Things To Do In SW Florida

By MARCIA DUNN (AP Aerospace Writer)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Wildlife and environmental groups sued the Federal Aviation Administration on Monday over SpaceX’s launch last month of its giant rocket from Texas.

SpaceX’s Starship soared 24 miles (39 kilometers) high before exploding over the Gulf of Mexico on April 20. The rocket’s self-destruct system caused the nearly 400-foot (120-meter) rocket to blow up, as it spun out of control just minutes into the test flight.

An attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, one of the plaintiffs, said the groups are suing over what they consider to be the FAA’s failure to fully consider the environmental impacts of the Starship program near Boca Chica Beach in South Texas. They asked the court to throw out the five-year license the FAA granted to SpaceX.

The FAA declined comment, noting it doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation. The agency is overseeing the accident investigation and has ordered all SpaceX Starships grounded until it’s certain that public safety will not be compromised. read more

Tavistock Development unveiled plans Wednesday for a 54-acre lifestyle shopping center called Lake Nona West to serve Orlando’s fastest-growing community, GrowthSpotter reports.

The announcement came on the same day Tavistock owner Joe Lewis pleaded not guilty in New York to insider trading charges alleging that he fed corporate secrets to romantic partners, personal assistants, friends and his pilots, earning them millions of dollars illegally.

In a statement to GrowthSpotter, the developer said Lake Nona West would incorporate “elevated architecture and landscaping, outdoor entertainment spaces and vibrant public art, which are hallmarks of the Lake Nona experience.”

Lake Nona West will have 405,000 square feet of retail and dining space, anchored by a 150,000-square-foot big box store.

“We are in advanced conversations with several sought-after national and local brands, along with best-in-class shops, restaurants, specialty grocers and personal service operators that will continue to serve our growing Lake Nona community and the broader southeast Orlando region,” said Skipper Peek, senior vice president of commercial development. read more

Museum of Illusions Orlando attraction at Icon Park is now offering free admission to Florida’s teachers throughout the school year.

Current professors and teachers receive the complimentary tickets by presenting a valid school ID and email address. They can be booked online or in person at the International Drive location.

With online bookings, teachers use the discount code TEACH23 and then show credentials upon arrival.  They can also secure companion tickets for $19.99 (discount code: BACK2SCHOOL) and a 10% discount in the Museum of Illusions gift shop. (Regular ticket prices vary with dates, starting as low as $24.99. The attraction website also lists a Florida resident rate of $20.99.)

Universal Studios: DreamWorks land coming next year

Museum of Illusions features 50 reality-altering interactives, some as large as a room, others as flat as a wall painting.  The walk-through experience’s tricks also can educate participants about perception, vision, the brain and other scientific concepts. read more

By CORA LEWIS and TOM KRISHER (AP Business Writers)

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s decision Wednesday to raise its benchmark rate for the 11th time, by a quarter-point, could once again send ripple effects across the economy.

Mortgage rates, which have surged since the Fed began lifting rates in March 2022, may now rise further. So could rates on credit cards and some business loans.

Perhaps no one has felt the pain more than car buyers. It’s not just that sticker prices are way up. Or that lenders have tightened credit standards. On top of all that, steadily higher auto loan rates have elbowed many would-be buyers out of the market.

Consider: A study by the New York Federal Reserve has found that 14% of applicants for auto loans were rejected over the past year — the highest such proportion since the New York Fed began tracking the figure in 2013 — up from 9% in February.

Auto-loan applicants, of course, aren’t the only borrowers being turned down in larger numbers these days. In that same June 2022-June 2023 period, applicant rejections for credit cards, mortgages, mortgage refinancings and higher credit card limits all rose, too, according to the New York Fed. Overall, the rejection rate for credit applicants reached 21.8 percent, the highest level since June 2018. read more

By BOBBY CAINA CALVAN (Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) — The explosion early on a June morning ignited a blaze that engulfed a New York City shop filled with motorized bicycles and their volatile lithium-ion batteries. Billowing smoke quickly killed four people asleep in apartments above the burning store.

As the ubiquity of e-bikes has grown, so has the frequency of fires and deaths blamed on the batteries that power them, prompting a campaign to establish regulations on how the batteries are manufactured, sold, reconditioned, charged and stored.

Consumer advocates and fire departments, particularly in New York City, are urging the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish mandatory safety standards and confiscate noncompliant imports when they arrive at the border or shipping ports, so that unsafe e-bikes and poorly manufactured batteries don’t reach streets and endanger homes.

During a forum focused on e-bikes and lithium-ion batteries held Thursday in Bethesda, Maryland, the commission’s chair, Alexander D. Hoehn-Saric, said it was an “urgent moment” that requires attention. read more