Things To Do In SW Florida

By Tommy Tindall, NerdWallet

The holiday season can add up. On average, shoppers are expected to spend a record $902 per person on holiday purchases this year, according to the National Retail Federation. Holiday expenses include gifts, food, decorations and other seasonal items.

It’s important to set a reasonable budget for holiday spending. If you’re worried extra expenses will exceed your income, it might be time to cut back. Alternatively, you can try to find a side gig that’ll net you an extra 500 bucks.

Here are some ways to make extra money.

1. Work as a seasonal sales associate

An influx of consumer spending means retail stores need help this time of year. If you have the time, energy and interest, you can seek a gig as a seasonal sales associate. It’s a part-time job, but you can still call it a side hustle, especially if your main hustle is going to school, taking care of the family or working a full-time job.

At the time of this writing, we found lots of openings nationwide. One example is a seasonal sales associate with Burlington Stores in Brooklyn, New York. It’s posted as part-time, seasonal work that pays $16 per hour. We also spotted an opportunity to work at a Levi Strauss & Co store in Seattle, Washington for up to $21 per hour. read more

By BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer

It is an ambitious social experiment of our moment in history — one that experts say could accomplish something that parents, schools and other governments have attempted with varying degrees of success: keeping kids off social media until they turn 16.

Australia’s new law, approved by its Parliament last week, is an attempt to swim against many tides of modern life — formidable forces like technology, marketing, globalization and, of course, the iron will of a teenager. And like efforts of the past to protect kids from things that parents believe they’re not ready for, the nation’s move is both ambitious and not exactly simple, particularly in a world where young people are often shaped, defined and judged by the online company they keep.

The ban won’t go into effect for another year. But how will Australia be able to enforce it? That’s not clear, nor will it be easy. TikTok, Snapchat and Instagram have become so ingrained in young people’s lives that going cold turkey will be difficult. read more

Orange County’s tourist-tax collections drifted slightly higher in October, the county announced Wednesday, totaling nearly $30 million.

That figure is up 0.6 percent or $68,100 from October 2023, though down $1.9 million from the October record, set during the pandemic bounceback year of 2022.

October is the first month of the county’s fiscal year. Orange County set an all-time record for Tourist Development Tax, or TDT, collections of about $360 million in the prior year. The funds come from a 6% surcharge added to the cost of a hotel room or other short-term lodging.

Because of its healthy tourism industry, Orange County enjoys a huge flow of hotel tax dollars, which by law it must spend on projects and programs to support the tourism industry. The county has been able to fund sports and entertainment facilities including Camping World Stadium and Kia Center with those dollars. A large portion also goes to Visit Orlando, the marketing agency for the region’s tourism agency, and to the county’s convention center. read more

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

President-elect Donald Trump announced Wednesday that he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to chair the Securities and Exchange Commission.

By MATT O’BRIEN AP Technology Writer

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, who is in a legal dispute with rival Elon Musk, said he is “not that worried” about Musk’s influence in the incoming Trump administration.

Altman told a New York Times conference Wednesday that he “may turn out to be wrong” but he strongly believes that Musk will do the right thing.