Things To Do In SW Florida

With Florida leading the world in launches again in 2025 and with no signs of slowing down, the state is ground zero for challenges for a growing industry as other spaceport players across the U.S. and world start to build momentum.

“We finally cracked triple digits. Got to 109 launches,” said Dale Ketchum, Space Florida’s vice president of government and community relations. “We’re continuing to grow rapidly. We’ve obviously got a lot of folks seeking to launch their vehicles at the Cape Canaveral spaceport.”

Ketchum was giving an update at the Global Spaceport Alliance’s annual summit on Tuesday that opened up four days of commercial space conferences this week at the Orange County Convention Center.

He noted that Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, along with California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base, have traditionally led the way for launches, and that’s not slowing down.

He expects between 96 and 125 launches from Florida in 2026, but recent talks with the Space Force could see the two states’ launch manifests swell in the next five years. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal Reserve officials are expected to keep their short-term interest rate unchanged Wednesday after three cuts last year, ignoring huge pressure for lower borrowing costs from the White House in favor of waiting to see how the economy evolves.

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The central bank’s rate reductions last year were intended to shore up the economy and prevent a sharper deterioration in the job market, after hiring slowed to a near-crawl in the wake of President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs last April. Yet there are signs that unemployment has stabilized and the economy could be picking up. At the same time, inflation remains stubbornly above the Fed’s 2% target. All those trends argue for keeping rates where they are. read more

Amazon is slashing about 16,000 corporate jobs in the second round of mass layoffs for the ecommerce company in three months.

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The tech giant has said it plans to use generative artificial intelligence to replace corporate workers. It has also been reducing a workforce that swelled during the pandemic.

Beth Galetti, a senior vice president at Amazon, said in a blog post Wednesday that the company has been “reducing layers, increasing ownership, and removing bureaucracy.”

The company did not say what business units would be impacted, or where the job cuts would occur.

The latest reductions follow a round of job cuts in October, when Amazon said it was laying off 14,000 workers. While some Amazon units completed those “organizational changes” in October, others did not finish until now, Galetti said. read more

The Department of Business and Professional Regulation shut down four Central Florida dining venues for health code violations during the week from Jan. 18-24.

Orange

Checkers at 10500 W. Colonial Dr. in Ocoee shut down on Jan. 21. Inspectors found five violations, one of which was a high priority after inspectors found 12 live roaches on site. A followup inspection on Jan. 22 continued to find live roaches, but a second inspection that day cleared the restaurant to reopen.

Brevard

Beachside Hotel And Suites at 3901 N. Atlantic Ave. in Cocoa Beach shut own on Jan. 21 when inspectors found seven violations including one that was high priority. That was for evidence of rodent activity after inspectors found nearly 30 droppings around the premises. Inspectors returned on Jan. 22 finding no violations and the restaurant was allowed to reopen.

Peacock Indian Kitchen Inc. at 600 Brevard Ave. in Cocoa shut down on Jan. 20 after inspectors found nine violations including two deemed high priority. Those were for rodent activity with more than 50 droppings in various locations and for a missing vacuum breaker on the mop sink faucet. A second inspection was held Jan. 21 resulting in five violations including the missing vaccum breaker, but the restaurant received a time extension to remedy that, and inspectors allowed the venue to reopen. read more

In one of the most expensive land deals in Polk County history, Pulte has locked down the site for its fifth vacation home resort community and will start construction in the next 30 days.

Pulte paid $51.8 million in cash last week for the 288-acre site at the intersection of U.S. 17-92 and Ernie Caldwell Boulevard, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.  Melissa Rodriguez, with RockMel Investments, represented the seller, Standard Sand & Silica.

All of the Standand Sand & Silica land holdings were annexed into the City of Davenport in Oct. 2024 as part of a 1,600-acre expansion that extended the city limits over 2 miles north to the boundaries of Providence. The 15-parcel assemblage has been in the Carnes family since 1949 and was previously used for citrus farming and sand mining operations. It has since been rezoned to a Planned Unit Development that will bring thousands of new homes and apartments, as well as commercial development and industrial uses, to the long-vacant land. read more