Things To Do In SW Florida

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — The inflation-adjusted median income of U.S. households rebounded last year to roughly its 2019 level, overcoming the biggest price spike in four decades to restore most Americans’ purchasing power.

The proportion of Americans living in poverty also fell slightly last year, to 11.1%, from 11.5% in 2022. But the ratio of women’s median earnings to men’s widened for the first time in more than two decades as men’s income rose more than women’s in 2023.

The latest data came Tuesday in an annual report from the Census Bureau, which said the median household income, adjusted for inflation, rose 4% to $80,610 in 2023, up from $77,450 in 2022. It was the first increase since 2019, and is essentially unchanged from that year’s figure of $81,210, officials said. (The median income figure is the point at which half the population is above and half below and is less distorted by extreme incomes than the average.)

“We are back to that pre-COVID peak that we experienced,” said Liana Fox, assistant division chief in the Social, Economic and Housing Statistics Division at the Census Bureau. read more

One manatee and three dolphins soon will be moving out of their Epcot habitat, Walt Disney World announced Tuesday. The animals are part of the theme park’s The Seas With Nemo & Friends attraction.

A manatee named Lou is moving to another manatee rehabilitation center starting Wednesday, Disney said. Soon after the relocation, another manatee will come to Epcot as a companion to Lil Joe, a manatee currently living there.

“While we will greatly miss Lou, we do look forward to aiding this other manatee in the next stage of rehabilitation as we continue to do our part in addressing the manatee crisis in Florida, which has seen declining manatee populations in the past few years,” reads a statement released from Walt Disney World to members of the media.

The change is being done “as part of a broader set of manatee moves around the state” recommended by the Manatee Rehabilitation Partnership and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.

Disney: New villains show in, ‘Lightning McQueen’ out at Hollywood Studios read more

TALLAHASSEE — A bankruptcy judge is scheduled Tuesday to hold a hearing on Orlando Health’s proposed purchase of three hospitals in Brevard and Indian River counties, after a months-long process that led to the Orlando-based system emerging as the winning bidder.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez is considering a plan for Orlando Health to pay $439 million in cash for Melbourne Regional Medical Center and Rockledge Regional Medical Center in Brevard County and Sebastian River Medical Center in Indian River County, according to court documents.

Orlando Health would buy the hospitals from Steward Health Care, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May. Lopez will hold the hearing in Texas, where Steward is based.

A court document filed Sunday said the process of selling the hospitals started in April, when Leerink Partners LLC, an investment-banking advisory firm hired to help market Steward’s assets, contacted dozens of potential buyers to gauge interest. It solicited additional possible bidders after the bankruptcy petition was filed. read more

TALLAHASSEE — A federal judge will hear arguments next month about whether he should block a new Florida law that bars the production and sale of “cultivated meat” in the state.

Chief U.S. District Judge Mark Walker has scheduled a hearing Oct. 7 on a request by the California-based UPSIDE Foods, Inc. for a preliminary injunction against the law, which Gov. Ron DeSantis signed May 1, according to a court docket.

UPSIDE Foods filed a lawsuit last month challenging the constitutionality of the law and requested a preliminary injunction. The lawsuit contends, in part, that a federal poultry-products law preempts Florida from imposing such a ban.

The motion for a preliminary injunction pointed to what is known as the Supremacy Clause of the U.S. Constitution, which generally leads to federal laws trumping conflicting state laws.

“An injunction will not substantially injure others, because it will not compel the state to take any action or obligate any resources, and because the state has no legitimate interest in the continued operation of an unconstitutional law,” the motion said. “An injunction is in the public interest because it will permit UPSIDE to exercise its right to bring innovative products to the interstate market and allow consumers to exercise their freedom to decide for themselves what foods they want to eat.” read more