Surfer Corey Howell in a space man Surfing Santa suit, rides with waves with other surfing Santas for the 14th annual Surfing Santas of Cocoa Beach event Christmas Eve morning, Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022. Cold temperatures in the 30s Fahrenheit thinned out the surfers, but thousands showed up for the annual holiday event that benefits the Florida Surf Museum and Grind for Life, a local charity benefiting people with cancer.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — For the surfing Santas off Florida’s central coast, the Atlantic Ocean felt more like the North Pole than the Sunshine State as temperatures on Saturday, Dec. 24, plunged to around freezing, while freeze warnings were in place for at least half of the state.

Parts of the Florida Panhandle had wind chills that dipped into the single digits on Dec. 24, and interior parts of central Florida had temperatures plunging as low as 27 degrees.

“It’s a frigid start to your #ChristmasEve across the area,” the National Weather Service in Tallahassee tweeted.

Miami was among the last holdouts of warm weather in the U.S. on Dec. 23, but by Dec. 24 temperatures had dipped to below 50 degrees for the first time in almost a year. South Floridians were on the watch for falling iguanas. The cold-blooded reptiles that reside in Miami suburbs typically become immobilized when temperatures drop below 40 degrees.

Despite the frigid temperature, the 14th annual Christmas Eve Surfing Santas festival was held at Cocoa Beach on Florida’s Space Coast.

The event has grown from 10 surfers dressed in Santa costumes when it started in 2009 to hundreds of participants on surfboards, boogie boards and paddle boards in years past. Close to 140 surfers braved the frigid water Saturday morning. Almost 10,000 spectators showed up to cheer them on, and a beachside restaurant distributed free hot cocoa to help them stay warm, according to organizers.

Caesars touts F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix VIP package worth $5M

LAS VEGAS — Casino giant Caesars Entertainment is offering what may be the most extravagant guest package for next year’s highly anticipated Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix at a whopping $5 million.

The luxury “Emperor Package” includes a five-night stay at the Nobu Sky Villa at Caesars Palace during race week with numerous amenities, access to a personal driver and Rolls-Royce and two tickets to an Adele concert.

The multimillion dollar experience also grants VIP access to a 4,700-square-foot terrace overlooking the Strip, which will be decked out like a F1 race track.

The race in Vegas is expected to be the most expensive sporting event on Formula One’s agenda next year. The price starts at $500 for a three-day general admission pass. Those seats were only added after fans complained that hotels planned to purchase massive ticket blocks and repackage them into entertainment experiences ranging from $100,000 to $1 million.

Ahead of tickets first going on sale in November, seats in the grandstands started at $2,500.

F1, owned by U.S.-based Liberty Media, will be a first-time promoter for the Nov. 18 night race that will use famous Vegas landmarks and rush down the Strip.

F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told The Associated Press then that “in terms of price positioning we are going to be on the top side because this is Las Vegas and that is the nature of the customer coming to Las Vegas.”