Things To Do In SW Florida

By ALANNA DURKIN RICHER and R.J. RICO

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department filed an antitrust lawsuit Friday against real estate software company RealPage Inc., accusing it of an illegal scheme that allows landlords to coordinate to hike rental prices.

The lawsuit, filed alongside attorneys general in states including North Carolina and California, alleges the company is violating antitrust laws through its algorithm that landlords use to get recommended rental prices for millions of apartments across the country.

Rents across the U.S. saw a huge spike in 2021 and 2022, and though their growth has since tapered off, they remain stubbornly high for many tenants, thanks in part to a huge lack of housing supply.

Justice Department officials allege that RealPage is another reason for the high rents since the algorithm allows landlords to align their prices and avoid competition that would otherwise keep rents down.

“Americans should not have to pay more in rent simply because a company has found a new way to scheme with landlords to break the law,” Attorney General Merrick Garland told reporters. read more

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay theme park says it is closing Scorpion, its oldest standing roller coaster.  The final day to ride will be Sept. 2, aka Labor Day.  A replacement was not announced.

“This closure paves the way for exciting new future attractions, with more details about what’s coming to be revealed soon,” reads a news release distributed by Busch Gardens on Friday morning.

The thrill ride, located in the park’s Pantopia section, was opened in 1980 and was the park’s second coaster.  It joined the previously constructed Python, which was closed in 2006.

Scorpion’s stats are mild compared with several other, more modern, Busch Gardens rides. Its top speed is 41 mph, and its maximum height is 60.7 feet, according to the online Roller Coaster Database. The ride time is 90 seconds. Distinguishing factors are a 39-foot-tall loop, achieved without shoulder harnesses, and a bright orange paint job. It has a 48-inch height requirement.

Once Scorpion’s run ends, the oldest coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay will be Kumba, which opened in 1993. Next in line is Montu, which debuted in 1996. Earlier this year, Busch Gardens added a coaster named Phoenix Rising that moves above the Serengeti Plain. read more

TALLAHASSEE — A sales-tax “holiday” will start Saturday that can help Floridians prepare for storms as the state moves into the peak of hurricane season, while another set of tax breaks is on the horizon for people buying tools and other work gear.

The holiday periods, which will allow people to avoid paying sales taxes on purchases, are part of a tax package (HB 7073) that lawmakers and Gov. Ron DeSantis approved this year.

The first holiday period, which begins Saturday and continue through Sept. 6, is designed to save money for people as they buy various items ranging from packages of batteries and pet supplies to portable radios and generators. The state also held a similar tax holiday around the June 1 start of the six-month hurricane season. You can find a disaster supply checklist here.

Also, the state will hold what has been dubbed the “tool time” tax holiday from Sept. 1-7 to provide tax breaks on tools and work gear such as gloves, boots and ladders.

Hurricane seasons historically pick up in mid-August with the climatological peak around Sept. 10. Meteorological experts have forecast an above-average hurricane season this year, which could mean more than 20 named storms before the end of November. read more

JACKSON HOLE, Wyoming  — With inflation nearly defeated and the job market cooling, the Federal Reserve is prepared to start cutting its key interest rate from its current 23-year high, Chair Jerome Powell said Friday.

Powell did not say when rate cuts would begin or how large they might be, but the Fed is widely expected to announce a modest quarter-point cut in its benchmark rate when it meets in mid-September.

“The time has come for policy to adjust,” Powell said in his keynote speech at the Fed’s annual economic conference in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “The direction of travel is clear, and the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks.”

His reference to multiple rate cuts was the only hint that a series of reductions is likely, as economists have forecast. Powell emphasized that inflation, after the worst price spike in four decades inflicted pain on millions of households, appears largely under control:

“My confidence has grown,” he said, “that inflation is on a sustainable path back to 2%.” read more

Peter Pan’s Flight, the longtime attraction at Walt Disney World, has reopened at Magic Kingdom theme park after a six-week refurbishment. There have been changes that visitors can easily spy.

It’s not a major overhaul. The Fantasyland attraction remains a dark ride in which passengers are in miniature galleons that appear to float above London landmarks and other elements of “Peter Pan,” the 1953 animated Disney film.

The most notable visual change for passengers involves the scene featuring Native Americans. But here are five things to know before you lift up again for Peter Pan’s Flight. Here we go:

The characters

The previous version of the attraction included a Never Land Tribe scene with animatronic drumming natives with a chief in a headdress and Tiger Lily, a character from the film and works by novelist/playwright J.M. Barrie. Tiger Lily is no longer sitting, but dancing with her grandmother, Disney says. The duo is performing the traditional “Fancy Shawl Butterfly Dance,” the company says. The drummers remain, but the headdress, which can be considered stereotypical, is gone. This all happens quickly, right after passing Mermaid Lagoon, as the action moves higher. read more