A couple of possibilities. BDL most likely only has on-call contract mx. MCO has real SWA mx folks. Big difference in cost. If you can avoid it, you want to get the airplane to a mx base to be fixed or at least a location with swa mx facilities and people.

The aircraft can operate safely with some systems inop - this is called the minimum equipment list and is negotiated between the carrier and the FAA. Whatever is broke is written up in the logbook, and the clock starts to tick as to how long the aircraft can operate before it must be fixed. So maybe there was an MEL item that needed attention. An engine cannot be MEL'd.

Or maybe the aircraft was on its way to El Salvador for heavy mx work and was being positioned, or maybe it was on its way to Paine field to have some armor plating and rivets installed, and so was being positioned.

And I am sure there are other possibilities....