Things To Do In SW Florida

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

By DAVID KOENIG

Spirit Airlines said Monday that it has filed for bankruptcy protection and will attempt to reboot as it struggles to recover from the pandemic-caused swoon in travel, stiffer competition from bigger carriers, and a failed attempt to sell the airline to JetBlue.

Spirit, the biggest U.S. budget airline, filed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition after working out terms with bondholders. The airline has lost more than $2.5 billion since the start of 2020 and faces looming debt payments totaling more than $1 billion in 2025 and 2026.

The airline said it expects to continue operating normally during the bankruptcy process. Spirit told customers Monday that they can book flights and use frequent-flyer points as they ordinarily would, and it said it will continue to pay employees and vendors.

The airline said it received commitments for a $350 million equity investment from existing bondholders and will convert $795 million of their debt into stock in the restructured company. The bondholders will also extend a $300 million loan that, combined with Spirit’s remaining cash, will help the airline get through the restructuring. read more

A carrot company headquartered in Bakersfield is linked to a national outbreak of E. coli, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC announced Sunday that the multistate outbreak stems from Grimmway Farms, which is one of the largest growers, producers and shippers of carrots in the world. The company has recalled multiple brands of bagged organic baby and whole carrots.

As of Sunday morning, 39 people in 18 states were infected by the outbreak of E. coli. Fifteen of those people had been hospitalized and one person had died, according to the CDC. People infected experience severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting.

The carrots were available for purchase in stores from roughly Aug. 14 to Oct. 23, according to the CDC. The brands include 365, Bunny Luv, Cal-Organic, Compliments, Full Circle, Good & Gather, GreenWise, Marketside, Nature’s Promise, O-Organic, President’s Choice, Simple Truth, Trader Joe’s, Wegmans and Wholesome Pantry.

The public is recommended to check their refrigerators for recalled carrots and throw away any of these products. read more