Features

Foreclosures are climbing across the country, and Florida’s now leading the pack. Tampa, in particular, stands out, as last October, it had the highest foreclosure rate among the nation’s large cities. One out of every 1,373 homes there got a foreclosure filing, according to ATTOM Data. For a lot of people who bought homes during the frenzy between 2020 and 2023, this is turning into a nightmare. Realtors are seeing families who realize they can’t sell without losing money. T

Come celebrate on Friday, December 12, from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., as Everglades National Park opens the new Marjory Stoneman Douglas Visitor Center in Everglades City. After Hurricane Irma destroyed the Gulf Coast Visitor Center back in 2017, the park needed something stronger and smarter. Now, this two-story building stands in its place—built to last, built for the future, and built to honor Marjory Stoneman Douglas, the woman whose passion turned the Everglades from over

Behind every statistic, there’s a story   Florida Experience Magazine is exploring the process of divorce in Florida in our four-part series, “Divorce: Florida-Style.”   Part One   If you’re reading this, perhaps divorce is weighing on your mind—or maybe you’re already in the thick of it. Or you might simply be divorce-curious. If you live in Florida and you're researching divorce, you’ve got plenty of company.   Florida has a reputation for high divorce rates. We’re regularl

The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season wrapped up on November 30. Forecasters started out expecting a wild, above-average year, but things settled down and ended up pretty close to average. What really stands out? None of the five hurricanes made landfall in the continental U.S. That hasn’t happened in ten years. By NOAA’s standards, 2025 actually qualifies as an above-normal season. There were about as many named storms as usual, fewer hurricanes than average, and more major hur

Florida likes to say the first Thanksgiving in the future United States happened in St. Augustine, way back in 1565. Spanish settlers landed there, held a Mass of Thanksgiving, then sat down to eat with the local Seloy—one of the Timucuan tribes. This wasn’t your typical turkey-and-pumpkin-pie affair; picture salted pork, garbanzo beans, and sea biscuits. The date was September 8, 1565. That’s 56 years before the Pilgrims showed up in Massachusetts. The site? Not far from tod

Orange County just rolled out a five-year, $25 million film incentive program, hoping to lure movie and TV productions back to Central Florida. If you’re working on a qualifying project, you can get a 20% rebate on your local spending, up to $1 million. The county wants to breathe life into an industry that took a big hit after Florida cut its statewide incentives back in 2016. Here’s how the program breaks down. There’s $25 million spread over five years—about $5 million eac

The Trump administration just rolled out a plan to open up new oil drilling off the coasts of California and Florida—something we haven’t seen in decades. Trump’s pushing hard to expand U.S. oil production, even as critics warn this move threatens coastal communities and fragile ecosystems. Oil companies have been hungry for fresh offshore territory, especially in places like Southern California and off Florida’s coast. They argue it’ll mean more energy security and jobs at h

Mark Wahlberg just dropped $37 million on a fully furnished mansion in Delray Beach, Florida—Palazzo di Lago. It’s a headline-grabber, not just because of Wahlberg’s celebrity, but because this megahome’s price has shot through the roof since 2020, leaving other luxury markets in the dust. Here’s the wild part: one listing agent, Senada Adzem, has sold this single-family estate four times in five years. That’s $106 million in transactions, all for the same address in Stone Cr

Sorrento, Florida 11/11/25 A powerful solar storm just lit up the skies with northern lights in places you’d never expect—yes, even Florida. That’s the third time Floridians have caught the aurora borealis in 2024. If you want to catch a glimpse, experts say your best bet is to find the darkest spot you can, then scan the low northern horizon. The lights are back, and it never gets old. Meteorologists predicted the aurora would reach almost two dozen states as a strong solar

The government shutdown just hit a record on November 5—longest shutdown ever. Air traffic controllers and TSA screeners, still on the job, haven’t seen a paycheck since October 1. The timing could hardly be worse, with Thanksgiving travel looming and travelers already anxious: Is it safe to fly right now? Are delays and cancellations getting worse? What about those security lines? Let’s get into the numbers. We checked FlightAware for a snapshot of early-morning delays and c

Starting Dec. 1, you can finally bring your dog to the beach in Daytona Beach. The Volusia County Council just made it official with a vote this week—so now there’s a new, dog-friendly stretch of sand. The council signed off on the idea last month, but now it’s set in stone. They all agreed, no one pushed back. You’ll find the dog beach on a 1.7-mile stretch between Williams Avenue and Seabreeze Boulevard. Councilman Troy Kent first pitched the idea. He says people have been

Picture this: You’re swimming off Palm Beach, soaking up the sun, totally relaxed. You dive under and suddenly realize you’re not alone. But it’s not a shark. It’s not even one of those giant, stinging Man-O-War jellyfish you might expect. Nope—it’s a gator. This is exactly what happened to scuba diver Lazaro Ruda. He was about 60 feet down, more than ten miles from the nearest inlet, just doing his thing. Then he spotted something way out of place: an alligator, alone, chill

Good morning. It’s the day after Election Day, but in Miami, the story isn’t over yet. The city still doesn’t have a new mayor. That decision waits for the December 9 runoff, where voters will choose between Miami-Dade County Commissioner Eileen Higgins and former city manager Emilio González. Even with turnout on the low side, a few things stand out. Higgins pulled in more votes than anyone else from a crowded field of 13. The mayor’s job is technically nonpartisan, but her

Flamingos are nesting in Florida again, and it’s the first time that’s happened in a hundred years. Scientists think they’re not just passing through—they might actually stick around. Back in 2023, Hurricane Idalia blew hundreds of flamingos off their usual path. A lot of them ended up in Florida Bay, and people started spotting them more and more. Now, it looks like these birds are bringing back a wild population everyone thought was gone for good. Why are they back? Experts

Heavy rain hammered Central Florida overnight, flooding neighborhoods and shutting down streets across the region. In Brevard County, the downpour hit hard—residents woke up to waterlogged driveways, some cars nearly underwater, and even a fire rescue truck trapped after a road gave way beneath it. The Titusville Fire Department told everyone to stay home and off the roads. Too many people ended up stuck in their cars, and emergency calls poured in. Police in Titusville echoe

Fred stands on a stretch of the Old Seven Mile Bridge that you just can’t reach by foot. If you want to spot him, head to the new bridge somewhere between mile markers 41 and 42. What’s wild is, Fred isn’t a person, he’s an Australian Pine that somehow took root right in the concrete of the old bridge. Seeing a tree growing out of a bridge like that, it’s hard not to stop and stare. People see Fred as a symbol of grit and hope. He’s survived rough storms and more than one hur

Insights from a New WalletHub Review A recent report from WalletHub has placed Fort Lauderdale among the least safe cities in the United States. The review analyzed over 180 cities, focusing on three critical areas: home and community safety, natural disaster risk, and financial safety. The purpose was to pinpoint where Americans are best protected against a range of hazards, including financial threats. Fort Lauderdale ranked sixth from the bottom nationwide, with one of the

Derrious Robinson, LaVell Monger and Tre Idlette, founders of RTW Photography It all began in 2016 as “Ride the Wave Photography.” Initially focusing on fashion, RTW quickly branched out into portraiture, weddings, commercial work, even offering photo booth services.   Founded by Derrious Robinson alongside his University of Florida college classmates and fraternity brothers, Tre Idlette and LaVell D. Monger, RTW Photography stands out as a dynamic, Black-owned media company

Accessory dwelling units—commonly called “granny flats”—are gaining serious traction as a practical lever in Florida’s ongoing struggle with affordable housing. These units, which are basically small, self-contained residences built on existing single-family lots, are attractive because they offer a scalable way to optimize land use without requiring major new development. The real upside here is flexibility. Florida’s housing demand is high, and ADUs let property owners dive

Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party Remember the old days when plans for Halloween were made the week before the big night? Those days have been long gone for years, especially in Central Florida, where Halloween has turned into a multi-month event. There's nothing quite like wearing a ghost costume while the temps run in the upper 80s and dew points in the upper-70s. If you were thinking of popping into Disney’s ever-popular Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party, we have b