Things To Do In SW Florida

Chapter 7

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

TNT of Central Florida Inc., 2540 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, #2217, Melbourne. Filed: Dec. 12. Assets: $0. Liabilities: $97,527. Major creditors: Eastern Metal, Lake Worth, $17,117; Philip Howe, Melbourne Beach, $8,000; Margo Lozito, Satellite Beach, $7,000. Creditors meeting: Jan. 7.

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:

Cornerstone Home Care Services LLC, 2903 New Haven Ave., #404, Melbourne. Filed: Dec. 10. Assets: $90,038. Liabilities: $307,643. Major creditors: RLJ Enterprises Inc., Titusville. $106,141; Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia, $77,000; South State Bank, Melbourne, $48,898. Creditors meeting: Jan. 13.

Knights Hourglass LLC doing business as Double Decker Warehouse, 1230 Hillcrest St., Suite 101, Orlando. Filed: Dec. 11. Assets: $0-$50,000. Liabilities: $500,001-$1 million. Major creditors: U.S. Small Business Administration, Charlotte, N.C., $457,000; Thomas R. Otto, Pompano Beach, $75,000; U.S. Small Business Administration, Birmingham, Ala., $74,444. Creditors meeting: Jan. 8. read more

Six Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of Dec. 15-21, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Cornerstone Pizza at 1513 E. Michigan St. in Orlando shut down on Dec. 17. Officials found 18 violations, two of which were high priorities for flying insects and backed-up sewage. A second inspection occurred on Dec. 18. Inspectors found four violations but none was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Osceola County

Mystic Dunes Resorts And Golf-Kenzie’s at 7600 Mystic Dunes Lane in Kissimmee shut down on Dec. 16. Inspectors found 12 violations, eight of which were high priorities. Those violations included rodent activity, a stop-sale on food due to it not being in wholesome condition and fish not being packaged correctly. A second inspection occurred on Dec. 17. Inspectors found nine violations, issuing several time extensions to the six remaining high priorities. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Seminole

Stefano’s Trattoria at 1425 Tuskawilla Road #205 in Winter Springs shut down Dec. 17. They found 10 violations, four of which were high priorities. Those violations included roach activity, a stop-sale on food due to temperature abuse and food held at the wrong temperature. A second inspection occurred the same day. There were two violations but neither one was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards. read more

By Abby Badach Doyle, NerdWallet

It won’t be impossible to buy a house in 2025 — just be prepared to play on hard mode.

According to a November 2024 report from ICE Mortgage Technology, the monthly principal and interest payment on an average-priced home is $2,385. While that’s not the highest it’s ever been, it’s still a sharp increase — nearly 80% — from just three years ago. In November 2021, when mortgage rates averaged 3%, the monthly principal and interest on an average-priced home was $1,327 per month.

So here’s the key to buying in 2025: Look ahead, not back. Regret won’t help you budget for today’s new normal.

And with this year’s election also in the rearview mirror, so is some uncertainty among buyers and sellers that historically slows the market during every presidential election cycle.

“People have just been kind of sitting waiting to see what’s going to happen,” says Courtney Johnson Rose, president of the National Association of Real Estate Brokers, an industry group for Black real estate agents. “I’m hopeful that the new year will bring more attention to real estate, more excitement to real estate, and more opportunities for first-time home owners to get in the game.” read more

Troy Brown is a modern-day underwater treasure hunter.

As the owner of Nature Boy Troy’s Coastal Adventures, he often dives in search of submerged items.

“I’ve been in Florida since 1970 and scuba certified since I was 12 years old. I probably do about 150 tanks a year diving,” said Brown, who often is tasked with finding underwater lost items for people. “Troy Sorenson is my friend and he runs Dive Florida on Cortez Road. He has a service where he searches with an underwater metal detector for precious jewelry and wedding rings, things people lose when they come down. He sends me his overflow of people looking for other objects besides jewelry. I’ve found GoPro cameras, cellphones, glasses amongst other items.”

In the middle of last week, Brown received a call from a man named Adam from Rochester, New York. Adam’s worst fear came true. While on vacation on Anna Maria Island, his fishing cart blew into the water and with it his $1,000 prescription glasses.

Publishers, authors reject state argument picking school library books ‘government speech’ read more

Bob Iger wants out of the culture wars.

Walt Disney Co. and its chief executive have made a sharp pivot since doubling down on diversity and inclusion efforts in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in Minneapolis 4½ years ago. At the time, Disney’s top executives, including then-Chairman Iger, vowed in a message to employees: “We intend to keep the conversation going … for as long as it takes to bring about real change.”

The Magic Kingdom dropped its pomp greeting to fans for its nightly fireworks display. “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls” became a gender-neutral salutation to “dreamers of all ages.” Pixar’s animated movie, “Lightyear,” included a brief kiss between two women characters; and Disney’s animated film, “Strange World,” featured the company’s first biracial queer teen hero.

But in the past week, Disney acknowledged that a transgender athlete storyline had been removed from an upcoming Pixar animated series, “Win or Lose,” about a middle-school softball team. In a statement, Disney said it recognized “many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.” read more