Things To Do In SW Florida

The Internal Revenue Service is now targeting high earners who have failed to file a tax return for several years.

Early in 2024, the IRS started sending notices to taxpayers who earned more than a million dollars and haven’t filed for several years. In those notices, the IRS is asking taxpayers to either file a return or explain why they have not done so. The IRS is warning those taxpayers to respond quickly or face even larger penalties or more significant enforcement policies.

Some nonfilers are receiving notices if their earnings exceeded $400,000, but the emphasis is on taxpayers who had previously reported incomes exceeding $1 million.

According to representatives of Kostelanetz LLP, a Washington law firm with expertise in this area, if taxpayers do not respond to the initial notice, the next steps the IRS takes may be more severe. The IRS apparently has based its initial notices on information they have received, such as W2s or 1099s, or other information they have that suggests that these taxpayers should have been filing returns. read more

By DAVID KOENIG

DALLAS (AP) — Boeing and its largest union are entering the last week of contract negotiations before a threatened strike by more than 30,000 workers who build the planes that carry millions of airline passengers every year.

A walkout would add to the headwinds facing Boeing, which is hurtling toward a sixth straight money-losing year and just hired a new CEO to turn things around.

The regional branch of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers says the two sides are far apart on wages, health care and job security. The union of started out seeking pay raises of more than 40% over three years, although “that’s probably not where we’re going to end up,” IAM District 751 President Jon Holden said last week.

The union has scheduled a two-part election for Thursday, with voting at more than a half-dozen locations in Washington state and one in Southern California. Workers will vote on Boeing’s last contract offer and whether to authorize a strike if the offer is rejected. A walkout could begin by Friday morning. read more

Another major, multiday theme park event has rolled out in Central Florida. SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream debuted Friday night and, despite a soggy start, presented scares in mythical, comical, agricultural and industrial ways.

It’s the fourth year for SeaWorld’s scare fest, and the park is presenting four new haunted houses plus one “returning favorite,” in addition to a whopping seven scare zones across the property. Most haunts are in locations where day guests usually don’t dwell.

“To put four houses out this year, it’s been very challenging,” said Kyle Smith, manager of creative show operations, before (more) storms and the scares began Friday. “But it’s very cool to come up with new concepts and work with some amazing members of our team to be able to build these haunts.”

It has turned into a continual process.

“What’s fun about it is: What worked, and how can we expand on it?” Smith said.

“But my favorite thing about Howl-O-Scream is that it’s the perfect mix of sexy and horror,” he said. read more

Orange County has begun preliminary planning for two new high-density mixed-use developments on county-owned properties near Epic Universe, as the immediate area around the upcoming theme park and the Orange County Convention Center continues to grow.

Orange County has been “stress testing” these properties to see how much development they can hold. The planning department has released a hypothetical development scenario, site plan, and renderings for each property, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

The county is exploring construction of 2,678 multifamily units on the two properties, including 1,008 units and 54,000 square feet of commercial space on a 14.4-acre at 5980 Destination Pkwy and 1,670 units on a 29-acre property at 10191 International Dr. The first property is located next to a future SunRail station and currently provides overflow parking for the convention center. The second property is located south of the Beachline Expressway and would be connected to the SunRail station through a pedestrian bridge over the highway. That piece is mostly vacant. read more

Jim Rossman | Tribune News Service

We all have floors, and they all get dirty. How you clean them will depend on what’s on those floors — are they hard surfaces or carpeted?

I’ve used plenty of vacuums, both traditional and robot vacuums, and they all have their advantages and disadvantages.

Today we’re looking at three vacuums. Two require work from you and one will take care of things by itself.

Yeedi M12 PRO+ Robot Vacuum

This is the most full-featured robot vacuum I’ve ever used.

The Yeedi M12 PRO+ ($899.99, yeedi.com) does a great job vacuuming and mopping.

It has a mop head system that can extend out into edges and corners (TruEdge Deep Mopping). The vacuum knows if it is moving over carpet or hard flooring. It will raise the mop heads to keep them from dragging on your carpets.

It has 11,000Pa suction power with a special V-shaped brush with ZeroTangle technology, which is handy for cleaning up after your shedding pets. It also has AI on-board to help with obstacle avoidance and 3D mapping of your rooms. read more