Things To Do In SW Florida

By MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. economy grew at a surprisingly strong 4.3% annual rate in the third quarter, the most rapid expansion in two years, as government and consumer spending, as well as exports, all increased.

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U.S. gross domestic product from July through September — the economy’s total output of goods and services — rose from its 3.8% growth rate in the April-June quarter, the Commerce Department said Tuesday in a report delayed by the government shutdown. Analysts surveyed by the data firm FactSet forecast growth of 3% in the period. read more

By MATT SEDENSKY, Associated Press National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — After a half-century immersed in the world of trade, customs broker Amy Magnus thought she’d seen it all, navigating mountains of regulations and all sorts of logistical hurdles to import everything from lumber and bananas to circus animals and Egyptian mummies.

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Then came 2025.

Tariffs were imposed in ways she’d never seen. New rules left her wondering what they really meant. Federal workers, always a reliable backstop, grew more elusive.

“2025 has changed the trade system,” says Magnus. “It wasn’t perfect before, but it was a functioning system. Now, it is a lot more chaotic and troubling.” read more

By ELAINE KURTENBACH and MATT OTT, Associated Press Business Writers

Markets are flat early Tuesday in holiday-thinned trading before head of the release of new data on how the U.S. economy fared in the third quarter.

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Futures for the S&P 500, the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Nasdaq are all essentially unchanged before the opening bell.

Shares of the Danish pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk jumped more than 7% overnight after U.S. regulators approved a pill version of the blockbuster weight-loss drug Wegovy, the first daily oral medication to treat obesity. Novo’s Wegovy is a GLP-1 drug that works like widely used injectables to mimic a natural hormone that controls appetite and feelings of fullness. read more

A Walt Disney World vacation could soon come with a new U.S. government mandate for the theme park-loving British and tourists from dozens of other countries: Hand over five years of social media history.

For President Donald Trump, the proposed policy is about protecting America’s borders and enhancing security. But the travel industry worries stricter entry rules could deter well-heeled international visitors from destinations like Orlando, one of the world’s top tourism hotspots.

Though Florida is reporting record tourism, Canadian visitation dropped sharply in the wake of Trump’s tariffs and threats to annex the country as the 51st state.

Now some in the travel industry fear the proposed social media mandate, announced this month, could further damage international visitation to the United States.

David Marriott recently visited Orlando from the U.K., calling it a “trip of a lifetime” for his three children. The family spent two weeks experiencing Central Florida’s theme parks and coastline. read more

By JEFFREY COLLINS

Bourbon maker Jim Beam is halting production at one of its distilleries in Kentucky for at least a year as the whiskey industry navigates tariffs from the Trump administration and slumping demand for a product that needs years of aging before it is ready.

Jim Beam said the decision to pause bourbon making at its Clermont location in 2026 will give the company time to invest in improvements at the distillery. The bottling and warehouse at the site will remain open, along with the James B. Beam Distilling Co. visitors center and restaurant.

The company’s larger distillery in Boston, Kentucky, will continue to operate, the company said.

“We are always assessing production levels to best meet consumer demand,” the company said in a statement.

Employees at the distillery are being reassigned within the company and right now Jim Beam plans no layoffs, according to the local United Food and Commercial Workers International Union chapter that represents the workers.

Bourbon makers have to gamble well into the future. Jim Beam’s flagship bourbon requires at least four years of aging in barrels before being bottled. read more