Things To Do In SW Florida

The Walt Disney Co. is ending its last major court fight with Gov. Ron DeSantis and his allies now that a new development agreement is in place, closing what may be the final chapter in a two-year political drama.

The entertainment giant dropped its federal lawsuit on Thursday, a day after DeSantis appointees green-lighted a plan that officials say will result in up to a $17 billion investment into Walt Disney World over the next 10 to 20 years.

In a court filing, the corporation’s lawyers attributed the move to the approval of the new development agreement by the DeSantis-backed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District.

The governor’s office applauded Disney’s decision to withdraw the lawsuit.

“This is another positive step as we turn the page and uphold responsible government and continue making Florida the No. 1 tourist destination for families,” said Bryan Griffin, a spokesman for the governor.

When asked about their decision to end the lawsuit, Disney officials emailed a copy of the court filing but did not comment on the legal move. read more

Walt Disney World plans to shut down an attraction that’s been in operation as long as the Magic Kingdom has been open.

The Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, a Old West-themed activity featuring infrared rifles, will close this month. Its final day of operation will be June 23, Disney confirmed Thursday.

A Disney Vacation Club lounge will take over the space, which is lodged in a tucked-away stretch between the theme park’s Diamond Horseshoe and Country Bear Jamboree attraction. It will have décor “inspired by the bygone ear of exploration and adventure,” a news release from DVC says. No opening date was available Thursday.

It will be the first DVC lounge at Magic Kingdom. There are also lounges in the Imagination Pavilion at Epcot and atop Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort.

At Frontierland Shootin’ Arcade, visitors take aim at dozens of mostly stationary targets such as tombstones, vultures and gravedigger shovels.  The activity has been free of charge since 2021. The guns originally shot lead pellets, but the attraction switched to infrared-light rifles in the early 1980s. read more

By Lauren Schwahn | NerdWallet

The burden of medical debt may soon become much lighter for millions of Americans.

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau proposed a rule Tuesday that aims to remove medical bills from credit reports and prevent credit reporting agencies from sharing medical debt information with lenders. The rule would also forbid lenders from basing their lending decisions on medical information.

The proposal isn’t expected to be finalized until early 2025, and it could face challenges. Here’s what to watch out for and what you can do now to protect your credit.

Why this matters

“Medical bills on credit reports too often are inaccurate and have little to no predictive value when it comes to repaying other loans,” CFPB Director Rohit Chopra said in a press release Tuesday.

New safeguards could prevent medical debt from blocking consumers’ access to loans such as mortgages and could elevate credit scores.

Americans who have medical debt on their credit reports may see a 20-point bump in their credit scores on average, the CFPB says. read more

Dee DePass | (TNS) Star Tribune

Six weeks ago, the public relations firm Bellmont Partners reopened its renovated Edina, Minnesota, office with a catch: Not every employee would have a permanent desk.

Like an increasing number of employers wrestling with work-from-home trends, Bellmont adopted a musical-chairs-like seating system, albeit more high-tech, commonly called “hoteling.” Only 12 of Bellmont’s office workers have an assigned desk. Fifteen others who work mostly from home now use a new software app to reserve a desk for a day whenever they come into the office, which Bellmont requires only one day a week.

A little more than a month under the new system, and with a few tweaks, it’s been working, said Bellmont Partners co-owner Brian Bellmont. Making such a drastic change to the typical office setup, though, took a lot of preparation, including hiring a design consultant, polling staffers about their needs, tearing down walls and weighing various technology options.

More companies are considering switching to a hotel-desk model as they wrestle with hybrid work trends that lead to near-empty offices, wasted space and costly leases. Beyond Bellmont, local companies like law firm Maslon LLP and divisions within Thrivent, Thomson Reuters, Ameriprise and U.S. Bank are among those giving the reserve-a-desk concept a whirl. read more

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:

Control Micro Systems Inc., 4420 Metric Drive, Suite A, Winter Park. Filed: May 30. Assets: $1,000,001-$10 million. Liabilities: $1,000,001-$10 million. Major creditors: Photonics Industries, Ronkonkoma, N.Y., $145,642; IPG Photonics Corp., Oxford, Mass., $97,317; Fanuc Robotics, Rochester Hills, Mich., $58,142. Creditors meeting: June 27.

Tykma Inc., 4420 Metric Drive, Suite A, Winter Park. Filed: May 30. Assets: $1,000,001-$10 million. Liabilities: $1,000,001-$10 million. Major creditors: Bank of America, Doral, Pa., $281,357; JPT Shenzhen Opto-Elect, China, $238,800; Cambridge Technology, Boston, $165,561. Creditors meeting: June 27.

Sterling Credit Corp., 222 S. Westmonte Drive, Altamonte Springs. Filed: June 4. Assets: $10,000,001-$50 million. Liabilities: $10,000,001-$50 million. Major creditors: Not available. Creditors meeting: Not available. read more