Things To Do In SW Florida

By Eliza Haverstock | NerdWallet

If you recently lost your job and are worried about paying your student loans, you have several options to set your bill to $0.

Though the national unemployment rate was just 3.8% in August, up slightly from July, layoffs continue to hit workers in industries like tech, media, entertainment, fashion and consulting. Nearly 1,000 tech companies have collectively laid off some 230,000 workers so far in 2023, according to tech industry layoff tracker Layoffs.fyi.

To make matters even more stressful, federal student loan payments are set to resume in October, after more than three years of an interest-free payment pause that began in March 2020.

“Don’t feel bad if you have to make tough choices and reprioritize,” says Scott Stark, a senior financial planner at Financial Finesse, a workplace financial wellness company.

Here’s how you can make your student loans fit into your budget as you get back on your feet.

Evaluate your budget and spending

Check your budget and spending to see where you can cut back. read more

Ten Central Florida restaurants shut down the week of Sept 3-9, according to data from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

Orange County

Subway #7297 at 4353 Edgewater Drive Suite 400 in Orlando shut down on Sept. 5. Inspectors found four violations, but none were a high priority. They revisited the restaurant on Sept. 6. They found no violations and allowed the restaurant to reopen.

Lam’s Garden at 2505 E. Colonial Drive in Orlando shut down on Sept. 5. Inspectors found 22 violations, two of which were a high priority for a weak chlorine sanitizer and ten rodent droppings on a fridge unity in the prep area under a microwave. A second inspection the same day found seven violations, but none were a high priority. The restaurant met inspection standards.

Five restaurants in the West Oaks Mall food court at 9401 W. Colonial Drive in Ocoee had several restaurants shut down last week. Those restaurants are Boba Galaxy, Choochoo Sub Inc., He’s Kitchen, New Taste Island Restaurant and Paulino Paradise at units 250, 245, 248, 308 and 256, respectively. read more

NEW YORK (AP) — JetBlue Airways said Monday it has reached agreement to turn over Spirit Airlines’ operations at airports in Boston and Newark, New Jersey, as JetBlue ramps up its effort to win regulatory or court approval to buy Spirit.

JetBlue CEO Robin Hays said the announcement “is aimed at removing any doubt of our commitment to promoting competition.”

The U.S. Justice Department is suing to block JetBlue’s proposed $3.8 billion purchase of Spirit, arguing that it will hurt competition and raise prices by eliminating Spirit, the nation’s biggest discount airline. A trial is scheduled to start next month in federal court in Boston. Lawyers for two dozen consumers have filed a similar lawsuit in the same court.

The Justice Department was emboldened after it won a similar case and blocked a partnership between JetBlue and American Airlines, leading JetBlue to scramble to salvage its Spirit deal. The New York-based airline argues that buying Spirit will make it bigger and a stronger competitor to the biggest U.S. carriers. read more

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: A few months ago, I stayed at The Rigdon House, a boutique inn in Cambria, which we reserved through Booking.com. I indicated I would pay for our accommodations at the time of arrival. I paid the hotel when I checked in. Then I got a second charge on our bank statement that was generated by Booking.com.

I’ve spent five weeks trying to get Booking.com to refund the $1,057 that they billed me. I’ve communicated via emails, chats and phone calls, all with different sales reps who requested we send the same documentation. I’ve sent the documentation three times now.

Booking.com assured me a manager or supervisor would get back to me, but no one did. I’ve talked with someone at the hotel numerous times as well, and they even contacted Booking.com on my behalf. Booking.com told the hotel that my refund had been processed, but it hasn’t.

I want to be refunded for the $1,057 that Booking.com incorrectly charged me. Can you help?

— Mary Anne Morgan, Berkeley

ANSWER: Clearly, you shouldn’t have been charged twice, but equally clearly, you were. Someone at Booking.com should have reviewed this and fixed it quickly. Instead, the process has dragged on for months, and you’re still out $1,057. read more