Things To Do In SW Florida

TALLAHASSEE — Saying they are responding to residents’ concerns about rising costs, the Florida Legislature on Wednesday signed off on proposed changes to condominium-safety laws passed after the 2021 collapse of the Champlain Towers South building in Surfside that killed 98 people.

The measure (HB 913), approved unanimously by the House and Senate, is now headed to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has made changing the condo laws one of his top priorities of this year’s legislative session.

The laws, passed in 2022 and tweaked in 2023, included requiring “milestone inspections” of older buildings and “structural integrity reserve studies” to determine how much money should be saved for future major repairs.

Milestone inspections were supposed to be completed by the end of 2024 for certain older buildings that are three stories or higher. Some condo associations hit owners with large assessments in the race to comply with the deadline. Assessments are in addition to homeowners’ regular association fees. read more

By MATT O’BRIEN

Artificial intelligence “agents” are supposed to be more than chatbots. The tech industry has spent months pitching AI personal assistants that know what you want and can do real work on your behalf.

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So far, they’re not doing much.

Visa hopes to change that by giving them your credit card. Set a budget and some preferences and these AI agents — successors to ChatGPT and its chatbot peers — could find and buy you a sweater, weekly groceries or an airplane ticket.

“We think this could be really important,” said Jack Forestell, Visa’s chief product and strategy officer, in an interview. “Transformational, on the order of magnitude of the advent of e-commerce itself.” read more

By Eliza Haverstock, NerdWallet

After a five-year suspension that began in March 2020, the Trump administration is turning the student loan default collections machine back on. Millions of borrowers with defaulted loans are poised to face severe consequences starting on Monday, May 5.

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“Resuming collections protects taxpayers from shouldering the cost of federal student loans that borrowers willingly undertook to finance their postsecondary education,” the Education Department said in a press release.

The far-reaching consequences of student loan default can hit a borrower all at once. The government can withhold portions of Social Security checks, take tax refunds and garnish paychecks. Credit scores plummet, making it difficult to buy a house, rent an apartment or get a job. Borrowers can’t get more student loans to go back to school or access loan relief options. Potential costs include court and collections fees. read more

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay plans to spend about $40 million in theme park projects as well as an expansion of its Adventure Island water park.

That figure includes the Wild Oasis at Jungala attraction set to debut in May.

“The additions and improvements will be made across our infrastructure, operations, staff recruiting, equipment, as well as adding to our aesthetics with more beautiful gardens and plant life,”  Jeff Davis, park president, said in a news release.

“New animal arrivals are also in the plans, such as the reimaged meerkat habitat set to open this summer, to inspire awe and wonder for all who visit,” said Davis, who moved into his Busch Gardens role in February.

Legoland Florida preps, gets Peely for new global Lego Festival

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay is owned by Orlando-based United Parks & Resorts, which also operates SeaWorld Orlando, Discovery Cove and Aquatica water park in Central Florida.

Improvements to the park’s animal habitats will include a climbing structure for a new group of chimpanzees, a new barn for giraffes and accessibility features for the park’s geriatric Asian elephants. read more

By DAMIAN J. TROISE, AP Business Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Uncertainty continues to hang over the latest round of financial results and forecasts for companies both big and small as they try to navigate a global trade system severely shaken by a shift in U.S. policy.

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  Visa wants to give artificial intelligence ‘agents’ your credit card

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• 
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Tariffs and the stark shift in policy has also shaken consumer and business confidence. The U.S. economy shrank during the first quarter of the year, its first drop in three years. Consumer spending ramped up in March, likely an effort to get ahead of tariffs, but fell for the entire quarter. Meanwhile, companies have been pulling back on hiring. read more