Things To Do In SW Florida

I love new slates. I love new plates. And right now, Orlando’s sitting pretty at the intersection thereof.

There are literally dozens of exciting new ventures set to open here in town throughout 2024, featuring everything from fancied-up french fries to small-scale, speakeasy-style nanobars. Presented here are updates on a few that I’m eagerly eyeballing. Most exciting of all, perhaps? One of them’s already open!

Redlight Redlight

“I want that. Right now,” I tell chef Jes Tantalo when she mentioned the fried smoked mullet and grits, already a staple at Redlight Redlight’s brand-new brunch.

“Come in,” she says. “It’s not going anywhere.”

I would, but as of this writing, it’s only Tuesday. Come Sunday, you may well find me there, immersing myself in a new Orlando culinary experience that’s been three years in the making — one that started serving on the sneak tip the week before Thanksgiving.

Redlight’s been around for ages. Tantalo says the covert ops has allowed the small staff to get used to taking larger orders and dealing with real plates. read more

LaTonya Riley, a grandmother of four and a breast cancer survivor, became a homeowner Wednesday, something she once thought was far beyond her reach.

“I think everything that’s happened to me these last six years was God divine,” she said after receiving keys to a three-bedroom, two-bath house she helped build, working with Habitat for Humanity of Seminole County and Greater Apopka.

“This is a dream come true because I never thought at this point in my life I’d be buying a house.”

After nearly two decades juggling motherhood and a low-wage job at McDonald’s, Riley was stricken with breast cancer, a health crisis that led her to the Facebook page of a cancer survivor who also was a Habitat volunteer.

She said the posts inspired her, despite an affordable housing crisis in Central Florida.

“Me being on my sick bed, I was like, ‘You know what? I’m tired of sitting here crying, having a pity party about my life’,” Riley said. “I wanted to own my own home and when I got into the Habitat program, I could see the light: there was a way.” read more

You started the year with such good intentions. But did you write down the most important things to accomplish in 2024, financially. Did you set some goals? Or were those fleeting ideas that faded with the New Year’s hangover?

There’s an old Savage Truth: “A goal without a plan is just a dream.” So it’s not too late to get started on setting — and acting upon — your financial goals for the New Year. Here are my suggestions, but feel free to create your own.

1. Figure out how to earn more money in 2024. Let’s start with the most optimistic task. The best way to solve all financial problems and sleep better at night is to get more money. Take a mental survey of your time and talents — and put them to better use in the year ahead. Small amounts add up. It could be a side gig using technology or a basic traditional job, such as being a helper to an elderly senior who can’t drive. But stop wasting your time this year. Instead, turn your time into money.

2. Know what you owe! The bills are just now coming in from your holiday shopping — and previous spending. This doesn’t have to be complicated. Pile them up. Then take out a sheet of paper and write down the name of each card, the current balance, the current monthly minimum payment — and the interest rate. read more

Kalea Hall and Breana Noble | (TNS) The Detroit News

Consumers looking for new vehicles should have better luck in 2024, with inventory levels expected to be higher, putting downward pressure on prices, experts say.

New-vehicle inventory is finally expected to hit pre-pandemic levels in 2024 at 3 million, three times what was available during the semiconductor supply shortage, according to Cox Automotive, an automotive services company. But even with more vehicles on dealer lots, analysts at Cox expect sales will increase less than 2% year over year to 15.6 million, below the 17 million figure reached in 2019.

Automakers, meanwhile, will continue to add more electric options to the market, even though they’ve pulled back some of their EV plans and goals as consumers continue to lean on internal combustion engine products and hybrids.

Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox, said there’s “no question” 2024 will be a better time to buy.

“The best that we’ve seen since 2019,” he said. “When you look at the supply levels, it’s literally the most vehicles we’ve had available since early in 2021. We’re starting to see recovery in incentive levels or more discounting, and so as a result, not only are you more likely to find something on the market, you’re more likely to get a better deal.” read more