Things To Do In SW Florida

If this theme park year were a laundry detergent, it could be marketed as “new and improved.”  Several major additions to Central Florida attractions were updates, takeovers or re-imagined rides. As another old slogan used to say, recycling makes sense, right?

At Magic Kingdom, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a makeover of Splash Mountain with new scenery, characters, story and music. The signature splashdown remains. Country Bear Musical Jamboree, its Frontierland neighbor, modernized its tunes and reopened with a slightly elongated name (just add “Musical”).

At Universal Studios, DreamWorks Land opened in the space previously known as Woody’s KidZone. It features attractions based on “Kung Fu Panda,” “Puss in Boots,” “Trolls” and “Shrek” as well as “DreamWorks Imagination Celebration,” a musical stage show with characters and dancers.

SeaWorld Orlando introduced Penguin Trek, a launch coaster that reuses space from its former Empire of the Penguin dark ride and maintains a fairly close (and definitely chilly) encounter with the birds. read more

Florida officials quietly ended a probe into Walt Disney World’s former Reedy Creek Improvement District, concluding that no laws were broken, according to a newly released memo.

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement closed its case “due to a lack of a criminal predicate,” the state’s Chief Inspector General Melinda Miguel wrote June 21 to Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Miguel’s office, though, found there was a “blurring of the lines” between the Reedy Creek district and Disney, according to the memo, first obtained by News 6 through a public records request.

DeSantis requested the investigation in April 2023 as he waged a nationally watched political battle with the entertainment giant. The probe focused on applicable civil and criminal laws, ethics requirements and the “involvement of Walt Disney World employees and agents” in the district’s previous actions, according to the governor’s office.

Disney and the governor’s office did not respond Thursday or Friday to a request for comment on the memo’s findings. read more

Health care

Howard Brown was appointed chief financial officer for Orlando Health Dr. P. Phillips Hospital.

Law

Attorney Connor R. Nugent has joined the Orlando office of ShuffieldLowman, practicing in commercial real estate.

Attorney Constance C. “CeCe” Phelan has joined the Orlando office of ShuffieldLowman, practicing in corporate and business law.

Attorney Elizabeth C. Rich has joined The Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group, Orlando, as an associate practicing in estate planning, family law, real estate, and probate matters.

Tourism

Antonio Baez, senior director of operations for Meliá Hotels US & Caribbean, including the local Meliá Orlando Celebration Hotel, was appointed as a member of the Kissimmee Cares Committee for Experience Kissimmee, the Official Tourism Authority for Osceola County.

Real estate

Jonathan Young has joined ZOM Living, Orlando, as chief financial officer.

Submit professional appointments, management-level promotions and significant awards for individuals, along with photos as .jpg attachments, to peopleonmove@orlandosentinel.com. read more

By Kemberley Washington, CPA, Bankrate.com (TNS)

As the end of the year approaches, now’s the time to start preparing for filing your 2024 tax return in 2025.

When it comes to tax strategies, generally Dec. 31 is the deadline to make changes that might lower your tax bill. One major exception is the deadline for contributing to a Roth or traditional IRA: You have until April 15, 2025, to make a contribution to a Roth or traditional IRA for tax year 2024. If you qualify for deductible IRA contributions, then a contribution to your traditional IRA can reduce your taxable income for 2024.

Here are tips and strategies to prepare now for the 2025 tax-filing deadline.

1. Decide who will prepare your taxes

If you had significant changes in your life in 2024 — maybe you got married or divorced, started your own business, or had to claim unemployment benefits — your taxes may be more complicated.

By Isabel Contreras, NerdWallet

The past couple of years have been tough on consumers’ wallets. Inflation has affected groceries, gas and lots of other everyday expenses — and auto insurance is no exception.

Prices for most goods and services have started to stabilize: Year-over-year inflation stood at 2.7% in November, a dramatic difference from the peak of more than 9% during the summer of 2022. But auto insurance costs are still busting budgets. Policies were close to 13% more expensive in November compared to a year earlier, according to the latest Consumer Price Index.

If inflation is cooling, why is auto insurance so expensive? There are a couple of key contributing factors

Auto insurers are playing catch-up