Florida

Florida hotel opens outdoor ice skating rink that will 'stay frozen'

Published

1 year ago

November 9, 2024

Press Room

Florida hotel opens outdoor ice skating rink that will 'stay frozen'

The Sunshine State may be lacking in snow, but that does not mean it is lacking in the magic of the holiday season.

Floridians and travelers have the chance to participate in holiday festivities, including ice skating outdoors.

The Ben Hotel in West Palm Beach, Florida, has transformed its outdoor space into a Winter Wonderland.

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“The rink will stay frozen thanks to a state-of-the-art refrigeration system developed by Ice America, using aluminum coils to continuously freeze the ice, ensuring a high-quality skating experience,” a press release said.

The Ben Hotel in West Palm Beach, Fla., launched a Winter Wonderland, bringing an outdoor ice rink to the Sunshine State. (Palm Beach Influence)

Ice skates are available for rent, and the rink, open to all ages, accommodates up to 70 skaters per 90-minute session.

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“We are incredibly excited to bring this magical experience to the local community. The Ben Hotel thrives on creating moments that are truly unexpected in South Florida, and this Winter Wonderland is no exception,” Bernardo Neto, general manager, said in a press release.

Lisa Enochs, executive director of event production and training at Ice America, told Fox News Digital the ice floor technology was developed in the Netherlands.

“The highly engineered system utilizes a combination of aluminum piping, foldable hose sections, high flow and low pressure to achieve substantially improved chilling capacity, enabling us to freeze water in high heat load locations where previously available systems could not,” said Enochs.

Ice skates are available for rent, and the rink, available to all ages, accommodates up to 70 skaters per 90-minute session. (Palm Beach Influence)

Underneath the Florida palm trees, visitors can enjoy holiday music, festive décor and seasonal treats.

The Winter Wonderland offers a snack chalet, a Top Shelf Elf bar with drinks and festive cocktails, a stand with hot cocoa and apple cider and more.

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The Winter Wonderland offers a snack chalet, a Top Shelf Elf bar with drinks and festive cocktails and a stand with hot cocoa, apple cider and sweet treats. (Palm Beach Influence)

“From the real ice skating to the festive food and chalet-inspired ambiance, we are providing a space where families and friends can gather and make memories that will last a lifetime,” Neto added.

Last year, the hottest winter day in Florida reached 83°F with an average high temperature of 71°F, according to the Florida Climate Center.

The Ben Hotel’s Winter Wonderland exhibition will run until March 1, 2025. (Palm Beach Influence)

On the West Coast, outdoor ice skating during the winter months can be found in the Golden State too.

The Downtown Sacramento Ice Rink will be returning to Ali Youssefi Square, giving Californians a chance to lace up their skates and enjoy a winter day.

In Arizona, CitySkate Holiday Ice Rink opens in Phoenix Nov. 23, and Desert Ice Skating Rink opens its ice rink in Scottsdale Nov. 19.

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The Ben Hotel’s Winter Wonderland exhibition will run until March 1, 2025.

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Florida

Golf roundup: Austin Smotherman plays ‘boring, simple’ to expand lead in Florida

Published

57 minutes ago

February 28, 2026

Press Room

Golf roundup: Austin Smotherman plays ‘boring, simple’ to expand lead in Florida

Austin Smotherman will carry a three-stroke lead into the weekend at the Cognizant Classic at The Palm Beaches.

Smotherman followed his opening 62 with a 2-under-par 69 on Friday at PGA National’s Champion Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. That brought him to 11 under, comfortably clear of Taylor Moore, who is in second after his second straight 4-under 67.

Cognizant Classic scoreboard

“Yeah, leading a PGA Tour event, come on, pretty awesome,” Smotherman said.

Smotherman, 31, is in fine position for his first win on the PGA Tour since turning pro a decade ago. He has won three times on the Korn Ferry Tour, including last June.

Afterwards, he credited himself with playing “Austin Smotherman golf.” When asked what that meant, he responded, “as boring and simple as it can be.

“That’s what I want to do out there. I feel like I ball strike it good enough to have that kind of boring golf, a bunch of fairways ideally,” he said.

He suffered three bogeys Friday after a bogey-free opening round, but the key stretch for him after starting on the back nine was between Nos. 17 and 3. He birdied four holes in that stretch, starting with a 54-foot bomb at the par-3 17th hole.

“Anything under par I thought would have been (good) following up a round like yesterday, which was a special one,” he said, “and try not to get too far ahead of myself thinking I’m going to make every long putt I’m looking at, like kind of was the feeling yesterday, and then today I still make a 55-footer on 17.”

Moore overcame a bogey in each half of his round with three birdies on either nine, more than counterbalancing the rough patches to earn his second straight solid score.

“I think very different 67s,” Moore said when comparing his rounds. “I didn’t hit many fairways yesterday, kind of grinded a lot, had a couple chip-ins, which obviously helps. I thought I struck the ball much better today. Drove it in the fairways on the par-5s, I felt like. Yeah, still had a few up-and- downs, obviously, with the tough windy conditions this afternoon, but overall I thought it was solid.”

Canadian A.J. Ewart had the round of the day, a 64 that powered him to 7 under for the week. He’s tied with Colombia’s Nico Echavarria (72), and Joel Dahmen is in fifth at 6 under after a second consecutive 68.

Ewart, who played for nearby Barry University in college, came in with some familiarity.

“We used to come and watch this tournament when I was at school. I think I came up here twice, maybe three times and watched,” Ewart said. “I had never actually played the golf course, but I felt like I knew it just from watching it.”

Irishman Shane Lowry, one of the most recognizable players in the field, is in a large knot for sixth at 5 under after posting a 67. Defending champion Joe Highsmith made the cut on the number at even par.

Notable players who missed the cut included Webb Simpson (1 over), Gary Woodland (2 over), Matt Kuchar (2 over) and Canada’s Adam Hadwin (3 over).

Kim maintains narrow lead in Singapore

Auston Kim maintained a narrow lead over three seasoned competitors with a 3-under-par 69 on Friday at the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore.

Kim carded five birdies and a double-bogey at the par-5 16th hole at Sentosa Golf Club to move to 9-under par, one shot ahead of major champions Minjee Lee of Australia (64 on Friday) and Thailand’s Ariya Jutanugarn (67) and three- time LPGA Tour winner Haeran Ryu of South Korea (68).

Lurking two shots back at 7-under in the no-cut event are Australia’s Hannah Green (66), Denmark’s Nanna Koerstz Madsen (68), Sweden’s Linn Grant (69) and England’s Mimi Rhodes (69).

Kim, an LPGA Tour member since 2024, has been knocking on the door of her first tour win. The American has eight finishes in the top 10 and was the runner-up at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship last season.

“I think just sticking to my process. I’m trying to earn each shot and win each shot and win each day,” Kim, 25, said of her strategy heading into the weekend. “I can put a hundred percent of my focus into every single shot and try my best to execute each time, I’ll do well.”

Lee soared into contention with an eagle at the par-4 second hole and six birdies in a bogey-free round.

“I think just I holed a few more putts out there,” Lee said of the difference between Friday’s play and her opening-round of 72. “I holed a few long ones and I also holed out for eagle on the second. That always helps the score.”

Jutanugarn had six birdies, including three straight from holes Nos. 5-7, and one bogey.

Ryu collected four birdies in a round free of bogeys, but not free from pain.

“Today, my neck was so bad and I cannot turn it around, it’s so hard, my neck,” Ryu said. “But yeah, golf is not perfect. I just think about it, just hit the fairway and the green. Yeah, that’s good for me. There’s a lot of birdies, and yeah, I’m so happy.”

Angel Yin matched Lee for the low round of the day with a 64 to move into a tie for ninth at 6-under.

Defending champion Lydia Ko of New Zealand (72) remained a 2-under posting four birdies and four bogeys.

World No. 1 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand is tied for 33rd at 1-under after a round of 70.

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Florida

FuelFest kicks off at South Florida Fairgrounds this weekend

Published

13 hours ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

FuelFest kicks off at South Florida Fairgrounds this weekend

One of the hottest car shows in South Florida kicks off this weekend at the South Florida Fairgrounds. FuelFest Founder Cody Walker and actor and singer Tyrese Gibson joined CBS News Miami on Friday morning to break down what you can expect to see at the popular event.

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Florida

Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold named in Florida court filing

Published

1 day ago

February 27, 2026

Press Room

Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold named in Florida court filing

Detroit Lions cornerback Terrion Arnold was named in a Florida court order that is connected to a robbery and kidnapping case. Court records show that the robbery and kidnapping were allegedly orchestrated by 23-year-old Boakai Hilton, by an associate of Arnold, in retaliation for two robberies that happened at an Airbnb Arnold was renting in Largo.

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