Seminole’s growth, lack of vacant land, means rising housing costs

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As more people move into Seminole County every year, they will find it increasingly difficult to buy a new home as large swaths of vacant property to build residential subdivisions diminishes in one of the state’s smallest but most densely populated counties, officials said. “We’re running out of land very quickly to build on, so … Read more

Slapfish Review – Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda

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Slapfish was on the menu for a Saturday afternoon for my wife and I.  Nestled in the mega shopping district of Waterford Lakes, the location is in a good spot in terms of parking and getting to the location.  The mistake made by ownership was to provide a fish eye view of The Brass Tap next door, to which I continually looked in that direction wishing I had chosen that spot instead.  Right off the bat, as I venture into the establishment at noon on a very busy Saturday in Waterford, My wife and I and just one other couple are the only patrons.  It feels like the place is going to close soon.  

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The ordering procedure is much like Tijuana Flats (which I hate terribly)… You walk up to a counter that is devoid of any crew members and wait for the college age kid to finally make his way to the register to take our order.  Another college type kid looks through from the kitchen with a look that screams, Oh my God, we actually have another customer.  The Sub- Millennial that took our order had an expressionless face and made no comments at all.  I thought for just a moment that I was in a scene from Gattica.  A robot from 70’s sitcom TV has more personality.  I almost apologized for bothering him.

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Streaming local: A cord-cutting guidebook for Central Florida

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Ready to break up with your cable provider? Paying too much for channels you don’t watch? Cord-cutting offers consumers the flexibility to pay for the channels they want, without subscribing to those they don’t. While signing up for purely entertainment-based services like Netflix and Disney+ is generally a pretty straightforward process, it can be a … Read more

Florida: Urge Your Representative to Oppose the Misleading ‘Pet Protection Act’

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Adangerous Florida bill, misleadingly named the “Pet Protection Act” (S.B. 994 / H.B. 849), would nullify important reforms for animals. Far from “protecting” companion animals, this bill would preempt new local retail sales bans for cats and dogs and stop local governments from enacting additional safeguards against puppy and kitten mills. Commercial breeding mills prioritize profits over animals’ … Read more

Do you still need to wear a mask? This chart by an infectious disease expert can help you decide as mask mandates tumble

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Mask mandates and coronavirus restrictions are tumbling, as the Omicron variant continues to recede. Infectious disease expert Katelyn Jetelina (https://sph.uth.edu/cv/jetelina.pdf) has created a framework for how to think smartly about when and where to wear a mask. Her framework relies on two hyper-local metrics: % of positive tests, and case rates in each county. Across … Read more

State reports 1,330 COVID-19 deaths, cases fall by half

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New coronavirus cases in Florida dropped by more than half this week when compared to last week, the Florida Department of Health said Friday. There were 42,473 new coronavirus cases this week among Florida residents to bring the cumulative total to 5,775,171. With 1,330 more fatalities on record, 68,902 Florida residents have died. This week’s … Read more