What’s Going to Replace The Citrus Park Mall Sears Store

The Sears at the Citrus Park Mall has been closed for about 5 years. It's been talked about for years and now it's official. We finally know now what is going to replace the former retail giant.

The Tampa Bay Times reports that the space will be the new home to Florida's second "Elev8" location. The first one opened a couple years ago in Orlando. Elev8 replaced an old Sears store there too in the Seminole Towne Center.

Elev8 is a entertainment center filled with arcade games (180 of 'em), go carts, mini golf, climbing walls, virtual reality stuff, rope courses, laser tag, 12 bowling lanes... and even axe throwing! By the way, for you old school arcade game fans, they say there will be some classics in the arcade.

The Orlando location has a restaurant and bar too. The Times says the Citrus Park location will even have a beer garden. ABC Action News reports the Tampa location could open as soon by the end of the year. [Source: TBT, ABC Action News]

The pandemic definitely changed a lot at Florida's theme parks. Having a ticket wasn't enough. You had to have a reservation. Social distancing presented challenges. But the biggest change for the most dedicated Disney fans was when they stopped selling annual passes.

Disney has announced sales of annual passes will resume this month. Starting Thursday, April 20, you'll be able to choose from these 4 options.

This one's exclusively for Florida residents and you don't have to wait until April 20 for this one. It's actually already available. For $399 (plus tax), you'll get access to the parks on most weekdays. There are some blockout dates during peak and holiday periods. You'll get some other benefits like 20% off some dining options and Disney merch. You can opt to pay all at once or make a $205 down payment and then you pay $19 per month. One neat perk is that your pass includes standard parking. With this pass, you will still need to use the parks reservation system though.

This one's just for us Floridians too.  For $749 (plus tax), you don't have to limit your visits to weekdays.  There are some blockout dates though with this one, usually during holiday weeks when out-of-state visitors flock to Florida.  You'll be allowed to have up to 4 park reservations at a time.  Just like the first pass, this one includes standard parking and discounts on food and merch.

For this pass you have to be a Florida resident or part of the Disney Vacation Club.  For $969 (yep plus tax), you can have up to 5 park reservations at a time.  The free parking and discounts apply to this one too.  As with the others, you can opt to make monthly payments.  You put $205 down and pay $69 per month for this one.

This pass is available to out-of-state residents.  If you're a hardcore Disney fan who doesn't want to worry about blockout dates, this is your best bet.  But it's the priciest of all the options... $1,399 (plus tax).    You'll be able to make 5 park reservations at a time.  The free standard parking and discounts on food and merch are there for this pass too.