Things To Do In SW Florida

By PAUL WISEMAN, AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — A humming American economy ended 2024 on a solid note with consumer spending continuing to drive growth, and ahead of what could be a significant change in direction under a Trump administration.

The Commerce Department reported Thursday that gross domestic product — the economy’s output of goods and services — expanded at a 2.3% annual rate from October through December.

For the full year, the economy grew a healthy 2.8%, compared with 2.9% in 2023.

The fourth-quarter growth was a tick below the 2.4% economists had expected, according to a survey of forecasters by the data firm FactSet.

Consumer spending grew at a 4.2% pace, fastest since January-March 2023 and up from 3.7% in July-September last year. But business investment tumbled as investment in equipment plunged after two straight strong quarters.

Wednesday’s report also showed persistent inflationary pressure at the end of the 2024. The Federal Reserve’s favored inflation gauge — called the personal consumption expenditures index, or PCE — rose at a 2.3% annual pace last quarter, up from 1.5% in the third quarter and above the Fed’s 2% target. Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core PCE inflation was 2.5%, up from 2.2% in the July-September quarter. read more

Confession: I wasn’t feeling overly sentimental about the end of DinoLand USA at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. But on a recent visit I suddenly felt sadness about Cementasaurus, the big ol’ dino that happily stood guard at the entrance for years.

The statue – big enough to walk easily beneath its belly – wouldn’t seem to have a home in the re-imagined area that eventually will become Tropical Americas themed with “Encanto” and “Indiana Jones” attractions. It now stands behind a construction wall with the shuttered Fossil Fun carnival games and the remains of the TriceraTop Spin ride, which closed down this month. Those attractions and Cementasaurus have already been wiped from the Disney World maps.

As we walked by the long green wall, I started mentally spending Disney’s money to save Cementasaurus. Would it work at a water park or a miniature golf course somewhere? Wouldn’t it feel wrong at the nearby Boneyard play area, which is very bony and doubtless going away with this project anyway? read more