Things To Do In SW Florida

Homes in Partnership, an affordable housing nonprofit based in Lake County, started last week on the latest phase of their affordable home community in Zellwood, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

The nonprofit had already completed construction on 62 homes in previous phases of the Holly Creek community at 7375 Holly Creek Road in Zellwood. The third phase includes an additional 29 homes ranging in size from about 1,200 to 1,500 square feet, bringing the total to 91.

The homes, which will be complete next year, will be available for qualifying applicants for about $250,000, made available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development loan program. The monthly mortgage on the homes, which will be set aside for very-low and low-income individuals and families, will be $1,200 or less, including taxes and insurance.

The median sales price for a single-family home in the Orlando metro area was $472,500 in February, a 17.7% year-over-year increase, data from Redfin shows. read more

TALLAHASSEE — A persistently contentious debate about regulating vacation rentals has escalated into a clash between two powerful industry groups after the Florida Legislature passed a measure that would significantly restrict how local governments can oversee such properties.

The bill has drawn intense opposition from vacation rental management companies, coastal community leaders and Florida Realtors, an influential industry group urging Gov. Ron DeSantis to veto the measure.

“The bill fails to strike a fair balance between the rights of private property owners to rent their property on a short-term basis and the ability of local governments to regulate these rentals,” a website set up by Florida Realtors says. The website allows visitors to submit emails detailing complaints about the bill directly to the governor’s office.

Meanwhile, the Florida Restaurant and Lodging Association, also a politically prominent industry group, has enlisted its members and is appealing to the governor to sign the bill (SB 280). read more

The Port Canaveral-based Carnival Freedom just received its new funnel less than six months ago, but it has suffered more damage because of another fire on board this past weekend as it was sailing in the Bahamas.

Carnival reported the port side of the ship’s exhaust funnel was damaged in a fire at 3:15 p.m. Saturday as it was about 20 miles off the coast of Eleuthera Island, Bahamas as it was heading to Freeport. The ship had skipped over a port of call at Princess Cay because of bad weather.

Carnival Freedom cruise ship having some minor issues pic.twitter.com/PDdZ89K6KE

— Dallas Texas TV (@DallasTexasTV) March 25, 2024

“The ship’s fire response team was quickly activated, and the ship’s captain also turned the vessel towards the heavy rain in the area to maximize the efforts to put out the flames,” according to an update on X by the cruise line. “Eyewitnesses reported the possibility of a lightning strike and that is being investigated.”

This is the same ship that had its funnel burn away in 2022 to the point the ship had to sail without the iconic “whale tail” shape until it went in for a replacement last October during a dry dock in Spain. read more

By Anna Helhoski  | NerdWallet

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Wednesday announced its final regulations to limit emissions from automobiles, as part of the Biden administration’s efforts to combat climate change.

The administration’s new, stricter standards on tailpipe emissions are expected to have ripple effects on electric vehicle production. But it also gives automakers more time to comply with the new rules. When the rules were originally proposed last year, the initial emissions limits had a shorter time frame for adoption.

The announcement comes as electronic vehicle demand has begun slowing down in recent months, despite a record 1.2 million in U.S. EV sales in 2023, according to Kelley Blue Book.

What you need to know

• The new tighter rules for vehicle emissions are expected to roll out more slowly than initially proposed last April. But eventually, the emissions limits will align with the EPA’s target.
• The new standards apply to passenger cars, light-duty trucks and medium-duty vehicles for all model years 2027 through 2032.
• The new rule doesn’t require automakers to produce a certain number of EVs, and gas-powered vehicles will still be produced.
• To comply with the stricter standards, automakers will likely accelerate the production of full-battery EVs, along with hybrids and plug-in hybrid EVs.
• The emissions goals are expected to be reached by 2032 if more than half (56%) of all new vehicle sales are electric and 13% are hybrids, according to the EPA.

Why this matters

• Emissions from cars and trucks are the largest contributor to atmosphere-warming greenhouse gasses in the U.S., accounting for roughly one-third of all greenhouse gas emissions, according to the EPA.
• The new rules are expected to eliminate 7.2 billion tons of carbon emissions in the U.S. by 2055, according to the EPA.
• For drivers, the new rules are also expected to result in $62 billion in reduced annual costs for fuel, maintenance and repairs, according to the EPA.
• Auto manufacturing employment is also expected to get a boost from the new regulations as the industry increases EV production.
• There are, unsurprisingly, health benefits to cleaner air: the EPA says the new regulations “provide $100 billion of annual net benefits to society, including $13 billion in annual health benefits.”

Consider this

• EV adoption hasn’t been easy for consumers largely due to a lack of charging infrastructure for drivers to power up.
• A 2023 analysis of federal data by Coast, a fuel card company, found there are an average of 22 EV charging ports per 1,000 road miles compared to an average of 104 gas pumps.
• The sticker price for EVs is higher than the equivalent non-luxury gas-powered car, according to a study released in July 2023 by Kelley Blue Book. But EVs are more affordable than they once were — prices dropped 20% year-over-year.

What this means for you

The new time frame for meeting emissions standards means automakers don’t have to rev up EV production right now, but in the coming years, consumers can expect more affordable EV options. Consumers are likely to save money with EVs once manufacturers beef up the inventory of less expensive EVs. Once the new standards are fully implemented, the EPA estimates the average U.S. driver will save $6,000 in fuel and maintenance costs. There are also other benefits: EV buyers are also entitled to a 

tax credit read more

Three Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of March 17-23, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange

Hammered Lamb at 235 N. Orange Ave., Suite #101 in Orlando shut down on March 20. Inspectors found 14 violations, three of which were a high priority. Those violations included flying insects, roach activity and roach excrement. Officials revisited the restaurant for a second time on March 21. They found three violations, issuing a time extension for the roach activity found on the previous day. On a third and final inspection the same day, they found no violations. The restaurant complied with the emergency order.

Seminole

Breakfast Club Oviedo at 1977 Alafaya Trail, Suite 1001 in Oviedo shut down on March 21. Inspectors found 12 violations, three of which were a high priority. Those violations included raw food not separated from ready-to-eat food, roach activity and food held at the wrong temperatures. A second inspection the same day found five violations. None were a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards. read more