Things To Do In SW Florida

Three Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of March 3-9, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Sunshine Soul Food Cafe at 2528 W. Colonial Drive Suite B in Orlando shut down on March 4. Inspectors found 23 violations, five of which were a high priority. Those violations included sewage water backing up in the drains, a stop-sale on food due to temperature abuse and raw food not separated from ready-to-eat food. Officials revisited the restaurant on March 5. They found 18 violations and issued time extensions on four of five high priorities from the previous inspection. A follow-up inspection is required, but there are no immediate threats to the public.

Volusia

Parched Oak at 145 N. Woodland Blvd. in DeLand shut down on March 4. Inspectors found 14 violations, three of which were a high priority. Those violations included rodent droppings found in several areas, a stop-sale on food for not being in wholesome condition and food held at the wrong temperatures. Two inspections happened on March 5. During the first inspection, there were six violations and the facility remained closed. Only two violations were found after the second inspection, and the restaurant met inspection standards. read more

After a slightly extended stay on board the International Space Station, four astronauts from four international space agencies climbed aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon Endurance and began their return trip to Earth.

Crew-7 is made up of NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov.

The quartet that launched from Kennedy Space Center back on Aug. 26, 2023 arrived to the ISS one day later to begin their 197-day stay, the second longest among the now eight completed SpaceX Crew Dragon trips so far to the ISS under NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Only Crew-2 in 2021 bested their stay, and by just one day.

They departed the station at 11:20 a.m. EDT and now have a more than 18-hour ride home. Depending on the weather, they are slated to splash down at one of seven target locations off the coast of Florida in either the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico on Tuesday around 5:50 a.m. EDT with live coverage beginning on NASA TV at 4:30 a.m. read more

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I took a Lyft recently in New York. I did not do any damage to the vehicle, but after the ride, Lyft charged me a $150 damage fee.

Initially, my bank flagged the charge as fraud. But when I contacted Lyft and asked for an explanation, the company claimed that I caused damage to the car. Lyft also sent photos that the company said the driver had shared.

I did not cause any damage whatsoever, and the photos did not depict any damage I actually caused. I’d like my $150 fee to be refunded. But even that would be disappointing based on what I’ve had to go through. This includes the initial stress when being billed $150 and the many hours I’ve spent trying to rectify this with Lyft to no avail. So, I’d also like $1,500 as compensation for the stress this has caused.

Ultimately, I’d like to be a loyal Lyft customer again, and these false allegations against me should not be the cause of a severed business relationship. Someone with some sense at the company needs to review this and should also consider investigating the driver making these accusations. read more

Florida has more homes at risk of flooding than anywhere else in the nation, yet until this week, it was one of a handful of states that didn’t require sellers to tell buyers if the property had previously flooded.

That changed when the Florida legislature passed the first flood disclosure bill in state history. If signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, it would reveal some — but not all — flood risks of a potential home. Buyers would be able to find out if the property they’re considering has made any flood insurance claims or received any federal aid for flood damage.

Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, who sponsored the House version of the bill, called it an important educational effort for all Floridians, especially newcomers to the state. She said she was pleased that the bill received bipartisan, unanimous support after years of similar flood disclosure bills stalling out in the legislative.

“It shows that people are paying attention and resilience, flooding, climate change are all things that you can’t ignore in the state of Florida,” Hunschofsky said. read more

SpaceX is set to send up another batch of Starlink satellites on Sunday night from the Space Coast while prepping for the return of Crew-7 from the International Space Station and the potential third test flight of the Starship and Super Heavy.

A Falcon 9 carrying 23 of SpaceX’s internet satellites for is growing constellation is targeting a 7:05 p.m. liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 40 during 4-hour window that runs from 7:03 p.m.-11:03 p.m. with a backup options on Monday beginning at 6:42 p.m.

The first-stage booster is flying for the 11th time targeting a recovery landing on the droneship Just Read the Instructions downrange in the Atlantic.

This would be the 16th launch from the Space Coast in 2024, but the beginning of a busy week for SpaceX as it’s set to support the return of the Crew Dragon Endurance from the International Space Station with its four passengers on the Crew-7 mission.

The quartet of NASA astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli, European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut Andreas Mogensen, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov have been on board the ISS since Aug. 27, 2023. read more