Things To Do In SW Florida

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

Disney will pay Comcast’s NBCUniversal nearly $439 million for its stake in Hulu, taking full control of the streaming service.

The move closes out an appraisal process that’s dragged on for a few years. Disney said in November 2023 that it was acquiring a 33% stake in Hulu from Comcast for at least $8.6 billion. That amount reflected Hulu’s guaranteed floor value of $27.5 billion, according to a regulatory filing.

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Disney has run Hulu since 2019, when Comcast ceded its authority to Disney and effectively became a silent partner. read more

By KELVIN CHAN and MATT O’BRIEN

LONDON (AP) — Getty Images is facing off against artificial intelligence company Stability AI in a London courtroom for the first major copyright trial of the generative AI industry.

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Opening arguments before a judge at the British High Court began on Monday. The trial could last for three weeks followed by a written decision from the judge expected at a later date.

Stability, based in London, owns a widely used AI image-making tool that sparked enthusiasm for the instant creation of AI artwork and photorealistic images upon its release in August 2022. OpenAI introduced its surprise hit chatbot ChatGPT three months later. read more

Orange County’s tourist tax collections were better in April than a year ago, but not as good as the year before that.

The revenue generated by the county’s 6% surcharge on overnight hotel stays and other short-term lodging has been a reliable measure of tourist industry health, but Comptroller Phil Diamond, whose office tracks the collections, interpreted the new figures cautiously.

“It’s interesting to me that even though we’re in the midst of what looks to be a very good year — and we just had a very good month — we didn’t beat a number from two years ago when everything was less expensive and hotel rooms cost less,” Diamond said.

April 2025 collections were slightly weaker at $33.1 million than those in both April 2023 ($33.6 million) and April 2022 ($34.6 million).

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Still, revenue from the Tourist Development Tax, or TDT, through the first seven months of fiscal year 2025 has totaled $235.6 million, about $11.3 million ahead of the pace of last fiscal year when TDT raked in a best-ever haul of $359 million. read more

SeaWorld Orlando visitors can come face-to-face with emperor penguins later this week, the theme park confirms.

The birds, native to Antarctica, will become available to the public Saturday, although SeaWorld’s annual passholders will have early access Thursday and Friday.

The 16 emperor penguins were transported to Florida from SeaWorld San Diego, making Orlando the only place in the Western Hemisphere where folks can check them out. SeaWorld Orlando renovated its Antarctica realm to meet the environmental needs of the species, including reducing temperatures to around 28 degrees and mimicking Antarctic light cycles to reflect their natural rhythms.

“This is an incredibly rare and exciting opportunity for guests to encounter one of nature’s most extraordinary species,” said Jon Peterson, park president of SeaWorld Orlando, in a news release.

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“We’re proud to continue SeaWorld’s legacy of penguin care and conservation while giving our guests a rare chance to connect with these animals in remarkable ways,” he said. read more

If you’re among the millions of borrowers who haven’t made full, on-time federal student loan payments after the on-ramp period ended Sept. 30, 2024, take action now. Otherwise, your loans may default in July or August.

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  Getty Images and Stability AI face off in British copyright trial that will test AI industry

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  Democrats are drawing closer to the crypto industry despite Trump divisions

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Once a borrower’s payments are 270 days past due, their student loans default. That status can bring serious consequences, including wage garnishment, damaged credit and lost access to affordable repayment plans.

Nearly 5.6 million borrowers were between 91 and 180 days behind on their payments as of March 31, per Department of Education data. That means they’re at immediate risk of defaulting this summer. These are borrowers who were in good standing before the pandemic but who haven’t gotten back on track since payments resumed. read more