Things To Do In SW Florida

By Chabeli Carrazana for The 19th

A new child tax credit is coming next year, bringing significant changes that will alter how much assistance families receive — and which families can receive it.

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With his tax and spending package, President Donald Trump passed a permanent change to the child tax credit spearheaded by congressional Republicans. It goes into effect for families filing income tax returns in 2026.

The changes increase the total amount of the tax credit from $2,000 to $2,200, and index it to inflation so it grows over the years, a change advocates have championed for years. However, the package also introduces new parameters to qualify for the credit that will directly affect immigrants and the lowest-income families. read more

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, SEUNG MIN KIM and AAMER MADHANI

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump’slatest plan to overhaul the American immigration system has left some immigrant workers confused, forcing the White House on Saturday to scramble to clarify that a new $100,000 fee on visas for skilled tech workers only applies to new applicants and not to current visa holders.

The president on Friday, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick by his side, signed a proclamation that will require the new fee for what are known as H-1B visas — meant for high-skilled jobs that tech companies find hard to fill.

“Those who already hold H-1B visas and are currently outside of the country right now will NOT be charged $100,000 to re-enter,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a posting on X. “This applies only to new visas, not renewals, and not current visa holders.”

The fee takes effect at 12:01 a.m. ET Sunday. It is scheduled to expire after a year. But it could be extended if the government determines that is in the interest of the United States to keep it. read more

If you want to really know what’s happening at work, ask the people on the front lines.

That’s the foundation of the Top Workplaces award. For the seventh year, employee survey company Energage has partnered with the Orlando Sentinel to honor the best places to work in Central Florida.

This award can’t be bought; it has to be earned, based on employee feedback. Winners are chosen through a scientific survey process. Positive employee feedback equals recognition. Workplaces that don’t have strong feedback are excluded from the winners list.

Energage crunches the data based on a 26-question survey that takes just a few minutes to complete.

The survey asks employees for their feedback on such factors as pay and benefits, direction, leadership, meaningfulness, and appreciation. Energage scores companies based on the responses.

Organizations do not pay any fees to survey employees or to earn a Top Workplaces designation. If they choose, organizations can purchase the survey data. There is no obligation for winners to purchase any product or service. read more

The difference between a good workplace and a great workplace often lies in the opinions of the employees, those closest to the daily operations of a functional workplace.

Employees spend many, if not most, waking hours engaging with their workplaces and becoming experts in how those workplaces operate.

For the seventh year, the Orlando Sentinel partnered with employee survey firm Energage to determine the best places to work in Central Florida. Not all can be winners, and the chosen few are selected based on a comprehensive survey process that covers 26 factors and takes a few minutes to complete.

The survey asks employees to offer feedback about work factors such as pay and benefits, direction, leadership, meaningfulness, and appreciation. Energage crunches the feedback data and scores companies based on the responses.

The award is open to any employer with 35 or more employees in Central Florida. Survey results are valid only if 35% or more employees respond, and employers with fewer than 85 employees have a higher response threshold, requiring responses from at least 30 employees. read more

Though the job primarily deals with the technological world behind our computer screens, AIT Engineering President Jason Eddy said the company’s employees are what make it successful.

“It’s basically a team of experts who are well-respected for what they do,” he said. “Having the organizational resources to do a good job for the Department of Defense is what we want people to strive to be happy about coming to work every day.

For dedication to their work — and the appreciation they receive in return from Eddy — AIT Engineering has been named the Orlando Sentinel’s 2025 Top Workplaces in Central Florida winner in the small business category for the third consecutive year.

Founded in 2010 by Eddy, AIT Engineering is a veteran-owned small business that provides cybersecurity, information technology and software development solutions for federal government clients, mainly the Department of Defense.

With 95 employees in Central Florida, Eddy said he’s been able to keep employees engaged by not limiting their development to one particular area of the company. read more