Things To Do In SW Florida

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — The U.S. stock market rose to the edge of its all-time high on Friday.

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The S&P 500 added 0.2% and finished just 0.3% shy of its record closing level, which was set in October. It had briefly topped the mark during the day, before paring its gain.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 104 points, or 0.2%, and the Nasdaq composite gained 0.3%.

The modest moves capped a quiet week for Wall Street, offering a respite following weeks of sharp and scary swings. read more

You probably can think of a million reasons you’re too anxious to leave your job right now. It seems like no one is hiring. Companies that are won’t meet your pay requirements. And what if you make a change and then get laid off?

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The mood is dark. In the Federal Reserve Survey of Consumer Expectations released Nov. 7, consumers said they believe it’s increasingly likely the unemployment rate will rise in the next 12 months, and they’ll struggle to find a job if they lose their current one. That pessimism has some people clinging to their jobs for dear life. read more

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS and MATT OTT, AP Business Writers

NEW YORK (AP) — Netflix struck a deal Friday to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, the Hollywood giant behind “Harry Potter” and HBO Max, in a $72 billion deal that would bring together two of the biggest players in television and film and potentially reshape the entertainment industry.

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If approved by regulators, the merger would put two of the world’s biggest streaming services under the same ownership — and join Warner’s television and motion picture division, including DC Studios, with Netflix’s vast library and its production arm, which has released popular titles such as “Stranger Things” and “Squid Game.” read more

Just two weeks ago, Alexie Fonseca, senior VP for Colliers, was sitting on a panel at a local real estate industry luncheon when an audience member asked what her dream development site would be. She didn’t hesitate: the former Orlando Sentinel property.

“I’m dying for that site — I just have so many great ideas,” she told the NAIOP attendees, according to a report in GrowthSpotter. “I know how it should be redeveloped. It’s a sexy site, and I think it would really change downtown.”

The comment was prescient, as she later learned that the Miami investors who bought the former newspaper property had been meeting privately with Mayor Buddy Dyer to discuss a transformational, $2 billion plan for the site. But much has to happen before the long-awaited project becomes reality.

Midtown Development, led by Alex Vadia and Richard Perez, bought the nearly 20-acre, two-block site at North Orange Avenue and East Colonial Drive in 2016 for $35.1 million. It was the firm’s second major investment in Orlando; Midtown previously acquired the vacant 400 block of North Orange across from the county courthouse and sold it for $17 million to Property Markets Group, which developed the 27-story Society Orlando apartment tower there. read more

Gov. Ron DeSantis said Thursday he’s working with Senate President Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, and other lawmakers on legislation aimed at protecting Floridians from effects of rapidly developing artificial intelligence.

Warning that without sufficient safeguards, the technology could result in an “age of darkness and deceit,” DeSantis said the legislation will address issues such as protections from Chinese-created AI and deep fake videos and the impacts of huge data centers on the environment, water resources and utility bills.

“These are legislative proposals. … We’ve worked with a number of senators and … some House members. You know, I personally had discussions with President Ben Albritton,” DeSantis said during an appearance in The Villages.

DeSantis’ comments came as House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, has declared next week “Artificial Intelligence Week” in the House. A variety of House panels will look at AI issues.

“As policy makers, our understanding of the issue is complicated by the rapid emergence of this complex technology, and, as we’ve seen with social media, short-term legislative choices can have serious long-term consequences,” Perez said in a Nov 18 memo. read more