Things To Do In SW Florida

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stock indexes are rising Wednesday as Wall Street waits to hear what the Federal Reserve will say in the afternoon about where interest rates may be heading.

TALLAHASSEE — As Florida’s insurance crisis was unfolding in 2020, Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis moved to shield some detailed information about failed insurers from the public.

Legislation he pushed that year made information on executives’ compensation, corporate governance and risk assessments exempt from public records requests when the companies went out of business and were taken over by state regulators.

Now lawmakers are looking to put that information back in the sunshine.

In a rare move, a House committee on Tuesday advanced a bill that would repeal some of those public records exemptions. The results could shed more light on why and how companies go out of business.

Insurers’ own risk and solvency assessments — mandatory reports created after the 2008 financial crisis that insurers use to determine their financial weaknesses — would be available for public inspection.

So would their underwriting files, along with the names, benefits and compensation of executive officers. read more

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER, Associated Press Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Even as the economy undergoes what may be wrenching changes, the Federal Reserve on Wednesday is expected to signal it could cut its key interest rate twice this year — the same forecast it issued in December.

Yet the reasons for those cuts may change dramatically, depending on how the economy fares.

What were once seen as “good news” rate reductions in response to a steady decline in inflation back to the Fed’s target of 2%, now could become “bad news” cuts that would be implemented to offset an economy struggling in the wake of widespread tariffs, rapid cuts in government spending, and a spike in economic uncertainty.

At the end of last year, the Fed reduced its key interest rate three times to about 4.3% from 5.3%. The Fed had rapidly raised its rate to combat inflation, and as price growth headed lower, that allowed the central bank to reverse some of those rate hikes. In September, inflation dropped to a 3 1/2 year low of 2.4%. read more

It’s been the better part of five years since Walt Disney World made vegan options — real dishes, not just cobbled-together sides and salads — a mission throughout the realm. It’s a move we speculated, in late 2019, served as a tipping point for plant-based dining, and one that Cheryl Dolven, senior manager of health and wellness and environmentality for Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, says is an undisputed success story.

Vegan at the steakhouse: Has plant-based dining finally hit the tipping point?

“It’s been a delight for our guests,” Dolven says, “Those who lead a plant-based lifestyle and also those who are looking for a new and exciting culinary adventure.”

Variety across the parks and resorts, Dolven says, has been at the heart of their achievement in proliferating all things plant-based.

“That means familiar foods that are designed to be approachable, like the spaghetti and Impossible meatballs at Tony’s Town Square or the Impossible nachos at the Sci-Fi Dine-In Theater … to adventurous items where you might not expect them, like the soba noodle salad in a waffle bowl at Fairfax Fare or the ancient grains stew at Citricos.” read more

Ever approach a Costco gas station, see the long lines and glumly pull away?

The big-box club in recent weeks finally did what members have sought for years: It expanded hours to pump gas.

Pumps are now open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., Monday through Friday. On the weekends, the pump times are 6 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Saturday and 7:30 p.m. on Sundays. Previously, pumps closed at 8:30 p.m. on weekdays. Costco in its social media post said members should check their local club for gas station hours as all might not have updated to the new times yet, and hours may vary in states like California and Hawaii.