Things To Do In SW Florida

Here’s one solid assumption for mortgage rates for 2024 – they’ll act like a yo-yo. Again.

To see the extremes that home loans go through, my trusty spreadsheet looked at swings in Freddie Mac’s weekly 30-year average fixed rate going back to 1972.

And over the past half-century, the average year’s highest rate was 8.4% vs. a 7% low. That translates to a typical 12-month period having a 1.4 percentage-point swing between the top and bottom mortgage rate.

Yes, rate volatility is fairly normal.

Three odd years

But the size of rate gyrations during the past three years has not been normal.

Remember, the Fed aggressively used interest rates to first stimulate a coronavirus-chilled economy, only to then hike rates to fight an overheated business climate.

Well, 2023 was sort of mainstream with rates running from a 7.8% high to a 6.1% low. That’s a slightly above-average 1.7-point spread, top to bottom.

Still, this was the 11th widest gap in any year during the past half-century.

Yet those fluctuations look tame vs. 2022 when rates ranged from 7.1% to 3.2% as the Fed ended its cheap-money policy. That 3.9-point chasm was the third-largest rate swing in a half-century. Bigger swings were seen in 1980 and 1982, another period when rate hikes were used to battle inflation. read more

By Dalia Ramirez | NerdWallet

For some, the new tax season might serve as a stressful reminder of past taxes that have yet to be filed and paid. Taxpayers owed over $120 billion in back taxes, penalties and interest in 2022, according to the IRS. And there soon may be more concrete reminders coming: The IRS resumed sending automated collection notices for unpaid taxes in 2024 after pausing them “due to the unprecedented effects of the COVID-19 pandemic” in February 2022.

If you’re one of the many taxpayers who owe tax debt this season, addressing the issue sooner rather than later can save you from penalties, interest and other more serious consequences. And you can get started even if you can’t afford to pay in full. Here’s what you can do to get back on track.

If you get a notice, read it

The longer you delay reading and responding to unpaid tax notices, the more serious your tax situation could become.

TALLAHASSEE — Cargo and cruise traffic hit record highs last year at Florida seaports, which took advantage of global supply-chain issues and a desire by people to travel as COVID-19 pandemic restrictions waned, according to an industry report released Wednesday.

The annual Seaport Mission Plan by the Florida Ports Council said 10 port facilities handled 114.25 million tons of cargo in 2023, up 1.5% from a record 112.5 million tons in 2022.

“We have purposely gone out and told vessels to change their course and to pick Florida as their destination for cargo. And they have,” Florida Ports Council President and CEO Mike Rubin said.

Rubin pointed to efforts to promote Florida ports as an alternative when demand surged for goods during the pandemic and supply-chain problems included clogged shipping at California ports. The report said Florida was prepared to handle an influx of ship traffic by having ports linked closely to roads, rail and air facilities.

Rubin said Florida also could be benefiting from global conflicts in areas such as the Middle East. read more

Brigadier Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen wants commercial companies to solve Space Force problems, but if the U.S. Space Force can help them, that’s OK with her, too.

That’s part of the message she delivered at the Space Mobility Conference at the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday, bringing together a combination of military, civil and commercial players in the space game.

“We’re really trying to focus in on what the warfighters need and take it one step farther,” said Panzenhagen, who wears four hats for the Space Force, including commander of Space Launch Delta 45 based at Patrick Space Force Base in Brevard County.

Taking over the role last summer from Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy, she’s also director of the Eastern Range in charge of every launch out of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center and the director of launch and range operations for Space Systems Command, meaning she has a say in the launches from the Western Range out of Vandenberg Space Force Station as well. read more

McKenna Ross | (TNS) Las Vegas Review-Journal

LAS VEGAS — Las Vegas will have a first when 65,000 fans watch the Super Bowl at Allegiant Stadium next month — but operators on and off the Strip are no strangers to throwing a massive watch party for the game.

Resorts across the valley are mobilizing their loyalty club databases, preparing for special events and promoting a way to get those without a ticket to Allegiant Stadium to celebrate the last NFL game of the season with them, instead.

Downtown Grand General Manager Andrew Economon said downtown and off-Strip properties have to get creative in how they engage the Super Bowl fan because of their distance to the action.

“Much like Formula One, it’s on the other side,” he said. “We don’t see all the fun fan activities and everything else.”

For that reason, Economon said his property and others in downtown have to position themselves differently. He said Downtown Grand has focused on its value proposition of offering a good time at a more reasonable price — like $1 blackjack tables and $5 craps and roulette tables and a $2 hot dog and beer combo — when compared to the Strip. He said the property was about half-booked for Super Bowl weekend before it opened to the general market and more demand can be expected as the playoffs continue. read more