Things To Do In SW Florida

By Anna Helhoski | NerdWallet

United Auto Workers is officially on strike. Negotiations failed this week between the union and the Big Three auto companies — Ford, General Motors and Stellantis (a multinational conglomerate that includes Chrysler).

The current strikes are targeted in three locations:

• Ford: Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Mich.
• Stellantis: Toledo Assembly Complex in Toledo, Ohio
• GM: Wentzville Assembly Plant in Wentzville, Mo.

Other plants may follow at any time. It’s a strategy that UAW President Shawn Fain calls a “Stand-Up Strike,” he said during a Facebook Live stream on Sept. 13.

Each of the Big Three has proposed pay raises nowhere near what UAW is aiming for. Fain said the companies are also unwilling to bend to UAW’s request for increased pension and retiree health care.

The UAW represents nearly 150,000 workers. The union joins other major strikes sweeping the U.S., including Hollywood actors with SAG-AFTRA and film and TV writers with the WGA.

To get a personal perspective on the UAW strike, NerdWallet spoke with Nick Livick, a third-generation UAW member who works at General Motors’ Fairfax Assembly & Stamping in Kansas City, Kansas. He has worked at the plant since 2012 and is a pool worker, which means he is expected to walk onto any job and learn it quickly. We spoke about why U.S. auto manufacturing workers are demanding improved working conditions, higher pay and better benefits. read more

Restaurants from a Central Florida mall re-enter the list of nine shutdowns during the week of Sept. 10-16, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange County

Several restaurants from the West Oaks Mall, located at 9401 W. Colonial Dr, are still on the list of shutdowns this week. Tandoori Hut #1 at #310, Paulino Paradise at Unit 256 and New Taste Island Restaurant at #308 made the list for the second consecutive week.

Tandoori Hut received their shutdown orders on Sept. 8. They did not comply with the emergency order on Sept. 8 or 9. They received a callback time extension on Sept. 10.

After that, the restaurant did not have any violations listed.

Paulino Paradise initially shut down on Sept. 8 with 13 violations. They didn’t comply with the emergency order on Sept. 9 and received a callback extension on Sept. 10.

On Sept. 10, inspectors found six violations, five of which were a high priority. Those violations included food not cooled within the appropriate time period, food stored in ice used for drinks, a stop sale on food due to adulteration and ready-to-eat food prepared and held for more than 24 hours but not marked as such. read more

Vampires again have infiltrated the swashbuckling territory at Pirates Dinner Adventure. “Vampirates” shows are now offered as a seasonal production at the long-running attraction near International Drive.

“I refer to it as our Halloween filter,” Nick Kroger, creative director of Orlando Dinner Entertainment, says of “Vampirates: When the Blood Moon Rises.”

The show’s storyline, the look of the performers – including fangs – and the music are altered.

“We’ve changed that out to be a little bit more rock and a little bit more aggressive in the field of Halloween,” Kroger says.

It’s the second year for “Vampirates.” Last season, the attraction added more performances in the weeks leading up to Halloween due to demand, he says.

“People liked that family-friendly option but still a little bit of scary,” Kroger says.

Sea Life aquarium will host mermaids again

As always, the attraction is built around a full-size ship surrounded by a moat. The audience is in stadium theater-style seating. The show includes aerial stunts, silk routines, trampoline sequences and swordplay. read more