Things To Do In SW Florida

A DeSantis administration plan to build pickleball courts, golf courses and even a 350-room hotel in state parks across Florida is getting panned by environmentalists, residents and even top elected officials of the governor’s own party.

Under what is billed as the “Great Outdoors Initiative, “The Florida Department of Environmental Protection plan would add an array of recreational sports facilities to nine state parks, including Oleta River State Park in Miami-Dade and Dr. Von D. Mizell-Eula Johnson State Park in Broward.

The major redevelopment proposal was revealed just a week before scheduled public meetings where the plans will be formally presented. There is a narrow window for initial public comment, with all nine parks scheduling meetings simultaneously: Tuesday, Aug. 27 at 3 p.m.

But the proposal prompted immediate questions, including from some of the most powerful elected officials in the state.

“Our vision did not contemplate the addition of golf courses and hotels, which in my view are not in-line with the peaceful and quiet enjoyment of nature,” Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said Thursday. “I am open to other ideas, but from what I know at this time, the proposal should not move forward in its current form.” read more

NASA said a decision could come as early as Saturday on when Boeing’s Starliner will come home from the International Space Station and whether its two astronauts will be on board.

In a post to NASA’s website, it said the decision would come at the end of an agency-level review that will be chaired by Ken Bowersox, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Operations Mission Directorate.

Plans are for that review to occur Saturday, and it will be the meeting during which “any formal dissents are presented and reconciled,” according to NASA. That could include NASA Administrator Bill Nelson and other top officials. NASA says it will host a televised press conference after the meeting to discuss the decision.

Starliner arrived to the ISS on June 6, one day after launching from Cape Canaveral with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on board for what was supposed to be about an eight-day stay.

The spacecraft’s propulsion system, though, had five of 28 reaction control system thrusters fail on approach to the ISS while also suffering from several helium leaks. That led to delays in a decision to return home while Boeing and NASA worked to figure out the source of the problem — including running a series of tests on the ground and hot firing Starliner while still attached to the ISS. read more

By Rosalie Murphy | NerdWallet

Rising costs tighten margins for business owners. And to make up for that increased pressure, businesses usually have to raise prices — which, when it’s done month after month, can start to wear on customers.

Customers are facing “price increase fatigue,” says Kirk Jackisch, president of consulting firm Iris Pricing Solutions. “They’re done. They can’t take it anymore — just across-the-board price increases. So you have to look at more surgical solutions.”

Targeting price increases carefully and communicating them clearly can help ease the pain customers feel, Jackisch says. Here’s how you can go about it — and what you need to avoid as legislators across the U.S. focus on fees and surcharges.

Balance price increases with new deals

Matthew Heaggans is co-owner of Preston’s: A Burger Joint, a restaurant in Columbus, Ohio. When sambal, an ingredient they used in a signature sauce, more than doubled in price, Preston’s began buying chili peppers to make their own — but then those tripled in price, too. read more