Things To Do In SW Florida

In a recent monthly newsletter, IRA expert Ed Slott discussed the options surviving spouses have when they inherit an IRA. The options can be confusing. You need to choose carefully to maximize your income. Even if you decide initially to maintain the account as an inherited IRA, you always have the option to roll the account over to your own IRA at any time.

What are the advantages of rolling over an IRA inherited from your spouse to your own IRA? There are three main ones:

—Immediate access to the funds in the IRA

—Postponement of required minimum distributions (RMDs) if you are younger than the deceased spouse

—Growth potential of the IRA if you can postpone RMDs

There are situations in which a rollover is not the best option. In the following situations, postponing a rollover may be advantageous.

—You are younger than 59.5.  If you need the proceeds from the IRA when you are younger than 59.5, you will face a 10% early withdrawal penalty. So, rather than rolling the account into your own IRA, you can maintain the account as an inherited IRA initially, and use the rollover option when you have reached 59.5. If you select that option, you can withdraw any amount without penalty, and because of your age, you will not be required to take any required minimum distributions (RMDs) until you reach 73. read more

Four Central Florida food establishments — two restaurants and two food trucks — shut down following health inspections the week of Sept. 22-28, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Tacolandia, a food truck at 1206 W. Robinson St., Vin # 4748 in Orlando shut down on Sept. 23. Inspectors found seven violations, two of which were a high priority for not having potable running water and roach activity. Inspectors conducted a second inspection on Sept. 24. They found two violations, but none was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Antojitos Chapin, a food truck at 454 W. Main St., Vin # 6308 in Apopka shut down on Sept. 27. Inspectors found nine violations, three of which were a high priority. Those violations included an employee working with utensils without washing their hands, not having potable running water and food held at the wrong temperatures. A revisit on Sept. 30 found just one violation about employee training, and a followup visit is required, but inspectors let the food truck reopen. read more