Things To Do In SW Florida

By Erin El Issa | NerdWallet

If you’re working on your credit score, it may feel like an uphill battle. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans (79%) say they’re trying to improve their credit right now, according to a new NerdWallet report. But half of Americans (50%) say there are roadblocks to doing so. Here are five of the obstacles Americans say they’re facing to build their credit score and how you can knock them down.

Having a low credit limit

One of the biggest factors in your credit scores is credit utilization, or the percentage of available credit you’re using at any given time. It’s recommended that you keep your credit utilization — both overall and per account — below 30%. This can be tricky to do when you have a low credit limit, a roadblock to improving credit for 15% of Americans, according to the survey.

Per the 30% rule, for example, if a card’s limit is $1,000, the goal would be to keep the balance below $300, which may be less than you typically charge in a month.

There are a few options to lower utilization: decreasing your balances, increasing your limits or both. If you carry credit card debt month to month, create a debt payoff plan to begin getting your balances down. If you don’t carry debt month to month, but your utilization still is high, try making multiple payments per month to keep the amount you owe down or switch some expenses to a debit card to avoid adding to your credit card balance. read more

TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis and state administrators have rejected at least $11 billion in federal funds in the past few years, saying there were strings attached, they “politicized” roads or fought climate change.

The programs affected include an expansion of Medicaid, rebates for energy-saving appliances and upgrades, a program to cut motor vehicle emissions, and summer lunches for children from low-income families. Millions of mostly low-income Floridians could have benefited from the funding, the governor’s critics say.

As the Legislature convenes on Tuesday to build next year’s state budget, federal COVID-19 recovery funds that have fueled tax cuts, road projects and padded the state’s $10 billion rainy day fund are drying up. State economists warn of a slowdown in tax revenue over the next few years.

At the same time, DeSantis continues campaigning for the Republican nomination for president by railing against the federal government’s spending. He also says he wants to plow several billion more dollars into the state’s ample reserves, despite no recession in sight. read more

Osceola County leaders, eager to see a toll road built through Split Oak Forest, have proposed a strategy that could squelch Orange County’s opposition to a route cutting through the protected, environmentally sensitive acreage.

A 25-page staff memo prepared for Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and county commission colleagues outlined Osceola County’s new — but previously unpublicized — proposal, which envisions Osceola accepting and managing a development partnership’s offer of 1,550 acres of forest, wetlands and former pasture in exchange for approving the Split Oak route.

Intended as an update for commissioners, the memo recapped developments in the complex Split Oak saga — from an April 2022 decision by the Florida Communities Trust (FCT) in favor of the toll road to last month’s meeting of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) where nearly 70 people spoke against it. The new road, linking Orange and Osceola Counties, would open vast portions of Osceola to development. read more

Rich Thomaselli | (TNS) TravelPulse

Perhaps spurred by the potential for a congressional investigation, the Department of Transportation will take a deeper dive into airline frequent flyer programs.

Specifically, the DOT is looking for any unfair or deceptive practices with the loyalty cards.

The government agency is also looking at the devaluation of the cards — that is, the rising number of points needed to book a free flight.

“We plan to carefully review complaints regarding loyalty programs and exercise our authority to investigate airlines for unfair and deceptive practices that hurt travelers as warranted,” a department spokesperson said. “DOT officials are actively meeting with U.S. airlines and gathering more information on this issue.”

Frequent flyer miles used to be accumulated through the number of flights and number of miles flown on a certain airline.

Now, virtually every airline has an affiliated credit card on which you can gain miles just through everyday purchases.

Delta Air Lines, for instance, added more than 8 million frequent flyer members last year. read more