Things To Do In SW Florida

MIAMI — Florida already has deep property insurance problems.

Rates are skyrocketing for tens of thousands of homeowners. Four private companies have abandoned the state this year, a dozen more have gone belly up in recent years and others have limited coverage after a string of devastating hurricanes, including Ian last year — the most expensive storm in state history. Business has consequently exploded for Citizens, the state-run insurer of last resort, and so has the risk of financial trouble for Florida if a major metro area takes a bad hit.

A new study and a string of recent financial and industry reports suggest it could get even worse for Florida and other states such as California and Louisiana hammered by natural disasters like wildfires, floods and hurricanes.

The latest study, released Wednesday by the First Street Foundation, warns of a looming “climate insurance bubble” — a double whammy of rising rates and rising risks that potentially could have major economic ripple effects on Florida’s housing market and economy. read more

Brightine CEO P. Michael Reininger, from left, looks on as Brightline founder Wes Edens receives the key to the city from Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, as Brightline President Patrick Goddard claps after the first Brightline passenger train from Miami arrives at the Orlando International Airport Intermodal Terminal on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

The first Brightline passenger train from Miami arrives at the Orlando International Airport Intermodal Terminal on Friday, Sept.22, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

Brightine CEO P. Michael Reininger, from left, Brightline President Patrick Goddard and Brightline founder Wes Edens toast after the first Brightline passenger train from Miami arrived at the Orlando International Airport Intermodal Terminal on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel)

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer speaks during the celebration as the first Brightline passenger train from Miami arrives at the Orlando International Airport Intermodal Terminal on Friday, Sept. 22, 2023.
(Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/ Orlando Sentinel) read more

By DAVID KOENIG (AP Business Writer)

The United Auto Workers union expanded its strike against major carmakers Friday, walking out of all 38 parts-distribution centers operated by General Motors and Jeep and Ram owner Stellantis in 20 states but sparing Ford from further shutdowns.

President Joe Biden said on X, formerly known as Twitter, that he will visit Michigan on Tuesday “to join the picket line and stand in solidarity with the men and women of UAW as they fight for a fair share of the value they helped create.”

Ford avoided additional strikes because the company has met some of the union’s demands during negotiations over the past week, UAW President Shawn Fain said during an online presentation to union members.

“We’ve made some real progress at Ford,” Fain said. “We still have serious issues to work through, but we do want to recognize that Ford is showing that they are serious about reaching a deal. At GM and Stellantis, it’s a different story.”

Fain said GM and Stellantis, the successor to Fiat Chrysler, have rejected the union’s proposals for cost-of-living increases, profit sharing and job security, and “are going to need some serious pushing.” read more

By Meghan Coyle | NerdWallet

Getting the most value out of travel rewards matters to a lot of frequent flyers.

According to a 2023 NerdWallet survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults conducted online by The Harris Poll, 35% of travel rewards credit cardholders say they try to get the best possible value when redeeming their earned points/miles for travel.

For the last four years, if you wanted to collect the most valuable airline miles among U.S. carriers, you’d probably collect Southwest Rapid Rewards points. According to NerdWallet’s valuations, Southwest Airlines points have hovered around 1.5 cents per point since 2019 (when we started collecting the data). That means travelers can usually redeem 10,000 Southwest points for a $150 award flight.

Let’s put that in perspective. In 2020, Southwest Rapid Rewards points were worth a whopping 1.6 cents, while every other major U.S. airline’s points were worth only 1 to 1.1 cents. Southwest Rapid Rewards members could book more flights (or more expensive flights) because their points were worth almost 1.5 times as much as everyone else’s. read more