Things To Do In SW Florida

Billionaire and nominee to become the next head of NASA Jared Isaacman is certainly a fan of SpaceX having relied on Elon Musk’s company for his two trips to space. But he shared the love across SpaceX competitors during a commencement speech for the fall graduation class at Daytona Beach’s Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Thursday.

The ERAU alumnus earned a fortune as founder and CEO of credit-card processing company Shift4 Payments, which allowed him to pursue his love of aircraft and eventually spaceflight. He received a bachelor’s degree in aeronautics in 2011, and was given an honorary doctorate at the ceremony while also encouraging the graduating class to “a journey into one of the most interesting and really opportune times that aerospace has ever seen.”

It’s the second time he’s spoken to ERAU graduates. The first time was soon after his return from his first spaceflight on the Inspiration4 mission in 2021, the first orbital spaceflight with a completely commercial crew. His most recent spaceflight this past September on the Polaris Dawn mission allowed Isaacman to become the first person to perform a commercial spacewalk. read more

By CORA LEWIS

NEW YORK (AP) — The Biden administration has finalized a rule limiting overdraft fees banks can charge, as part of the White House’s campaign to reduce junk fees that hit consumers on everyday purchases, including banking services. President Joe Biden had called the fees, which can be as high as $35, “exploitative,” while the banking industry has lobbied extensively to keep the existing fee structures in place.

Chapter 11

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for reorganization and protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Oceans 317 LLC doing business as Tobu, 1000 Savage Court, Suite 200, Longwood.  Filed: Dec. 4. Assets: $1,000,001-$10 million. Liabilities: $1,000,001-$10 million. Major creditors: Food Systems Unlimited Inc., Longwood, unknown amount; Old Fashion Partnership LLC, Longwood, unknown amount; U.S. Foods Inc., Detroit, unknown amount. Creditors meeting: Not available.

Oceans 330 LLC doing business as Asian Chao, 1000 Savage Court, Suite 200, Longwood. Filed: Dec. 4. Assets: $1,000,001-$10 million. Liabilities: $1,000,001-$10 million. Major creditors: Ambiente Consecutivo Inc., Longwood, $65,509; Food Systems Unlimited Inc., Longwood, unknown amount; Spot On, Beachwood, Ohio, unknown amount. Creditors meeting: Not available.

Pint Pint LLC doing business as Asian Chao, 1000 Savage Court, Suite 200, Longwood. Filed: Dec. 4. Assets: $1,000,001-$10 million. Liabilities: $1,000,001-$10 million. Major creditors: AFCO, Rosemont, Ill., unknown amount; Airgas, Dallas, unknown amount; City of Melbourne Utilities Division, Melbourne, unknown amount. Creditors meeting: Not available. read more

By DAVID KOENIG, AP Airlines Writer

The head of the Federal Aviation Administration, who has led a tougher enforcement policy against Boeing since a panel blew off a jetliner in January, said Thursday that he will step down next month, clearing the way for President-elect Donald Trump to name his choice to lead the agency.

Mike Whitaker announced his pending resignation in a message to employees of the FAA, which regulates airlines and aircraft manufacturers and manages the nation’s airspace. He became the agency’s administrator in October 2023.

Since then, the challenges confronting Whitaker have included a surge in close calls between planes, a need for stricter oversight of Boeing. antiquated equipment and a shortage of air traffic controllers at a time of high consumer demand for air travel.

“The United States is the safest and most complex airspace in the world, and that is because of your commitment to the safety of the flying public,” Whitaker said in the message to employees. “This has been the best and most challenging job of my career, and I wanted you to hear directly from me that my tenure will come to a close on January 20, 2025.” read more

By MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writer

U.S. applications for unemployment benefits jumped to their highest level in two months last week but remain low relative to historical standards.

Jobless claim applications climbed by 17,000 to 242,000 for the week of Dec. 7, the Labor Department reported Thursday. That’s significantly more than the 220,000 analysts were forecasting and yet another data point that reflects a cooling labor market.

This week’s report also showed that continuing claims, the total number of Americans collecting jobless benefits, rose by 15,000 to 1.89 million for the week of Nov. 30.

The four-week average of weekly claims, which softens some of the week-to-week volatility, rose by nearly 6,000 to 224,250.

Weekly applications for jobless benefits are considered a proxy for U.S. layoffs.

While the job markets has shown some cracks recently, it remains broadly healthy and has held up better than many experts predicted considering that interest rates have been elevated in recent years. The Federal Reserve instituted a flurry of rate increases in 2022 and into 2023 to try to suppress the four-decade high inflation that took hold when the U.S. economy rebounded from the brief but sharp pandemic recession. read more