Things To Do In SW Florida

Walt Disney World has announced the lineup for this year’s Eat to the Beat concert series, the musical component of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.  It includes first timers such as David Archuleta, Yellowcard, The Wanted and Aloe Blacc as well as frequent fest participants 98 Degrees, Boyz II Men, Hanson and Tiffany.

The announced schedule is primarily Fridays through Mondays, though Disney says more acts will be revealed later.  Most artists have two-night gigs at the theme park’s America Gardens Theatre, although Hanson is on stage for four nights in late October.

The Eat to the Beat lineup for 2024, subject to change, includes:

Aug. 30-31: The Fray.

Sept. 1-2: Sugar Ray.

Sept. 6-7: Hoobastank.

Sept. 8-9: Yellowcard. (New to festival)

Sept. 13-14: Tiffany.

Sept. 15-16: MercyMe.

Sept. 20-21: Sheila E.

Sept. 22-23: The Wanted. (New to festival)

Sept. 27: Luis Figueroa.

Sept. 28-29: Mau Y Ricky. (New to festival)

Sept. 30: Jesse & Joy. (New to festival)

Oct. 4-5: Aloe Blacc. (New to festival) read more

Owners of more than 1.5 million condominium units in Florida face new rules that went into effect Monday dictating everything from how a building is maintained to how condo associations are governed.

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a sweeping bill in April that strengthens oversight of condominium boards.

Dubbed condo 3.0, the law could give developers more control over common spaces in mixed-use condo buildings. There’s also a fast-approaching deadline for new building safety standards in the wake of the deadly 2021 Surfside condo collapse.

Lawmakers and DeSantis approved the measure to restore faith in condos, said Larry Buckner, a Florida-based advisory manager for the housing research firm Zonda.

“It’s really become hard to choose a condo when you consider the recent safety concerns, negative public opinion, increased assessments and lack of transparency on condo boards,” he said.

While lawmakers hope these reforms will improve the quality of condo life in the long run, the immediate fallout could cause a slump in the real estate market as more owners sell to avoid impending assessments. read more

Chuan Lu Garden, one of the most Foodie Award-decorated venues in Orlando, has closed its doors temporarily for a “ceiling-to-floor” makeover, says owner Joyce Cai.

The expansive space, a fixture in Mills 50 for scallion pancakes, soup dumplings and sizzling Sichuan fare, is long overdue, Cai told the Orlando Sentinel.

She and her partners took over the restaurant in 2019 and completed some minor work—new paint, lighting and furniture—but they’re looking forward to the major overhaul.

“We have been planning for a long time for so many reasons — the building is old, and we have had lots of customer feedback about it,” she says. “It needs new furniture, ceilings, floors, sofas, seats and tables and a repaint of the interior. Lighting, too.”

With the slow season of September and October approaching, now seemed like the right time to get started.

“We’re estimating about three to four months and targeting to reopen for the holiday season,” she says. “We needed to give ourselves enough time for permitting and approval and construction time.” read more