Things To Do In SW Florida

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and DAVID KOENIG

NEW YORK (AP) — Spirit Airlines, the largest budget carrier in the U.S., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday. The airline said customers should not see any disruption to their travel plans while the process unfolds.

The filing followed years of struggles for the Florida-based airline, which is known for its no-frills, low-cost flights. Spirit failed to bounce back from the COVID-19 pandemic, largely due to rising operating expenses and stiffer competition. The airline has lost more than $2.5 billion since the beginning of 2020 while also racking up mounting debt.

The bankruptcy proceedings are aimed at restructuring the company and shoring up its finances. Still, unease around the bankruptcy petition may have some travelers looking elsewhere for flights ahead of the busy holiday travel season.

Here’s what you need to know.

Will the Chapter 11 affect my booking or loyalty points with Spirit?

For now, it’s business as usual. Spirit says it expects to continue operating normally throughout the bankruptcy process, and that travelers can continue making reservations and taking flights without interruptions. read more

By MATTHEW DALY

WASHINGTON (AP) — Fossil fuel executive Chris Wright, Donald Trump’s choice for Energy secretary, is a strong supporter of oil and gas development, including fracking, a key pillar of the president-elect’s quest for U.S. “energy dominance” in the global market.

Wright has been one of the industry’s loudest voices against efforts to fight climate change, and he could give fossil fuels a boost, including quick action to end a year-long pause on natural gas export approvals by the Biden administration.

CEO of Denver-based Liberty Energy, he describes himself as “a tech nerd turned entrepreneur” and promotes the idea that more fossil fuel production can lift people out of poverty around the globe.

Here are some things to know about Wright.

He has no experience in government

Wright has been chairman and CEO of Liberty Energy since 2011 and has no experience in government.

Liberty is a major energy industry service provider, with a focus on technology. Wright, who grew up in Colorado, earned an undergraduate degree at MIT and did graduate work in electrical engineering at the University of California, Berkeley and MIT. In 1992, he founded Pinnacle Technologies, which helped launch commercial shale gas production through hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. read more

WEST PALM BEACH  — President-elect Donald Trump appears to be planning to attend a SpaceX “Starship” rocket launch on Tuesday, in the latest indication of founder Elon Musk ‘s influence in the Republican’s orbit.

The Federal Aviation Administration has issued temporary flight restrictions over Brownsville and Boca Chica, Texas area for a VIP visit that coincides with the SpaceX launch window for a test of its massive Starship rocket from its launch facility on the Gulf of Mexico. The flight restrictions put in place over Trump’s home in Palm Beach, Florida when he is there will be lifted briefly while the Texas security measures are in place.

Trump’s visit comes as billionaire Musk has been a near-constant presence at Trump’s side as he builds out his administration, attending meetings at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, accompanying him to meetings with Capitol Hill Republicans in Washington last week and to a UFC fight in New York on Saturday.

Trump frequently regaled audiences on the campaign trail with a dramatic account of the last Starship test, that included the capture of the booster at its launchpad by a pair of mechanical arms. read more

David Welch and Allyson Versprille | (TNS) Bloomberg News

Members of President-elect Donald Trump’s transition team have told advisers they plan to make a federal framework for self-driving vehicles one of the Transportation Department’s priorities, according to people familiar with the matter.

If new rules enable wider deployment of cars without human controls, it will directly benefit Elon Musk, the Tesla Inc. chief executive officer and Trump mega-donor who’s become a powerful fixture in the president-elect’s inner circle. He’s bet the future of the EV maker on self-driving technology and artificial intelligence.

Tesla’s stock rose more than 7% shortly after the market open Monday, extending their 28% advance since election day. Shares of Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc., which could face competition from Musk’s long-planned robotaxi network, each fell more than 6% in intraday trading.

Current federal rules pose significant roadblocks for companies looking to launch vehicles without steering wheels or pedals in large quantities, which Tesla intends to do. read more

A deep interest in luxury sports cars and the mechanisms that make them roar led Dylan Serrano to pursue a career as an automotive technician.

“I think I fell in love with being a problem solver,” he said. “With a car, it’s just a bunch of problems and then I just love solving it and figuring it all out.”

Serrano, a 19-year-old student at Osceola Technical College, was one of 20 teenagers who tested their automotive technician skills this week at the Central Florida International Auto Show.

As part of an annual student competition, students identified and fixed mechanical issues in the 2025 models of about a dozen vehicles, including a Ford Bronco and a Dodge Charger.

It was a chance for the students to earn scholarship money — and for the industry to find workers and to highlight the national shortage of automotive technicians.

“With the tech competition, what we’re doing is identifying talent because we’ve got a nationwide shortage of over 70,000 techs,” said Evelyn Cardenas, the auto show director. read more