Residents are laying in extra provisions. Hotels are dusting off ”no vacancy” signs and car rental companies are sending their fleets southward.
The annual migration of homosnowbirdus to Florida is about to begin. It`s a happy time down here, and not simply because snowbird dollars help keep Florida green.
Winter in Florida is electric. Hotel lobbies teem with visitors from dozens of states and countries. Cabarets play to full houses. Crowds jam the rails at race tracks and at golf course pro shops. Classy restaurants that are open only in season find queues at their doors.
And often, over the sound of the surf on the beach, you can hear the satisfied cackle of the snowbird taking the sun on the sand. It is usually loudest when he is reading yet another headline about ice storms and blizzards where he isn`t.
Undaunted by the egg that Wall Street laid in October-and quite probably bolstered by the decline of the dollar abroad-more snowbirds than ever are expected to wing south to Florida this winter. Already, the state has welcomed 12 percent more of them than in the same period last year, and one tourism guru, Dick Nunis, the president of Walt Disney Attractions, has predicted that ”this is going to be the greatest year in the history of tourism in this state.”
That`s fine for those who make a living putting tourist dollars into their bank accounts, but what about homosnowbirdus?
If you`re one of that species, planning to head south this winter, fear not. A busy season means more excitement, wider choices and more to do. It might be prudent, though, to be sure your temporary nest here is truly reserved for you in the traditional peak periods of February and March.
If you haven`t been to Florida in a while, you`ll find quite a bit that is new, from the Panhandle in the north to the Keys at the tip of the peninsula.
At the top end, Jacksonville is packing `em in with urban delights. Jacksonville Landing, a Rouse Co. entertainment and dining complex on the St. Johns River that opened in June, has already topped the 500,000-visitor mark. Its beaches may be too cool for bathing in winter, but come the holidays, Jacksonville will stage what it calls its ”answer to the Mardi Gras”-the Gator Bowl extravaganza. The football classic on New Year`s Eve is the highlight, but there`s much more to it than that: a light parade on the river and street fete among them.
Farther west in the Panhandle, the gorgeous white beaches that make this part of Florida a popular summertime destination are quiet in the winter. But the area for the first time is taking aim with advertising and other blandishments at the snowbirds who overfly their region for the warmer climes. ”Our temperature varies only eight degrees from St. Petersburg and Ft. Myers,” observed Larry White, executive director of the Panama City Resort Council.
That may be true, but snowbirds wonder what that means when St. Petersburg`s mercury drops to the 30s, as it does on occasion.
All of which explains why southern Florida is more favored by homosnowbirdus.
True, the ever-popular Walt Disney World in central Florida, which corrals the lion`s share of the state`s tourists, can feel a bit chilly in winter without making more than a dent in its tourist count. But then, that`s why the Mouse is mighty.
If you do plan a visit to Disney World this winter, here are two tips:
1. The week before Christmas is much less crowded than the week after, when the park resembles an anthill of humans; January is also relatively uncrowded.
2. If you`re driving to Florida, you may want to stop at Disney`s new Reservation Center in Ocala, the first and only such facility outside the theme park where you can reserve space in Disney hotels, buy admission tickets or simply get an idea what you can do there.
At two other central Florida theme parks, real animals are stealing the show this winter.
Busch Gardens in Tampa built a multimillion-dollar home to show off Ling Ling and Yong Yong, two giant pandas that are wintering there. Busch, with its multitude of thrill rides, shows and zoo, is the pre-eminent tourism presence in Tampa, but winter visitors also flock to such crowd-pulling events as the Gasparilla Pirate Festival and Florida State Fair, both in February, and the Winter Equestrian Festival in March, one of the country`s major shows.
Animals are also the star attractions at Sea World in Orlando. The big theme park`s killer whales, dolphins and sea lions have long been crowd favorites, but visitors have lately fallen in love with the waddling, formal- dressed inhabitants of the park`s new $21-million Penguin Encounter.
There`s more to central Florida than theme-park-hopping, of course. A fairly new phenomenon is the rise of theme restaurants. Medieval Times started it with its dinner-with-jousting banquets in a simulated castle a few years back. Now you can also dine Elizabethan style at King Henry`s Feast, equestrian style at Arabian Knights (beginning in January) or Wild West style at Ft. Liberty, to name a few spots.
Farther south, on the sunny Gold Coast, lit-up skyscrapers like I.M. Pei`s CenTrust Tower have created a new night-time look in Miami`s downtown. Special Light Up Miami programs are scheduled for New Year`s Eve and Jan. 21. On those nights Miami will light up its sky with lasers shooting from building to building, spotlights criss-crossing the skyline and buildings ablaze with light.
The light shows, like Bayside, the $93-million Rouse Co. complex that opened last spring on the bayfront, are bringing more people downtown. Immediately adjacent, Bayfront Park will reopen on Valentine`s Day after a $30-million restructuring that includes a laser-topped, 100-foot fountain designed by Noguchi, a baywalk promenade and a large amphitheater. And just three blocks away, a brand new 16,500-seat indoor arena is nearing completion. It will house Miami`s new NBA basketball franchise, the Heat.
On the beach side of Biscayne Bay, name entertainers are packing their bags for winter appearances in various clubs here, Sunny Isles is replenishing its eroded beach to make it 180 feet deep and the trendy South Beach, with its Art Deco hotels, is getting trendier with new Crawdaddy`s and Penrod`s restaurants and several new night spots.
In the Keys, four facilities now offer what has become a popular tourist diversion-swimming with dolphins. Rates run from around $25 to $40. A new complex called The Wharf has opened in Key West at the site of the old Flipper Sea School, offering dolphin and sea lion shows, a number of shops and restaurants. Singer Jimmy Buffet has opened a T-shirt shop on Duval Street and a second annual Buskerfest-an international fair for street performers, held on Mallory Square-is scheduled for early January. The Key West Literary Seminar, which draws top writers, is also slated in that period.
And for college students who traditionally head south on spring breaks, Ft. Lauderdale is offering an olive branch. The city became Where the Boys Used to Be last year when it cracked down on partying students, losing millions of dollars in revenue in consequence.
”The Wall (that was put up to divide beach and city) is gone,” said Broward County Commissioner Nikki Grossman, ”and the police chief is gone. I don`t know what more of a message the kids would want.”
