Things To Do In SW Florida

I receive a significant amount of correspondence from IRA beneficiaries due to the complexity of the regulations. Below is a summary of the current state of the rules as of May 2024.

The regulations changed significantly under the SECURE Act of 2019, which affected beneficiaries who inherited from IRA owners who died in 2020 or later. Designated beneficiaries before 2020 were allowed to stretch their inherited accounts over their life expectancies and had to take annual required minimum distributions (RMDs).

Regulations for designated beneficiaries under the SECURE Act are more complicated. Regulations are based on whether a beneficiary was an eligible designated beneficiary or a non-eligible designated beneficiary. (Note: Again, these rules do not apply to those who inherited IRAs prior to 2020.)

A surviving spouse is considered an EDB; as is a minor child under 21 (but not a grandchild). Chronically ill or disabled individuals, and anyone not more than 10 years younger than the deceased IRA owner also qualify as EDBs. All others are categorized as NEDBs. read more

So you want to start an airline. How about two?

That’s what Miami airline executive-entrepreneur Ed Wegel proposes to do as he orchestrates what he calls “the last rodeos” of a commercial aviation career that dates back to the 1980s.

Within a little more than a week, Wegel has formally announced plans to start a South Florida air taxi service using eVTOLs (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft, and a Miami-based scheduled airline that would serve small cities in the Northeast and Midwest, as well as destinations in the Caribbean and Central America.

The air taxi plans call for UrbanLink Air Mobility to ferry commuters among landing spots including airports in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties. The company has placed orders for six-passenger aircraft with the German manufacturer Lilium, which has been busy orchestrating air taxi operations in Central Florida, including at Orlando International Airport.

Wegel’s new airline, to be called Zoom!, would initially operate Brazilian Embraer 190 regional jetliners, acquiring the slightly larger, longer-range Airbus 220s later. He said the service would be akin to what JetBlue Airways has to offer; but the destinations would take travelers to cities where they would not have to struggle through massive airports. read more

A first-of-its-kind approach to managing congestion in Florida will debut this summer on a pair of Central Florida expressways with the goal of helping motorists escape traffic jams more easily.

The Central Florida Expressway Authority announced last week that flex lanes are coming to State Road 417 and State Road 429. Flex lanes allow drivers to pass accidents on the shoulder when overhead signs signal the lanes are open, according to CFX.

CFX is the state agency that oversees the transportation network connecting Brevard, Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties.

A red X signals the lane is closed, a green arrow means it’s open and a yellow X indicates it’s about to open or close. CFX has already added 55 overhead flex lane sign gantries along SR 417 between International Drive and State Road 528. SR 429 has 31 overhead sign gantries from Tilden Road to State Road 414.

Flex lanes are the agency’s latest attempt to ease congestion generated by the large number of tourists traveling to and from theme parks along with the growing number of Central Florida residents. SR 417 and 429 are also being widened, and the flex lanes are being added as that happens. read more

By DAVID KOENIG (AP Airlines Writer)

Congress gave final approval Wednesday to a $105 billion bill designed to increase the number of air traffic controllers, add more safety inspectors at aircraft factories, and require airlines to automatically pay refunds to travelers whose flights are canceled or significantly delayed.

The House passed the measure to reauthorize Federal Aviation Administration programs by a 387-26 margin and sent it to President Joe Biden. The Senate passed the measure last week.

Supporters called the provisions of the legislation a key step in improving aviation safety after a number of close calls between planes at U.S. airports in the last two years.

“This bill recognizes while our aviation system is safe, we have to continue raising the bar for safety,” said Rep. Sam Graves, R-Mo., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, which produced the first version of the legislation 10 months ago.

The Republicans and Democrats who lead the key aviation committees in the House and Senate negotiated over the bill’s final shape last month, then fought off amendments that might have slowed the measure’s passage. read more

By Phil Galewitz, KFF Health News

Patients admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital get a monitoring device about the size of a half-dollar affixed to their chest — and an unwitting role in the expanding use of artificial intelligence in health care.

The slender, battery-powered gadget, called a BioButton, records vital signs including heart and breathing rates, then wirelessly sends the readings to nurses sitting in a 24-hour control room elsewhere in the hospital or in their homes. The device’s software uses AI to analyze the voluminous data and detect signs a patient’s condition is deteriorating.

Hospital officials say the BioButton has improved care and reduced the workload of bedside nurses since its rollout last year.

“Because we catch things earlier, patients are doing better, as we don’t have to wait for the bedside team to notice if something is going wrong,” said Sarah Pletcher, system vice president at Houston Methodist.

But some nurses fear the technology could wind up replacing them rather than supporting them — and harming patients. Houston Methodist, one of dozens of U.S. hospitals to employ the device, is the first to use the BioButton to monitor all patients except those in intensive care, Pletcher said. read more