Things To Do In SW Florida

Q: We are in the process of purchasing an apartment. Our closing attorney received the report from the condominium association showing the monthly dues were current, and we were surprised to learn that a special assessment was pending because the sellers told us that none were. The contract also says that no special assessments are pending. We did not anticipate this additional financial burden when offering to buy the apartment. What can we do? — Duane

A: I have been seeing this type of question a lot lately, as many condominium communities face special assessments because of delayed maintenance, insufficient reserves and tougher community association laws.

When a community association needs extra money for a specific project, such as making repairs, it can “specially assess” unit owners to get the necessary funds. Like the regular assessments the association collects to maintain the community, special assessments must be paid to avoid serious consequences. The assessments vary from a couple of thousand dollars to over a hundred thousand. The amount will depend on the repairs required and how much reserves were postponed. read more

Anna Claire Vollers | (TNS) Stateline.org

Even if you have health insurance, you might expect to be charged a copayment for some routine care, like office-based exams and consultations. But you probably don’t expect to receive a bill a few weeks later charging you an extra $100 or more.

That’s the situation an increasing number of state lawmakers are looking to change. In most states, a “hospital facility fee” can legally appear on your bill if your doctor is affiliated with a large hospital system — even if you never set foot on the hospital’s campus.

Traditionally, hospitals and health systems add facility fees to help cover the higher costs of operating a full-service, 24/7 hospital — which include expenses such as equipment, support staff, utilities, maintenance and security. They argue the fees help them provide critical services to everyone, regardless of their ability to pay.

But increasingly, hospitals are tacking on facility fees for routine services at the smaller clinics and outpatient centers they own, even when those facilities aren’t anywhere near the hospital’s campus. The fees can add anywhere from $15 to $100 or more to a medical bill. Patients have reported being charged out-of-hospital facility fees of $503 for a pediatric visit, $488 for an appointment to get ADHD medication, and $355 for steroid injections for arthritis. read more

By Tommy Tindall | NerdWallet

Looking to the gig economy to make some side money? If you’re considering delivery jobs, you’ve probably thought about DoorDash given its popularity. I’m Tommy, a NerdWallet personal finance writer, and I moonlighted as a DoorDash delivery driver for a week to find out if it’s worth it.

I worked in a suburb of Baltimore, used my own vehicle and delivered everything from burgers and tacos to poke bowls and auto parts. I chose to dash — the DoorDash term for a shift — on weekdays during lunchtime.

Here’s how I did:

• I made $86 over the course of three dashes that totaled 6.5 hours.
• I put 90 miles on my personal vehicle, a full-size pickup truck.
• At an average rate of 17 mpg and with gas going for around $3.60 per gallon at the time, I racked up $19 in fuel expenses.
• Subtract that from $86, and I earned $67 after expenses, or $10.31 per hour.

A part-time job in Maryland that pays the $15 basic minimum wage rate could be more lucrative but probably not as flexible. The average Dasher spends less than four hours a week on delivery, according to DoorDash’s internal data from 2022.

The ability to make money on the fly is the appeal of this side hustle, even if it’s just a few bucks. Here’s what I took away from the test. I also filmed my Dasher experience if you’d rather watch than read. read more

TALLAHASSEE  — Free orange juice will continue to flow at Florida interstate welcome centers while state citrus officials adjust to a pending 10% legislative budget cut for promotions.

The Florida Citrus Commission on Thursday will be asked to approve a $225,000 contract with Visit Florida about the welcome-center refreshment, a reduction of $25,000 from the past.

John Fuller, director of global marketing for the Florida Department of Citrus, said the reduction reflects issues, including fewer welcome centers.

“When this was originally set up, there were four official welcome centers,” Fuller said. “So, it just didn’t make sense to keep using that same number.”

Visit Florida, the state’s tourism-marketing agency, has had three highway welcome centers since closing its facility on U.S. Highway 231 in Jackson County in 2019.

Free cups of juice had been a staple of welcome centers since 1949, according to Visit Florida, and an outcry brought back funding for the promotional effort in 2020. read more

Only one Central Florida restaurant was shut down the week of April 28-May 4, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange County

Station 441 A Paradise Inc. at 2 S. Orange Blossom Trail in Orlando shut down on April 29. Inspectors found 14 violations and two were a high priority. Those violations included an expired business license and 113 rodent droppings around the restaurant. Officials revisited the restaurant on April 30. They found 13 violations, and one was a high priority for the license. However, they issued a time extension for the expired business license. The restaurant requires a follow-up inspection.

Complaints and warnings

Orange County had the top spot for most warnings and other complaints in Central Florida, with 37.

Lake had five, Seminole had three, Volusia had seven, Osceola 11 and Brevard had seven.

Warnings given with required follow-up inspections could lead to a business being shut down if problems remain.