Things To Do In SW Florida

By MARGARET GILES of Morningstar

529 education savings plans are powerful tools to help pay for the mounting costs of an education. Yet some people hesitate to use them.

One common concern is oversaving. You can only use 529 funds can only cover qualified education expenses without incurring a tax penalty, but it can be hard to pinpoint how much money you actually need.

Many parents open 529s for their children at birth, when there’s no way to know whether their kids will earn a scholarship or go to college at all. Fortunately, parents with multiple children can change the beneficiary of a 529 plan.

But what do you do if you still have money left over after covering education expenses?

Thanks to Secure 2.0 Act, you can now roll over unused 529 fund to a Roth IRA. But the 529 rollover isn’t a loophole to save extra for retirement; rules limit the conversions.

Here’s what you should consider when converting 529 funds to a Roth IRA.

What are the rules for converting a 529 plan to a Roth IRA?

The Roth IRA receiving the funds must be in the name of the 529 plan beneficiary. read more

NEW YORK (AP) — Tesla lost its crown as the world’s bestselling electric vehicle maker on Friday as a customer revolt over Elon Musk’s right-wing politics and stiff overseas competition pushed sales down for a second year in a row.

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Tesla said that it delivered 1.64 million vehicles in 2025, down 9% from a year earlier.

Chinese rival BYD, which sold 2.26 million vehicles last year, is now the biggest EV maker.

For the fourth quarter, sales totaled 418,227, falling short of the 440,000 that analysts polled by FactSet expected. The sales total may likely have been impacted by the expiration of a $7,500 tax credit that was phased out by the Trump administration at the end of September. read more

Perhaps you think Taylor Swift is ubiquitous these days, so you won’t be shocked by a Walt Disney World appearance of sorts.

In this case, three of her tour costumes can now be seen in Walt Disney Presents, a walk-through attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park.

The trio are on mannequins behind glass in a single showcase, and Disney says they were each worn by Swift during her famed Eras Tour. Visitors can see the black and gold serpentine bodysuit (designed by Roberto Cavalli) that was part of her “reputation” set, a Vivienne Westwood dress that has the lyrics of “Who’s Afraid of Little Old Me?” on it, and a blue bodysuit that was topped with a red fringe jacket for “Karma,” the final song of the show.

The exhibit is in support of “The End of an Era,” a six-episode docuseries on Disney+ as well as the streamer’s “The Final Show.”

The costumes have been attention-getters during the busy holiday season. Folks are drawn to the shininess and the shows. I heard a woman comment that they made her feel like Swift was “normal-sized … and that’s good to show.” read more

MIAMI — There was a buzz in the air at a Starbucks near the downtown Miami Brightline station — and it wasn’t only because of the caffeine.

A “Holiday Sip and Shine,” featuring kids’ games, a DJ and drink specials, took over the cafe.

Concessions International, a Black-owned business, operates this Starbucks, and wanted local people to connect with the coffeehouse team in an informal way.

Residents of Overtown, the historically Black community just blocks away, got to see a business that represents them.

“Since the event happened, I’ve gotten an influx of people saying, ‘Wow, I didn’t know this was Black-owned,’ ” event planner Kylie Russell said.

As one of the largest coffee brands in the world, Starbucks might not be associated with Black family business. But Concessions International is changing that perception in South Florida.

The company has owned the franchise and operated the Starbucks near MiamiCentral, the downtown transportation hub, and also one at Jackson Memorial Hospital, since December 2024. read more

Lake County and several of its municipalities have begun discussions to create ‘no annexation zones’ within the county’s Rural Protection Areas that would strengthen development controls over those rural lands.

As the county grows and developments dot the landscape, Rural Protection Areas — or RPAs — are areas where the land use is intended to remain rural for environmental purposes or for residents looking to maintain a non-urban lifestyle. But landowners interested in denser development may seek annexation into an adjoining city to escape those rules.

The county has three RPAs, one of which is under discussion with officials from Leesburg, Groveland and Howey-in-the-Hills, among others, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. Known as the Yalaha-Apopka RPA, the area is located in the center of the county and stretches across 35,406 acres from Leesburg to Lake Apopka.

Stricter rules governing that area would be a growth-control milestone in Lake County, akin to controversial rules approved by voters in nearby Orange County last November. read more