Things To Do In SW Florida

Overwhelmingly, home buyers view finding the right home as the hardest part of the buying process. There’s so much to consider: What can I afford? How much space do I need? And the most harrowing question of all — what am I willing to give up?

This question is even more loaded for LGBTQ+ buyers, who may face the added pressure of evaluating a new community for safety and comfort.

Social attitudes have dramatically shifted from the days where queer and transgender buyers were concentrated in just one or two neighborhoods, points out Barbara Stone, a Realtor in Dallas, Texas. Today, the community is made up of buyers with a diverse set of needs and preferences, including families with children, professionals who need to be close to business hubs, rural homeowners and many more.

Regardless of what that dream home looks like, LGBTQ+ buyers can seek out the resources available to them, the most valuable of which may be hiring a buyer’s agent who is experienced in working with the community. read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN (AP Business Writer)

NEW YORK (AP) — Coinbase has been targeted by U.S. regulators in a new lawsuit Tuesday that alleges the cryptocurrency platform is operating as an unregistered securities platform and brokerage service.

The lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission comes only a day after it filed charges against Binance, the world’s largest crypto exchange, and its founder Changpeng Zhao are accused of misusing investor funds, operating as an unregistered exchange and violating a slew of U.S. securities laws.

Coinbase shares plunged nearly 15% early Tuesday.

In its complaint, the SEC said Coinbase made billions acting as the middle man for cryptocurrency buyers and sellers but did not give investors lawful protections while acting as a broker.

“Coinbase has for years defied the regulatory structures and evaded the disclosure requirements that Congress and the SEC have constructed for the protection of the national securities markets and investors,” the SEC said in its complaint, which was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. It seeks injunctive relief, disgorgement of ill-gotten gains plus interest, penalties, and other equitable relief. read more

Get ready, Orlando, Gainesville, Lakeland, Tallahassee, Sanford, Ocala, and many other Florida cities.

Homeowners throughout the state are now eligible to apply for up to $10,000 in state funding to protect your home from damaging hurricane winds. The program provides $2 for every $1 you spend to replace roofs, garage doors, exterior doors (such as front doors, doors leading from garages or sliding glass doors), and — for homes without storm shutters — old-style windows.

Gov. Ron DeSantis last week signed a measure that adds $100 million to the My Safe Florida Home program and expands it across the state beginning July 1. Previously, the program was only available to homes within the “wind-borne debris region,” which included most of the state’s southern region and land within a mile from the coast in the upper parts of the state.

Now, instead of funding 11,500 grants of $10,000 each, the program will be able to fund another 10,000 grants.