Holiday drinkers who have one — or more — too many beers, cocktails or spiked eggnogs this holiday season will have a free way to get themselves and their vehicles home without putting anyone in danger.

AAA — The Auto Club Group is again running its life-saving “Tow to Go” program, which provides a confidential tow for impaired drivers and their vehicles to a safe location within a 10-mile radius.

It’s open to both AAA members and non-members at zero cost as a last-resort safety net in the absence of another option, like a designated driver, rideshare or public transportation.

“The holiday season is a time for joy and celebration, but it also carries a greater risk of impaired driving,” AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins said in a statement.

“AAA urges Floridians to plan ahead and make responsible choices to keep the holidays both safe and festive. Tow to Go is our gift to the community, ensuring everyone gets home safely to enjoy the holidays with their loved ones.”

“Tow to Go” — available in Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, North Dakota, Nebraska, Tennessee, Wisconsin, Colorado (Denver), North Carolina (Charlotte) and Indiana (Fort Wayne and South Bend) — runs from 6 p.m. on Dec. 24 to 6 a.m. on Jan. 2.

Using the service is easy. Motorists just need to call (855) 2-TOW-2-GO.

The service cannot be scheduled in advance and should only be used as a backup plan, AAA said.

Since “Tow to Go” launched in 1998, the organization said it has removed nearly 30,000 impaired drivers from the road.

Alcohol-impaired driving contributes to 1 in 3 U.S. traffic deaths, and December is a particularly deadly month. In December 2023, the most recent data year available, 1,038 people died in drunk driving crashes, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

From 2019 to 2023, the NHTSA recorded nearly 5,000 deaths in drunk driving accidents during December.

“The tragedy of these deaths is felt year-round,” the organization said, “but for many, most strongly during the holidays.”

So, why risk it? You shouldn’t. While celebrating and handing out gifts this holiday season, do yourself and others a kindness if you’ve had some drinks: Eschew the keys, and pick up the phone.

Stephanie Ziglar said she is running for Orange County Commission because she wants to help support businesses after seeing many of them struggle with a lack of government support.

Ziglar, the Curry Ford West Main Street District Executive Director, has filed for  Orange County’s District 3 race in November 2028.

A crowded field of candidates is already seeking the seat currently held by Commissioner Mayra Uribe.

As it stands now, Ziglar is competing against former Sen. Linda Stewart, Nelson Betancourt, information technology expert Gus Martinez, and lawyer Walker Smith IV.

In 2023, Ziglar began leading the Curry Ford West Main Street District, which represents local establishments in both Orlando city and Orange County limits.

“I have witnessed the struggle of businesses that are directly across the street from each other to get open, to stay open, to fight zoning issues … and it was one of the main reasons I decided that I should run,” said Ziglar, who lives in Dover Estates and is a lifelong Orange County resident. “My small businesses that are located in the county will tell you that they don’t feel like they get anything. They feel like they are just adrift.”

Meanwhile, Orlando offers business assistance programs and facade improvement grants, and it has dedicated staff to help new businesses open, Ziglar said.

Orange County business owners are also annoyed that they have to go in person to file some permits instead of doing so online in today’s technology-driven world, she said.

“I have been working with the county, discussing with them those programs and how beneficial they can be,” Ziglar said. “Their economic development team has been open and receptive to the feedback, but it is a slow process.”

Now, Ziglar said she wants to run for public office and push for faster change.

“I don’t think it would be challenging to even create a small sign grant program that would allow businesses to improve their exteriors and have the proper signage that meets the current code,” Ziglar said, adding the county previously offered that help but later shut it down. “Those types of things could be done with money that exists.”

Ziglar is already campaigning for the election, just under two years away. She held her first canvas and plans to paint more after the holidays in 2026.

The conservative movement must not, in principle, pursue rage bait, according to U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds.

“What? As a movement, we are now going to cut each other down so somebody looks taller than the next person?” Donalds said at a Turning Point USA America Fest. “Ladies and gentlemen, Turning Point USA. That is how we lose. That is not how we win.”

The Republican gubernatorial candidate spoke at the Arizona event, the first meeting of the young conservative group since the slaying of its founder, Charlie Kirk, in September. He took the moment to remember Kirk, with whom Donalds had worked at Turning Point events and on campaigns in the past. Donalds said the conservative movement in recent years had been largely defined by two figures: President Donald Trump and Kirk.

“Charlie was a fighter who wore the armor of God,” Donalds said. “He was a fighter that tried to embrace those even when they disagreed with him, even when they vehemently disagreed, when they disrespected him, he still tried to find some scintilla of a common ground to reach those hearts, to reach those minds.”

But at the conference, the first since Kirk’s death, many speeches touched on a significant conflict within the conservative movement, primarily around whether Republicans should tolerate or openly reject the far right like White nationalist Nick Fuentes. Figures like Vice President JD Vance declined to condemn open antisemitism, saying “he didn’t bring a list of conservatives to denounce.”

Still, commentator Ben Shapiro said “charlatans” threaten the movement by trafficking in “conspiracism and dishonesty.”

Donalds, who would be Florida’s first Black Governor, suggested the movement avoid divisive rhetoric, while also presenting conservatives as the defenders of “Western civilization.” He sharply criticized the tactics of many online activists, including a signature tactic used by prominent Florida Republican communications professionals.

“What is with it? I’m 47, so I’m a little older now. What is it? Ratioing? That’s the thing? I ratioed you,” Donalds said. “That’s the new metric of having a spirit of power? No, it’s the metric of being an asshole. That’s what it is.”

The critique comes as many in the online far-right attack Donalds frequently on the X platform.

At the same time, Donalds presented a conservative message, often framed in contrast, and said the conservative community must ultimately promote a range of conservative leaders.

“Victory is finding leaders who stand by these principles. And do you agree with them every single time? No, but you agree with them far more than we will ever agree with the radical Democratic Left, because democratic socialism is the thing that will destroy America. Radical Sharia is the thing that will destroy America. Stealing puberty from young people is the thing that will destroy America,” Donalds said.

“I choose to build a movement and be a part of a movement that stands on principle, that stands on strength, that loves the people in the movement, even sometimes when they piss you off, but has a spirit of self-discipline, because what I know is you can’t form a winning unit if you can’t stay focused on the mission at hand.”