Things To Do In SW Florida

By CHEYANNE MUMPHREY

Many people start the new year thinking about ways to improve their health, be more organized and manage their finances. Experts say there is one area that touches on each of those resolutions — home care.

Early and routine home maintenance goes beyond fixing visible damage. It helps ensure a healthy living environment, extends the life of a home and can protect its long-term value, according to real estate professionals. Planning ahead for regular upkeep and for unexpected emergencies can reduce the risk of costly repairs later and help spread expenses more evenly throughout the year.

According to research by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, about three-quarters of existing homes are expected to still be in use in 2050.

“Maintaining the homes that we have is really essential to protecting our health and our well-being,” said Amanda Reddy, executive director of the National Center for Healthy Housing, an organization that researches and advocates for reducing housing-related health disparities. read more

The Trump administration closed NASA’s largest research library Friday, a facility that houses tens of thousands of books, documents and journals — many of them not digitized or available anywhere else.

Jacob Richmond, a NASA spokesperson, said the agency would review the library holdings over the next 60 days and some material would be stored in a government warehouse while the rest would be tossed away.

“This process is an established method that is used by federal agencies to properly dispose of federally owned property,” Richmond said.

The shutdown of the library at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, is part of a larger reorganization under the Trump administration that includes the closure of 13 buildings and more than 100 science and engineering laboratories on the 1,270-acre campus by March 2026.

“This is a consolidation not a closure,” said NASA spokesperson Bethany Stevens. The changes were part of a long-planned reorganization that began before the Trump administration took office, she said. She said that shutting down the facilities would save $10 million a year and avoid another $63.8 million in deferred maintenance. read more

By MATT O’BRIEN and JOSH FUNK, Associated Press Business Writers

The U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and flew him out of the country early Saturday has also disrupted Caribbean travel at a busy travel time for the region.

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No airline flights were crossing over Venezuela on Saturday, according to FlightRadar24.com. And major airlines canceled hundreds of flights across the eastern Caribbean region and warned passengers that the disruptions could continue for days after the Federal Aviation Administration imposed restrictions. read more

The Space Coast’s first launch of the year came after midnight Sunday, the first of what could be four launches in the next 10 days, all from SpaceX.

A Falcon 9 lifted off on the Starlink 6-88 mission with 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 at 1:48 a.m. amid its launch window that opened at midnight.

This was the first flight of the first-stage booster, which made a recovery landing downrange on the droneship Just Read the Instructions stationed in the Atlantic.

Space Coast launch schedule

The next three missions by SpaceX are similar, all with payloads of 29 Starlink satellites, all from SLC-40, and all landing downrange on one of its two droneships stationed out of Port Canaveral.

Next up will be the Starlink 6-96 mission targeting Wednesday from 1:55-5:55 p.m. using a booster flying for the 29th time. After that will be the Starlink 6-97 mission on Jan. 10 from 1:34-5:34 p.m. with a booster flying for the 25th time. And then the Starlink 6-98 mission on Jan. 14 using a booster for the 13th time. read more

In one of the most anticipated and consequential deals of the year, South Florida-based Accesso paid over $70 million for the site of its planned mixed-use entertainment district, Ovation Orlando, propelling a project to redevelop one of Osceola County’s most prominent eyesores.

Together with its joint venture partner, Meyers Group, Accesso acquired 76 acres at the northeast corner of Interstate 4 and U.S. 192, the former Orlando Sun resort property. The deal closed on Dec. 30, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. Bill Shewalter, Executive Vice President of Development, said Accesso will begin demolishing the old hotel buildings on the property in two weeks.

“This land acquisition is a pivotal milestone in bringing the Ovation project to life, and we look forward to fully realizing our vision for this transformative mixed-use district,” stated Alan Garzon, Managing Partner of Accesso Development.

The developers have had the property under contract for over three years but had to overcome numerous obstacles to close the deal, including negotiating a development agreement with Osceola County, and resolving a hefty code enforcement bill. read more