Things To Do In SW Florida

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I’m an American Airlines frequent flier, and I recently booked an award ticket with Japan Airlines, an American partner. The flight was from New Delhi to Haneda Airport, then on to San Francisco.

A couple of days before my flight, I called American Airlines to upgrade the Japan-to-United-States leg of my trip to business class. Unfortunately, the agent canceled my entire ticket without telling me. I got off the phone thinking that my ticket was still valid.

When I contacted Japan Airlines the day before my flight to check on my vegetarian meal, a representative told me that there was no reservation for me. I called American Airlines and spoke with a supervisor, who reviewed the notes of my call. She said the agent had written that I had canceled my flight. This, of course, was not true.

The supervisor tried to find me a ticket, but the only one available was a full-fare business class ticket for $3,548. I booked the ticket, but I would like American Airlines to refund it, since this was their mistake. A few months ago, American Airlines promised to review my request, but it hasn’t gotten back to me and no longer responds to my emails. Can you help? read more

For more than a year, the nearly pristine red brick and metal roof of College Park’s Incarnation Catholic Church on Edgewater Drive has camouflaged the charred remains of the sanctuary, which was burned by an arsonist last summer and now must be torn down and rebuilt.

When Father William Holiday arrived at work the morning of June 25, 2023 to prepare for mass, he didn’t notice the damage at first. He had missed the call the night before from the Orlando Fire Department. Even when he saw the caution tape across the front door, his only concern was that parishioners would have to use the side entrance.

“Well, then I went inside, and it was, like wow. I had absolutely no clue,” he told GrowthSpotter. Investigators determined that the arsonist piled cushions on the altar and doused them with an accelerant before setting them on fire. They started a second fire on the second-floor choir balcony, leaving the speakers in pieces and the organ a molten mess.

Eight fire engines responded to the emergency call, busting through the stained glass windows and punching a hole in the roof to douse the flames. Holiday said the structural damage from the intense heat, smoke and water was too extensive to make the building worth repairing. read more

The current exemption on the federal (lifetime) gift tax and estate tax are set to sunset at the end of 2025.

Unless Congress acts to forestall the sunset, the exemption will revert to regulations as they stood in 2019.

The exemption, which is $13.61 million per person in 2024, will reset to $5 million plus adjustment for inflation

For many families, that change will have a significant tax impact unless changes are made to their estate plans. If the size of your estate is significant, you should discuss with your estate attorney whether you should consider alternatives such as annual gifts to members of your family, or establishing trusts that will minimize the estate tax or eliminate the tax completely.

Under the current regulations, you are allowed to gift up to $18,000 per year to an unlimited number of individuals without incurring any gift tax. The current yearly limit is expected to be approximately $19,000 in 2025.The individual you select for the gift does not have to be your relative. Your spouse may also make a gift to the same individual, meaning that a married couple can make gifts each year up to $36,000 per year to a given recipient without triggering the gift tax. read more

How do you judge the quality of a workplace? Ask the experts: The employees.

For the sixth year, employee survey firm Energage has partnered with the Orlando Sentinel to determine the best places to work in Central Florida. It’s not a popularity contest, and not everyone gets a blue ribbon. A select few are honored based on a scientific survey process.

Energage administers an employee survey that covers 24 factors and takes just a few minutes to complete. The survey asks employees to offer feedback about such things as pay and benefits, direction, leadership, meaningfulness, and appreciation. Energage crunches the feedback data and scores companies based on the responses.

There is no cost to participate in Top Workplaces and no obligation to purchase any product or service. For 2024, 3,193 organizations were invited to survey their employees, and 164 agreed to do so. Based on the survey feedback, a record 129 have earned recognition as Top Workplaces in Central Florida.

“Being honored with a Top Workplaces award is a distinctive mark of excellence, setting companies apart in a recognizable way,” said Eric Rubino, Energage CEO. “Top Workplaces embody the highest standards, and this award, rooted in authentic employee feedback, is a point of immense pride for company leaders.” read more

The following Orlando Sentinel Top Workplaces 2024 special award recipients were chosen based on standout scores for employee responses to specific survey statements. Employees rate these statements on a seven-point Likert scale from strongly disagree to strongly agree.

Leadership

With the highest ratings for the statement, “I have confidence in the leader of this company”

• Large: Joe Nunziata, FBC Mortgage, LLC
• Midsize: Sheryl Palmer, Taylor Morrison
• Small: Jason Eddy, Assured Information Technology (AIT) Engineering

Direction

With the highest ratings for the statement, “I believe this company is going in the right direction”

• Kalos Services, Inc

Managers

With the highest ratings for the statement, “My manager helps me learn and grow” and “My manager cares about my concerns”

• Orlando Magic

New Ideas

With the highest ratings for the statement, “New ideas are encouraged at this company”

• Sonobi

Doers

With the highest ratings for the statement, “At this company, we do things efficiently and well”

• Hyatt Hotels of Orlando

Meaningfulness

With the highest ratings for the statement, “My job makes me feel like I am part of something meaningful:

• Charter Research

Values

With the highest ratings for the statement, “This company operates by strong values.”

• Greystar

Clued in Senior Management

With the highest ratings for the statement, “Senior managers understand what is really happening at this company” read more