It’s been a long week. Here’s a short recap of some fun Florida news stories.
Boca Raton Student Earns Scholarship Through Caddying
A Boca Raton student from St. John Paul II Academy was honored with Western Golf Association’s Chick Evans Scholarship for his caddying excellence at The Country Club of Florida in Boynton Beach, revealing a path to higher education that everyone who’s ever filled out a FASFA form wishes they’d heard of. The scholarship’s recipient, Andrew Craig, will start his freshman semester at Miami University in Ohio (did you think you were special, University of Miami?). The scholarship offers a full, four-year housing and tuition ride for golf caddies, made possible by donations from Country Club of Florida members. With an estimated value of $125,000, we can only assume that means Craig was doing Bagger Vance-level caddying to earn it.
Scuba Divers Off Palm Beach Discover a New Species
The ocean is home to untold horrors. Scuba divers off the coast of Palm Beach encountered one when they came across a glowing jellyfish with 15 tentacles. This eldritch terror has been dubbed “melicertum tropicalis,” or warm water jellyfish. Fortunately, according to the study by the divers published in the Revue suisse de Zoologie journal, these jellyfish are mercifully small—measuring about a quarter of an inch in length. But they also apparently have mouths with eight lips, which is enough to make us wish it had remain undiscovered.
Disney Cancels Tinker Bell
When Disney reopened following COVID closures, there was one character that was quietly shuffled out of the Magic Kingdom’s meet-and-greet lineup: Tinker Bell. We now have confirmation that the “Peter Pan” fairy is being indefinitely removed from the park. The move comes from Disney’s Stories Matter team, which, according to a statement to the New York Times, was made due to the fictional character being “body conscious” and “jealous of Peter Pan’s attention.” Tinker Bell now wears the unenviable cultural designation of “problematic,” and joins Pepe Le Pew in the pantheon of canceled fictional characters. But don’t worry, Disney’s most famously body-conscious character, Ariel from “The Little Mermaid,” and the pantsless Donald Duck are still available for meet-and-greets.
Floridians Get a Break with Tax Cuts
Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that will provide more than $1 billion in tax saving for Floridians this year. “This tax relief package will provide much needed relief for Florida’s families, especially as the D.C. political class shows no signs of reversing course on the inflationary policies of the federal government,” said DeSantis in a statement. The bill is a boon for the growing number of Floridians struggling to cover the ever-increasing cost of living. Highlights of the bill include a one-year exemption on taxes on residential property and flood insurance premiums, and holidays for tax free shopping on everything from disaster preparedness materials, school supplies, recreational items during “freedom month” all July, and more. For more details and dates for tax holidays, click here.
Most Expensive Nacho Award
The recent Formula 1 Grand Prix in Miami made history for having the largest live TV audience ever for an F1 event, which is almost as impressive as the race having perhaps the most expensive snacks at any event in recorded history (at least, since the last Miami Grand Prix). A plate of nachos at the Grand Prix would set you back $180, but those looking for a more affordable option could enjoy steamed Korean BBQ buns for a modest $120. To F1’s credit, they understand that times are tough, which is why the nachos at this year’s event are nearly $100 cheaper than the $275 price tag at last year’s Miami Grand Prix. Pro tip: If you’re attending the Miami Grand Prix next year, be sure to bring your own water or face the hydration tax of $25 for a bottle of water.
Ric Flair kicked out of Gainesville Pizza Restaurant
It’s the beef that everyone is talking about. No, not that one. We’re obviously referring to Nature Boy Ric Flair’s beef with the Gainesville outpost of Piesanos Stone Fired Pizza. The 16-time wrestling World Champion took to X this week, alleging the pizza restaurant showed him more disrespect than he’s ever had in his life. That means he was more disrespected than the time The Filthy Animals tricked him into going into the desert and buried him alive on WCW and the time Batista attacked the Nature Boy on his 70th birthday on SmackDown. The “stylin’, profilin’, limousine riding, jet flying, kiss-stealing, wheelin’ n’ dealin’ son of a gun” alleges that the conflict began when one of the restaurant’s managers was taking too long in the restroom. To be fair, you’d lock yourself in a stall too if someone was outside screaming “WOOO!”
