a quarterly report of injuries and deaths that occur at their various venues. If the companies comply with the directive, the state will not impose safety regulations on them.All the other reports filed by the other parks contained no injuries or deaths.

Nightlife for February 9, 2011

Cruising….Literally!

If you were out and about just about anywhere in Fort Lauderdale or Wilton Manors—or South Florida in one of your Florida luxury villa, as a matter of fact—you know that more than 5,000 gay men and Lesbians were in town, anxious to depart on the world’s largest gay cruise. Yes, Royal Caribbean’s Allure of the Seas, one of the two largest cruise ships in the world, sold out within weeks for a seven night cruise that departed Sunday evening to celebrate Atlantis’ 20th anniversary.

And, if you thought last weekend was crazy, get ready for this. All 5,000 boys and girls—mostly boys—will be returning this weekend, but the region will also be welcoming nearly 3,000 fresh cruisers departing on RSVP Vacations’ 25th anniversary cruise on Holland America’s Nieuw Amsterdam.

For those of you who missed the opportunity to party at sea, just head out to the bars and clubs. Here’s your chance to serve as a “Good Will Ambassador” to all those cruisers who are looking to kick off or wind down the vacation of a lifetime. We think it might be just as good as the “real” thing.
In the meantime, there’s plenty to do across South Florida this week. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

Wednesday, Feb. 9

They don’t call Wednesdays “Hump Day” for no reason! If you’re feeling a little nasty tonight, head over to Cubby Hole, one of Fort Lauderdale’s popular bear bars for Eddie’s Encore Underwear Night. “Bare” your undies and enjoy 2-4-1 cocktails beginning at 9 p.m. Cubby Hole is located at 823 N. Federal Hwy, but don’t blink, you might miss it. Pardon the pun, but park in the rear.

Thursday, Feb. 10

On Thursdays in Miami Beach, chances are you’ll find the ladies at MOVA Lounge, 1625 Michigan Ave. DJ Zehno is in the booth, spinning the best of the ‘80s, ‘90s and today’s music and there are plenty of drink specials, too. The party jumps into high gear at 10 p.m.

Friday, Feb. 11

Miss Kitty hosts the Sexy Bear contest at Bill’s Filling Station, 2209 Wilton Dr. Whether you’re a muscle bear, cub, otter or grizzly, turn on your mojo—and take off your shirt—and you could take home the $100 prize.

Saturday, Feb. 12

The Manor Complex on Wilton Drive is getting a jump on Valentine’s Day with a special party, “I Feel Love,” featuring special guest DJ Terrance Lally. Unlike dinner on Monday night, there’s no cover to this extravaganza, making it the cheapest date night in town.

Sunday, Feb. 13

Edison Farrow and Omar Gonzalez present Jump! Sundays tonight at Lux (formerly Liquid) nightclub, 1439 Washington Ave. in South Beach. There’s no cover, DJ Jarell is in the booth, and you get to enjoy the Jump! Dancers, too, at this fun weekly party. This is definitely the place in Miami Beach to be tonight.

Monday, Feb. 14

You’re on your own with this one. Don’t forget to pick up the flowers and chocolates, and for gosh sakes, make a reservation for dinner at the restaurant of your choice! For those of you who don’t have boyfriends, girlfriends or whatever, well, pick a bar and drink away your sorrows. Better yet, find a new friend online!

Disney Against Florida Hotel Pizza Fliers- Food For Thought

There's a push in Florida to encourage a police crackdown on unsolicited pizza menus and other fliers in hotels, the Orlando Sentinel reports.

What's so dangerous about a flimsy piece of paper that advertises a $9.99 pizza pie and a 1-800 number?

The handouts are really said to be a ruse by criminals to convince hungry tourists to give out their names, credit-card information and hotel room number. They apparently pose such a threat to both tourists - and Florida's $60 billion-a-year tourism industry - that even Walt Disney World's backing legislation designed to fight them, the paper says.

Supporters of a pizza-flier crackdown pin their hopes on the proposed "Tourist Safety Act of 2011," which passed a House committee last week.

The proposed legislation would make it easier for police to arrest people who illegally distribute these fliers in hotels. It would allow police to seize the workers' cars, as is allowed in drug-related cases.

It would not affect the distribution of materials from legitimate companies such as Pizza Hut or Domino's Pizza, which have contracts with hotels and permission to be on the property, the Sentinel has said.

Central Florida hoteliers want Florida to take action because they claim criminals use the pizza menus as a ruse to obtain tourists' credit-card numbers, steal their identities and/or burglarize their hotel rooms, the paper says.

A year ago, the St. Petersburg Times quoted State Rep. Kevin Ambler, R-Tampa, as describing the pizza flier ruse as a "problem of epidemic proportions" and possibly "part of an organized crime syndicate."

The bill's sponsor, Rep. Steve Crisafulli, R-Merritt Island, linked the fliers to an attempted rape and the beating of a security guard at Daytona Beach hotels last fall. The legislation "gives law enforcement the tools it needs to keep tourists safe," Crisafulli told the Sentinel.

Lobbyists for Walt Disney World, as well as Central Orlando's hotel association, appeared last week to support the legislation, the paper says.

Similar legislation almost passed last year but died because of an unrelated political debate over abortion, the Sentinel says. Whether it succeeds this time remains to be seen, since it has attracted some skepticism on both sides of the aisle.

Rep. Daphne Campbell, D-Miami, called it "ridiculous" to jail people for passing out fliers in hotels, particularly when the state faces a nearly $4 billion budget shortfall.

Read More

http://travel.usatoday.com/hotels/post/2011/01/florida-hotels-pizza-menus/140834/1

Florida tourism promoters turn on the stunts

Snow, snow go away was probably the least profane thing a commuter trapped in falling snow and 13 hours of gridlock surrounding Washington could say Wednesday night. But Florida's tourism officials say keep it coming.

Winter is always high marketing season for the Sunshine State, prime time to lure those northerners on the verge of impaling themselves on a snow shovel to strip off their itchy wool and burn their pasty skin amid the swaying palm trees on our beaches.

But this year's miserable weather is producing some extreme moments of schadenfreude among our tourism industry folks too big to pass up.

Earlier this week, as the snow began in New York's Times Square, the Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau unveiled four blocks of ice holding polka dot bikinis and brightly colored swim trunks. The pitch: "Defrost your swimsuit" in Fort Lauderdale.

"We do like to see the weather in other areas. We say 'Ha, ha I'm going to the beach and it's 22 degrees' " where you are, said Francine Mason, the bureau's spokeswoman and a former New Yorker who sought refuge in the sun. "I have some heart; we don't want them stuck on the road."

When a freak of weather produced snow in all 49 states — yes Hawaii, too — except Florida a couple weeks ago, the Palm Beach County Convention and Visitors Bureau produced a 10-second video called Not a Snowplow in Sight. It featured the sounds and sights of the ocean's rippling green-blue water.

The latest pitch comes from the state's public-private partnership, known as Visit Florida, which produced a spoof of a news release featuring an incognito Punxsutawney Phil, the famous groundhog who burrows up from a hole and predicts, for millions of Americans, when winter will end, depending on whether he sees his shadow. According to the social media campaign, Phil had fled Pennsylvania for Florida and can be seen golfing, kayaking and, curiously, being held in the air by a shirtless man at a St. Petersburg resort.

It appears as though Phil is not willing to risk seeing his shadow Feb. 2 and does not plan to return home for Groundhog Day.

Tourism officials say there is a direct correlation between the weather up north and plans to visit a warm destination. The visitors bureau staff in Fort Lauderdale is so convinced of the connection that its uses the temperature to trigger media buys. When the mercury dips to 32 degrees in the Northeast, out come print, television and radio spots.

For those who can't get to Florida right away, the bureau features a live Webcam, trained on the beach.

"If that goes down, I can't tell you the number of calls we get," Mason said.

Perhaps that's what commuters stuck in the car in D.C. were watching on their iPhones

Read More

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/money/florida-tourism-promoters-turn-on-the-stunts-1214759.html