Things To Do In SW Florida

By AAMER MADHANI

WASHINGTON (AP) — Amazon has put in a bid to purchase TikTok, a Trump administration official said Wednesday, in an eleventh-hour pitch as a U.S. ban on the platform is set to go into effect Saturday.

The official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Amazon offer was made in a letter to Vice President JD Vance and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

The New York Times first reported on the bid.

President Donald Trump on Inauguration Day gave the platform a reprieve, barreling past a law that had been upheld unanimously by the Supreme Court, which said the ban was necessary for national security.

Under the law, TikTok’s Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance is required to sell the platform to an approved buyer or take it offline in the United States. Trump has suggested he could further extend the pause on the ban, but he has also said he expects a deal to be forged by Saturday.

Amazon declined to comment.

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The slow journey to high-speed rail in America read more

TALLAHASSEE — For the first time in 16 years, the state wouldn’t offer sales-tax “holidays” under a House proposal that calls for an overall cut in sales taxes.

The House Ways & Means Committee on Wednesday unanimously approved a $5.43 billion package dominated by House Speaker Daniel Perez’ proposal to lower the state’s sales-tax rate from 6 percent to 5.25 percent.

The package, which will be a key issue in upcoming budget negotiations between the House and Senate, also would reduce a commercial-lease tax from 2 percent to 1.25 percent, along with sales taxes on mobile home sales, electricity and games such as pinball machines.

Gov. Ron DeSantis is pushing to reduce property taxes instead of sales taxes. But Ways & Means Chairman Wyman Duggan, R-Jacksonville, said the House proposal (PCB WMC 25-01) would have the broadest effect.

“Homestead property-tax relief targets or benefits only Floridians at this point, but not all Floridians,” Duggan said. “Sales tax relief benefits all Floridians, plus some other people.” read more

By Alexander Nazaryan

In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson signed a law — the High-Speed Ground Transportation Act — that seemed to pave the way for a national high-speed rail system in the United States. “An astronaut can orbit the earth faster than a man on the ground can get from New York to Washington,” he lamented at the time. Sixty years later, it still takes about three hours to travel between the two cities — a period about twice as long as a single orbit of the International Space Station.

High-speed rail in the United States is still years away. But projects across the country, from Washington state to Texas, suggest a growing enthusiasm for faster train service. These efforts are relatively modest in size, proposing to connect two or three cities at a time. But that may be precisely what makes them feasible.

Under the Trump administration, high-speed rail is unlikely to receive additional support from the federal government. “There should be a federal program,” said Rick Harnish, executive director of the High Speed Rail Alliance. “But in the current circumstances, states need to do what they can on their own.” read more

Seven Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of March 23-29, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Domino’s Pizza at 10057 University Blvd. in Orlando shut down on March 24. Inspectors found five violations, one of which was a high priority for backed-up sewage water. A second inspection occurred on March 25. There was one violation and it wasn’t a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Garranty Bon Bagay Restaurant at 2051 Americana Blvd. in Orlando shut down on March 24. Inspectors found two violations, one of which was a high priority for an employee serving food without washing their hands due to a lack of a hand sink. A second inspection occurred the same day. There was one violation but it wasn’t a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Mi Pan Boricua Cafe at 4063 S. Goldenrod Road in Orlando shut down on March 26. Inspectors found 26 violations, five of which were high priorities. Those violations included flying insects by the bread racks, five roaches found on site and putting food in nonfood-grade containers. A second inspection occurred on March 27. Officials found eight violations and issued a time extension to the lone high-priority violation for nonfood-grade containers. The restaurant met inspection standards. read more

Blue Man Group’s return to Orlando has been delayed again.

Performances were scheduled to begin April 3 in a new 580-seat theater at Icon Park, in the shadow of the Orlando Eye observation wheel on International Drive.

But construction on the theater is not complete, and the official Blue Man website now designates that it will be “opening soon in Orlando” rather than a specific date, month or season. As of Wednesday afternoon, heavy machinery was at the site facing Universal Boulevard and excavation work has been done, but there was no visible vertical construction.

In an official statement, Blue Man Group said it is “thrilled” about its move back into Orlando after a five-year absence.

“The group’s new home will be the bald, blue trio’s first ever theater built from the ground up. Unfortunately, that comes with occasional challenges,” it reads. “We continue to work hard to make progress, and we can’t wait to bring Orlando all the surprising, fun and iconic moments you have come to expect from Blue Man Group.” read more