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Florida’s New Year’s Eve drops: From oranges to drag queens, how cities ring in the New Year with unique flair

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Florida’s New Year’s Eve drops: From oranges to drag queens, how cities ring in the New Year with unique flair


New Year’s Eve celebrations are renowned for their unique and vibrant drops. In Florida, each drop reflects the local culture and spirit of its city. Here’s a glimpse into some of these festive traditions:

Orange Ball Drop in Orlando (Thornton Park)
Orlando rings in the New Year with the iconic Orange Ball Drop, symbolizing Florida’s citrus heritage. A massive, illuminated orange descends as the countdown to midnight begins, accompanied by dancing and food vendors.

Booty Drop in Tampa
Embracing its pirate history, Tampa hosts the Booty Drop during the New Yaargh’s Eve celebration. A treasure chest, representing pirate booty, is lowered at midnight, featuring live entertainment and family-friendly activities.

Pineapple Drop in Sarasota
Sarasota’s Pineapple Drop Carnival is a family-friendly event featuring a large, illuminated pineapple. The festivities include a carnival with rides, games, and live music, creating a vibrant atmosphere for all ages.

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Strawberry Drop in Plant City
Known as the winter strawberry capital of the world, Plant City celebrates with the Strawberry Drop. A giant glowing strawberry is lowered as attendees enjoy live music, local food vendors, and a kids’ zone.

Beach Ball Drop in Panama City Beach
Panama City Beach offers a family-friendly Beach Ball Drop, where thousands of inflatable beach balls are released for an early celebration, followed by the descent of a giant illuminated beach ball at midnight. The event includes live music, fireworks, and entertainment for all ages.

Shrimp Drop in Amelia Island
Fernandina Beach honors its fishing heritage with the Shrimp Drop. A large, illuminated shrimp is lowered to mark the New Year, accompanied by a street festival featuring food trucks, a live DJ, and fireworks.

Red Shoe Drop in Key West
Key West’s famous Red Shoe Drop features a local drag queen descending in a giant red high-heeled shoe. This event is a highlight of the island’s New Year’s Eve celebrations, attracting visitors worldwide. This year, Randy Roberts from LaTeDa will be the one in the shoe, according to the venue.

Keg Drop in Orlando (Ivanhoe)
Ivanhoe Park Brewing Company’s Keg Drop is a popular event among the Ivanhoe Park crowd, where a decorated keg is lowered at midnight. The celebration includes music, a food truck, and fireworks.

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Each of these events showcases the diverse culture and community spirit across Florida, offering residents and visitors memorable ways to usher in the New Year.

You can listen to every episode of Florida’s Fourth Estate in the media player below:

Copyright 2024 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.



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Florida State recruiting: Georgia edge rusher Jaxon Holly commits to FSU over Auburn, Virginia Tech, Georgia

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Florida State recruiting: Georgia edge rusher Jaxon Holly commits to FSU over Auburn, Virginia Tech, Georgia


The Florida State Seminoles landed a verbal commitment from a defensive lineman today, as Jaxon Holly has decided to join #Tribe27.

Holly is a 6’3, 235 pound edge rusher who plays for Roswell High School in Georgia. 247Sports Composite currently has him as a three-star, ranked as the 611th best player nationally (52nd best Edge, 76th best player in GA). He holds three dozen offers and chose the Seminoles over fellow finalists Auburn and Virginia Tech, along with Alabama, Georgia, Indiana, LSU, Michigan, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M, among many others. He obviously wasn’t a priority for some of those programs but certainly was for the Tigers and Hokies. The Bulldogs were also in contention at one point.

Holly was limited to five games last season but still managed 32 tackles (seven for loss), 12 QB hits, two sacks, two pass breakups and a forced fumble. FSU’s edge rusher board has thinned considerably over the past month, and Holly represents a nice win for Nick Williams on the trail. He’s likely going to need at least one season in the weight room before meaningfully contributing, but the tools are there for Holly to be a solid rotational player.

2027 Florida State recruiting: Current commitments

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Florida romance author’s 5 favorite restaurants that inspired new book

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Florida romance author’s 5 favorite restaurants that inspired new book



USA TODAY Bestselling Author Grace Reilly recommends several restaurants in the Stuart and Port Salerno area.

USA TODAY bestselling author Grace Reilly next month will release her new book “Yes, Chef,” which was inspired by several Treasure Coast cities and restaurants.

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The story is set in Diamond Bay, a fictional town meant to be a mashup of different cities from Fort Pierce to Hobe Sound.

A disgraced chef, Jack, returns to his hometown to take over the restaurant his late mentor left him. To revive the restaurant, he teams up with a social media influencer, Poppy, the daughter of his ex-boss.

Since the story was inspired by local restaurants, TCPalm asked Reilly about her favorite restaurants, and here are her recommendations.

Grace Reilly’s Treasure Coast restaurant recommendations

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  • District Table and Bar, Port Salerno: “With a menu that changes regularly, going to District is always an adventure,” Reilly said. “It’s my absolute favorite restaurant and the first place I think of when I need somewhere to celebrate a birthday or milestone. I imagine Fable, Jack and Poppy’s restaurant, as having that same spirit and flair for experimentation.”
  • Hudson’s on the River, Stuart: “When I think of a classic coastal Florida restaurant, this comes to mind immediately,” she said. “Delicious seafood, a fun, bright atmosphere and excellent drinks. No meal there is complete without their deconstructed coconut cream pie.”
  • Sailor’s Return, Stuart: “The restaurant that provided so much inspiration for ‘Yes, Chef,’ ” she said. “The location in Sunset Bay Marina in downtown Stuart is beautiful and the food is classic. It’s right by Gilbert’s Coffee Bar, my favorite coffee shop.”
  • Fantini’s Italian Restaurant, Stuart: “As a former New Yorker, I have lots of opinions about pizza. Fantini’s is actually New Haven-style, but hands down the best slice I’ve gotten so far on the Treasure Coast,” she said. “Pizza Fridays are an institution for my family. I adore their A La Vodka pizza, as well as a classic sausage and black olive combo.”
  • The Gafford, Stuart: “An absolute gem in downtown Stuart,” she said. “It brings classic Southern vibes with South Floridian flair. Their specials are always unique and delicious and the atmosphere is lovely.”

Olivia Franklin is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at olivia.franklin@tcpalm.com, 317-627-8048 or follow her on X @Livvvvv_5.



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Florida jewelry store employee arrested after $150K merchandise theft, fleeing to Panama

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Florida jewelry store employee arrested after 0K merchandise theft, fleeing to Panama


A Lake Worth Beach jewelry store owner is seeking justice after detectives say a trusted employee stole $150K in merchandise and later left the country.

Officers with the Boynton Beach Police Department say 46-year-old Zabrina Herrera Acosta, who was arrested on Friday, managed to pawn at least 126 jewelry items between February and November of 2025, netting nearly $87,000.

The victim told deputies she hired Herrera Acosta in February 2025 at YR Jewelry on South Military Trail.

Because the owner was attending to a family matter, she was unable to be at the store as often as usual and trusted Herrera Acosta to handle the store’s inventory.

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Investigators say that trust was deeply abused when Herrera Acosta intentionally stole items while hiding in a known surveillance blind spot.

See also: World Cup fans gather outside Palm Beach resort amid Ronaldo rumors

The owner did not report the thefts immediately because she confronted Herrera Acosta, who begged for time to pay her back.

However, after learning that her former employee had left the country for Panama, the owner realized she was never going to see her money or gold again.

When Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office detectives stepped in, they uncovered a massive paper trail consisting of 58 separate pawn tickets stretching from Palm Beach to Broward County.

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Pawn shop employees told detectives that Herrera Acosta presented herself as a business owner who sold jewelry for a living. For every transaction, she provided her Panama passport, signed a declaration stating she legally owned the jewelry, and left a fingerprint.

By the time detectives tracked down the shops, only 13 of the 126 items remained in stores, nine of which the owner positively identified as her stolen property.

The store owner later provided detectives with a video recording of their final phone conversation in Spanish, where Herrera Acosta reportedly confessed to the thefts, admitted to selling the jewelry for less than retail value, and promised to pay her back using her grandmother’s gold.

An arrest warrant was signed on January 23, and Herrera Acosta was arrested on Thursday for Organized Scheme to Defraud over $50,000, Grand Theft over $100,000, 29 counts of Dealing in Stolen Property, and 29 counts of False Verification of Ownership to a Pawnbroker.



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