Things To Do In SW Florida

By JOSH BOAK, ROB GILLIES and FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday held off on his tariff threats against Mexico and Canada for 30 days after the two U.S. neighbors agreed to boost border security efforts.

Trump on Saturday had directed that 25% tariffs on most imports from the two American partners — and 10% on Canadian energy products — go into effect at midnight Tuesday. The two nations threatened retaliation of their own, raising the prospects of a broader regional trade war.

In a statement on X, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that on a call with Trump he pledged additional cooperation on border security. It follows similar moves by Mexico earlier Monday.

“Proposed tariffs will be paused for at least 30 days while we work together,” Trudeau said.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. President Donald Trump held off Monday on his tariff threats against Mexico for one month of further negotiations after Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum agreed to send 10,000 members of her country’s national guard to the border to address drug trafficking. read more

Talk-show host Tamron Hall helped Walt Disney World kick off its Black History Month observation by visiting the Magic Kingdom theme park with family members.

Hall and five relatives, including her son, rode through the park as part of a parade with Disney characters on Saturday.  They also took a ride on the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster and had a meet-and-greet experience with Princess Tiana.

“To be here at the park and to see the diverse groups of people and families celebrating with us, this important moment of culture, of food, of music … I will tell you, my heart is full of joy and love and inspiration,” Hall said in an interview near Cinderella Castle while wearing a mouse-ear headband featuring Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and fireworks.

Disney’s Black history festivities are collected under a theme of “Celebrate Soulfully.”  Among the showcased people and elements are Black artists, whose work is seen in the Epcot International Festival of Arts and at the Disney Springs Arts Walk, as well as character encounters and special menu items. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street swung between sharp and more modest losses on Monday as stock markets worldwide sank on concerns President Donald Trump’s tariffs may ignite a punishing trade war.

The S&P 500 was down 0.9% in afternoon trading after Asian and European indexes logged worse drops. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 155 points, or 0.4%, as of 1:11 p.m. Eastern time, and the Nasdaq composite was 1.4% lower.

The U.S. stock market had been on track for a much worse loss itself, with the Dow down 665 points shortly after the start of trading, on worries about how much pain U.S. companies would feel because of the tariffs. Some of the heaviest losses hit Big Tech and other companies that could be hurt most by the higher interest rates that could ultimately result from the U.S. tariffs announced on imports from Canada, Mexico and China.

But U.S. stocks pared their losses after Mexican President President Claudia Sheinbaum said tariffs on her country’s goods are on hold for a month following a conversation with Trump. read more

Housing prices in Central Florida hit a record high in 2024 and the supply of for-sale homes jumped, creating a more active real estate market than in recent years— at least for buyers who could afford to enter it, end-of-the-year data shows.

The median home sale price in the region was $380,000 in December, up 3.5 percent from a year earlier, according to the Orlando Regional Realtor Association. The data is for sales of single-family homes as well as condominiums, duplexes and townhouses in Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties.

The number of houses for sale in the Orlando region also reached a six-month supply — meaning it would take that long to deplete the housing inventory based on current sales — in November, the first time it has done that in almost 14 years, the association’s data shows.

The supply of for-sale homes had been below that level — often far below — for years, bottoming out at less than a month’s supply in March 2022.  Generally, a six-month or more supply is better for buyers as it means they have more options and likely more room to negotiate prices. read more