I Love South Florida

The Famous Prancercise Workout

January 13, 2013 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

joanna-rohrback

If you don’t know what it means to Prancercise®, then you are so out of the loop on what is hot in fitness right now!

Or maybe you just haven’t seen the viral video yet of Coral Springs woman Joanna Rohrback prancing around a park in what is described as “a springy, rhythmic way of moving forward, similar to a horse’s gait and ideally induced by elation.”

If you haven’t seen the video yet, you can do so here:

Prancercise: A Fitness Workout

Rohrback first created the Prancercise® concept in the 1980s, but it didn’t quite catch on.

Two decades, a book, and a viral training video later – it has become an internet sensation.

In an interview, Prancercise creator Joanna Rohrback said, “I prancercised since ’89. One of the things I started to do was power walking with ankle weights on, on this area along the beach in Hollywood, Florida, called the Broadwalk. And one day, I had my headphones on and I heard some really good music that got me going…and all of a sudden, I got more rhythmic, and more accentuated, and more springy, and that was it.”

Future plans? Rohrback said she hopes to open indoor Prancercise tracks franchised all around the country and even Prancercise parks with real live horses in the middle to get exercisers in the mood. Also, a clothing line including specialized shoes, t-shirts, and DVDs.

All exercising aside, I believe Joanna Rohrback has shown the world how fun and creative South Floridians can be.

You can learn more about Joanna Rohrback, owner of Prancercise LLC, by visiting Prancercise.com or checking out one of these articles she’s been featured in due to her newfound fame:

Prancercise: The Failed 80’s Exercise Video By Joanna Rohrback Goes Viral, Becomes Internet’s Latest Obsession

VIDEO: Prancercise Creator Joanna Rohrback On The Viral Success Of Her Fitness Workout

Interview with Joanna Rohrback, the Prancercise Guru
Also, you can Prancercise with Joanna Rohrback June 18, 2013 , from 6 to 9 p.m., at the Seminole Casino Coconut Creek, 5550 NW 40 St., Coconut Creek, FL. The venue is giving out more than $17,000 in cash and free casino time to the best prancers in the crowd. Call 954-977-6700, or visit seminolecoconutcreekcasino.com for more information.

The Python Challenge

December 6, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

The state wildlife commission is offering $1,000 for catching the longest snake in the Everglades, and $1,500 for catching the most. The event is to be called the 2013 Python Challenge.

2013 Python Challenge — Credit: Pat Lynch – South Florida Water Management District

The challenge will start on January 12 at UF’s Davie campus and move off to the wilderness after a daylong open house on pythons and other invasive species.
Competitors will be allowed to catch snakes at four state wildlife management areas: Francis S. Taylor, Big Cypress, Holey Land, and Rotenberger.

The competition is being sponsored by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Nature Conservancy, the Future of Huniting in Florida, Zoo Miami, and others. The prizes will be awarded Feb. 16 at Zoo Miami.

To learn more about the 2013 Python Challenge, check out PythonChallenge.org http://www.pythonchallenge.org/

[PIC]: Downtown Miami Turns Pink For Breast Cancer Awareness

October 4, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

Downtown Miami is honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month by lighting up pink for the cause.

The Miami-Dade County government has decided to “go pink” for the month of October in an effort to raise awareness of breast cancer.

According to The Republic, a Miami-Dade Police Department vehicle, waste management garbage truck, and a Metrobus have all been painted pink. And the Stephen P. Clark Center Lobby will also be pink throughout the month of October.

One of I Love South Florida’s Facebook fans stated, “This is so cool!”

We couldn’t agree more!

News: Red Bull Flugtag Miami Prepares for Liftoff: Teams Selected

September 14, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

FINAL TEAMS SELECTED TO TAKE FLIGHT NOV. 3

Chosen Aviators for 2012 Event Announced at Unveiling Party

To prepare for Red Bull Flugtag soaring back to Miami this year, Red Bull hosted an unveiling party on Sept. 6 to give “wiiings” to 34 teams chosen to participate in South Florida’s flight and fight event on Saturday, Nov. 3. The main event at Bayfront Park will launch at noon to welcome thousands of Downtown Miami residents and visitors to its beautiful waterfront to watch as the avid aviators compete in the flying spectacle that awes millions around the world.

Rock With U Entertainment’s Ross Bielejeski kicked off the unveiling party at Bongos Cuban Café by announcing the selected teams as they revealed their imaginative aircraft sketches and team names, as well as took part in a little smack-talking with their competitors. This year’s participants are from all over the southeastern United States, with many living locally and around the state, but some hailing from as far as Tennessee, South Carolina and Georgia. From art students and firefighters to engineers and self-proclaimed “pirates,” the mix is sure to please the crowd as their crafted handiwork makes its way into the air…before splashing into the sea below.

The teams participating in the 2012 Red Bull Flugtag Miami are: $2.50; Angry Flamingos; Bacon Soldiers; Bakerized; Banana Pelada; Cublice MADNESS!; Da Avincineers; Despicable Me; Dragon Riders; Fins of Fury; Flyin Shiners; Flying Cox; Go Batty; Hurricane Engineers’ Angry Birds, I Love LA Eats; La Vaca Roja; Magic Carpet Ride; Mars Attack; Pirates of the Care Free Being: Return of the Castaways; Slamacow; Snow Birds; Space Cadets; Spacecoast Flugtag Associates; Team DarkWing; Team Pirate’s Palette; Team Popow with the Flying Chaparro; Team Signal 20s; Team Venezuela; The Iron Manning Iron Men; The Oatmeal Effect; The Shock Guys; Tobacco Road’s Band of Road Warriors; Twisted Sister; and UNF SAME.

“After the thrill of traveling to compete in Red Bull Flugtag Tampa last year, we knew we had a to make a second go of it this year now that it’s back in our hometown of Miami,” said Mitch Phillips of the Hurricane Engineers’ Angry Birds. “We’re even more excited about this year and plan on using our engineering knowledge to create something that’s set to take home the prize, all while having a blast and making sure everyone knows it.”

Teams of four flight crew members and one pilot will not only compete in their distance from the launch pad, but also on innovation of their crafts and costumes to impress the judges. Before watching the teams fly – at least for a few seconds – guests will also have the opportunity to meet participants, view their aeronautical inventions and vote for their favorite to win the “People’s Choice Award.” Each team will also perform a 30-second skit to win over the judges and crowd.

AIM FOR THE SKY

Flugtag, German for “flying day,” is a competition that dares the brave and tests the brainy to design, build and pilot homemade aircrafts off a 30-foot high ramp in hopes of achieving human-powered flight. All aircrafts are entirely human-powered – no motors or stored energy such as slingshots or catapults are used.

Since the first Red Bull Flugtag in Vienna, Austria, in 1991, more than 100 Flugtags have been held around the world, attracting up to 300,000 spectators for a single event. The record for the farthest flight-to-date in the United States currently stands at 207 feet and was set at Red Bull Flugtag Saint Paul in 2010 by team Major Trouble and the Dirty Dixies. The pressure is on for this year’s Red Bull Flugtag flyers to blow these records off the charts! The Red Bull Flugtag in Miami will be the third of four Flugtags held this year, with other competitions occurring in Chicago, Philadelphia and San Francisco.

Red Bull Flugtag is free and open to the public. For more information, visit redbullflugtagusa.com. Select photos are attached, but for additional images and video from past Red Bull Flugtag events for editorial use, visit redbullcontentpool.com.

9/11 Ceremonies in South Florida

September 11, 2012 by I Love South Florida 1 Comment

The 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks will be remembered by South Floridians throughout Miami-Dade and Broward Counties on Tuesday. Here are some events that have been scheduled:

Miami-Dade

• Miami Shores: Commemoration Mass with Archbishop Thomas Wenski, 11:45 a.m. at St. Martha Catholic Church, 9301 Biscayne Blvd.

• Miami-Dade: Ceremony of Remembrance, 9:30 a.m. at Tropical Park, 7900 SW 40th St.

• Miami-Dade: Memorializing a steel beam from the World Trade Center, 11:30 a.m. at Miami-Dade Fire Rescue Station 3, 3911 SW 82nd Ave.

BROWARD

• Margate: 9/11 Ceremony, 8:30 AM at Firefighters Memorial Park, 2500 Rock Island Rd, Margate, FL

• Coral Springs: Memorial Service, 6 p.m. at Northwest Regional Library, 3151 University Dr.

• Hollywood: Memorial Concert, 7:30 p.m. at ArtsPark at Young Circle, Federal Highway and Hollywood Boulevard.

• Fort Lauderdale: All Wars End film premiere, 8 p.m. at Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE Sixth St. Cost: $25. Activities include color guard, poetry reading, and Q&A with cast and crew.

• Fort Lauderdale: 9/11 Ceremony, 9:30 a.m. at Fort Lauderdale Fire & Safety Museum, 1122 W. Las Olas Blvd.

• Fort Lauderdale: 9/11: A Conversation with Bob Graham, 5:30 p.m. at Museum of Art, 1 E. Las Olas Blvd. General admission: $30.

• Fort Lauderdale: Patriot Day Ceremony, 8:30 a.m. at Ron Cochran Public Safety Building, 2601 W. Broward Blvd.

• North Lauderdale: Wreath Laying Ceremony, 1:30 p.m. at North Lauderdale Veterans Memorial, Rock Island Road and Kimberly Boulevard.

• Parkland: Remembrance, 5 p.m. at Parkland YMCA Family Center, 10559 Trails End. Activities include Broward Sheriff’s Office Honor Guard, Trade Center steel display and reading by children.

• Pembroke Pines: Patriot Day Remembrance Ceremony, 8:30 a.m. at Pembroke Pines City Center, 10300 Pines Blvd.

Resources:

Ceremonies to remember 9/11 happening in Southwest Florida – http://www.winknews.com/Local-Florida/2012-09-11/Ceremonies-to-remember-911-happening-in-Southwest-Florida#.UE8rvI1lQf4

NBC Miami: 9/11 Remembrance Events in South Florida – http://www.nbcmiami.com/news/911-remembrance-events-in-south-florida-169286546.html

The Miami Herald: Here are some commemorations scheduled for Tuesday to remember 9/11 – http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/09/10/2995947/here-are-some-commemorations-scheduled.html

CBS Miami: Guide To 9/11 Anniversary Observances In S. Florida – http://miami.cbslocal.com/guide/guide-to-911-anniversary-observences-in-s-florida/

Never Forget!

[PHOTOS]: Hurricane Isaac Destruction

August 27, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

I decided to look up some photos of the “havoc” Tropical Storm/Hurricane Isaac wreaked on South Florida, and here is what I found being publicly shared on social media sites around the web:

[NOTE: Not all exact locations are known. If you are the owner of any of the pictures being shared below and want credit or to have them removed from this page, please contact us here to do so]

Mass Floodings!

The aftermath! A slippery car accident on Oakland Park Blvd. and 441 (State Road 7):

And the best one yet, the Hurricane Isaac "Never Forget" Meme:

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If you have any Isaac photos to share, you can submit them here! Have a good day 🙂

Tropical Storm Isaac Set For South Florida

August 22, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

Several news agencies have released forecasts on Wednesday morning showing Tropical Storm Isaac, set to be a Hurricane by Thursday, on a crash course with South Florida as early as Monday.

The latest track for Isaac posted by Meteorologist Kait Parker shows the storm reaching South Florida shores as early as 2:00 a.m. on Monday, August 27th.

Republican Convention Worries

One worry is that the hurricane could reach Tampa on Tuesday when Republicans gather for the 2012 GOP Convention.

"It is too early to determine what, if any, impacts might be experienced in the Tampa area next week during the RNC," said Dennis Feltgen of the US National Weather Service.

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Whether or not Hurricane Isaac affects your region, it is always important to be prepared with a Hurricane Checklist (Coming Soon).

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Diana Nyad ends 103-mile swim attempt from Cuba to Key West

August 21, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

cuba-key-west-swim

Swimmer Diana Nyad, who turns 63 on Wednesday, cancelled her fourth attempt to swim from Cuba to Key West on Tuesday morning, citing storm squalls and jellyfish. Last year’s attempt was thwarted by ocean swells, shoulder pain, and asthma.

The swimmer’s representative Mark Sollinger reported that Nyad had been pushed off course by an “extremely difficult” Gulf Stream. She was just 50 miles short of success.

The last successful swim from Cuba to Key West, Florida was accomplished by Susie Maroney in 1997, who completed the attempt in 23 hour, 47 minutes and used a shark cage for safety, according to the Los Angeles Times in 2011.

Instead of using a shark cage for protection, Diana Nyad was followed by kayaks with underwater electrical shields that emitted a frequency intended to repulse sharks.

A Reuter’s report claims that this was likely Nyad’s final attempt.

Something tells me that after four attempts, this will not be the last one!

The South Florida Job Market in 2012…Improves!

August 14, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

South Florida is home to some of the richest and most populated cities in the United States, namely Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach. The low taxes, diverse industries, and sunny weather attract employers and workers from all different trades in hopes of benefiting from the region’s lively economy.

The economy thrives mainly on lucrative industries such as Tourism, Agriculture, Health Technology, and the Space Industry, to name a few. As the global financial crisis continues to unfold, up to a 1,000 people move to Florida every day in search of a better opportunity.

However, South Florida has not been immune to the effects of the global economic turmoil. As the international market began to slow down, so did job opportunities in the area. Industries like Tourism and Service, which are very susceptible to global economic conditions, were hit very hard during the Great Recession. In 2010, Forbes ranked Miami as the third worst job market in the country, with 8.5 people unemployed per job available.

As banks in the region suffer, white collar jobs are beginning to disappear, but plenty of opportunities still exist in fields relating to health care, dining, tourism, and other service industries. This current job market outlook may not be ideal for experienced professionals, who may be asked to take pay cuts, but lucrative opportunities still exist for new graduates and entry level workers who need to make money and get a foot in the door. The competition for jobs in South Florida is extremely high, so it is not uncommon for people with college degrees to be working in jobs unrelated to their field of study, especially if they have student loans to pay off.

Jobs are currently growing at about 1.4 percent a month in the South Florida region, which is still well behind the average of 3.6 percent (out of recession) for the state of Florida. Even though there is record hiring in the healthcare and hospitality industry right now, the housing depression resulted in huge job cuts in the fields of finance and construction, causing growth statistics to remain relatively stagnant despite other positive economic news.

As of 2012, the South Florida unemployment rate improved over the course of a year, leading some to believe the economy may finally be recovering, but there have been false hopes before.

What do you think? Does the economy seem to be recovering, or is this just another false hope? Let us know in the comments section below.

A Brief History of South Florida

August 12, 2012 by I Love South Florida Leave a Comment

South Florida is the southern-most part of the state of Florida in the United States of America. It consists of a few highly populated localities, including the Miami Metropolitan Area and Florida Keys, to name a few. Different sources define the boundaries of the region differently. So, officially there are no boundaries that technically define where South Florida begins and ends, but a widely accepted belief is that South Florida encompasses the region below the Metro Orlando area, spanning from Tampa Bay, the Everglades, and the Florida Keys.

Even though there were no historic remains of dinosaurs found in this region, archeologists did locate some traces of the tribes Calusa and the Tequesta. These tribes existed nearly 2,000 years ago and were referred to as “Paleo-Indians”. These inhabitants would have reached South Florida from Asia by crossing North America via the Bering Strait. These tribes primarily were involved in work around sink holes, watering holes and basins in river beds, relying more on fishing than agriculture. These tribes evolved into the Archiac culture and spread into different areas. They lived around fresh or salt water wetlands and were involved in occupations like pottery. Eventually they started breaking into regional cultures.

From Spaniards to Americans

The population of Florida came into contact with European culture in the 16th century. The very first encounters with the population were with the Spanish explorers who recorded about 100 groups with or without political influence. The British gained control and evicted the Spanish in 1700 and divided Florida in two: West and East Florida.

The Spaniards regained their throne of East and West Florida between 1781 and 1783. However, this rule was not for a very long time. In the year 1822, America made Florida its organized territory and merged both East & West Florida back into one. People in North Florida adopted working on plantations as their main occupation. In 1845 Florida became the 27th state in the union of the Americas.

Miami

Soon after Florida was included as part of the United States of America, Miami began to emerge as a city. During the Seminole Wars , Fort Dallas was built on the banks of a river that flowed through the territory now known as Miami. After the Seminole Wars ended, soldiers vacated the fort, and it eventually became a small village. The name of this new village – Miami – came from the Indian word “Mayami” that meant “Big Water”.

Florida Keys

The Florida Keys became popular when importing and exporting in the United States did. The islands became prominent on the maps and were names the “Keys”. This name was taken from the Spanish word “Cayos” that meant “Small Islands”. Most of its residents at the time, known as Conchs, came from the Bahamas.

Fort Lauderdale

During the Second Seminole War, a series of forts were built by the United States and eventually named Fort Lauderdale after Major William Lauderdale, who commanded the crew that built the first fort in the area. The forts and the surrounding region did not become a city until fifty years after they were abandoned when the conflict ended. The area’s major development started in the year 1920 and during World War II it became a major navy base. Today, the City of Fort Lauderdale is a major yachting center and tourist destination.

Other Destinations

The Everglades were declared a national park in 1947 after The Great Depression and World War II.

Palm Beach was created in 1909 and was named after the beaches and palm trees in the area.

Treasure Coast got its name from the number of Spanish galleons that are still being discovered by treasure hunters in this area. About 60% to 70% of Spanish treasure is still hidden under the sands of this area!

Hopefully this brief history of South Florida has given you a glimpse into the exciting past of this Utopian region and stimulates imaginative ideas about what its future has in store!