Things To Do In SW Florida

By DAMIAN J. TROISE and ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writers

Wall Street extended its gains to a ninth straight day Friday, marking the stock market’s longest winning streak since 2004 and reclaiming the ground it lost since President Donald Trump escalated his trade war in early April.

The rally was spurred by a better-than-expected report on the U.S. job market and resurgent hope for a ratcheting down in the U.S. trade showdown with China.

The S&P 500 climbed 1.5%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 1.4%, and the Nasdaq composite rose 1.5%.

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The gains were broad. Roughly 90% of stocks and every sector in the S&P 500 advanced. Technology stocks were among the companies doing the heaviest lifting. Microsoft rose 2.3% and Nvidia rose 2.5%. Apple, however, fell 3.7% after the iPhone maker estimated that tariffs will cost it $900 million. read more

By KELVIN CHAN, Associated Press Business Writer

LONDON (AP) — A European Union privacy watchdog fined TikTok $600 million on Friday after a four-year investigation found that the video sharing app’s data transfers to China put users at risk of spying, in breach of strict EU data privacy rules.

Ireland’s Data Protection Commission also sanctioned TikTok for not being transparent with users about where their personal data was being sent and ordered the company to comply with the rules within six months.

The Irish national watchdog serves as TikTok’s lead data privacy regulator in the 27-nation EU because the company’s European headquarters is based in Dublin.

“TikTok failed to verify, guarantee and demonstrate that the personal data of (European) users, remotely accessed by staff in China, was afforded a level of protection essentially equivalent to that guaranteed within the EU,” Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle said in a statement.

TikTok said it disagreed with the decision and plans to appeal. read more

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — American employers added a surprising 177,000 jobs in April as the job market showed resilience in the face of President Donald Trump’s trade wars.

Hiring fell slightly from a revised 185,000 in March, but that is above economist projections of 135,000 jobs. The unemployment rate remained at a low 4.2%, the Labor Department reported Friday.

Trump’s aggressive and unpredictable policies – including massive import taxes – have clouded the outlook for the economy and the job market and raised fears that the American economy is headed toward recession.

Friday’s report showed employment, one of the strongest aspects of the U.S. economy, remains solid, yet many economists anticipate that a negative impact from trade wars will materialize this year for American workers and potentially, President Trump.

“Politicians can count their lucky stars that companies are holding on to their workers despite the storm clouds forming that could slow the economy further in the second half of the year,” said Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at fwdbonds, a financial markets research firm. read more

Home values surged across Central Florida in the most recent two-year period with Orange County leading the way. But there was one exception to the upward trend, Osceola County, evidence of how homeowners are being whipsawed by an uncertain economic landscape.

An Orlando Sentinel/South Florida Sun Sentinel analysis of data from Zillow, a real estate marketplace company, shows that from March 2023 through March 2025 home values in Orange topped the region with a 4% increase while Osceola trailed with a 0.58% decrease.

Central Florida’s mixed trend in home values has likenesses elsewhere — much of South Florida is seeing slight dips.  A Zillow economist said values that rose quickly during the pandemic are leveling out — with sellers adjusting expectations and cutting prices to attract buyers. But one of the region’s elected property appraisers sees little risk of a drop like during the Great Recession in 2008.

Central Florida real estate agents and property appraisers say Orlando is the second-strongest metro area — behind just Miami — in part because of its unique characteristic of a large number of short-term rentals and second homes near the theme parks. They say the region is resisting price softening for now. read more

After 2,236 restaurant inspections across Central Florida in April, only 205 had no issues for the entire month, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Brevard had the highest percentage of restaurants with zero violations during routine food inspections at 14.7%. Orange came second at 11%, Volusia at 7.5% and Osceola at 5.6%.

Lake and Seminole ranked near the bottom at 4.8% and 4.5%, respectively.

Orange County had the most restaurants with no violations at 107. Brevard was in second place with 37. Seminole and Volusia tied for third with 25.

BREVARD

56@, 607 Florida Ave., Cocoa
A Taste of Elegance Commissary Kitchen LLC, 1000 Holmes St., Cocoa
Aquarina Golf Catering, 7495 S. Hwy A1A, Melbourne
Bacco Wine Cafe, 4100 North Wickham Road, 108 A, Melbourne
Bagel World at Victoria Sq, 1450 Courtenay Parkway #46, Merritt Island
Brano’s Italian Grill, 3680 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach
Causeway Diner, 3712 N. Courtenay Parkway #102 & 104, Merritt Island
Champs Steakhouse and Bar, 100 N. Sykes Creek Parkway, Merritt Island
Chipotle Mexican Grill #4661, 455 E. Merritt Island Causeway, Merritt Island
Club Nightlife, 226 King St. #180, Cocoa
Cocoa Beach Country Club, 5000 Tom Warriner Blvd., Cocoa Beach
Crackers Island Grille LLC, 6290 N. Atlantic Ave. #5-6, Cape Canaveral
Domino’s Pizza #4936, 923 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
Fishlips Waterfront Bar & Grill, 610 Glen Cheek Dr., Cape Canaveral
Flavors of India, 5675 N. Atlantic Ave. # 117, Cocoa Beach
Florida’s Seafood Bar and Grill, 480 W. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach
H & R Espresso Inc Dba the 905 Caf , 908 E. New Haven Ave., Melbourne
Hibachi Buffet, 735 N. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
The Inn at Cocoa Beach, 4300 Ocean Beach Blvd., Cocoa Beach
Juice N’ Java Cafe, 75 N. Orlando Ave., Cocoa Beach
Le Monthi Cafe and Ice Cream, 214 W. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach
McDonald’s 11307, 1200 Sarno Road, Melbourne
Merritt Island Mall 01, 777 E. Merritt Island Causeway, Merritt Island
Mulberry Lane Cafe, 3440 N. Harbor City Blvd., Melbourne
NCG Cinema, 160 Malabar Road SW Suite 120, Palm Bay
Nourished Roots, 2500 Parkway Dr., Melbourne
Papa John’s Pizza #449, 434 E. Merritt Island Causeway, Merritt Island
Pita Paradise, 225 W. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach
Rebellion Cantina, 24 N. Orlando Ave. Suite G, Cocoa Beach
Rich Island, 2137 N. Courtenay Parkway Suite 36, Merritt Island
Siamorchid Cocoa Beach, 1275 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach
Taco Bell 1323300, 1120 Malabar Road SE, Palm Bay
The Garden of Eden Juicery and Cafe LLC, 4865 N. Wickham Road Suite
109, Melbourne
The Soup Shop, 145 Palm Bay Road NE Suite 100, West Melbourne
Waffle House #1266, 3665 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach
Windemere Inn by the Sea, 815 S. Miramar Ave., Indialantic
Wings & Things, 4651 Babcock St. Suite 3, Palm Bay read more