Things To Do In SW Florida

Q:  We are looking to purchase our new home from a real estate renovator who bought it last year and fixed it up. The contract has a lengthy, one-sided addendum making the sale “as-is” and releasing them from any issues with the renovations, including compliance with the building code. Should I sign it? — Gregg 

A: Probably not unless you get a long time to check things out and ensure all the work was completed correctly.

Many real estate investors will purchase a distressed home and fix it up to sell it at a profit. Sometimes, everything is on the up and up, and the buyer gets a renovated home at a favorable price. However, some of these lack the skill, or the motivation, to do a good job and end up cutting corners.

Every buyer of a newly renovated home needs to be extra diligent to ensure all the work is done correctly.

Hiring a talented home inspector is always important, but it is crucial in this situation.

Remember that a home inspector is a “generalist.” If a problem is found, they recommend you follow up with a properly licensed specialist, such as a roofer, plumber, or electrician. You should follow this advice and get more detailed reports to ensure the house is in great condition. read more

By HALELUYA HADERO (The Associated Press)

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon was sued Wednesday by the Federal Trade Commission for allegedly engaging in a yearslong effort to enroll consumers without consent into Amazon Prime and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.

In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, the agency accused Amazon of using deceptive designs, known as “dark patterns,” to deceive consumers into enrolling in Prime, which provides subscribers with perks such as faster shipping for an fee of $139 annually, or $14.99 a month.

The FTC said Amazon made it difficult for customers to purchase an item without also subscribing to Prime. In some cases, consumers were presented with a button to complete their transactions — which didn’t clearly state it would also enroll them in Prime.

Getting out of a subscription was often too complicated, and Amazon leadership slowed or rejected changes that would have made canceling easier, the complaint said. read more

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ Disney World oversight district is adopting a whistleblower policy, part of an effort board members say is aimed at encouraging a culture of openness and transparency.

Some employees thought their concerns weren’t being heard under the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District’s previous Disney-aligned leadership, Board Chairman Martin Garcia said on Wednesday.

“We want to adopt a policy that says we don’t have deaf ears, nothing will fall on deaf ears,” he said. “So if you have an issue, here is a new policy. Here is a new culture.”

The policy approved at Wednesday’s board meeting provides protections for whistleblowers and sets out the process for reporting unlawful activity and other concerns. It will supplement existing protections in state and federal law.

The whistleblower policy will apply immediately to nonunion staff. The effective date for unionized employees is delayed until Aug. 1 at the earliest.

Meanwhile, District Administrator Glen Gilzean said he is working to finalize a contract already approved by unionized firefighters that would boost their pay and numbers. The agreement would increase annual starting pay from $55,000 to $65,000 and add up to three dozen new firefighters and paramedics. read more