Things To Do In SW Florida

Several notable Central Florida restaurants have closed their doors in recent months, saying “the cost of everything” made it too expensive to stay open.

The shuttered businesses included a popular lunch stop, a pioneering vegan restaurant and a brunch place on Winter Park’s Park Avenue. In just the last week, a brewery in downtown Sanford and a restaurant in Orlando’s trendy Thornton Park neighborhood announced they were shutting, too.

The rising costs of rent, food, supplies and wages have all created a financial strain for restaurants, experts say.

Pom Pom’s Teahouse and Sandwicheria, a staple in Orlando’s Milk District neighborhood for nearly 20 years, closed earlier this month.

“One of the reasons I closed the Pom Pom’s concept down was not only that I wanted to do other things, but it was too expensive,” said owner Pom Moongauklang.  “It was just a lot of work to do sandwiches, and it was just too much. With the cost of everything going up, I’ve had to rethink this whole restaurant model.” read more

By Kimberly Palmer, NerdWallet

Money can be hard to talk about, especially when it involves family.

“People get weird around money,” says Bobby Soler, a financial advisor with the firm Strategies for Wealth in New York City. “It can be really awkward with family members.”

He knows from firsthand experience. When it came to caring for his grandmother, his family avoided planning discussions, which led to stressful disagreements between siblings. He wants people to prevent that kind of situation by talking about money — even difficult topics like end-of-life planning — well in advance.

Here’s how to handle a few awkward money conversation scenarios:

You want to know if your parents have enough money for retirement

Opening up the conversation by using a recent news article can be an easy way to start, says Dan Casey, founder of the financial firm Bridgeriver Advisors in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. You could mention that you read an article about the value of using a retirement calculator, for example, or how many people are concerned with having enough money. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS

NEW YORK (AP) — A federal regulator on Wednesday ordered Apple and Goldman Sachs to pay a combined $89 million for deceiving consumers and mishandled transaction disputes of Apple Card customers.

The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau orders point to “customer service breakdowns and misrepresentations” around Apple and Goldman’s credit card partnership. Apple failed to send tens of thousands of Apple Card disputes to Goldman, and when such customer disputes were reported, the investment bank did not follow federal requirements for investigating, the agency said.

As a result, many consumers faced long waits to get their money back from disputed charges and, in some cases, saw incorrect negative information added to their credit reports, the CFPB added.

Apple and Goldman were also accused of misleading people who purchased iPhones and other Apple devices about interest-free payments for the credit card. The CFPB found that many customers thought they would automatically get interest-free financing when buying an Apple device with Apple Card, for example, but were instead charged that interest, while Goldman misled consumers about some refund applications. read more

The four members of the SpaceX Crew-8 mission climbed on board the Crew Dragon Endeavour on Wednesday and began their return trip to Earth from the International Space Station targeting a splashdown early Friday off the coast of Florida.

NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps along with Roscosmos cosmonaut Alexander Grebenkin closed the hatch and undocked from the ISS at 5:05 p.m.

Dragon departing the @Space_Station after undocking at 5:05 p.m. ET pic.twitter.com/9cENuy5HjV

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) October 23, 2024

The quartet launched from Kennedy Space Center atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket back on March 4 arriving to the ISS one day later.

By the time they land, they will have spent 236 days in space. They had been docked to the ISS for 232 of those days, which is a record stay for the spacecraft.

SpaceX Crew-8 launches after tense discovery of crack on hatch seal

Crew-8 had been preparing to depart since welcoming the Crew-9 mission’s Crew Dragon Freedom to the ISS on Sept. 29, which brought up NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. read more

Two restaurants in Central Florida shut down following health inspections the week of Oct. 13-19, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Cici’s Takeout Restaurant at 5112 N. Lane in Orlando shut down on Oct. 15. Inspectors found 16 violations, two of which were a high priority for rodent activity and rodent rub marks along the walls and ceilings. A second inspection the same day had 14 violations. The restaurant required a follow-up inspection.

On Oct. 16, authorities conducted a final inspection. They found eight violations, but none was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Volusia

Taco Bell #27 at 2140 W. International Speedway Blvd. in Daytona Beach shut down on Oct. 7. Inspectors found 10 violations, one of which was a high priority for raw sewage in the women’s bathroom. A second inspection the same day found six violations. None was a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Complaints and warnings

Orange County had the top spot for most warnings and other complaints in Central Florida with 13. read more