Things To Do In SW Florida

In California’s Moss Landing, more than 1,000 people were forced to evacuate in January when one of the largest storage facilities for lithium-ion batteries in the world caught fire. Days later, the toxic metals nickel, cobalt and manganese were found at a nearby estuary, Elkhorn Slough, in unusually high concentrations. One county supervisor called it a “wake-up call” for battery safety in the ongoing push for sustainable energy. Local residents sued several companies involved with the batteries and their storage, claiming negligence and that the lithium-ion batteries being stored there were “prone to thermal instability.”

Though the federal government deems lithium-ion batteries “generally safe,” law enforcement agencies periodically remind the public of their risks, such as fires and explosions. But one company opening its new headquarters in Alameda, California, says they have created the “next generation” of batteries that are safer and will revolutionize industries from portable devices to electric vehicles. read more

By Christine Benz of Morningstar for Associated Press

I was chatting with a friend the other day about his retirement — possibly an early one. At age 60, he has worked hard and invested well — and he’s burned out.

He’s received wonderful guidance from his financial advisor, with whom he’d discussed the viability of his investment portfolio. But as he and I talked, it was clear that the key inputs were more nuanced than his portfolio value and asset allocation. There were lifestyle decisions, too.

Will you continue to work in some fashion?

Working longer wasn’t my friend’s first choice. But continuing to earn an income would help him worry less about his portfolio’s ability to last.

Even if he downshifted into a lower-paying or part-time position and couldn’t save as much, he’d still be forestalling portfolio withdrawals. So, when he did fully retire, he could spend without worry.

It would also help him delay Social Security. If he continued to work in a position with healthcare benefits, he could avoid paying health insurance out of pocket until Medicare coverage kicks in. And as much as his job has been exhausting him, he’s had a wonderful career and his professional life seems intertwined with his identity. read more

In a recent report to stockholders, insurance giant Progressive used a word that every company would prefer to avoid: Refund.

A statement filed by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission warned that premiums collected from its auto insurance policyholders could exceed what’s allowable by Florida law over three years, Insurance Journal first reported earlier in August.

If that turns out to be the case through 2025, the third year, Progressive might have to issue cash refunds or provide credits toward future premiums, the company said.

Refunds on insurance premiums? What a concept. Where can Florida home insurance customers sign up?

It turns out there is a law that would require property insurers to provide refunds if they make excess profits. But those profits would have to come from insurers’ underwriting activities — the nitty gritty of evaluating and pricing risk.

And experts say the state’s top insurers generate the majority of their profits from investments and spin-off companies that perform the bulk of their functions, like communicating with policyholders, providing reinsurance coverage, offering finance terms and repairing damage — activities that aren’t subject to any refund law. read more

After debuting the world’s largest cruise ship, it’s reasonable to think Royal Caribbean should pause for a moment of celebration.

The company did host a formal naming ceremony for its brand new Icon-class ship at Port Canaveral earlier in August, but that milestone doesn’t mean the cruise line has plans of slowing down anytime soon.

During a media sailing on Star of the Seas, Royal executives detailed plans for upcoming private destinations, a new class of ships and the design behind Perfect Day Mexico.

“We’re already deep into the design of a new class. We’re constantly looking at designing for the future,” said Michael Bayley, president and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “A whole group of us probably spend 50% of our work day designing for the future of Royal Caribbean, either destinations or ships. It’s fantastic, it’s a lot of fun.”

Pictures: A first look on board the world’s largest cruise ship

The planned openings of new private destinations are helping to transform Royal Caribbean from a traditional cruise line into a full-fledged vacation company, Bayley said. read more

By CEDAR ATTANASIO

For millennia humans have tried to scare wolves away from their livestock. Most of them didn’t have drones.

But a team of biologists working near the California-Oregon border do, and they’re using them to blast AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” movie clips and live human voices at the apex predators to shoo them away from cattle in an ongoing experiment.

“I am not putting up with this anymore!” actor Scarlett Johansson yells in one clip, from the 2019 film “ Marriage Story.”

“With what? I can’t talk to people?” co-star Adam Driver shouts back.

Gray wolves were hunted nearly to extinction throughout the U.S. West by the first half of the 20th century. Since their reintroduction in Idaho and at Yellowstone National Park in the mid-1990s, they’ve proliferated to the point that a population in the Northern Rockies has been removed from the endangered species list.

There are now hundreds of wolves in Washington and Oregon, dozens more in northern California, and thousands roaming near the Great Lakes. read more