Things To Do In SW Florida

Being on the doorstep of the nation’s largest and fastest-growing retirement community has made Leesburg a magnet for new residential development. But city leaders say it’s been too much of a good thing, and now they’re considering a pause on all residential rezonings and annexations in the city until 2027.

The City Council will vote April 14 on a moratorium that could halt even projects that were submitted ahead of the meeting, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. The moratorium would pause virtually all new residential projects from later this month until January 1, 2027, a period of over 20 months. It would not apply to land that is already designated for residential uses — only to projects that require a comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning.

As justification for the drastic measure, the city points to a surplus of 30,000 undeveloped, approved single-family residential lots within the city limits. Rather than promote more residential zoning, Leesburg hopes to spur more robust commercial offerings. read more

MIAMI BEACH — The MSC World America, the largest ship in the MSC Cruises fleet, arrived to Miami on Monday ahead of a christening ceremony this week.

The massive vessel sailed up into Government Cut just after sunrise into the turn basin and pulled alongside MSC’s new terminal at PortMiami.

The 22-deck, 6,762-passenger ship weighs 216,638 gross tons, making it just shy of Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class vessels.

The ship will be christened Wednesday and begin year-round regular seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries beginning Saturday.

By ALAN SUDERMAN, AP Business Writer

After holding relatively stable during last week’s global market turmoil, cryptocurrencies have joined the sell-off.

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Bitcoin, the world’s most popular cryptocurrency dipped below $75,000 Monday morning before seeing a slight rebound.

Bitcoin’s prices haven’t been this low since just after President Donald Trump’s Election Day victory last year launched a bull run in crypto prices. Trump, whose tariff announcements led to massive stock sell offs, has been a major promoter of the crypto industry and previously took credit when bitcoin’s price broke $100,000 in December. Bitcoin has been on a relatively steady slide in price since Trump took office earlier this year. read more

By Deborah Vankin, Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — The genius knows all. It knows my height, my weight, my hydration, my cardio stamina — even, regrettably, my body’s visceral fat percentage. I’m standing on a bioelectrical impedance device — which looks a lot like a scale but with metal handles and metal foot pads — and it’s sending low-grade, painless electrical signals through my hands and feet to measure my muscle, fat and water. The percentages of each are then fed into an AI program.

Welcome to Fred Fitness, which touts itself as L.A.’s “first full-scale AI-powered gym.” You might be wondering: What does that even mean? Mostly that AI-powered software, referred to as Genius, is integrated into every piece of cardio and strength equipment at the gym. Throughout your workout, it functions as an ever-present but imperceptible force, sparking beneath the surface, like a digital mycelium network with an agenda: to help you reach your training goal (whether that’s weight loss, strength building or toning) in the most efficient way possible. read more

By JENNIFER McDERMOTT

Nations are trying to reach an agreement to charge commercial vessels a fee for their emissions in what would effectively be the world’s first global carbon tax.

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The International Maritime Organization, which regulates international shipping, set a target for the sector to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by about 2050, and committed to ensuring that fuels with zero or near-zero emissions are used more widely. Its Marine Environment Protection Committee meets Monday through Friday in London. read more