Things To Do In SW Florida

By Karen Bennett, Bankrate.com

Artifical intelligence (AI) is likely to reshape our lives in as big a way as the internet did in the 1990s and smartphones did in the 2000s (scary or exciting as that may be). That means changes to your regular life and your banking life, too. You’re likely encountering AI in your financial life already, with or without knowing it.

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Banks sometimes use AI to help prevent fraud, for example, and while some people may be nervous about using AI, others are largely on board. In fact, 62% of bank customers said they’d immediately try AI-driven alerts to help avoid service charges and fees, according to a 2024 J.D. Power report. read more

Winter Park, in a bid to transform the West Fairbanks Avenue corridor, is exploring incentives that could ignite more development in the area.

On Thursday, Winter Park held a City Commission work session to discuss the future of the corridor, specifically the South of Fairbanks Avenue (SOFA) District. The district, which stretches from Orlando Avenue to I-4, is part of a community redevelopment area with land under the jurisdiction of Winter Park, Orlando, and Orange County.

“As other areas in the city become less vacant, that’s pushing investment farther out in the city. We have certainly seen over the last 10 years that 17-92 has started to attract more investment. We’ve been seeing development happen along there, and I think we are starting to see the development world start to turn its eyes to West Fairbanks,” said Peter Moore, director of the city’s Office of Management and Budget.

The corridor experienced a 167.3% increase in taxable property value between 2012 and 2025, higher than the citywide growth rate of 158.1%. However, city staff had hoped to see much more growth in the SOFA district due to the level of public investment in the corridor. The City of Winter Park has put about $30 million into infrastructure upgrades there in the last 15 years, which included bringing transmission lines underground and building out stormwater infrastructure. read more

The first Brightline high-speed train rolled out of Orlando’s airport at dawn on Sept. 22, 2023, and headed for Miami, tugging four coach cars filled with hundreds of exuberant passengers peering out spacious windows.

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer called it “historic” and “one of the days we live for” during a celebration filled with confetti and yellow-and-peach banners hanging over the station’s platform near the airport’s Terminal C.

Since then, nearly 3.1 million riders have taken the 235-mile, three-and-a-half-hour trip between Orlando and Miami.

Brightline officials touted those ridership numbers to show the growing popularity of its “long-haul” service between the two large metropolitan areas. In the coming year, Brightline looks to add more coach cars with more seats, as some trips have sold out.

But it’s a mixed bag. Brightline’s older, slower service that began in 2018 between Miami and West Palm Beach faces challenges with stagnant ridership numbers and average fares dropping. Brightline also faces financial drags as investors question whether revenues have fallen short of projections. read more

Toyota and Hyundai are recalling a combined 1.1 million vehicles due to problems with the instrument panel displays and seat belts, U.S. auto regulators said Thursday.

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Toyota is recalling 591,377 automobiles because the instrument panel display can fail and not show the driver critical information including vehicle speed, brake system and tire pressure warning lights, which could lead to a crash and injury.

Models included in the Toyota recall are the 2023-2024 Venza, RAV 4 Prime, RAV 4, GR Corolla and Crown; 2024-2025 Lexus TX and LS and Toyota Tacoma and Grand Highlander; 2025 Lexus RX, Toyota Crown Signia, Camry, RAV 4 plug-in hybrid and 4 Runner. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN, Associated Press

The Federal Trade Commission and a bipartisan group of state attorneys general sued Ticketmaster and its parent company Thursday, saying they are forcing consumers to pay more to see live events through a variety of illegal tactics.

The FTC said Live Nation and its subsidiary, Ticketmaster, have deceived artists and consumers by advertising lower ticket prices than what consumers must pay and falsely claiming to impose strict limits on the number of tickets consumers can buy for an event.

In reality, the FTC said, Ticketmaster coordinates with ticket brokers who bypass those ticket limits. The FTC said brokers use fake accounts to buy up millions of dollars worth of tickets and then sell them at a substantial markup on Ticketmaster’s platform. Ticketmaster benefits from the additional fees it collects from those sales, the FTC said.

The Associated Press left messages seeking comment Thursday with Beverly Hills, California-based Live Nation Entertainment. read more