Things To Do In SW Florida

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street tacked on some more gains Friday as it glided to the finish of its latest record-setting week.

The S&P 500 rose 0.5% to close out its sixth winning week in the last seven. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 172 points, or 0.4%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.7%.

All three hit all-time highs for a second straight day. They’ve been rallying on expectations that the Federal Reserve will continue to cut interest rates in order to give the economy a boost after the central bank lowered them for the first time this year on Wednesday.

FedEx helped lift the market after delivering stronger profit and revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected. It rose 2.3%, thanks in part to strength for its domestic package business.

Newmont rallied 4.3% after the gold miner sold its investment in Canada’s Orla Mining for $439 million. It added to a stellar run, and Newmont’s stock has more than doubled so far this year as the price of gold has shot to records. read more

By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Treasury Department is moving closer to making President Donald Trump’s “ no tax on tips ” promise a reality. But new guidance released Friday tends to limit the number of tipped workers who will be able to claim the benefit.

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The agency on Friday submitted proposed regulations to the Federal Register that includes greater detail on the occupations covered by the rule and who will qualify and what counts as a “qualified tip.” read more

By Karen Bennett, Bankrate.com

Artifical intelligence (AI) is likely to reshape our lives in as big a way as the internet did in the 1990s and smartphones did in the 2000s (scary or exciting as that may be). That means changes to your regular life and your banking life, too. You’re likely encountering AI in your financial life already, with or without knowing it.

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Banks sometimes use AI to help prevent fraud, for example, and while some people may be nervous about using AI, others are largely on board. In fact, 62% of bank customers said they’d immediately try AI-driven alerts to help avoid service charges and fees, according to a 2024 J.D. Power report. read more

The first Brightline high-speed train rolled out of Orlando’s airport at dawn on Sept. 22, 2023, and headed for Miami, tugging four coach cars filled with hundreds of exuberant passengers peering out spacious windows.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called it “historic” and “one of the days we live for” during a celebration filled with confetti and yellow-and-peach banners hanging over the station’s platform near the airport’s Terminal C.

Since then, nearly 3.1 million riders have taken the 235-mile, three-and-a-half-hour trip between Orlando and Miami.

Brightline officials touted those ridership numbers to show the growing popularity of its “long-haul” service between the two large metropolitan areas. In the coming year, Brightline looks to add more coach cars with more seats, as some trips have sold out.

But it’s a mixed bag. Brightline’s older, slower service that began in 2018 between Miami and West Palm Beach faces challenges with stagnant ridership numbers and average fares dropping. Brightline also faces financial drags as investors question whether revenues have fallen short of projections. read more

Winter Park, in a bid to transform the West Fairbanks Avenue corridor, is exploring incentives that could ignite more development in the area.

On Thursday, Winter Park held a City Commission work session to discuss the future of the corridor, specifically the South of Fairbanks Avenue (SOFA) District. The district, which stretches from Orlando Avenue to I-4, is part of a community redevelopment area with land under the jurisdiction of Winter Park, Orlando, and Orange County.

“As other areas in the city become less vacant, that’s pushing investment farther out in the city. We have certainly seen over the last 10 years that 17-92 has started to attract more investment. We’ve been seeing development happen along there, and I think we are starting to see the development world start to turn its eyes to West Fairbanks,” said Peter Moore, director of the city’s Office of Management and Budget.

The corridor experienced a 167.3% increase in taxable property value between 2012 and 2025, higher than the citywide growth rate of 158.1%. However, city staff had hoped to see much more growth in the SOFA district due to the level of public investment in the corridor. The City of Winter Park has put about $30 million into infrastructure upgrades there in the last 15 years, which included bringing transmission lines underground and building out stormwater infrastructure. read more