Things To Do In SW Florida

TALLAHASSEE — Florida’s unemployment rate had a slight uptick to 3.5 percent in January, while Gov. Ron DeSantis touted growth in the labor force.

The state Department of Commerce on Monday released a report that said the January rate was up from 3.4 percent in December. It also was up from 3.2 percent in January 2024.

The number of people qualified as unemployed increased from 385,000 in December to 390,000 in January. It was up from 353,000 in January 2024.

Meanwhile, the labor force of 11.188 million in January increased by 18,000 from December and 66,000 from January 2024.

Across Florida, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach metropolitan statistical area had the lowest unemployment rate in January at 3.0 percent, The Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford and Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin regions were next-lowest at 3.6 percent, while the Tallahassee area was at 3.7 percent

The Naples-Marco Island, Jacksonville and Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater areas were at 3.8 percent. The Cape Coral-Fort Myers, North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, Palm Bay-Titusville-Melbourne, Panama City- Panama City Beach and Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent areas each had 4 percent rates. read more

While SpaceX is busy Tuesday bringing astronauts home on one coast of Florida, it’s set to send up a rocket from the other.

A Falcon 9 carrying 23 Starlink satellites is targeting a 3:57 p.m. liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 during a launch window that runs through 6:09 p.m. A backup window runs from 1:42-5:42 p.m. Wednesday.

The first-stage booster for the mission is flying for the 19th time and will aim for a recovery landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas.

This would be the 23rd launch of the year from the Space Coast with all but one coming from SpaceX.

Its most recent launch of the Crew-10 mission from Kennedy Space Center last Friday set up the return of another crew that was waiting at the International Space Station.

The Crew-9 mission flying home on the Crew Dragon Freedom is set to splash down off Florida’s Gulf Coast two hours after the Falcon 9 launch, aiming for a 5:57 p.m. splashdown.

That spacecraft is bringing home three NASA astronauts and one Russian cosmonaut. While two of the four crew flew up to the station last September, the other two have been on the ISS since last June. They’re the Boeing Starliner astronauts who were left behind on the space station when NASA decided to send the Starliner home without crew. read more

An Atlanta-based developer has purchased a 75-acre portion of the recently shuttered Seminole Towne Center in Sanford and announced plans to redevelop the property into a mixed-use destination with multifamily, retail, and hotel uses.

Brady Lessard, Sanford’s Director of Economic Development, confirmed with GrowthSpotter that the price of the sale to The Ardent Companies was about $17.5 million. The deal involved the vacant, 324,681-square-foot enclosed regional mall, the 160,000-square-foot former Macy’s building, and a 13.5-acre development parcel.

A representative for the developer declined to share more details on the company’s plans, but Lessard released a statement that “the scope of this project will amount to the largest retail redevelopment in Seminole County’s history.”

“We will work in close collaboration with the City of Sanford and other stakeholders to redevelop this site into a mixed-use district that will once again serve as an exciting hub of activity for residents and visitors. We look forward to sharing more details soon,” Matt Shulman, CEO of The Ardent Companies said in the release. read more

The pair of Boeing Starliner astronauts left behind on the International Space Station are finally on their way back to Earth after a planned eight-day trip turned into more than 9 1/2 months in space.

NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams who arrived aboard Starliner as part of its Crew Flight Test last June began their trip home early Tuesday instead in a SpaceX Crew Dragon.

The duo are now part of the Crew-9 mission and flying home with commander Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, who arrived last September in the Crew Dragon Freedom with only two crew instead of the normal four so that Williams and Wilmore had space for the flight back.

The hatch on Freedom closed at 11:05 p.m. Monday with undocking at 1:05 a.m. Tuesday.

Dragon separation confirmed! pic.twitter.com/xjToQWAsLm

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) March 18, 2025

“On behalf of Crew-9 I’d like to say it was a privilege to call station home, to live and work and be a part of our mission and a team that spans the globe working together in cooperation for the benefit of humanity,” Hague said as the spacecraft inched away from the station. “We know the station’s in great hands. We’re excited to see what you guys are going to accomplish, and we’ll be waiting for you. Crew 9’s going home.” read more

Walt Disney World has shared a wee glimpse of the future regarding the lounge planned for Spaceship Earth.  The establishment will be called GEO-82, and it will be for adults only, according to a Monday post on the official Disney Parks Blog.

The GEO part is very scientific and geodesic sphere-ish, much like Epcot’s iconic structure, and the name’s 82 part is tied to 1982, the year Disney World’s second theme park opened.

“GEO-82 will surround you with iconic shapes and intricate structures inspired by the park’s instantly-recognizable icon,” the post reads. “You’ll sit amid rich textures and warm, metallic tones that echo Spaceship Earth in an elegant and intimate setting.”  It also boasts of views of the new-ish World Celebration gardens and World Showcase Lagoon.

Disney’s 2025: New shows, Magic Kingdom parade, other changes

The lounge’s logo features sleek futuristic type and a G-shaped symbol formed by triangular shapes, echoing the exterior of SSE.

“At GEO-82, you’ll be immersed in the storied history and enduring legacy of this timeless Epcot icon,” according to the description on the official Disney World website. read more