Things To Do In SW Florida

After more than four years of negotiations, the union representing Disney World’s first responders says it has reached a tentative contract agreement with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

The proposed contract increases staffing at the Reedy Creek Fire Department, addressing a longstanding safety concern for the union, and includes a significant boost to firefighter pay and benefits, Reedy Creek Professional Firefighters President Jon Shirey said Monday.

He credits the district’s new board of supervisors appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis for accelerating contract negotiations that stalled to an impasse in November under the board’s Disney-appointed members. During the new leadership’s first meeting on March 9, members promised to get “involved personally in the contract negotiations.”

The current board did not attend bargaining meetings but made it a priority to hear both the district and union’s concerns, Shirey said. As a result, they reached a tentative agreement on all 44 articles of the contract in less than two weeks. read more

Heads up, homebuyers! Big changes have arrived in the way mortgage fees are calculated, and they could offer a windfall — or an unexpected surcharge — for your next home purchase.

Starting Monday, some fees will rise for homebuyers with higher credit scores, while buyers with lower scores will see a fee reduction. The change could shift total mortgage closing costs by thousands of dollars.

The move is part of a broader effort by the federal government to “increase support for borrowers historically underserved by the housing finance market.” That includes people of color who have long faced discrimination in homebuying. Still, borrowers with lower credit scores will, for the most part, still pay much larger fees than those with higher scores.

Felicia Mares, a real estate agent in Oakland, said the change is a net positive. She said many of her clients with lower credit scores struggle to pay the steep closing costs that come with the Bay Area’s exorbitant real estate market.

“If anything, this is just an overdue balancing act for making it a little more affordable for those who need the help the most,” Mares said. read more

No Central Florida restaurant shut down in the week of Apr. 23-29, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Complaints and warnings

Orange County had the top spot for most warnings and other complaints in Central Florida with 11.

Volusia had three, Brevard had one, Lake had two, Osceola had zero and Seminole had three. Warnings given with required follow-up inspections could lead to a business being shut down if problems remain.