Things To Do In SW Florida

By Caroline Petrow-Cohen, Los Angeles Times

Michael Buday has one eye on the calendar as he makes plans to purchase a used Tesla. The Orange County, California, resident has two months left to take advantage of a federal tax credit that could save him thousands of dollars if he buys an electric vehicle.

The federal government will stop paying a $7,500 incentive for new electric vehicles and a $4,000 credit for used ones on Sept. 30. It’s an abrupt reversal by the Trump administration of Biden-era efforts to address climate change emissions from gasoline cars. The details are laid out in the “Big Beautiful Bill” that passed this month.

The tax credits have been available for cars that plug in but also have a gas tank, such as the Toyota Rav4 Prime and the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid.

Transportation is the largest contributor to climate change both in California and nationally, and experts say it must get much cleaner to preserve a recognizable climate. About 1 in 4 cars sold in California is fully electric or plug-in hybrid, according to the California Energy Commission. read more

United Launch Alliance was supposed to fly its first national security mission on its new Vulcan rocket three years ago. It may finally begin its big game of catchup this week.

“We’re going to start flying here in just a few days — missions on Vulcan. And what is important for us to do is to hit our tempo and fly reliably and safely for our customers,” said ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno on Thursday during a call with media. “That’s our job, and we’re off to go do it.”

On what would be Vulcan’s third ever launch and first for the government flying for Space Force’s Space Systems Command, the USSF-106 mission is targeting a Tuesday liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41 during a launch window that has yet to be announced.

Its payloads are two satellites headed for geostationary orbit. Details on one of the satellites is classified, but the other is the Navigation Technology Satellite-3, built by Melbourne-based L3Harris. It’s funded by the Air Force Research Laboratory and offers a potential replacement technology for GPS. read more

As Orange County contends with a lawsuit over its voter-approved rural boundaries, its neighbor to the south could face a similar legal battle — but over very different turf.

Developers and homebuilders in Osceola County are weighing a challenge to the county’s sky-high “mobility fees” under Senate Bill 180, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. That’s the sweeping state hurricane recovery law that is being interpreted to void any new land use regulations more restrictive or burdensome” for development.

Both Osceola and St. Cloud declared “extraordinary circumstances” last September when they approved development fees that more than doubled the rate for new homes and many commercial uses, with the money to be spent on transportation improvements.

Osceola County’s mobility and school impact fees are now the highest in the state. And if the 2024 fee increases are nullified, it could cost the city and county millions of dollars earmarked for transportation improvements.

But they’re not the only jurisdictions in Central Florida that could be vulnerable to a legal challenge of their impact fees under SB 180. Earlier this year, Tavares and Haines City also raised their municipal and transportation impact charges. read more

Disney Cruise Line hit another milestone Saturday ahead of the Florida debut of its newest ship Disney Destiny.

The third Wish-class vessel set to begin sailing this fall from Port Everglades was floated out at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany into the harbor out from under the massive building where it has been taking shape since November 2023.

“Hero Minnie greeted the heroes and villains-themed ship as it inched aft-first out of the yard, led by Spider-Man and his Spider Bots on the stern,” according to a press release from the cruise line.

The Disney Destiny cruise ship is floated out into the harbor at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (Courtesy/Disney Cruise Line) The Disney Destiny cruise ship is floated out into the harbor at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (Courtesy/Disney Cruise Line) The Disney Destiny cruise ship is floated out into the harbor at the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg, Germany on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025. (Courtesy/Disney Cruise Line)