Things To Do In SW Florida

SpaceX knocked out a midnight launch from Cape Canaveral on Sunday, but has a midnight Monday launch on tap from Kennedy Space Center to cap off a record year for the Space Coast.

The Sunday launch saw a Falcon 9 lift off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 carrying communication satellites for Astranis Space Technologies Corp.

The mission was delayed from a Dec. 20 attempt that saw the booster shut down as the countdown clock reached 0. SpaceX ended up switching boosters for the mission.

Liftoff! pic.twitter.com/MzMFrW5gte

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) December 29, 2024

This one, flying for the seventh time, including this year’s Crew-8 and Polaris Dawn missions, made a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas stationed in the Atlantic.

It marked the 92nd launch from the Space Coast for 2024, already 20 more than the 72 seen from all providers in 2023, and one more to go.

SpaceX’s final launch of the year could come at midnight with another Falcon 9 carrying 21 Starlink satellites set to lift off from KSC’s Pad 39-A during launch window that runs until 3:28 a.m. and backup opportunities on Dec. 31 during the same window. read more

Disney’s exclusive Golden Oak community dominated the high end of Central Florida’s luxury home market in 2024, a record-setting year that saw more home sales of over $10 million than ever before.

Golden Oak accounted for five of the top ten home sales this year, according to GrowthSpotter. All five of those transactions involved homes within the sought-after Four Seasons Private Residences in Golden Oak, and four of the homes were located on the same street — Summer Meadow Way.

Homes in Golden Oak are considered part of the Disney World Resort, and some incorporate Disney themes in the construction. Residents get free annual passes to Disney World parks when they move into the community. Homeowners are also granted membership to Golden Oak Club, which includes multiple restaurants, a pool, and a gym.

The Four Seasons Private Residences, of which there are currently just 31, are an even higher-end product because residents also have access to the adjacent Four Seasons Resort, which offers amenities such as a golf course, a spa, a water park, restaurants, and private tennis lessons. read more

By Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — The Facebook post seemed straightforward enough, offering up a newly built ADU rental in Burbank. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, 1,000 square feet. A private yard. Finishes “you wouldn’t find in any other ADU.”

The price? $4,500 per month.

“Dam, ya’ll need to chill out!! $4,500 for an ADU??”

“Let the rich become richer having the poor paying their mortgage.”

“The greed is VERY REAL here.”

“No wonder there are no pictures. Unless the house is gold plated, it’s not worth it.”

People poured in with comments and emoji reactions ranging from laughing to angry. Before long, the post became a digital dogpile, with users tagging others to join in on the fun.

The doomed listing became another case of “rent shaming” — a modern, perhaps inevitable, phenomenon that’s sprouting up across Facebook housing groups and other platforms as rent continues to soar across Southern California.

Landlords see it as a headache, a needless trend of cyberbullying that exacerbates well-meaning efforts to find tenants. Renters see it as a higher calling — a form of resistance and a way to call out overpriced listings. read more

By Kemberley Washington, CPA, Bankrate.com

The IRS Direct File program, which lets taxpayers file their federal income tax return directly with the IRS for free, is doubling its reach to 24 states for the 2025 tax season, up from 12 states in 2024, the program’s pilot year.

The Direct File program will also accept more types of tax situations for the 2025 tax season. While taxpayers who used the system in 2024 could claim a handful of tax credits, including the earned income tax credit and the child tax credit, that list is expanding in 2025 to include the child and dependent care credit, among others.

The spirit of Pacific islander culture has driven the newest Disney Cruise Line stage production on board its new ship Disney Treasure.

“Disney The Tale of Moana” debuted on the ship sailing out of Port Canaveral this month as one of three main stage shows, but the only one new to the cruise line.

“We’re so proud just to be able to share this story,” native Hawaiian and lead actress Kaenaonālani Kekoa said on board the ship during a media preview sailing. “Even though we’re not all from the Pacific Islands, this cast did such a beautiful job of taking care of our stories and making sure that our hand motions, our dance moves, the language that is coming out of our mouths was accurate and authentic to the place that our story is based out of.”

The story pulls from the first “Moana” film that came out in 2016, but had to be morphed into something unique for the cruise ship, telling the story of her family’s start on the fictional island of Motunui and her search for the demigod Maui to help return the heart of the goddess of Te Fiti. read more