Things To Do In SW Florida

Legoland Florida has introduced an upgraded U.S. Capitol building in the Miniland USA section of the Winter Haven theme park.

The structure, slid into place in time for Independence Day, has 381,000 Lego bricks. The park’s master model builders spent 1,500 hours on the project.

“What we like to do with our models is make them as accurate to the real thing as possible,” Calvin Casey, a Legoland Florida master model builder, said in a park video. For the latest renovation, lighting was added beneath the Capitol dome and lamp posts were put around the grounds.

The model continues to sport architectural details, Lego-style, and it’s still fronted by marching minifigures.  Other Washington, D.C., landmarks in Miniland include the White House, the Smithsonian and the Washington Monument.

Why SeaWorld’s new ‘Baby Shark’ show won’t kill you

Legoland Florida’s Miniland also re-creates New York City (Times Square, Statue of Liberty, Guggenheim Museum), California (Golden Gate Bridge, Hollywood Bowl, Griffith Observatory), Las Vegas (casinos, wedding chapel, “fabulous” Las Vegas welcome sign) and various Florida scenes, including Daytona International Speedway, Kennedy Space Center, South Beach, St. Augustine, Bok Tower and Orlando Eye observation wheel, among others. read more

By MATT OTT

Shares of Tesla tumbled 7% Monday as the feud between CEO Elon Musk and Trump reignited over the weekend.

Musk, once a top donor and ally of Trump, announced that he was forming a third political party in protest over the Republican spending bill that passed late last week. Musk has been highly critical of the bill, which he said would kill jobs and bog down burgeoning industries.

In a social media post on Sunday, Trump said that the billionaire owner of SpaceX, Tesla and X had gone “off the rails” in recent weeks.

Investors fear that Musk’s companies, which receive significant subsidies from the federal government, could suffer further if his feud with Trump continues to fester.

“With the autonomous future ahead and the AI Revolution in full force Musk/Tesla do not need to keep poking the bear as Trump can create more hurdles for Musk/Tesla/SpaceX over the coming years if this political battle gets nastier heading into mid-terms in 2026,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives wrote in a note to clients late Sunday. read more

By ALEX VEIGA, AP Business Writer

Stocks on Wall Street closed broadly lower Monday as the White House stepped up pressure on major trading partners to make deals before punishing tariffs imposed by the U.S. take effect.

The S&P 500 fell 0.8% for its biggest loss since mid-June. The benchmark index remains near its all-time high set last week.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average gave back 0.9%. The Nasdaq composite also finished 0.9% lower, not too far from its own record high.

The losses were widespread. Decliners outnumbered gainers by nearly 4-to-1 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Tesla tumbled 6.8% for the biggest drop among S&P 500 stocks as the feud between CEO Elon Musk and President Donald Trump reignited over the weekend. Musk, once a top donor and ally of Trump, said he would form a third political party in protest over the Republican spending bill that passed last week.

The selling accelerated after the Trump administration released letters informing Japan and South Korea that their goods will be taxed at 25% starting on Aug. 1, citing persistent trade imbalances with the two crucial U.S. allies in Asia. read more

The job of Space Force officer in charge of overseeing each launch on the Space Coast has changed hands.

Brig. Gen. Kristin Panzenhagen handed off some of her duties including the roles of commander for Space Launch Delta 45 and director of the Eastern Range to Space Force Col. Brian Chatman.

The change of command ceremony took place on June 26 with Lt. Gen. Philip Garrant, the head of Space Systems Command, overseeing the traditional passing of the guidon, a symbolic pennant, that ended Panzenhagen’s run as the leader of Patrick Space Force Base and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

She came to the Space Coast in June 2023 while also taking on the roles of executive officer for the Space Force’s Assured Access to Space program and director of launch and range operations for Space Systems Command out of Patrick SFB.

She filled the boots of Maj. Gen. Stephen Purdy who had been in those roles from 2021-2023 including leading the two facilities’ transition from the Air Force to the Space Force. read more

By Christine Benz of Morningstar for Associated Press

If you’re a do-it-yourself investor aiming to build a “no babysitter required” portfolio, here are the key steps to take.

Step 1: Find your portfolio’s true north

Give due consideration to your asset allocation. That decision will have the biggest impact on how your portfolio behaves in the future.

The tricky part about asset allocation, even a hands-off approach, is that the “right” asset allocation is often a moving target as retirement approaches.

Target-date funds elegantly address this issue by transitioning to a more conservative stance as the years go by. If you’re OK with an asset allocation that’s not necessarily customized to your particular situation, your quest for a low- or no-maintenance portfolio could begin and end with a good-quality target-date fund.

If you’d like to have more control over your asset allocation, think through your risk capacity and risk tolerance.

Target-date funds’ asset allocations can be a decent starting point when deciding how to allocate assets depending on life stage. You can also tailor your mix of aggressive and conservative investments, which is particularly valuable if you’re retired and actively spending from your portfolio. read more