Things To Do In SW Florida

By STAN CHOE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street ticked higher on Monday as technology stocks recovered some of their losses from late last week.

The S&P 500 added 0.3%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 68 points, or 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite climbed 0.5%. All three are near their all-time highs set a week ago.

Big Tech stocks ticked higher to lead the way. Amazon added 1.1% following its 5.1% drop last week, and Microsoft rose 0.6% to recover some of its 1.2% decline. While their moves were modest, they were still two of the strongest forces lifting the S&P 500 Monday because they’re two of Wall Street’s most valuable stocks.

On the losing end of the market were companies in the oil business, which were hurt by slumping crude prices. Drops of 2.6% for Exxon Mobil and 2.5% for Chevron were two of the heaviest weights on the S&P 500.

This week’s highlight is scheduled to arrive on Friday, when a report will be due about how many jobs U.S. employers created and destroyed last month. The hope is that it will be balanced enough to keep the Federal Reserve on track to continue cutting interest rates. read more

Every year, elected officials in cities, towns and villages throughout Florida proclaim they’re holding the line on taxes. Sometimes they even brag that they’re cutting the tax rate.

People often wonder why their tax bills keep going up. The question has particular resonance this year, as Gov. Ron DeSantis pushes a proposal to slash property taxes or eliminate them altogether.

How it works

The ultra-simplified version of the answer starts with this: Your bill is determined by the taxable value of your piece of property multiplied by the tax rate.

The taxable value is based on the market value of the property, determined each year by the county property appraiser’s office. This value is lowered for owner-occupied homes by homestead exemptions — which reduced a home’s taxable value by up to $50,000 — and limits on increases imposed by Florida’s Save Our Homes program.

The basic system works like this: A home or business with a taxable value of $300,000 that is charged a tax rate of $5 for every $1,000 of value would pay $1,500. That represents the taxable value multiplied by the tax rate. read more

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — London real estate developer Dar Global said Monday that it plans to launch a Trump Plaza in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, its second collaboration with the Trump Organization, the collection of companies controlled by U.S. President Donald Trump’s children.

The $1 billion project will be the second Trump-branded development in Saudi Arabia, following the launch of Trump Tower Jeddah in December last year, Dar Global said. It will include residences, serviced apartments, office space and townhouses.

Trump’s company struck many real estate licensing deals overseas before he first entered the White House in 2017, including for hotels and residential towers in Canada, Dubai, Mexico, India and Turkey.

Trump’s close ties to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince and day-to-day ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, drew heavy criticism after the 2018 killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi columnist for the Washington Post who had written critically about the monarchy.

The first major foreign trip of Trump’s second term was to Saudi Arabia. read more

By ADRIANA MORGA

NEW YORK (AP) — Did you buy a new pink dress to watch the Barbie movie, only to never wear it again? An Oura ring because your favorite TikTok influencer had it? A new pair of baggy jeans because ’90s fashion is making a comeback?

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Niche trends fueled by social media can influence your shopping decisions. Participating often brings some happiness and a sense of community, but the problem comes when you do it so often that you’re not using your money to achieve your financial goals, or worse, you get into debt, said Erika Rasure, chief financial wellness advisor for Beyond Finance, a financial services company. read more

Members of Florideah Swamp Fest team from Orlando, Fla., ride past the judges table while competing in the Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster event at Cranes Roost Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Thirty teams, chosen from more than 300 applications, competed on custom, rollercoaster-themed tandem bicycles across a 300-foot obstacle course over water with drops as high as six feet. Teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and distance. (Phelan M. Ebenhack for the Orlando Sentinel) Members of GWagon team from Orlando, Fla., fall into the lake while competing in the Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster event at Cranes Roost Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Thirty teams, chosen from more than 300 applications, competed on custom, rollercoaster-themed tandem bicycles across a 300-foot obstacle course over water with drops as high as six feet. Teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and distance. (Phelan M. Ebenhack for the Orlando Sentinel) Spectators react as a team competes in the Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster event at Cranes Roost Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Thirty teams, chosen from more than 300 applications, competed on custom, rollercoaster-themed tandem bicycles across a 300-foot obstacle course over water with drops as high as six feet. Teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and distance. (Phelan M. Ebenhack for the Orlando Sentinel) A map shows the course layout for Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster, which lands at Cranes Roost Park in Altamonte Springs on Sept. 27. (Courtesy of Red Bull) Orlando-based professional wakeboarder and Red Bull athlete Guenther Oka speaks about Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster during a press event at Cranes Roost Park in Altamone Springs on Aug. 6, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel) Members of the Born to Thrive Coaster team from Orlando, Fla., crash, while competing in the Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster event at Cranes Roost Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Thirty teams, chosen from more than 300 applications, competed on custom, rollercoaster-themed tandem bicycles across a 300-foot obstacle course over water with drops as high as six feet. Teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and distance. (Phelan M. Ebenhack for the Orlando Sentinel) Members of Indymegasaurus team from Oveido, Fla., fall into the lake while competing in the Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster event at Cranes Roost Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Thirty teams, chosen from more than 300 applications, competed on custom, rollercoaster-themed tandem bicycles across a 300-foot obstacle course over water with drops as high as six feet. Teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and distance. (Phelan M. Ebenhack for the Orlando Sentinel) The Mad Bikers team crashes while competing in the Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster event at Cranes Roost Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Thirty teams, chosen from more than 300 applications, competed on custom, rollercoaster-themed tandem bicycles across a 300-foot obstacle course over water with drops as high as six feet. Teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and distance. (Phelan M. Ebenhack for the Orlando Sentinel) Seminole County Comissioner Jay Zembower speaks about Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster during a press event at Cranes Roost Park in Altamone Springs on Aug. 6, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel) Members of GWagon team from Orlando fall into the lake while competing in the Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster event at Cranes Roost Park on Saturday in Altamonte Springs. Thirty teams, chosen from more than 300 applications, competed on custom, rollercoaster-themed tandem bicycles across a 300-foot obstacle course over water with drops as high as six feet. Teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and distance. (Phelan M. Ebenhack for the Orlando Sentinel) Celebrity judges Dwight Howard, left, Meagan Ethell, center, and Zack Fairhurst show their scores for a team competing in the Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster event at Cranes Roost Park, Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, in Altamonte Springs, Fla. Thirty teams, chosen from more than 300 applications, competed on custom, rollercoaster-themed tandem bicycles across a 300-foot obstacle course over water with drops as high as six feet. Teams were judged on creativity, showmanship and distance. (Phelan M. Ebenhack for the Orlando Sentinel) The Lauwe Knaks are seen during Red Bull Stalen Ros 2024, The Hague, The Netherlands on Sept. 7, 2024. The event lands in Central Florida as Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster, representing the first time the European event comes stateside. (Marcel van Hoorn/Red Bull Content Pool) Orlando-based professional wakeboarder and Red Bull athlete Guenther Oka, left, stands with public officials, from left, Seminole County Comissioner Jay Zembower, Altamonte Springs Mayor Pat Bates, Jason Siegel, president and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, and Guilherme “Gui” Cunha, Seminole County’s director of economic development and tourism gather during a press event for Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster at Cranes Roost Park in Altamone Springs on Aug. 6, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel) Altamonte Springs Mayor Pat Bates speaks about Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster during a press event at Cranes Roost Park in Altamone Springs on Aug. 6, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel) A decorated tandem bicycle demonstrates the idea behind Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster during a press event at Cranes Roost Park in Altamone Springs on Aug. 6, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel) Jason Siegel, president and CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, speaks about Red Bull Tandem Rollercoaster during a press event at Cranes Roost Park in Altamone Springs on Aug. 6, 2025. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)