Things To Do In SW Florida

By JOSH JACQUOT

More car buyers are finding themselves in a tough spot financially. According to a recent report from Edmunds, more than 26% of new-vehicle trade-ins in the second quarter of 2025 had negative equity — the highest share in more than four years.

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  Uncertainty over the economy and tariffs forces many retailers to be cautious on holiday hiring

Negative equity refers to a situation in which you owe more on your vehicle than it’s worth, leaving you “upside down” or “underwater” on your loan. Negative equity is an acute problem when you trade that vehicle for another new one because you’ll have to pay off what you owe while simultaneously taking on the new loan payments. The average amount owed on these upside-down loans was $6,754, underscoring the mounting risks of car debt in today’s market. read more

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — And back up goes Wall Street. U.S. stocks rallied Monday after President Donald Trump said ” it will all be fine,” just days after he sent the market reeling by threatening much higher tariffs on China.

The S&P 500 jumped 1.6% in its best day since May and recovered just over half its drop from Friday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average climbed 587 points, or 1.3%, and the Nasdaq composite leaped 2.2%.

“Don’t worry about China,” Trump said on his social media platform Sunday. He also said that China’s leader, Xi Jinping, “doesn’t want Depression for his country, and neither do I. The U.S.A. wants to help China, not hurt it!!!”

It was a sharp turnaround from the anger Trump displayed on Friday, when the S&P 500 tumbled to its worst drop since April after he accused China of “a moral disgrace in dealing with other Nations.”

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By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO, AP Retail Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Uncertainty over the economy and tariffs is forcing retailers to pull back or delay plans to hire seasonal workers who pack orders at distribution centers, serve shoppers at stores and build holiday displays during the most important selling season of the year.

American Christmas LLC, which creates elaborate holiday installations for commercial properties such as New York’s Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, plans to hire 220 temporary workers and is ramping up recruitment nearly two months later than usual, CEO Dan Casterella said. Last year, it took on 300 people during its busy period.

The main reason? The company wants to offset its tariff bill, which Casterella expects to be as big as $1.5 million this year, more than double last year’s $600,000.

“The issue is if you overstaff and then you underperform, it’s too late,” Casterella said. ”I think everyone’s more mindful now than ever. ”

Holiday hiring could fall to 2009 levels

Online behemoth Amazon Inc. said Monday it intends to hire 250,000 full-, part-time and seasonal workers for the crucial shopping period, the same level as a year ago. read more

By HUIZHONG WU, Associated Press

BANGKOK (AP) — China did not back down Monday in a back-and-forth with the U.S. over trade, calling for U.S. President Donald Trump to withdraw his latest threat of a 100% tariff and other export control measures announced over the weekend.

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In the latest escalation of the trade war between the two nations, Trump issued the tariff threat on all Chinese imports into the U.S. after China placed stricter restrictions Thursday on rare earths, a vital resource used in electronics. read more

The Lake County Board of County Commissioners last week approved a residential project that would help redesign a deadly stretch of road in unincorporated Clermont.

Lakeshore Preserve is a proposed 149-home subdivision designated for 94.56 acres south of Lakeshore Drive and west of Autumn Avenue. The project’s site plan calls for lots ranging in size from 65 feet to 120 feet wide, including six lots on Lake Nellie.

Given its proximity to Lakeshore Drive and CR 561, significant safety improvements were included with the potential development of Lakeshore Preserve, according to a report in GrowthSpotter.

“The county had been looking to develop to improve that intersection with a roundabout, but lacked the funding,” said Bill Ray, a consultant to Winter Park developer Integrative Development Group.  “We’re coming forward to assist with the funding of that, to get these transportation improvements completed concurrent with construction of the project and not at some ambiguous time in the future when the county gets the funding to move forward.” read more