Things To Do In SW Florida

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

By MARC LEVY

SPRING CITY, Pa. (AP) — Tech companies and developers looking to plunge billions of dollars into ever-bigger data centers to power artificial intelligence and cloud computing are increasingly losing fights in communities where people don’t want to live next to them, or even near them.

Communities across the United States are reading about — and learning from — each other’s battles against data center proposals that are fast multiplying in number and size to meet steep demand as developers branch out in search of faster connections to power sources.

In many cases, municipal boards are trying to figure out whether energy- and water-hungry data centers fit into their zoning framework. Some have entertained waivers or tried to write new ordinances. Some don’t have zoning.

But as more people hear about a data center coming to their community, once-sleepy municipal board meetings in farming towns and growing suburbs now feature crowded rooms of angry residents pressuring local officials to reject the requests. read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Sprinkles Cupcakes, a company famous for selling sweet treats in vending machines known as “cupcake ATMs,” has shut down after 20 years of operation around the United States, according to its former owner.

“Even though I sold the company over a decade ago, I still have such a personal connection to it, and this isn’t how I thought the story would go,” said Candace Nelson, who started the company after she lost her job in 2005. The closure was announced Dec. 30.

Nelson started Sprinkles Cupcakes in her own kitchen, and the first location was in a small Beverly Hills storefront that had previously been a sandwich shop. The brand would go on to ascend to national fame, and fans took to social media following the company’s announcement to lament the closure.

The company’s cupcake-dispensing machines in malls and airports briefly went viral on TikTok for the not-so-subtle “I love Sprinkles” jingle that played repeatedly while a mechanical arm delivered the dessert. read more

Orlando attorney John Morgan says he took on the Mouse and won.

Morgan’s law firm is running an ad incorporating an adaptation of the nearly century-old “Steamboat Willie” Disney cartoon, but it didn’t happen without some high-profile legal drama.

In a podcast interview, Morgan, 69, said his firm’s headline-generating lawsuit against Disney succeeded, and he was given a green light to proceed with the commercial based off the groundbreaking animated short.

“After a few months, Disney agreed that I could run this commercial,” Morgan told the PBD podcast last month.

The 1928 “Steamboat Willie” animated short, featuring the official debut of Mickey and Minnie Mouse, entered the public domain in 2024, but Disney still holds trademark rights as well as copyright protections for later, more modern versions of the characters.

Morgan & Morgan filed a federal lawsuit in September, seeking a ruling that the ad wouldn’t violate Disney’s intellectual property rights. The firm previously tried to get confirmation from Disney that it wouldn’t object, but the company’s lawyers declined to provide legal advice on the commercial, according to the suit. read more