Things To Do In SW Florida

TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I rented a car from Budget at Los Angeles International Airport recently. I returned the vehicle with a full tank of gas after stopping at a station a few blocks away.

After I dropped off the car, I received a receipt that indicated they would charge me a $90 fuel service fee. I immediately called Budget, and they agreed to reverse the charge.

Today I received a letter from Budget stating that they will charge me $125 for a cleaning fee. I absolutely dispute this.

I contacted Budget again and asked them to remove the cleaning fee. Budget refused. Supposedly, they had to send the car to a detailer for cleaning. They sent pictures of the car, but I am still disputing the charge. I feel as though I am being scammed. Can you help me get rid of this $125 cleaning fee?

— William Houck, Prince Frederick, Maryland

ANSWER: If I didn’t know any better, I’d say Budget was trying to make a little extra money off your rental — first with the refueling charge, then with a cleaning fee. read more

The I-Drive Throwdown show is set for this weekend at Dezerland Action Park on Orlando’s International Drive. The event will spotlight hundreds of trucks and off-road vehicles.

“Automotive tourism is on the rise, and Dezerland Action Park and the Orlando Auto Museum will continue to welcome car enthusiasts from around the country for elite car and truck shows year-round,” Lana Vegosen, Dezerland’s director of marketing, said in a news release.

In addition to the vehicles, the event will include vendors for accessories and management groups. Awards and prizes will be given out throughout the three days, starting Friday.

Throwdown admission has multiple options, from the one-day spectator pass ($30) to a VIP ticket with prime parking for $120. Children ages 10 and younger are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketholder.

Dezerland is also home to the Orlando Auto Museum, which features about 2,000 vehicles. Separate admission from the Throwdown is required.

For more information and a map of the show’s layout, go to idrivethrowdown.com. read more

Despite high interest rates, home prices in Central Florida in June increased from May, according to a report released Monday.

The median home price last month was $385,000, up from $378,000 in May, and approaching last June’s $387,000, according to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association, which looks at sales from Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Lake counties.

The association also said interest rates increased from 6.6% in May to 6.7% in June. Last June, rates were 5.5%.

One Central Florida agent said the cost of borrowing has limited some potential homebuyers.

“June is defined by interest rates,” said Jeremy Wood, a real estate agent with Keller Williams Heritage Realty in Altamonte Springs, in a phone interview with the Orlando Sentinel. “A lot of people were priced out of the market and continue to be so.”

Wood, who said his bread and butter has been first-time homebuyers, said there are available houses that are affordable, but they might be in need of cosmetic work.

“The fact that there are very low options means that sellers can still price their property high and people will still buy it because they need to,” Wood said, noting Orlando’s influx of new residents. “There’s not enough competition to beat prices down.” read more

By The Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — The head of the Teamsters said Sunday that he has asked the White House not to intervene if unionized UPS workers end up going on strike.

Negotiations between the delivery company and the union representing 340,000 of its workers have been at a standstill for more than a week with a July 31 deadline for a new contract approaching fast.

The union has threatened a strike if a deal is not reached by the time the collective bargaining agreement expires. Asked during a webcast with members Sunday on whether the White House could force a contract on the union, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien said he has asked the White House on numerous occasions to stay away.

“My neighborhood where I grew up in Boston, if two people had a disagreement and you had nothing to do with it – you just kept walking,” O’Brien said.

“We don’t need anybody getting involved in this fight,” he said.

The Teamsters represent more than half of the Atlanta-based company’s workforce in the largest private-sector contract in North America. If a strike does happen, it would be the first since a 15-day walkout by 185,000 workers crippled the company a quarter century ago. read more