Things To Do In SW Florida

Aisha S Gani | Bloomberg News (TNS)

Capital One Financial Corp., the U.S. lender backed by Warren Buffett, is set to buy Discover Financial Services in a $35 billion deal that will bring together two of the biggest credit card firms and allow them to compete with other Wall Street behemoths.

Here’s all you need to know about Capital One’s acquisition and what it could mean for consumers:

Why does Capital One want to buy Discover?

The deal brings together two storied consumer-finance brands, a combination that will surpass rivals JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Citigroup Inc. by U.S. credit-card loan volume. It will also give Capital One a foothold in the world of payment networks.

Capital One’s Chief Executive Officer Richard Fairbank, said the acquisition is a “singular opportunity” to bring together two companies that can compete with the largest payment networks.

The takeover also marks an opportunity for Discover. In January, the company posted a 62% drop in fourth-quarter profit as it grappled with the fallout from compliance and risk-management lapses that led to the resignation of its CEO last year. read more

Six Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of Jan. 7-13, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Charley’s Philly Steaks #1104 at 8200 Vineland Ave. in Orlando shut down on Feb. 12. Inspectors found four violations, one of which was a high priority for roach activity.

A second inspection on Feb. 14 found no violations.

The emergency order was complied with.

Artisan’s Table at 55 W. Church St. Unit 128 in Orlando shut down on Feb. 13. Inspectors found 17 violations, four of which were a high priority.

Those violations included an improperly stored toxic substance, a missing vacuum breaker, flying insects and raw food not separated from each other in a holding unit.

Officials revisited the restaurant on Feb. 14. Inspectors found three violations. They issued a time extension for the missing vacuum breaker.

The restaurant met inspection standards.

Mama’s Cheese Steak at 629 N. Westmoreland Dr. in Orlando shut down on Feb. 14. Inspectors found 14 violations, three of which were a high priority. read more

By Sabrina Parys | NerdWallet

Wondering which tax breaks you might be able to take advantage of this year? It might help to first take stock of any major financial decisions or changes you made last year.

Home upgrades, a new electric vehicle purchase or paying down some student loan interest are just a few activities that could equal some serious savings this filing season.

1. Get rewarded for going green

If you decided 2023 was the year to tackle some home improvements, you could reap the reward of tax credits worth up to $3,200 or more on your 2024 tax return.

The Inflation Reduction Act, a tax bill passed in 2022, expanded the energy efficient home improvement tax credit through 2032. The law also eliminated the lifetime limit clause, meaning taxpayers can now take advantage of the credit annually, if eligible.

If you purchased energy-efficient windows, doors, insulation, air conditioners or even paid for a home energy audit in 2023, you may be able to snag a credit of up to $1,200 for those updates. On top of that, if you purchased heat pumps, water heaters or biomass stoves, it could get you up to $2,000, for a total of up to $3,200. read more

By WAYNE PARRY (Associated Press)

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — America’s commercial casinos won $66.5 billion from gamblers in 2023, the industry’s best year ever, according to figures released by its national trade association Tuesday.

The American Gaming Association said that total was 10% higher than in 2022, which itself was a record-setting year.

When revenue figures from tribal-owned casinos are released separately later this year, they are expected to show that overall casino gambling brought in close to $110 billion to U.S. casino operators in 2023.

That all happened in a year in which inflation, while receding, still kept things like grocery and energy costs higher than they had been.

“From the traditional casino experience to online options, American adults’ demand for gaming is at an all-time high,” said Bill Miller, the association’s president and CEO.

Early last year, when the group gave its annual statistical assessment, “inflation was high, uncertainty was in the air. Forecasters couldn’t agree what these challenges might do to discretionary income,” Miller said. read more

SpaceX is set to send up the 11th launch from the Space Coast this afternoon with a Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral Space Force Base.

Liftoff is slated for 3:11 p.m. during a two-hour window from Canaveral’s Space Launch Complex 40. The rocket’s payload is the Merah Putih 2 satellite for Telkom Indonesia, which is headed for a geosynchronous transfer orbit. A backup opportunity is available Wednesday with a four-hour window opening at 12:53 p.m.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts a greater than 95% chance for good conditions.

This is the 17th launch of the first stage booster, and SpaceX will attempt its recovery landing downrange on the Just Read the Instructions droneship in the Atlantic Ocean. One of the most flown of SpaceX’s boosters, it previously launched the Crew-3 and Crew-4 human spaceflight missions among others.

SpaceX has flown all but one of the launches from the Space Coast so far in 2023 with United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur having flown the other. read more