Local Business · The Villages, FL
Baum Financial Services, a 30-year-old financial planning firm with offices at Lake Sumter Landing and Spring Hill in The Villages, has abruptly closed operations. Founder Gerald Baum sent clients a closure letter without providing a specific reason, while two former associates launched Summit Wealth Management Advisors to serve former clients. The closure has raised concerns among elderly investors who placed funds in Arenal Hills, a Costa Rica property development marketed through Baum's firm, with payouts having stopped and no confirmed villas built. One investor's son reported his 82-year-old mother had $152,000 tied up in the venture, representing about one-third of her retirement portfolio.
Public Safety · The Villages, FL
A Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation inspector cited Cody's Original Roadhouse in Brownwood, The Villages, after finding the restaurant misrepresented seafood origins on its menu. Menu items advertised as "Gulf Shrimp," "Maryland Crab Cake," and "New England Haddock" were actually farm-raised shrimp from India, crab from China, and haddock from Indonesia. The inspection also uncovered three high-priority sanitation violations, including an employee handling a cell phone before cooking without washing hands, cooked rice held at 114 degrees instead of the required 135, and mold buildup in an ice machine. A stop-sale order was issued for dented cans of black beans and applesauce. Cody's received 15 total violations—three high-priority, two intermediate, and 10 basic—and a follow-up inspection is required.
Community brief · The Villages, FL
The Aqua Rhythms Synchronized Swim Team in The Villages will perform a Breast Cancer Awareness Month show at 1 p.m. Nov. 5 at the La Hacienda Recreation Center pool. Local swimmers wore pink caps and swimsuits during practice to promote awareness, using the motto "Stronger together, one splash at a time." The article also cites American Cancer Society statistics noting breast cancer remains the most common cancer in U.S. women aside from skin…
