Things To Do In SW Florida

By Kevin Hardy, Stateline.org

As Americans grow increasingly frustrated over their electricity bills, states are trying to keep the nation’s growing number of data centers from causing higher energy costs for consumers.

For years, many states competed aggressively to land data centers, sprawling campuses full of the computer servers that store and transmit the data behind apps and websites. But many officials are now scrutinizing how those power-hungry projects might affect the electric bills of households, small businesses and other industries.

Oregon last year became one of the first states to enact a law requiring utilities to charge data centers different electric prices than other industries because of how they drive up the cost of energy production and transmission.

“We are now making data centers pay a higher rate commensurate with the amount of energy they’re sucking out of the system,” said Oregon state Rep. Tom Andersen, a Democrat.

Republican and Democratic leaders in at least a dozen states have targeted data centers with separate, higher electric rates to protect other customers. States also are requiring long-term commitments and financial guarantees through collateral before greenlighting infrastructure investments for new data center projects. But lawmakers acknowledge that numerous factors affect energy prices, so targeting data center-specific costs can be complicated. read more

By BRADLEY IGER, Edmunds

Valentine’s Day isn’t just about roses and candlelight — it’s about chemistry. The kind you feel instantly, irrationally, and sometimes against your better judgment. People have chemistry with cars too. Some lure you in with their rogue spirit and self-assurance, others charm you with confidence and poise, and a few will leave you wondering why you can’t stop thinking about them days later. The car experts at Edmunds have identified five vehicles with distinct personality traits. With a bit of matchmaking luck, perhaps one of them will be the next automotive love of your life. All of the following prices include destination fees.

Emotional availability: Subaru BRZ and Toyota GR86

Developed in a joint venture between Subaru and Toyota, the BRZ and GR86 are corporate siblings that deliver genuine driving excitement at a price that remains accessible. Simplicity, balance, and the ability to create a genuine connection with the driver are hallmarks of a great driver’s car, and these two rear-wheel-drive coupes nail the assignment. The two cars are very similar, so we wouldn’t blame you for choosing one over the other based on looks or brand preference. They might be light on cargo capacity and backseat space, but you’ll have a hard time finding a better fun-per-dollar proposition elsewhere. read more

By Ana Staples, Bankrate.com

Money is an uncomfortable topic for many, yet it’s an important ongoing conversation to have in a relationship. Financial secrets undermine trust. And for many, it may even feel like betrayal.

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More than 2 in 5 U.S. adults (43%) believe keeping financial secrets is at least as bad as physical infidelity. At the same time, almost half of Americans (45%) in committed relationships (defined in this survey as married, living together or in a civil partnership) admit they don’t know everything about their spouse’s or partner’s finances. read more

The first weekend of June again will feature red T-shirts and multiple festivities for the LGBTQ community despite the absence of the GayDays Orlando group, longtime event organizers say.

GayDays recently announced that plans for its parties are “on pause” for 2026. Some people may confuse GayDays Inc., an event promoter, with the more generic “gay days” terminology that casually and collectively refers to all planned activities for the weekend, including the traditional gathering at Magic Kingdom theme park. All those events are still planned for this year.

“We’ve been trying to communicate what’s going on for 20-plus years — that we are not the same party,” said Ethan Suarez, producer of One Magical Weekend. “We are a different party, and we’re a separate event. … I’m very used to the confusion all the time.”

His One Magical Weekend presents gatherings such as pool parties, DJ-driven dance parties, a drag brunch, a vendors expo and a nighttime outing to Typhoon Lagoon, a Walt Disney World water park. Last year, it drew about 10,000 participants, Suarez said, and ticket sales for the 2026 event are ahead of last year’s pace. read more

A jury awarded a Los Angeles man $25 million in a lawsuit against Chicago-based Conagra alleging its butter-flavored Pam cooking spray caused a rare chronic lung disease that will require a double lung transplant. 

The verdict last week in the Superior Court of Los Angeles found that Conagra did not adequately warn consumers about the potential dangers of inhaling fumes from Pam cooking spray containing diacetyl, a butter-flavored chemical linked to respiratory illness. 

During the trial, Conagra said it removed the ingredient from its Pam formulation in 2009. 

Roland Esparza, 58, who had used butter-flavored Pam regularly since the 1990s, filed the lawsuit in 2022, alleging the since-discontinued ingredient is responsible for his condition, according to his Chicago-based attorney. 

“He was a big health nut, bodybuilder, martial artist,” his attorney, Jacob Plattenberger, said Tuesday. “He was eating a lot of protein, eating a lot of eggs, and he cooked everything on his stove top. And so he was using it multiple times a day.” read more