Things To Do In SW Florida

Four Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of Aug. 20-26, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Volusia County

Belly Busters LLC. at 930 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand shut down on Aug. 22. Officials found seven violations, five of which were a high priority. Those violations included an employee working on the cookline without washing their hands, the restaurant not having potable water, an expired business license and food held at the wrong temperatures.

Officials conducted a second inspection the same day and found two violations. They issued a time extension of the expired business license.

The restaurant is still temporarily closed.

Subway store #6651 at 3174 S. Atlantic Ave. Suite E in Daytona Beach Shores shut down on Aug. 24. Inspectors found 12 violations, two of which were a high priority for food held at the wrong temperatures and a stop-sale on food due to temperature abuse.

Officials revisited the restaurant on Aug. 25. They found no violations and the restaurant was allowed to reopen. read more

With the threat of Hurricane Idalia past, the Space Coast business of putting rockets into orbit returned with a SpaceX liftoff Thursday night that marked the company’s ninth launch of the month.

Elon Musk’s company had also planned a California launch earlier Thursday, but delayed it until Friday. Had it managed both, it would have set a company record for launches in a month as well as match the total number of launches it flew in 2022 with four months still left in 2023.

Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/psxYy1zWo4

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 1, 2023

Instead, it knocked out launch No. 60 for the year among its Space Coast and California operations.

A Falcon 9 carrying 22 of SpaceX’s Starlink satellites blasted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 10:21 p.m. having passed over the first three opportunities of the evening because of weather.

The first-stage booster flew for the seventh time and made another recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic. read more

Q: My company does not provide a match to our 401(k) plan. Should I still contribute? – Name not given

A: Definitely. Although there is no match, you are still reducing your taxes immediately and saving for retirement. All earnings are tax-deferred, meaning you will not pay taxes on any growth until you begin withdrawing from your account. There are many more benefits to a retirement plan than just the company match, and you are only hindering yourself by not using it. – Jessica Hall

Q: I recently had my adviser take me out of the market against his advice. I am in cash and waiting to go back in. I am still paying a fee and not earning any interest. What can I do?  – R.A., Orlando

A: Speak to your adviser and negotiate the fee if you are going to stay out of the market for any time. Ask him or her to invest in a Prime Money Market that is currently paying more than 2% and has no fees to buy or sell while you wait. – Gregg Collier

Questions are answered by Certified Financial Planners from the Financial Planning Association of Central Florida. Answers are for educational purposes only; you should also consult a financial professional. Questions and answers may be edited for space considerations. read more