Things To Do In SW Florida

Education

Elmore Lowery was appointed academic dean of the Center for Public Safety at Seminole State College of Florida.

Law

Litigation and trial attorney Cindy Duque Bonilla has joined Holland & Knight‘s Central Florida litigation practice as a partner in Orlando.

Real estate

Jackie Thiel was appointed president at Premier Sotheby’s International Realty.

Chip Wooten was appointed senior vice president, debt capital markets and asset sales at Hillpointe LLC, Winter Park.

Submit professional appointments, management-level promotions and significant awards for individuals, along with photos as .jpg attachments, to peopleonmove@orlandosentinel.com.

Walt Disney Co. reported an increase in revenue and noted attendance was in line with last year during its financial fourth quarter for its experiences division, which includes its theme parks in Florida and California as well as the Disney Cruise Line.

And executives presented an upbeat outlook for upcoming quarters during a conference call with market analysts Thursday morning. The company projects a 6% to 8% increase in operating income for its experiences segment in fiscal 2025.

“As we move through the course of the year, will will move to positive in Q2 and then see further strengthening over the course of the year,” said Hugh Johnston, chief financial officer of Walt Disney Co.  First-quarter results will be affected by hurricane losses in Florida, he said.

Positive factors, he said, will be the launch of the Disney Treasure cruise ship out of Port Canaveral next week and the expectation of strong consumer response.

“We also know that the bookings that we have in the back half of the year are positive right now, so we’re optimistic about how bookings are looking,” Johnston said. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Federal Reserve official gave a lengthy defense of the central bank’s political independence Thursday, just days after former President Donald Trump, an outspoken Fed critic, won re-election.

“It has been widely recognized — and is a finding of economic research — that central bank independence is fundamental to achieving good policy and good economic outcomes,” Adriana Kugler, one of the seven members of the Fed’s governing board, said in prepared remarks for an economic conference in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Kugler added that the research in particular finds that greater independence for central banks in advanced economies is related to lower inflation.

Kugler spoke just a week after Fed Chair Jerome Powell tersely denied that Trump had the legal authority to fire him, as the president-elect has acknowledged he considered doing during his first term. Powell also said he wouldn’t resign if Trump asked.

“I was threatening to terminate him, there was a question as to whether or not you could,” Trump said last month at the Economic Club of Chicago. read more

Chapter 7

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for liquidation under Chapter 7 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Palms Capital Holdings LLC doing business as Florida Pain Centers of Naples, 9832 Osprey Landing Drive, Orlando. Filed: Nov. 8. Assets: $0. Liabilities: $2,651,777. Major creditors: U.S. Small Business Administration, Jacksonville, $1,237,863; LAM Investments of SWFL LLC c/o Welsh Companies, Naples, $176,052. Creditors meeting: Dec. 11.

Chapter 11

Central Florida individuals and businesses that have filed for reorganization and protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code include:

Osteen’s Load and Go LLC, 301 E. North St., Leesburg. Filed: Nov. 7. Assets: $100,001-$500,000. Liabilities: $1,000,001-$10 million. Major creditors: Ondeck “ODK” Capital LLC, South Jordan, Utah, $100,000; Chase Business Preferred, Wilmington, Del., $43,263; Chase Business Unlimited, Wilmington, Del., $32,034. Creditors meeting: Dec. 2.

Hall Construction Co. Inc., 902 S. Nova Road, Daytona Beach. Filed: Nov. 13. Assets: $0-$50,000. Liabilities: $100,001-$500,000. Major creditors: Byzfunder NY LLC doing business as Byzfunder, New York City, $148,500; Florida Capital Bank NA, Omaha, $19,900. Creditors meeting: Not available. read more

By MATTHEW PERRONE, Associated Press Health Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Those ever-present TV drug ads showing patients hiking, biking or enjoying a day at the beach could soon have a different look: New rules require drugmakers to be clearer and more direct when explaining their medications’ risks and side effects.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration spent more than 15 years crafting the guidelines, which are designed to do away with industry practices that downplay or distract viewers from risk information.

Many companies have already adopted the rules, which become binding Nov. 20. But while regulators were drafting them, a new trend emerged: thousands of pharma influencers pushing drugs online with little oversight. A new bill in Congress would compel the FDA to more aggressively police such promotions on social media platforms.

“Some people become very attached to social media influencers and ascribe to them credibility that, in some cases, they don’t deserve,” said Tony Cox, professor emeritus of marketing at Indiana University. read more