Things To Do In SW Florida

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans applying for unemployment checks dropped last week to the lowest level since March, suggesting that suggest most U.S. workers continue to enjoy unusually high job security.

Jobless claims dropped by 9,000 to 211,000 last week, the Labor Department reported Thursday. The four-week average of claims, which strips out week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 3,500 to 223,250.

The overall numbers receiving unemployment benefits fell by 52,000 to 1.84 million, the lowest since September.

Thomas Simons and Sam Saliba, economists at Jefferies, called the drops “encouraging” in a commentary but cautioned that seasonal adjustments around the holidays can throw off the numbers.

The U.S. job market has cooled considerably from the red-hot hiring days of 2021-2023 when the economy was bounding back from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Through November, employers added an average of 180,000 jobs a month in 2024, down from 251,000 in 2023, 377,000 in 2022 and a record 604,000 in 2021. Still, even the diminished job creation is solid and a sign of resilience in the face of high interest rates. read more

Two Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of Dec. 22-28, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Mr. Sushi at 4951 International Dr. Unit 104 in Orlando closed on Dec. 27. Officials found nine violations, two of which were deemed high priority., That included an employee failing to wash hands before putting on gloves to work with food and finding the establishment was operating without potable running water, although it had a variance for portable sinks.

Inspectors returned the same day, and although a followup inspection is required, allowed the restaurant to reopen.

Osceola

Black Angus Bar & Grill at 7516 W. Irlo Bronson Highway in Kissimmee shut down on Dec. 26. Officials found 10 violations, two of which were deemed high priority. That included signs of rodent activity with 26 droppings found on top of a dish machine and another 60 under shelving and rice and flour containers in a storage room. Another high-priority violation was for butter and shredded cheese found at warmer temperatures than required. read more

Winter Park business owner Jackie Moore started the new year with bad news from a customer in an early-morning text message: Someone threw a brick through the glass door of Austin’s Coffee.

She rushed to the coffeehouse just after 7:30 a.m. to find glass strewn across the floor and discover four cases of beer stolen from a back room. Police were called and an incident report was typed up with case number 0001 — marking it Winter Park’s first crime of 2025.

“This is really stupid,” Moore said Wednesday afternoon. “They threw a brick to steal beer? And they didn’t even steal the good beers, like the expensive craft beers. They stole the cheaper beers.”

Moore — who has co-owned the eatery on West Fairbanks Avenue for two decades — estimated the break-in happened after 2 a.m. when it had closed for the night.

By noon a company had boarded up the damaged front door with plywood and ordered a replacement. Moore didn’t have an estimate of the cost of damages or stolen booze.

“It just shocked me,” she said. “Especially since they left money in the register. … They got a little drunk but a felony [conviction] is way bigger.” read more

By CORA LEWIS and ADRIANA MORGA

NEW YORK (AP) — With the end of 2024 around the corner, you might be reflecting on financial goals for 2025.

Orlando’s red-hot real estate market cruised into overdrive for much of 2024 as developers turned out thousands of new homes, apartments, and hotel rooms — and big land deals promised much more construction to come. Some powerful trends stood out.

Tourism continued to dominate much of the development landscape across Central Florida. Universal raced to complete its Epic Universe theme park, scheduled to open in the spring, while Disney and Gov. Ron DeSantis ended their feud, clearing the way for the theme park giant to invest $17 billion in Central Florida over the next decade.

On the commercial side, 2024 sales prices shattered previous records for the most expensive hotel sale and shopping center transactions. Lake County saw its land sale record broken twice, and the office market showed signs of improvement. Orange County politicians battled with Orlando over annexations for much of the year only to reach a truce in the 11th hour.

Here is GrowthSpotter’s look at the year’s biggest stories. read more