Things To Do In SW Florida

Chapter 7

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

Wood Concepts Co., 4485 Olympic Drive, Cocoa. Filed: Oct. 1. Assets: $2,300. Liabilities: $28,222. Major creditors: Bank of America Business Card, Wilmington, Del., $25,800; Lowes Business, Dallas, $2,422. Creditors meeting: Nov. 6.

Beltran Behavioral Health LLC, 3214 Hillsdale Lane, Kissimmee. Filed: Oct. 3. Assets: $7,339. Liabilities: $752,456. Major creditors: Agency for Health Care Administration, Orlando, $380,668; U.S. Small Business Administration, Birmingham, Ala., $150,000; Internal Revenue Service, Philadelphia, $117,000. Creditors meeting: Nov. 6.

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:

Cornerstone-ICM Oak Plantation LLC, 8660 W. Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, Kissimmee. Filed: Oct. 1. Assets: $0-$50,000. Liabilities: $0-$50,000. Major creditors: Not available. Creditors meeting: Nov. 4. read more

Royal Caribbean looked at a lot of potential homes for its second “Perfect Day” port of call after the success of its private Bahamas version on CocoCay. In the end, it decided to buy an entire port in Mexico.

The cruise line announced Wednesday it is in the midst of acquiring the port of Costa Maya, which will be home to “Perfect Day Mexico,” looking to open in 2027.

“We are building a Perfect Day there. It is a Perfect Day as you know our Perfect Day,” said Royal Caribbean’s chief product innovation officer Jay Schneider. “In addition to the port of Costa Maya, we are buying lots of adjacent land. We’ve been on a journey to buy lots of adjacent land for about a year.”

The port alone will have twice the capacity of Perfect Day at CocoCay, which has just one dock that can bring in two ships aiming for about a 13,000-person capacity. Costa Maya’s port can support four ships at its existing docks.

The port hosts about 2 million passengers a year now from all cruise lines, of which Royal Caribbean brings in more than 1.1 million. The line expects to grow their own passenger count to more than 5 million by the 2030s, Schneider said. read more

Cruise lines have shifted plans as Florida’s ports have either closed or limited traffic as Hurricane Milton bears down on the state.

Port Canaveral, the Port of Tampa, Port of Palm Beach and Jaxport are all closed, under the U.S. Coast Guard’s Port Condition “Zulu” while PortMiami and Port Everglades are under Port Condition “Yankee” as of 8 a.m. Wednesday limiting vessel traffic.

MSC Seashore, Royal Caribbean’s Utopia of the Seas and Adventure of the Seas, Disney Wish and Carnival Glory are all slated to arrive back to Port Canaveral on Friday.

“Port operations will be re-opened after assessment of the roadways and waterway,” Port Canaveral posted on its website.

Two ships canceled their port of call visit to Port Canaveral on Tuesday as well with both the MSC Meraviglia and Royal Caribbean’s Symphony of the Seas skipping their visit.

Already, Disney Cruise Line has canceled the Disney Wish sailing that was set to leave Port Canaveral on Friday.

“Refunds will be automatically processed back to the original form of payment used for the cruise booking. An email with more information will be sent to booked guests or their travel agents,” the line posted on its website. read more

By Elizabeth Ayoola | NerdWallet

The closest I got to Halloween as a child was through classic movies like “Hocus Pocus” and “Casper.” That’s because I grew up in a religious household that chose not to celebrate Halloween.

Since I didn’t embark on the adventure of costume wearing as a child, it’s become a first-generation tradition in my household. Although fun, my third year in, I’m realizing how expensive this costume business can become.

Americans are expected to spend about $104 on Halloween this year, according to the National Retail Federation. If you’ll be participating in spooky season festivities, keep reading for a few mom-approved tips for how to save on costumes.

Set a budget to avoid spooky spending

If you’re anything like me, when it comes to spending on creative ventures, you become a kid in a candy store. However, splurging on a Halloween costume can be counterproductive to your financial goals.

Karen Heffren, a mom from Tucson, Arizona, and owner of the DIY blog Desert Chica, says she’s always been frugal, and that’s no different on Halloween. read more

Amid reports of understaffing, disinformation and political haggling over disaster aid money, the Federal Emergency Management Agency declared Tuesday it is “well-positioned” to handle the needs of Floridians who become disaster victims as Hurricane Milton plows across the state.

On paper, the State of Florida appears to be as prepared as possible to cope with the storm, now proclaimed by President Joe Biden as “the worst storm of the century.”

Gov. Ron DeSantis has deployed a broad roster of agencies from the National and State Guards to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and various health and regulatory agencies.

But the heavyweight agency designed to provide states with the bulwark of their disaster recovery support is FEMA, a Carter Administration creation whose job it is to provide aid to people in impacted  areas by providing cash, technical help and guidance before and after storms do their damage.

In a statement, the agency said its administrator. Deanne Criswell, “is on the ground, meeting with officials across the impacted states to marshal the full capabilities of the federal government.” read more