Things To Do In SW Florida

By JOSH BOAK

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump promised that 2026 would be a bumper year for economic growth, but instead it has kicked off with job losses, rising gasoline prices and more uncertainty about America’s future.

In his State of the Union address less than two weeks ago, the Republican president confidently told the country: “The roaring economy is roaring like never before.” The latest batch of data on jobs, pump prices and the stock market suggests that Trump’s roar has started to sound far more like a whimper.

There is a gap between the boom that Trump has predicted and the volatile results he has produced — one that could set the tone in this year’s midterm elections as he tries to defend his party’s majorities in the House and Senate. With Trump’s tariffs drama ongoing, the war in Iran has suddenly created inflationary concerns regarding oil and natural gas. To the White House, it is still early in the year and stronger growth is coming.

No signs of a jobs boom

“WOW! The Golden Age of America is upon us!!!” Trump posted on social media Feb. 11 after the monthly jobs report showed gains of 130,000 jobs in January. read more

By ANNE D’INNOCENZIO

NEW YORK (AP) — The parent company of Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus is closing more department stores as it focuses on its most profitable businesses and trims debt during its Chapter 11 bankruptcy restructuring.

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Saks Global Inc. said Friday it will close 12 more Saks Fifth Avenue stores and three more Neiman Marcus stores. The shuttered Saks stores include sites in Chevy, Chase, Maryland, Chicago and San Antonio, Texas. The stores will remain open until the end of May, a company spokesperson said. read more

There are many ways that individuals can be subject to IRS tax penalties. The point of this column is to identify some of these penalties and show you how to minimize them.

In 2023, the IRS assessed approximately $7 billion in tax penalties. The average penalty was $500, which was significantly more the the average penalty in recent previous years.

Many retirees are assessed penalties because they fail to make estimated tax payments that are sufficient. For example, according to Forbes, estimated tax penalties increased by 24% from 2017 through 2022.

Most employees, during their working years, have taxes withheld from their paychecks. After they retire, many find it more difficult to estimate the minimum amount of required estimated tax payments when income varies significantly during retirement. As a result, when they fail to make sufficient estimated tax payments, they are faced with penalties.

One reason for the spike in penalties a few years ago is that the Federal Reserve raised interest rates beginning in 2022. As a result, many savers made higher interest income, and some failed to prepay enough taxes to cover the unexpected boon. Other retirees get into trouble by selling securities at a gain and failing to prepay the taxable gains. read more

By MAE ANDERSON, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Government officials are getting closer to ironing out a refund process for the hundreds of thousands of companies that paid tariffs now deemed illegal.

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In a filing with the Court of International Trade on Friday, Brandon Lord, executive director of U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s trade policy and programs directorate, said the CBP is working on a new system that will simplify the process. He said it should be ready in 45 days and require “minimal submission from importers.”

The filing comes after a judge on Wednesday ordered the government to start paying back all importers the illegal tariffs they paid — with interest. Judge Richard Eaton of the U.S. Court of International Trade wrote that “all importers of record’’ were “entitled to benefit’’ from the Supreme Court ruling that struck down sweeping double-digit import taxes President Donald Trump imposed last year under the 1977 International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA). read more

By E. EDUARDO CASTILLO

KUNSHAN, China (AP) — A glimpse of what the future of flying taxis might look like can be seen in this southeastern Chinese city.

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In a hangar in Kunshan, more than about 37 miles west of the port of Shanghai, a sort of gigantic drone was preparing for a demonstration. Called the Matrix, it’s a 5-ton electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle, or eVTOL, considered the largest electric aircraft built so far, at least in China.

The Chinese company AutoFlight, founded in 2017, developed the Matrix, which can carry up to 10 passengers. It has about a 66-foot wingspan, and is 56 feet long and 11 feet tall. It can travel for an hour without charging. read more