Construction progresses for Panama City Garden Club project
Recently, city officials have focused on beautifying the garden club's home.
Crews are close to completing the rebuild at the garden club facility and city officials are proud of the community partners that have helped make the project a success.
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'Any time that you have local businesses that are willing to give back to the community, I think the community deserves to know that,' said Parks, Culture and Recreation Director Keith Mefford.
The Panama City Garden Club is a prime example of partnership turned into progress.
'This is one of my favorite projects, me, and one of the other team members of the city have kind of taken charge of. It's great that you call it my baby because I, do, have really a lot of value and buy-in in this building,' Mefford continued.
Mefford said community use of the space has already been booming, with several recent additions, like a disc golf course, newly planted trees, walking paths and more. But the completion of this clubhouse will cement the revival for the Panama City Garden Club and for the public as a whole.
'A whole new energy, I think. So they're really excited. We talk weekly, but as far as this location, I think it'll be a great gathering place for receptions, birthday parties and weddings in the park. And we got our trails back in place, we have exercise equipment,' Mefford added.
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The space will hold around 175 people, and renting out the space will eventually create revenue for the city.
Mefford estimated the city has saved somewhere between $750,000 and $1 million on the project, thanks to businesses donating design plans, special rates or volunteering their time.
Mefford said construction on the space should be wrapped up sometime in July.
The garden club is looking for new members. They'll also need help moving into their completed clubhouse.
To learn more about one of the oldest organizations in Panama City, click here.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Forbes
3 days ago
- Forbes
The Real Reason For Building Disneyland In Abu Dhabi
The upcoming Disneyland park in Abu Dhabi is expected to cast a powerful spell on the economy of the glitzy Middle Eastern state and it will also make Disney's magic available to people who wouldn't otherwise be able to visit its parks. It is no secret that Abu Dhabi is building theme parks to diversify its economy. Its fortune was built on fossil fuels but as its reserves are beginning to run out it has brought global theme park giants to its shores to drive tourism revenue. That's far from the only magic touch they have. Although Abu Dhabi and neighboring Dubai are seen as being playgrounds exclusively for the world's wealthiest people, the vast majority of their residents are far from billionaires. There is good reason for this. Developing a leisure sector to diversify a country's economy takes more than the wave of a magic wand. In order to do this, Abu Dhabi, Dubai and the five other states that comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE), have built sprawling facilities and hired hundreds of thousands of people to work in them. They tend to come from nearby nations where they might not earn as much as they do in the UAE. It explains why a staggering 88.5% of the 11.4 million residents of the UAE are expats according to Global Media Insight. The number of expats from the United States is reflected in the vast array of its stores and restaurants which have made their way to the UAE. They include everything from chains like Applebee's, Dickey's Barbecue Pit and IHOP to fine dining outlets such as California's Urth Caffé and Sarabeth's which began life as a small bakery-kitchen on New York City's Amsterdam Avenue in 1981. Nevertheless, the number of U.S. expats in the UAE pales in comparison to the 5.9 million who come from India and Pakistan. Together they represent more than half of the UAE's total population and many of them are responsible for building the spectacular towering structures scattered across the country's landscape. It explains why data from the California-based Economic Research Institute shows that the average annual salary in the UAE comes to $48,993 (AED179,949) compared to $66,991 in the U.S., proving that you don't have to be a billionaire to live there. The UAE has a wide catchment area to draw on as one-third of the world's population is located within a four-hour flight of the country. It is also part of the largest global airline hub in the world, with 120 million passengers traveling through Abu Dhabi and Dubai each year. In order to welcome them as workers and tourists, the UAE has some of the friendliest visa regulations of any country. As this author has reported, the UAE and the Middle East in general are home to many of the most passionate Disney fans worldwide. So much so that when Disney announced at the height of the pandemic that it would close almost all of its iconic stores to focus instead on online sales, it opened a landmark new outlet in Kuwait. However, despite being fervent Disney fans, many residents of the UAE and the five nearby Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) nations aren't able to visit its theme parks. Although Disney has six resorts worldwide, its Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Instagram account focuses on just two of them as it describes itself as "the official guide to information about the amazing experiences at Disneyland Paris, Disney Cruise Line and Walt Disney World." That's because Disneyland Paris and Walt Disney World in Orlando have historically been the studio's most popular outposts for travelers from the Middle East. However, in recent years, getting there has been far from child's play. When Disneyland Abu Dhabi was announced in May, Subair Thekepurathvalappil, senior manager at Wisefox Tourism, told the Khaleej Times newspaper that getting a visa to France, where the nearest Disneyland is currently located, can be difficult for many UAE residents. In contrast, not only does the UAE have a simpler tourist visa process, but it it is set to introduce a GCC Unified Visa which will enable travelers to visit Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain without needing additional paperwork. "There's already a lot of talk in the travel industry about Disneyland Abu Dhabi. We expect it to be a massive hit, especially once the unified GCC tourist visa comes into effect. It will be a must-visit for anyone coming to this region," Subair explained. "Passports will no longer be needed for UAE families dreaming of Disney magic." The impact of this was laid bare in a separate report by the Khaleej Times in May which revealed that 23.7% of applications for visas to Europe's Schengen area filed by UAE residents were rejected last year. The dark clouds aren't just hanging over Europe. Recent data from the National Travel and Tourism Office revealed that the number of overseas visitors to the U.S. in July fell 4.9% on the previous year, only reaching around 86.6% of the pre-pandemic level despite it being one of the busiest seasons of the year. It is the latest development in a months-long trend which also saw international arrivals fall 6.6% in June. It follows a string of high-profile rejections to U.S. visa applications made by everyone from ambassadors to ordinary travelers. Indeed, in April an Indian man's story went viral after he posted on Reddit that his visa for a two week vacation to visit Disney World in Orlando was rejected after an interview which lasted just 40 seconds. In fact, a recent report by Gulf News revealed that India is one of the top ten Asian nations with the highest rejection rates for visas to the U.S. Other countries in the top ten include Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, the Philippines and China which together represent a massive 74.3% of the UAE's population. Almost half of U.S. visa applications made from Bangladesh are rejected setting a high barrier for its residents to visit Disney's stateside theme parks. Bangladeshis represent 7.38% of the UAE's population which clearly illustrates the untapped potential for Disneyland Abu Dhabi. The more people who visit the park, the more money flows into its leisure sector. As Mohamed Al Zaabi, the trailblazing boss of Abu Dhabi's theme park operator Miral, explained to this author in 2023, this strategy "is about diversification of Abu Dhabi's economy." Miral isn't stopping at Disney as it acknowledges that there are other parks in Orlando which locals would want to visit. SeaWorld is one and Miral ticked that off in 2023 when it opened by far the most advanced outpost of the marine life park. Harry Potter is another. Attractions themed to the boy wizard are found in Universal Studios parks but soon Miral will be the only other operator with them when they open in Abu Dhabi as this report recently explained. Abu Dhabi even recently debuted an exhibition of props from the Potter movies which resembles a scaled-down version of the popular behind the scenes tour in London. It's not got the tour's sweeping size but it's enough to satiate locals as they wait for the Potter theme park attractions. In contrast, when Disneyland Abu Dhabi swings open its doors it could be the Mouse's biggest park as this report revealed. It is expected to be home to the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge land giving Abu Dhabi yet another draw from Orlando. The park may be years away from opening but the force is already strong in Abu Dhabi.
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Yahoo
Disney Just Made 6 Announcements That Matter For the Future of Their Theme Parks and the Company
The Disney theme parks are constantly changing. In recent years, they have become the key asset of The Walt Disney Company, as cable TV subscribers and the associated money that the company earns from them have declined. Now, the company is going all in by investing over $60 billion in theme park expansion. Today, we got a business update on The Walt Disney Company during their quarterly earnings call. There were a couple of different news announcements that matter to Disney fans. Let's dive into what we learned today. READ MORE – Wow, can you believe it's so soon?? We can't wait. Disney World Has Biggest Q3 on Record During the earnings call, Disney announced that Walt Disney World had the biggest Q3 on record. Note that the quarter being discussed here ran from March 30 to June 28, 2025. This includes the popular spring break period covered in our Mickey Visit Disney World Crowd Calendar and the beginning of summer. The period also includes the time when Universal's new Epic Universe theme park opened to the public, which is notable because some worried that the new park would cannibalize Disney guests. We are going to keep a close eye on this in the coming quarters as well. Disney CFO Hugh Johnston discussed this briefly on the call, saying, "in light of the fact that there is a competitive offering in the marketplace, the fact that attendance came in as well as it did is something that we feel terrific about." Notably, the "biggest" refers to the financial success of the resort and not attendance. In fact, the attendance is flat compared to the same period in the previous year. The success of the quarter for Disney is due to the increased amount of spending per guest. The occupancy rate of domestic Disney hotels was up, meaning that the hotel spending likely drove part of this increase. This could, of course, also be tied to continued Disney theme park ticket price increases. This Walt Disney World success comes as Disney is focusing even more on growing the Disney theme parks business, by both reinvesting in the business to deliver new experiences that expand the number of visitors each year and increasing prices. Disney's increased focus on the theme parks, including its plans to invest $60 billion in new Disney theme park additions, will understandably lead to a focus on increasing the profitability of the parks. It's an area that I want to go more in-depth on to consider the long-term ramifications of new Disneyland rides and new Disney World rides, and how Disney will continue to balance expansion and price increases in the future. Bookings Looking Ahead Are Strong Disney CFO Hugh Johnston shared that bookings for the fourth quarter are up 6% and that the Disney Cruise Line bookings into next year are very strong. Talking about Disney Cruise Line, Johnston said, "We are already basically half booked out for all of next year and the newer ships are even higher in that regard." Disney Cruise Line recently launched the Disney Treasure Cruise ship (read my review of what's good and bad!), and they are getting ready for the debut of the new Disney Destiny Cruise ship for the US market and the Disney Adventure Cruise ship for the Asian market. Disney CEO Bob Iger also chimed in, saying, "It is also one of the best experiences that we offer across our experiences business." He also talked more specifically about the new Disney Adventure ship, saying, "it is essentially a floating ambassador for the Disney brand. If you have been on any of our ships, particularly the new ones, we use our IP built into the entire experience. And so I think this will create a great opportunity for us in Asia but particularly in Southeast Asia." The Disney Cruise Line business remains a big area of potential growth for Disney. They have multiple new ships coming in the following years. If you are a fan of Disney Cruise Line, expect more opportunities to sail on different ships in different locations over the coming years. READ MORE – Wow, can you believe it's so soon?? We can't wait. Disney Parks Overall Quarter Success Disney's Experiences segment, the division that is home to the theme parks and consumer products businesses, reported $2.5 billion in operating income for Q3, up $294 million year-over-year. Domestic Parks & Experiences saw 22% growth, reaching $1.7 billion in operating income. The domestic reporting includes Disneyland, Walt Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line. 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Lilo and Stitch Catching Up to Mickey Mouse in Popularity Disney CEO Bob Iger opened the call by discussing a recent success of the quarter. He shared that Lilo and Stitch is on track to become Disney's second-largest licensed merchandise franchise this year behind only Mickey Mouse. This is more than a 70% revenue growth compared to last year. This news comes after the recent success of the live-action Lilo and Stitch film. This is another sign that Disney won't be done with these live-action remakes. That movie helped to reinvigorate interest in this franchise and helped to push the characters to the top of the licensing list for Disney. We also wonder if this recognized success could lead to another look at how Stitch is used in the theme parks. Perhaps we could see a new attraction or the return of the now-closed attraction in Tomorrowland at Walt Disney World. This is another area where I would not be surprised to get news. We also know that they are already at work on a sequel to the live-action movie. ESPN Deal with NFL – Could Draft Come to Disney World? Disney is moving forward to make a noteworthy deal with the NFL. They announced that ESPN will acquire NFL Network and certain other media assets owned and controlled by the NFL in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN. This deal still needs regulatory approval. Separately, ESPN and the NFL reached an agreement that includes expanded NFL highlight rights within multiple fan-engagement platforms, and more interactive features for ESPN's DTC offering and the ESPN App, including betting and fantasy. ESPN will also gain the ability to sell and bundle NFL+ Premium, which includes NFL Network and NFL RedZone, to its ESPN DTC subscribers, along with rights to additional non-exclusive preseason NFL games for its DTC offering, both starting in the 2025 season. An additional separate agreement extends ESPN's NFL Draft rights, with the ability to stream ESPN and ABC's draft coverage on ESPN DTC, Hulu, and Disney+. Disney CEO Bob Iger actually quipped to The New York Times that he was "looking forward to the day when Roger [Goodell] announces a draft at one of the castles in our parks - wearing Mickey Mouse ears." Not that we actually expect this any time soon, but Disney's increased influence with the NFL could lead to an even stronger relationship that allows for even more Disney synergy plays to knit together the brands. The winner of the NFL Super Bowl already goes to Disneyland or Disney World after a win. Maybe the draft should be there too? Disney also announced that as part of the upcoming launch of the new ESPN standalone app, the service will become the exclusive U.S. home of WWE's top live events, including "WrestleMania," "SummerSlam," "Royal Rumble," and "Survivor Series." Other Big Disney Company News Generally, it is important to understand how the rest of the Walt Disney Company is performing beyond the theme parks. It gives us a better understanding of where investments will be made in the future. For instance, understanding that shifts in the linear TV business led the Disney theme parks to become the main profit driver for the entire company explains why Disney is increasing theme park prices and investing so much more in this area. Total revenue rose 2% for Disney's fiscal Q3 to $23.7 billion, a hair lighter than forecasts. Adjusted earnings per share were a big beat at $1.61, up from $1.39. Disney Entertainment Division Focuses Revenue for Disney's entertainment segment was up 1% to $10.7 billion. This includes traditional TV networks, direct-to-consumer streaming, and films. The entertainment division suffered from a comparison to the previous quarter last year, which included the successful Inside Out 2 film, as well as the ongoing decline in linear television subscribers. These were offset by positive streaming results. Across the media networks and streaming business, Disney seems focused on integrating the streaming services and linear TV whenever possible. They are working to bring the Hulu app into the Disney+ app so that it can become one unified offering. Iger discussed this generally, saying, "We are at a point, given the way we operate our businesses, where we do not look at being in the linear business and streaming business. We are in the television business. And what we are doing is giving our customers, our viewers, a chance to watch our programming as Hugh just said, wherever they are." They also mentioned multiple big improvements to the Disney+ app rolling out soon. There was also quite a big focus on ESPN, as I mentioned above, and making the launch of the new standalone service, which will be the first time that you can get all of ESPN without a cable subscription, successful. Follow along with us here on Mickey Visit as we keep you up to date on the latest Disney theme park news and happenings that impact your park trips. We are in an exciting time for theme park fans and those watching the Disney company. READ MORE – These 10 Disney Rides Have Changed Dramatically Since Their Opening I've seen changes come and go, and like many seasoned Disney park goers, I've become familiar with the resulting emotional rollercoaster. It can be sad when the company decides to overhaul or even remove a beloved attraction. On the other hand, there are times when it's easy to embrace a much-needed update. Here are ten Disney attractions that have transformed substantially since opening day, for better or worse. READ MORE – 11 Unwritten Rules of the Disney Parks You Really Need to Follow From knowing what time the park opens to getting the right ticket, understanding park hopping, and hitting all the top attractions, it can be tough to keep it all straight! Along with those more logistical items to keep track of, there are also quite a few "unwritten rules" to be aware of. Learn this secret code of Disney park etiquette here so you don't unknowingly make a faux pas on your next visit! The post Disney Made 6 Big Announcements Today. Here's Why They Matter For Theme Park Fans. appeared first on Mickey Visit - Disney News & Planning Tips.
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Yahoo
Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (FUN) Is. Just 'Horrendous,' Says Jim Cramer
We recently published . Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:FUN) is one of the stocks Jim Cramer recently discussed. Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:FUN) is a leisure company that operates theme parks, water parks, and other properties. Its shares dipped by a whopping 20% after the firm's second-quarter earnings report saw it cut its midpoint operating income guidance to $885 million from an earlier $1.10 billion. Investors were further shocked by the fact that Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:FUN) also predicted half a million fewer visitors to its theme parks. Naturally, Cramer wasn't impressed with the performance and didn't hold back with his comments: 'They're a horrendous operator. They're horrendous. They've been horrendous forever. And they don't deserve to be in the sentence.' Pixabay/Public Domain Here are his earlier thoughts about Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE:FUN): 'Don't be interested in it. I don't like the theme parks other than Disney.' While we acknowledge the potential of FUN as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an extremely cheap AI stock that is also a major beneficiary of Trump tariffs and onshoring, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now. Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.
