Things To Do In SW Florida

Silver Airways, the financially troubled regional carrier serving Florida, the Bahamas and the Caribbean, tried to sell itself in a bankruptcy auction last week.

But no bidders showed up to contest a so-called “stalking horse” offer at a May 28 auction, and the airline is now working to close the sale of all of its assets to a private equity group, its chief executive said in a court affidavit filed Wednesday.

U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Peter Russin of Fort Lauderdale green-lighted an auction last month after polling the Hollywood-based airline’s major creditors.

But Steven Rossum, the CEO, president and general counsel, declared in a six-page affidavit that despite expressions of interest from a wide array of potential bidders, no one stepped forward with a better offer than the $5.775 million bid from an acquisition firm affiliated with Wexford Capital of Greenwich, Conn., and West Palm Beach.

Silver said in court filings posted Wednesday that the company is moving forward with a deal that would also allow the acquisition firm, Argentum Acquisitions Co. LLC., to acquire Silver’s affiliate in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Seaborne Airlines, which serves St. Thomas and St. Croix. Both airlines filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Dec. 30, 2024. Rossum oversees both carriers, which have continued to fly during their respective bankruptcy cases. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street’s big recent rally lost some momentum on Wednesday following a pair of potentially discouraging reports on the economy.

The S&P 500 finished the day virtually unchanged and remained 2.8% below its all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 91 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite added 0.3%.

The action was stronger in the bond market, where Treasury yields tumbled following the weaker-than-expected economic updates.

One said that activity contracted for U.S. retailers, finance companies and other businesses in the services industries last month, when economists were expecting to see growth. Businesses told the Institute for Supply Management in its survey that all the uncertainty created by tariffs is making it difficult for them to forecast and plan.

A second report from ADP suggested U.S. employers outside of the government hired far fewer workers last month than economists expected. That could bode ill for Friday’s more comprehensive jobs report coming from the U.S. Labor Department, which is one of Wall Street’s most anticipated data releases each month. read more

Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando have revealed the final days of operation for a handful of attractions at Magic Kingdom and Universal Studios theme parks. They’ll all be unavailable by the end of summer.

The last day to experience Tom Sawyer Island, the Liberty Square Riverboat and Rivers of America will be July 7. Those attractions opened in 1973, about 18 months after Magic Kingdom first opened.

The final day to ride Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster at Universal will be Aug. 17. The thrill ride debuted in 2009.

These shutdowns were previously announced, but a precise closing date was not announced until this week.

One last walk around Disney’s Tom Sawyer Island

Two “Cars”-themed rides are going into the Tom Sawyer Island area as part of an expansion of Frontierland.  Disney announced some theming based on the (fictional) Piston Peak National Park. “Inside Piston Peak, guests will be able to see and explore the visitor lodge, Ranger HQ, trails and more all set within the Disney and Pixar ‘Cars’ universe,” according to a post on the official Disney Parks Blog. Trees will be a natural barrier between the “Cars” attractions and other parts of Frontierland and Liberty Square, the Disney post said. read more

Three Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of May 25-31, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Robinson’s Restaurant at 301 W. Main St. in Apopka shut down on May 28. Inspectors found 19 violations, four of which were high priorities. Those violations included roach activity, a stop-sale on food due to temperature abuse, food held at the wrong temperatures and an improperly stored toxic substance. There were three more inspections after the visit. On May 29, there were six violations, but the restaurant hadn’t complied with the emergency order. On May 30, there were six violations and they didn’t comply with the emergency order. The final inspection on the same day found five violations, but none was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Seminole

Breakfast Club Oviedo at 1977 Alafaya Trail, Suite 1001 in Oviedo shut down on May 27. Inspectors found 23 violations, two of which were high priorities for an employee touching ready-to-eat food with their bare hands and roach activity. A second inspection on the same day found 13 violations, but none was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards. read more

by CATHERINE GASCHKA, SAM McNEIL and PAUL WISEMAN, Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — Europe and the United States say progress has been made but there were no breakthroughs during a meeting in Paris to negotiate a settlement of a tense tariff spat with worldwide economic ramifications between two global economic powerhouses.

The European Union’s top trade negotiator, Maroš Šefčovič, met Wednesday with his American counterpart, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

“I am pleased that negotiations are advancing quickly,” said Greer. He said the EU negotiators showed a “willingness by the EU to work with us to find a concrete way forward to achieve reciprocal trade. I look forward to continued constructive engagement in the coming days and weeks.”

“We’re advancing in the right direction at pace,” Šefčovič said at a news conference. He said ongoing technical meetings between EU and U.S. negotiators in Washington would be followed by a video conference between himself and Greer to “assess the progress and charter the way forward.” read more