Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

In honor of Memorial Day we have set up a very special offer for those brave men and women who serve and who have served us with pride and honor.

Go to www.FloridaLeisure.com/Military for more details.

Over the last few days I’ve been following an interesting article about Napa County changing a ban on vacation rentals. The full article by Dan Verel is here but the basic gist is that the Board of Supervisors in Napa County are seriously considering over turning the restrictions that exist on renting out vacation homes.

For me, I’ve never understood the people who want to do this. Seems crazy to me that property owners are prevented from a basic right of ownership and that is to rent out their property. Sure, I understand some of the people who are concerned about noise, trash and the comings and goings of transient vacationers but having been involved in this business for a long time the evidence just doesn’t stack up for banning vacation rentals.

Having being President of the local vacation property manager’s association (CFVRMA) not so long ago, I know only too well what our industry contributes to the local economy. For a start there’s thousands of jobs both directly and indirectly supporting the industry and then there’s the small matter of the tax dollars collected by the local government that far outweighs any other argument as far as I can see.

In Central Florida, vacation rentals are a $4.1 Billion business. In Polk county alone we contribute over half of the sales tax revenue and we surely can’t be far away from that in Osceola county where the number of rental units is similar. So that’s the monetary side…what about the environment and the “feelgood” factor.

Well, in addressing that, I have to say that most owners are absentee owners and that means they have to choose a professional property management company to look after their property. From the evidence I have seen all over Central Florida, vacation rental property is indeed far better looked after than residential property on the whole. A quick ride around the neighborhood will show that lawns are being kept in good condition, that houses are painted regularly and general maintenance is being attended to. Compare that with the average residential unit and it’s not uncommon to see long grass, awful looking homes and maintenance on the deferred list.

Sure, the chances of getting a bad neighbor are there but usually that neighbor is only there for a week or so and then they are gone. Now, what can you do about the bad neighbor who is a full time resident?

In Napa they are saying there are around 300 illegal vacation rentals currently in operation. Well, in Central Florida our number is nearer 20,000 and frankly, we contribute more to the economy than most people in high up positions like to acknowledge. Napa say that by legalizing these rentals that hotel tax revenue could increase by up to $1.45 million… go figure… I guess some folks need time to wake up and smell the coffee.

Vacation rentals are a win-win-win scenario. First of all the guests renting them win because they love staying in this type of property, second the homeowner wins because he can offset some of the running costs and over time have a decent investment and then thirdly, the local economy wins by the collection of taxes and spin offs for local business.

To me it’s crazy that bans like this are in place. All this does is cause ill feeling and ultimately it keeps property values down as you restrict the market to whom you can sell. It’s time to move out of the dark ages Napa. People who own vacation properties are not your enemy… they are the people trying to spur interest in your area and to bring people there to enjoy a great vacation.

Napa is a great place and one day I’d love to rent a home there so I can enjoy the great food and wine. In fact, I tell you what… any of you who still have any lingering doubts about vacation rentals…why not pop over to Orlando and see how we do it… it would be my pleasure to show you around.

Well tonight’s the night we celebrate some ground breaking technology, career capping performances and the biggest Best Picture race we’ve ever seen. Yes, it’s Oscar night and there’s quite no other night like it.

In our household we put on the pre-show with the Countdown to the Red Carpet and then we stay glued to all the evenings events…managing to cook and eat dinner with crepes suzette to round it all off.

So let’s take a look at this year’s super-sized Best Picture. In the past academy members were asked to simply mark off the movie they liked the most. This year, however, we break with tradition as 10 movies are nominated and academy members have to rank the contenders from 1 through 10.

What happens next is that when all first place voting forms are counted the film with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and those voters second choices will count instead. This process will then continue until one move gains more than 50% of the vote. It is therefore entirely possible that the film with the most No. 1s won’t necessarily win!

So who are the nominees:

Avatar, Inglorious Basterds and The Hurt Locker are the early favorites with Up In The Air, Precious, An Education and District 9 all following closely. It’s highly thought that A Serious Man and The Blind Side will be most likely to be eliminated first of all.  Our pick: The Hurt Locker

In the Best Actor category we see Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart, George Clooney -  Up In The Air,  Colin Firth – A Single Man,  Morgan Freeman – Invictus and Jeremy Renner – The Hurt Locker are the nominees. Our Pick: Jeff Bridges

Best Actress: Sandra Bullock – The Blind Side, Gabourey Sidibe – Precious, Meryl Streep – Julie & Julia, Helen Mirren – The Last Station and Carey Mulligan – An Education all contend. This one will be a close race between Bullock and Streep. Our pick: Sandra Bullock

Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz – Inglourious Basterds, Woody Harrelson – The Messenger, Stanley Tucci – Inglourious Basterds, Stanley Tucci – The Lovely Bones and Matt Damon – Invictus. No problem on this one… a clear cut Our Pick: Christoph Waltz.

Best Supporting Actress: Mo’Nique – Precious, Maggie Gyllenhaal – Crazy Heart, Anna Kendrick – Up In The Air, Penelope Cruz – Nine and Vera Farmiga – Up In The Air. Our Pick: Mo’Nique.

Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker, James Cameron – Avatar, Lee Daniels – Precious, Jason Reitman – Up In The Air and Quentin Tarantino – Inglourious Basterds. Our Pick: Kathryn Bigelow.

So that’s all the awards we really care about isn’t it? Sure there’s another hundred categories such as Best Animated Feature (Our pick: Up), Best Foreign Language Film (who cares?), Best Documentary (The Cove), Best Make Up, Best Costume Design, Best Sound Editing / Mixing etc., but all we really care about are the top six categories… am I wrong?

Let me know what you think…who’s going to walk away with this year’s Oscar’s?

Enjoy you’re evening…

Another great night to be in Central Florida as a Delta IV Rocket launched at 6.57pm tonight. That said, the weather is pretty cold and I’m just about done with Winter… when is the warmer weather going to return? Anyway, here’s a short video I did of the launch…

I’m all excited today… my tickets for the Arnold Palmer Invitational Bay Hill PGA event arrived yesterday. I’m going to the practice pro-am on Wednesday 24th March and then I’m going to try out the Wine and Dine on 9 on Friday 26th during the main tournament.

The special event pass is sold separately and will entitle me to try out appetizer and wine samples from such great local restaurants as Morton’s, Flemings, Timpano’s and The Capital Grille.  It’s a great idea and I’m sure it will be a great success!

Although it’s unlikely Tiger Woods will be there, player commitments for the Palmer Invitational continue to roll in. As of this date, player commitments include Retief Goosen, local resident Zach Johnson, Ryan Palmer, Kenny Perry, Vijah Singh, Bubba Watson and rising star Brandt Snedeker. Daily player pairings for the Arnold Palmer Invitational are announced on the event website. Tournament proceeds benefit the Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and the Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies.

If you’re planning a trip to Orlando then this is a great event for all golf enthusiasts. The event starts on Monday 22 March with a pro-am tournament and youth day, meaning all those under 17 can get in free of charge. Tuesday is a practice day for the pros and then Wednesday sees the main Pro-Am before the main event begins on Thursday 25th running through four intense days of competition ending on Sunday 28 March.

If you are also looking to play a little golf in Orlando during the tournament, then check out our golf page on the main Florida Leisure web site or do a search on “golf” this blog using the the “search” button at the top right.  You’ll find lots of information on local courses and where to play.  Also, it’s important to note that all of our vacation home communities are located just 20-25 minutes away from the Palmer PGA tour event.

Hit them well.

Well, today’s the day that the 21st Winter Olympics begin and they run all the way through to 28 February. The Winter Olympics feature many winter sports held on snow or ice, such as alpine sking, cross country skiing, figure skating, bobsledding and ice hockey.  Cross-country skiing, figure skating, ice hockey, Nordic combined, ski jumping and speed skating have been competed at every Winter Olympics since 1924. Other athletic events have been added as the Games have progressed. Some of these events, such as luge, short track speed skating and freestyle skiing have earned a permanent spot on the Olympic programme. Others, like speed skiing, bandy and skijoring  have been demonstration sports  but never incorporated officially as an Olympic sport.

With a population of more than 2.5 million people, Vancouver will be the largest metropolitan area to ever host a Winter Olympic Games. Vancouver is a beautiful low-altitude, seaport city with a perfect climate to host the games. Most of the venues will be located in the Vancouver metropolitan area, with the exception of the alpine, Nordic, and sliding events, which will be held in Whistler…a truly wonderful place. 

The big news ahead of the events is the news that American ski star Lindsey Vonn is injured and may not compete in the  first test of the women’s downhill run.

Vonn, who stunned fans and media alike by announcing she had picked up a shin injury during training in Austria last week, was left grimacing in agony after pulling her ski boots on for the first time in days.

The 25-year-old two-time World Cup champion had harboured hopes of winning at least one, and at most three gold medals here in Whistler.

However, after gingerly walking past onlookers as her coach carried her skis to the lift, a dejected looking Vonn looked a million miles away from the top step of the Olympic podium.

Vonn was set to start the first downhill training run for her first scheduled race, the super-combined on Sunday, with bib number 16. Let’s hope she recovers…the world deserves to see the best compete.

Injuries also seem to be dominating the world of men’s ice hockey as well.

The list of Olympic walking wounded grew this week with Canadian forward Ryan Getzlaf going down with an injured left ankle while playing for the Anaheim Ducks in the National Hockey League.

Canadian general manager Steve Yzerman announced that Philadelphia Flyers forward Jeff Carter was put on standby in case Getzlaf can’t play in Canada’s first game against Norway next Tuesday.

“I talked to Ryan and his condition is improving. He will try to play this weekend. He needs to skate and see what he can tolerate. Healing is a slow process,” Yzerman said.

Doctors carried out a medical scan on Getzlaf Tuesday which revealled no broken bones.

Injuries are not just limited to Canada with defending champions Sweden also suffering.

Forward Tomas Holmstrom is listed as day-to-day with a leg injury and defenceman Niklas Kronwall is out with a knee injury.

Sweden was given a scare last month when Ottawa captain Daniel Alfredsson separated his shoulder and ended up missing 11 NHL games before making his return to the Senators line-up.

The United States is one of the hardest hit teams by injuries in the weeks leading up to the Games.

Team USA lost defenceman Mike Komisarek due to a season-ending shoulder injury that will need surgery while they are also without defenceman Paul Martin of the New Jersey Devils with a broken arm.

Ryan Whitney of Anaheim and Tim Gleason of the Carolina Hurricanes were named as replacements by American general manager Brian Burke.

Finnish goaltender Niklas Backstrom has been battling a sore back but he is expected to return to the Minnesota Wild lineup this week.

Forward Teemu Selanne also vows to be ready for Vancouver despite breaking his jaw in a January 13 game against Boston.

He will wear a protective face guard over the jaw area.

It was the second serious injury this season for the Ducks star Selanne, who will be competing in his fifth Olympic Games, after missing 17 games earlier this season with a badly broken hand.

Slovakia is still waiting word on the status of superstar forward Marian Gaborik who is out of the New York Rangers’ lineup after suffering a thigh laceration in practice on Tuesday.

The injury occurred when Gaborik collided with Swedish Olympic goaltender and Rangers’ teammate Henrik Lundqvist. Lundqvist’s skate sliced into Gaborik’s thigh causing a deep gash that required stitches.

Here’s a link to the schedule for the 16 day event and a video preview:

One of the best adverts during the Super Bowl 2010 was the one featuring the Griswolds who have finally found a new home… a vacation home to be precise.

Take a look…let us know what you think…

Where is this year going already?

1st February already … and things are moving at a rapid pace here at Florida Leisure. We decided to move our blog to a new domain …so welcome to FloridaLeisureBlog.com and that’ll leave Florida Leisure Online for other things we have planned later in the year.

Our “Give A Day, Get A Vacation Day” campaign is going well and the response has been interesting! We’ve also got a few more things in the pipeline that I’ll be able to tell you about soon I hope…

So what is going on in Orlando this month?

Well for a start there’s going to be plenty of Super Bowl parties this weekend.  Miller’s Ale House, Friday’s Front Row and Bobby G’s Sports Bar & Grill are all great places to head for gourmet buffets and beer, wine and liqour.

Then there’s Valentine’s Day and you”ll find a whole host of events around then. Stuff like “Nude Nite” Fine Art in the Lake Ivanhoe Antique District from 11 to 13 Feb.  There’s also “Art in Bloom” Valentine’s weekend featuring floral designs enhancing artwork found in the Polasek residence.

If art’s not your thing then why not try one of the three Valentine’s Day packages at Discovery Cove? Swimming with the dolphins is one sure fire way to enjoy a great time together.

If you’d like to give a concert a try, then Leu Gardens hosts a Valentine’s Day concert under the stars where you can bring a picnic basket full of your favorite treats and enjoy the music of Michael Andrew with Swingerhead and Ricky and the Buzzcatz.

Of course the movies are always a great place to go on this special day of the year but we also have some great shows. Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group and Phantom of the Opera are all in town and you really should head to at least one of them.

The Osceola County Fair runs from 12 to 21 February at Osceola Heritage Park. Here you can enjoy midway rides and carnival games during the 10 day event meanwhile over at Central Florida Fairgrounds, the Central Florida Fair runs from 25 Feb to 7 March.

February is a big month…be sure to drop by this blog again as I’ll be updating you from time to time.

We’re extremely proud of our colleagues over at Walt Disney World and we were overjoyed when we heard of their latest promotion “Give A Day. Get A Day”.

So we put our heads together to work out how we could make it even sweeter. And we believe we have come up with something very special.

It’s our own “Give A Day Get A Vacation Day” promotion and it’s designed to dovetail into what the good folks at Disney are doing. From now until December 15th if you volunteer to give a day not only will you get a free theme park ticket from Disney but you’ll also qualify to get a free vacation day with Florida Leisure.

Details are on our Give A Day Get A Vacation Day website.

So the final day of 2009 is here…and as always we look back on the year with some fond memories and also some not so fond times. 2009 will probably best be known for the economic situation around the globe but it was also a year when we lost some of the people who gave us all pleasure. Here’s our tribute to them:

PATRICK SWAYZE

After courageously battling pancreatic cancer, the dancer, actor and devoted husband of 34 years passed away on Sept. 14 at age 57. “Patrick was a really good man, a funny man and one to whom I owe much that I can’t ever repay,” said Whoopi Goldberg, who starred with Swayze in his most memorable film, Ghost, a role she says he lobbied for her to win. “I believe in Ghost’s message, so he’ll always be near.”

FARRAH FAWCETT

With her famous hair gone, a visibly frail Farrah Fawcett didn’t flinch at publicly documenting her brave battle with anal cancer in Farrah’s Story. But the Charlie’s Angels star, who died at age 62 on June 25, will forever be remembered as a ’70s golden girl, full of light and laughter. “When I think of Farrah I will remember her kindness, her cutting dry wit and, of course, her beautiful smile.” said her Angels costar and friend Kate Jackson.

PATRICK MCGOOHAN

He was an American-born actor, raised in Ireland and England, with an extensive stage and film career, most notably in the 1960s television series Danger Man (renamed Secret Agent when exported to the US),and The Prisoner. He died January 13th.

BRITTANY MURPHY

Her starmaking turn was as the charmingly goofy Tai in the 1995 comedy Clueless – but Murphy had a striking talent for drama, churning out jaw-dropping performances in Girl, Interrupted (as a suicidal mental patient) and Don’t Say a Word. But after reportedly battling the flu, the 32-year-old actress died of cardiac arrest after collapsing on Dec. 20 at her home in Los Angeles.

DJ AM

It was a scene no one expected: The celebrated deejay – who had survived a fatal plane crash a year ago – was discovered dead of an overdose in his New York City apartment on Aug. 28. Before his death, the 36-year-old (real name: Adam Goldstein) had filmed the MTV addiction series Gone Too Far.

ED MCMAHON

The TV personality, who emceed Star Search and famously introduced Johnny Carson’s Tonight Show for 30 years with his signature opening cry “Heeeeeere’s Johnny!” died of cancer on June 23 at age 86. Britney Spears – who appeared on Star Search as a young girl – Tweeted about the loss, saying, “He is responsible for giving so many artists their first shot including myself. He was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed.”

JANE GOODY

She first shot to fame as a hard-drinking contestant on the U.K. version of Big Brother. But it was Goody’s very public battle with cervical cancer – which she learned about while appearing on the Indian version of the reality show – that captivated the British public. After discovering that her illness was terminal, Goody wed longtime boyfriend Jack Tweed in a televised event (proceeds went to a fund for her two children). A month later, the 27-year-old died in her sleep on March 22 in her Upshire, Essex, home.

BILLY MAYS

Products like Oxi Clean and Kaboom became household must-haves thanks to infomercial pitchman Billy Mays, who always prided himself on the fact that he never endorsed a product he didn’t believe in. That voice was silenced when Mays, 50, died in his sleep June 28 due to a pulmonary embolism. “The news of Billy’s death came as a total shock to me,” Anthony Sullivan, Mays’s costar on Discovery Channel series Pitchmen said.

TED KENNEDY

The iconic Democratic senator from Massachusetts – and the last brother from the Kennedy political dynasty – died August 25 at age 77 after battling a malignant brain tumor. “For his family, he was a guardian,” said President Obama, who was among four Presidents who came out to commemorate the statesman for his life and public service at his burial at Arlington Cemetery. “For America, he was the defender of a dream.”

MARY TRAVERS

Following a long battle with leukemia, the Peter, Paul and Mary singer died Sept. 16 at age 72. The singer had won five Grammys with the trio, whose folk songs include “Puff, the Magic Dragon” and “Blowin’ in the Wind.” “Mary helped awaken mainstream America to the humanizing message of folk music. She reached millions of people in the struggle to guarantee social justice for all and has left a profound and lasting impact on all of us,” her bandmates and friends said in a statement.

KARL MALDEN

Oscar winner Malden – who won Best Supporting Actor in the 1951 classic A Streetcar Named Desire – died of natural causes July 1, at age 91, in his Brentwood, Calif., home. Michael Douglas, who costarred with Malden in 1972′s The Streets of San Francisco, said “[Karl] was my surrogate father. I love this man with all of my heart.”