Tesla falls behind BYD in quarterly EV sales as growth slows
BYD passed Tesla to become the new No. 1 in BEVs in the fourth quarter, although Tesla was still ahead in full-electric vehicle deliveries for the year.
VinFast opens first U.S. dealership with Leith Automotive Group in N.C.
The Vietnamese EV maker’s first franchised store opened in late December in Cary, N.C., marking the first step toward a national dealer network. The company sells direct to consumers in California, its first U.S. market.
Florida lawmakers file home insurance bills, but chances of passage seem slim
As state lawmakers reconvene for the annual legislative session next week, one of the top issues they’re hearing from constituents about is the state’s homeowners insurance crisis.
Whether any will become reality is unknown. House and Senate Republican leaders haven’t unveiled what, if anything, they have planned for the upcoming session related to insurance.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, in the proposed budget he unveiled in early December, wants to cut insurance taxes, which would have a nominal effect on Floridians’ premiums. The state’s insurance regulator, Mike Yaworsky, said in mid-December that he was interested in legislation to increase insurers’ transparency.
In legislation filed so far, lawmakers are proposing other solutions, including giving direct subsidies to struggling Floridians and allowing the state-run Citizens Property Insurance to cover more homes.
Much of the legislation filed so far is sponsored by Democrats, who have offered up proposals to address the crisis in recent years. The Republicans who control the Legislature haven’t allowed any of them to pass, however. That’s likely to continue this year, Democratic lawmakers concede.
They were sold leaky homes in the pricey Winter Park area. Now they’re demanding the homebuilder pay for repairs
Walls and windows that leak when it rains.
Baseboards separating from the walls and damp drywall accumulating mold.
Residents living in the Hawk’s Crest at Winter Park community shared their complaints on a neighborhood Facebook group page. And then, they say, they realized their experiences were nearly identical.
“We all had water coming in from the same places,” said Angela Surber, a teacher at Orange County Public Schools who purchased a home in the neighborhood in 2020. “It was the biggest purchase of my life and it was a wonderful experience for me, initially.”
But about a year into her purchase, Surber said she started to notice the baseboards in her home were coming loose. Then one night during a particular heavy downpour, Surber awoke to find the shutters in her bedroom drenched and the corners of her carpet saturated. Water was dripping through the wall by her window, even though it was closed shut, she said.
“To say I felt helpless and scared and had no idea why it was happening is a huge understatement,” Surber said.
New Florida tax-free holiday is here: What to know
If you’re in Florida and missed out on buying some things you wanted during the holidays, here’s some good news.
A bonus New Year Florida sales tax holiday has started and will continue until mid-January. This tax-free period is similar to the back-to-school tax-exempt shopping offered by Florida and other states, usually in the summer.
It’s worth noting that offering a second tax-free holiday for back-to-school shopping is a first for the Sunshine State.
And since the tax-free weeks coincide with the start of the New Year, many people might overlook it. So, here are a few things to know before you shop.
Florida tax-free holiday started New Year’s Day
The first thing to know is that the new Florida sales tax holiday started Monday, New Year’s Day, and runs through Sunday, Jan. 14.
Previously, Florida had only one sales tax holiday for back-to-school shopping. However, the state introduced the additional back-to-school tax holiday after Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a massive $1.3 billion tax relief bill.
As reported by Kiplinger, Florida also had two sales tax holidays for disaster preparedness in May and August of last year, due to the new legislation.