Things To Do In SW Florida

By Caitlin Reilly, Bloomberg News

President Donald Trump promised Americans big tax refunds next year. Many filers — particularly those who could most use the financial boost — may soon be disappointed.

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“Your sort of typical W-2 worker with no kids will see very little change year-over-year,” said Adam Michel, director of tax policy studies at the libertarian Cato Institute. He estimates slightly more than half of taxpayers fall into that group.

That disconnect between Trump’s public promises and the reality for many Americans threatens to create a political liability for congressional Republicans ahead of midterm elections focused squarely on voters’ concerns about affordability. Trump has called affordability concerns a “hoax,” but economic data suggests otherwise. read more

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that artificial intelligence holds immense promise to make lives better through advances such as medical research, but also cited many actual and theoretical perils that he said compel Florida government to intervene and regulate.

“It’s very hard to tell what’s real or what’s not real anymore,” he said, outlining a range of restrictions he wants to place on the companies developing AI.

DeSantis also said that President Donald Trump’s executive order last week designed to block states from crafting their own AI regulations wouldn’t get in Florida’s way.

“The president issued an executive order and some people were saying, ‘Well, no, this blocks the states from doing.’ It doesn’t,” DeSantis said during an event livestreamed from the Florida Atlantic University campus in Jupiter. “An executive order can’t block the states. … Clearly we have the right to do this.”

DeSantis was joined by three parents who outlined the horrors of uncontrolled AI — a child’s suicide and another’s attempted suicide — and by the commander of the South Florida Cyber Crimes Task Force, who outlined other threats. read more

When interest rates fall, you may want to refinance your mortgage. But can you explain what you hope to get out of refinancing?

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“If you want to refinance, I say, ‘Well, what do you want to do? What do you hope to accomplish by refinancing?’” says Carolyn Morganbesser, assistant vice president of mortgage originations for Affinity Federal Credit Union in New Jersey.

To get the refinance you want, you need to explain your goal in words that the lender understands. This is a guide to what to say, complete with sample sentences that you can use as you kick off a refinancing conversation with a loan officer or mortgage broker. read more

By MICHELLE CHAPMAN, AP Business Writer

Roomba maker iRobot has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, but says that it doesn’t expect any disruptions to devices as the more than 30-year-old company is taken private under a restructuring process.

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IRobot, which became well known for its robotic vacuums, has struggled of late, dealing with increased competition, layoffs and a declining stock price. In 2022 Amazon announced that it had agreed to buy iRobot for about $1.7 billion, but that deal was called off last year. Amazon blamed “undue and disproportionate regulatory hurdles” after the European Union signaled its objection to the transaction. read more

By MAE ANDERSON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The Ah Louis Store in San Luis Obispo, California, turns into a winter wonderland every holiday season.

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Green garlands, giant nutcrackers, baubles and bows go up in early November on the historic downtown building that houses the gift shop. Inside, customers can choose from over 500 different types of ornaments and a variety of holiday gift baskets.

“We really just make it a magical spot,” co-owner Emily Butler said. “Whether you come in or not, we want to make sure that we’re spreading that holiday joy.” read more