Things To Do In SW Florida

More than 10 months after Hurricane Ian tore through Florida, millions of dollars raised through first lady Casey DeSantis’ Hurricane Ian relief campaign remain to be spent.

Over $63 million in donations rolled into the Florida Disaster Fund as images of the storm’s devastation filled the airwaves, according to Volunteer Florida, the nonprofit organization that oversees the fund.

Volunteer Florida reports it has awarded about $54 million to charity and response agencies. About $9 million is left to be allocated as the one-year anniversary of the storm approaches, the organization said.

In Central Florida, money from the fund is being used to build affordable housing for seniors, clean up flooded houses, cut down storm-damaged trees and address other damage not covered by insurance or FEMA, disaster relief officials said.

Those dollars extended a lifeline to many in Central Florida, but more assistance could be put to good use with families still struggling to complete repairs, said Alan Harris, Seminole County’s emergency management director and vice president of the disaster relief nonprofit organization Seminole Heart. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN (AP Business Writer)

Bud Light’s parent company expressed confidence Thursday that its U.S. market share has stabilized after a promotion with a transgender influencer cost it sales.

Anheuser-Busch Inbev said Thursday that its U.S. revenue fell 10.5% in the second quarter. Bud Light sales plunged amid a conservative backlash after the brand sent a commemorative can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney in early April.

The company said its total U.S. market share for all brands fell more than 5% to 36.9% in April, but then remained stable from the end of April through the end of June. Some of the company’s brands, like Busch Lite and Michelob Ultra, have gained U.S. market share.

Still, the Bud Light saga has been a costly one for the brewer. In June, Bud Light lost its place as America’s best-selling beer after more than two decades, slipping into second place behind Mexican lager Modelo Especial. InBev also owns Modelo, but in the U.S. the brand is imported and sold by Constellation Brands. read more