Things To Do In SW Florida

MIAMI — Could Miami’s Freedom Tower have a MAGA tourist attraction as a neighbor?

Eric Trump, the presidential son helping vet sites for his father’s future library, earlier this year visited parking lots next to the historic building in downtown Miami as part of the vetting process for potential sites, a Trump Organization lawyer said.

Multiple sources said the land on Biscayne Boulevard, owned by Miami Dade College, is being eyed as a potential library site — with enough space to display the Boeing 747 jet that President Donald Trump secured for free from Qatar and may want to be a star feature of his post-presidential center.

Miami Dade College also owns the Freedom Tower, an iconic building that once welcomed Cubans fleeing the Fidel Castro dictatorship. Representatives of the school were not available for comment Thursday.

While Trump’s Miami backers are trying to woo the library their way, the president himself appears to have a favorite site about 45 miles away. The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday that Trump’s team is close to an agreement to build his presidential library on free land provided by Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Sources familiar with the Miami push confirm that FAU looks like the preferred choice, and there’s an effort to pitch the downtown site as a satellite location aimed at Miami’s steady stream of vacationers and business travelers. read more

Residents, city council members and the Church of Scientology have been locked in a tug-of-war over a portion of roadway in downtown Clearwater ever since city leaders voted in March to tentatively approve selling the land to the church.

The church withdrew its request to purchase the city-owned street in May after a group offered a counter proposal that would memorialize African American history. What seemed like a hyper-local debate over the future of Scientology’s downtown footprint has now caught the attention of Florida’s attorney general.

James Uthmeier sent a letter to Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector last month about the sale of a portion of South Garden Avenue. Despite never using the word “Scientology” in his letter, he wrote that comments Rector made during a recent city council work session suggest an “unconstitutional” position against the church.

“My role as the state’s chief legal officer compels me to caution you in this instance because it appears discriminatory motives could taint the Council’s decision making,” Uthmeier’s letter stated. “If discrimination forms a basis for any decision to reject or place restrictions on approval, such a decision would run afoul of Florida law.” read more

Q. After almost 10 years of marriage, my divorce has been finalized, but unfortunately the marriage ended a few months prior to 10 years. It is my understanding that unless the marriage lasted 10 years, I would not eligible for a spousal benefit from Social Security. My ex did work a sufficient number of years to qualify for a Social Security benefit, so I know that I would eventually have been eligible for a spousal benefit had the marriage lasted 10 years. My question is whether there are any exceptions to the 10-year rule.

A. I asked some Social Security experts I work with whether there are any exceptions to the 10-year minimum for marriage in order to be eligible for spousal and survivor benefits. They were aware of only one exception. The exception is applicable when an individual who was divorced prior to the end of 10 years of marriage is still taking care of a child from the marriage who is under the age of 16, or disabled, and eligible for children’s benefits. In this situation, the 10-year marriage requirement and the age requirements are waived. Under these conditions, the individual who was divorced would be eligible for spousal benefits until the child reaches age 16. read more

By Dan Lefkovitz of Morningstar

Investors brave enough to peek at their account statements know that it’s been a rocky 2025.

Even before tariff-related volatility, DeepSeek AI’s launch clouded the major technology theme that powered the market in 2023 and 2024, as AI stocks entered a bear market in March.

But there have been equity gains to be had in 2025. When I look at year-to-date returns across indexes, I notice a few surprising stars: European stocks, Latin America, and real estate investment trusts.

The common thread that connects the three? All had been underperformers in prior years.

European stocks have been made great again

Morningstar’s European stock index is riding high this year, as the macroeconomic environment has been improving. The financial-services sector, in particular, is a key beneficiary.

Then there’s Germany’s newfound interest in deficit spending and the continent’s focus on military self-sufficiency, spurred by the Donald Trump administration.

US tariff announcements caused sharp selloffs in Europe, but the recovery has been V-shaped. A weakening US dollar has magnified European equity gains for unhedged US investors. It doesn’t hurt that the European Central Bank and the Bank of England have actually been cutting interest rates. read more

A home with a fish tank isn’t unique. But what about a 650-gallon arched saltwater aquarium that you walk under to enter the living room?

“It was custom-made for this space and I believe it was a $150,000 fish tank just to put it in,” said listing agent Harif Hazera with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty. “It is definitely one of the most unique things I’ve ever seen in a home period. Bar none.”

An offer is pending on the home on 2^nd Avenue in Windermere, which offers five bedrooms, six bathrooms, 5,639 square feet and is listed for $4.395 million, according to GrowthSpotter.

The seller has only owned the place for a little over a year and has put more than $350,000 worth of improvements into it.

“It’s just so bright in there, tons of natural sunlight. It really does epitomize what lakefront living is all about in Windermere or in Central Florida,” Hazera said. “It’s really, truly spectacular and move-in ready.”

This is the second time Hazera has sold this home recently. read more