Things To Do In SW Florida

Delayed at least a day because of weather, a NASA satellite that will look at the tiniest parts of the air and ocean is now set for an early Wednesday morning launch from the Space Coast after a years-long path to the launch pad that staved off repeated attempts by the Trump administration to cancel the mission.

The Plankton, Aerosol Cloud Ocean Ecosystem (PACE) satellite was on the chopping block of Trump’s annual proposed NASA budgets several times as he sought to steer funds away from some climate-focused missions and shift money to deep-space efforts.

Now the nearly $1 billion PACE satellite sits atop a Falcon 9 rocket ready for liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40, delayed from a planned early Tuesday liftoff because of expected high winds at the booster landing site, and now targeting a 1:33 a.m. liftoff Wednesday.

The early morning launch could also bring a loud surprise in the form of a sonic boom to the Space Coast and surrounding counties as the booster for the flight makes a return to Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1 instead of downrange in the Atlantic. read more

By Anna Helhoski | NerdWallet

In the first Federal Reserve meeting of the year, the central bank paused rates for the fourth time in a row Wednesday. More than half a year since the last rate hike, a hoped-for cut could be on the way — but don’t count on it just yet.

No Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of Jan. 28-Feb. 3, 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 29

Volusia County was next with 27, while Brevard had 10, Seminole had 14, Osceola had nine and Lake County had nine. Warnings given with required follow-up inspections could lead to a business being shut down if problems remain.

Legoland Florida will open its new Ferrari-themed attraction on March 8, the Winter Haven theme park posted on its website.

The Lego Ferrari Build & Race experience will allow visitors to digitally create and test a race car and compete with other racers. It will also feature a life-sized Ferrari 296 GTS model made of thousands of Lego bricks. Legoland visitors will be able to sit inside the driver’s seat of the replica.

The new attraction, which was announced in November, is taking form in an existing building in Pirates’ Cove facing Lake Eloise.

There are similar Ferrari experiences at Legoland California (Ferrari F40) and Legoland Windsor (Ferrari Daytona) in England.

Disney: Animal Kingdom guests now may spot baby okapi

Also coming to Legoland Florida Resort is Sea Life Aquarium Florida, which is set to open this fall near the entrance to Legoland park. Legoland, Sea Life and the nearby Peppa Pig Theme Park are owned by Merlin Entertainments Group.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Threads account: @dbevil. X account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters. read more