Things To Do In SW Florida

Banking

Ron Strand-Sorrell has joined Climate First Bank as executive vice president, chief compliance BSA and risk officer. He will be based in Longwood.

Construction

Michael Skorochod was promoted to director of operations for the Southeast region at T&T Construction Management Group Inc., Casselberry.

Health care

Colorectal surgeon Dr. Ross Hempel has joined AdventHealth Medical Group in Ormond Beach.

Hospitality

Blake Reinmund was appointed general manager at Nona Adventure Park, Orlando.

Law

Izaac A. Polukoff has joined Ball Janik LLP as an associate attorney at the firm’s Orlando office.

Other

David Robinson was hired as director of advocacy at the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Submit professional appointments, management-level promotions and significant awards for individuals, along with photos as .jpg attachments, to peopleonmove@orlandosentinel.com.

Tim Henderson | Stateline.org (TNS)

Pay hikes over the past four years have lifted the wages of people who work in hospitality — the nation’s lowest-paid industry — nearly 30% on average, reversing much of the wage inequality that has been growing for decades in the United States.

In 40 states, even those that haven’t raised their minimum wage beyond the $7.25 federal floor, the recent pay jumps outpaced those of earners in each state’s highest-paying industry, usually energy, technology or the federal government.

The lowest-wage industry in every state is leisure and hospitality, a category that includes restaurants, bars and hotels. Those lowest-earning workers got bigger percentage raises than the highest earners, averaging a 29% boost between mid-2019 and mid-2023, a Stateline analysis of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics quarterly data shows.

“We’re experiencing a historic moment of worker power, where workers just aren’t willing to accept these wages anymore,” said Saru Jayaraman, who has advocated for higher wages for tipped hospitality workers in several states as president of One Fair Wage in Massachusetts. read more

By Alana Benson | NerdWallet

The investing information provided on this page is for educational purposes only. NerdWallet, Inc. does not offer advisory or brokerage services, nor does it recommend or advise investors to buy or sell particular stocks, securities or other investments.

I tried going vegetarian once when I was in high school. My best friend was a vegetarian, and I was curious. I lasted only about four days. My downfall: a buffalo chicken sandwich. Since that ill-fated attempt, I’ve never tried to curb my meat consumption. It’s just too dang tasty.

But in 2022, a family member was diagnosed with a life-threatening disease. In addition to taking new medications, they adopted a strict whole-food, plant-based diet in the hopes that it would improve their health. If diet could potentially help a serious disease, I figured maybe it could help my far less serious health issues. Why not try it?

And it worked.

What’s more, in addition to making me feel better, switching from a meat-heavy diet (eating meat nearly twice a day) to a plant-heavy diet (eating meat one to three times a week) saved me more than $800 over the course of five months.

An economic diet

At first I wasn’t thrilled about eating salad over steak, but I loved how much money I was saving. And it turns out my case isn’t unique. read more

Chapter 7

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Professional Services Group LLC, 2101 Stratford Drive, DeLand. Filed: Jan. 5. Assets: $395,000. Liabilities: $304,285. Major creditors: Not available. Creditors meeting: Feb. 2.

Chapter 11

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for reorganization and protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

PSG Concrete & Excavation LLC, 2101 Stratford Drive, DeLand. Filed: Jan. 5. Assets: $44,475. Liabilities: $347,085. Major creditors: Blue Water LLC, Vero Beach, $30,000; Intuit, Mountain View, Calif., $12,800. Creditors meeting: Feb. 5.

Emerald Isles Holdings LLC doing business as McK’s Tavern & Brewery, 218 S. Beach St., Daytona Beach. Filed: Jan. 8. Assets: $1,127,700. Liabilities: $914,883. Major creditors: Mr. Advance, Astoria, N.Y., $70,000; Mr. Advance, Astoria, N.Y., $55,875; On Deck, South Jordan, Utah, $53,532. Creditors meeting: Not available. read more