Things To Do In SW Florida

By DAN FRIO, Edmunds

Summer days beckon and with them the prospect of campfires, fishing holes and scenic hikes. When it’s time to commune with nature, you need a car that can get you there and offer convenience and utility once you’ve arrived. Whether you’re looking to get far off the beaten path or simply enjoy the outdoors with some comforts of home, we’ve rounded up five of the best vehicles for the occasion.

Ford F-150

Before SUVs, pickup trucks were the ultimate camp car. Put a shell over the cargo bed, lay out a foam roll and sleeping bag and voila — instant shelter. The Ford F-150 is not only America’s best-selling truck, but it also makes an ideal camper. Optional four-wheel drive helps get to remote sites, but the camp-friendly Pro Power Onboard is the star feature. It’s an integrated system that delivers power ranging from 2,000 to 7,200 watts to household-style outlets in the cab and bed. That’s enough to run portable speakers, electric grills and movie projectors, or even recharge electric dirt bikes. The all-electric F-150 Lightning generates even more power — up to 9,600 watts — and features 11 outlets. You’ll need the F-150’s optional hybrid V6 engine in XLT trim or higher to get Pro Power Onboard. We’ve found the fuel economy slightly disappointing in our own F-150 equipped with Pro Power Onboard, but have used the innovative system while camping to run the heat overnight and even power hedge trimmers for yard work. read more

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union will suspend retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods scheduled to take effect Monday in hopes of reaching a trade deal with the Trump administration by the end of the month.

″This is now the time for negotiations,″ European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told reporters in Brussels on Sunday, after President Donald Trump sent a letter announcing new tariffs of 30% on goods from the EU and Mexico starting Aug. 1.

The EU — America’s biggest trading partner and the world’s largest trading bloc — had been scheduled to impose ″countermeasures″ starting Monday at midnight Brussels time (6 p.m. EDT; 22:00 GMT). The EU negotiates trade deals on behalf of its 27 member countries.

Von der Leyen said those countermeasures would be delayed until Aug. 1, and that Trump’s letter shows ″that we have until the first of August″ to negotiate.

″We have always been clear that we prefer a negotiated solution,″ she said. If they can’t reach a deal, she said that ″we will continue to prepare countermeasures so we are fully prepared.″ read more

As newly elected President Trump announced laid out his plans to reduce workforce and waste, Florida politicians began floating the idea to relocate NASA’s headquarters from Washington to Florida. That idea isn’t dead.

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody, who filled Florida’s junior senate position vacated by now Secretary of State Marco Rubio, said Friday she’s still working with colleagues to make that a reality.

Speaking from the state’s aerospace economic development agency Space Florida’s offices in Brevard County at an event about Trump’s “Big, Beautiful Bill” opening up tax-free bonds to the nation’s spaceports, she reminded the audience that it’s still on the state’s wish list.

“It should surprise no one that when I learned that NASA headquarters building in Washington was sitting empty and was only occupied by 15%, that we said, ‘Well, where is a better location for the United States NASA Headquarters than right here on Florida Space Coast?’ Because this is where the action is happening.” she said. read more

Q. I receive a significant pension from work I have done outside of Social Security. I have not worked enough hours under Social Security to receive a benefit based on my work record. My spouse is retired and receives a generous Social Security benefit.

A few years ago, I contacted Social Security and asked if I was eligible for a spousal benefit. I was informed that because two-thirds of my pension exceeded the spousal benefit I would otherwise be entitled to, that I shouldn’t even apply for a spousal benefit because of the regulations related to the Government Pension Offset (GPO).

So I did not apply. When the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and GPO were repealed at the end of 2024, I filed for a spousal benefit because I was told that the two-thirds reduction was no longer in effect. After I applied, I was told that because I never applied for a spousal benefit prior to the repeal of GPO, I was not eligible for retroactive payments. I am now receiving a spousal benefit, but why am I not entitled to retroactive payments? read more

By CORA LEWIS, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — As job-seekers look for work in a challenging environment, an increasing number are falling victim to job scams that promise good pay for completing easy online tasks, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

The scams start innocuously, often with a tailor-made text or WhatsApp message, and the scammers take time to build trust with the victim before cashing in on the relationship.

“Most of the people who end up losing money to a scammer are behaving pretty rationally,” said Kati Daffan, assistant director of the Federal Trade Commission’s division of marketing practices. “Scammers are sophisticated, and they keep changing their tactics.”

Reported losses to job scams increased more than threefold from 2020 to 2023. In the first half of 2024, they topped $220 million, according to the FTC. Gamified job scams, or task scams, represented a significant portion of that growth. About 20,000 people reported experiencing gamified scams in the first part of 2024, compared to 5,000 in all of 2023. read more