Things To Do In SW Florida

Want to own a South Florida house that was made famous in the 1980s sci-fi film, “Flight of the Navigator”?

Now you can, for a cool $16.9 million.

The waterfront property at 615 Idlewyld Drive in Fort Lauderdale was one of the earth-bound locations for the 1986 film.

The family-friendly film, which could have been pitched to Hollywood execs as “E.T., but the kid time-travels in a futuristic spacecraft,” follows a Fort Lauderdale tween as he is whisked away by a “fantastic flying machine,” has lots of adventures, befriends aliens aboard, and eventually returns to South Florida.

As in most movies, especially those of the 1980s, “normal” families live in digs that are far from normal.

The half-acre property faces east over the Intracoastal Waterway, and sits on one of the larger lots in the Idlewyld neighborhood, a semi-private, gated community near the Las Olas Bridge.

The same family has owned the five-bedroom, 6.5-bathroom manse for 30 years and updated it in 2022 with modern features and finishes such as Miele appliances, custom cabinetry, and quartzite countertops in the kitchen. read more

By Darius Tahir, KFF Health News

Shannon Sharpe was having one of those 15-minutes-of-internet-infamy moments. Social media blew up in September after the retired Denver Broncos tight end — accidentally, he later said — broadcast some of his intimate activities online.

Port Canaveral officials took note of the division forming between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state Legislature as they went over their government-related pursuits for the coming year.

In the port authority’s first meeting of the year Wednesday, commissioners discussed their legislative priorities.

Diane Luensmann, the port authority’s vice president for government and strategic communications, outlined the major pushes. They include port security grant funding, supply chain stability including improvement and expansion of roadways and bridges, support of commercial fishing, seaport stability, energy security, growing the tourism economy, protecting the environment around the port and to supporting Florida’s role in expanding space operations.

While commissioners voted to approve the priorities, commission chair Wayne Justice wanted to gauge how political headbutting that became apparent during a special session called by DeSantis this week would affect the port.

“It’s been a volatile week in Tallahassee. I’d like any comments on where this is all headed,” Justice said. “I mean, there’s a rift, to be kind — the term — and I’d like to just hear what some of your thoughts on as we look ahead.” read more

By Katie Kelton, Bankrate.com

Would you be upset if you found out your partner had a credit card you didn’t know about? On the flip side, have you ever fudged the numbers with your spouse about a recent shopping spree? Romantic relationships can come with mixed feelings about money. That’s why we asked more than 2,000 people for their takes.

By Felicia Mello for CalMatters

Robert MacKenzie is an assistant fire chief—but not the kind who works for your local fire department. As the Palisades Fire bore down on Southern California last week, the private fire crew he oversees headed out to help defend homes for their customers: Insurance companies that offer wildfire protection to wealthy homeowners and others with the coverage built into their policies.