Things To Do In SW Florida

By Nicole Dow | NerdWallet

Interest rates on personal loans have steadily increased since early 2022, coinciding with the Federal Reserve’s efforts to curb inflation by raising the federal funds rate.

But anticipated Fed rate cuts before the end of this year may not bring personal loan rates down right away.

“Typically, we don’t see personal loan rates drop as a result of those rates dropping,” said Jean Hopkins, director of consumer lending at WeStreet Credit Union in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Changes to the federal funds rate have a greater impact on variable-rate credit products, such as credit cards or home equity lines of credit, she said. Personal loan rates, on the other hand, are driven by larger economic factors, such as inflation and unemployment.

Your exact personal loan rate is most influenced by your creditworthiness and income. If you’re planning to borrow this year, here are a few things you can do to get a low rate on a personal loan.

Maintain a high credit score

Lenders rely heavily on credit scores to determine how likely an applicant is to repay a loan. Generally, those with high scores get the lowest rates. read more

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday asked for input to provide relief for condo unit owners facing crippling financial assessments ahead of a state-imposed Jan. 1 deadline to have buildings inspected and come up with plans to fund needed repairs.

Speaking at a roundtable discussion in Miami Lakes, the governor said opportunities will exist before the end of the year for the Florida Legislature to pass “reforms and relief.”

That would likely require a special legislative session — an idea that Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, R-Naples, rejected when asked about it in August.

But on Monday, DeSantis said state lawmakers don’t have until March or April to act. He urged them to speak with their constituents. “We need to be developing ideas now so these things can be implemented in time to prevent people from being forced out of their homes,” he said.

In 2021, following the collapse of the Champlain Towers South in Surfside, DeSantis and the Legislature enacted a law requiring condo associations to complete safety inspections and make preventative repairs. The inspection deadline looms at the end of the year and associations have levied fee assessments to cover the costs of the inspections and repairs. read more

Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights reached Legend status, and the Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance attraction at Disney’s Hollywood Studios theme park was named best dark ride during the Golden Ticket Awards presentation this weekend.

Horror Nights had won the Halloween category 15 times, as had Dollywood’s Smoky Mountain Christmas for its holiday category. Both categories have now been retired by Amusement Today, an industry magazine that runs the annual Golden Ticket Awards.

Dollywood, located in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, won five Golden Tickets this year, including best family coaster (Big Bear Mountain), best new show (“From the Heart”), most beautiful, best guest experience and best kids’ area.

Disney World unplugging virtual queue for Tron ride

Holiday World and Surfin’ Safari, operating out of Santa Claus, Indiana, won for best water park ride (Wildebeest), best new innovation and best new theme concept.  The latter category, awarded for the first time, was given to the park’s Good Gravy roller coaster. That attraction’s gravy boat-inspired vehicle was displayed at last year’s IAAPA Expo at Orange County Convention Center. read more

Billionaire Jared Isaacman suited up again to try and make his second trip to space courtesy of SpaceX with an early Tuesday launch opportunity from Kennedy Space Center on the Polaris Dawn mission.

Watch live as Falcon 9 launches the @PolarisProgram’s Polaris Dawn crew on a multi-day mission orbiting Earth https://t.co/u1KqQx5AFr

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 10, 2024

A Falcon 9 topped with the Crew Dragon Resilience is targeting a 3:38 a.m. liftoff from KSC’s Launch Pad 39-A with backup options at 5:23 a.m. and 7:09 a.m. The same three launch times are available early Wednesday and Thursday as well.

SpaceX tried to launch the mission two weeks ago, but faced a scrub because of a helium leak on the launch pad followed by delays because of poor weather forecast for the planned recovery landing area off the coast of Florida at the end what is supposed to be a five-day mission.

Falcon 9 and Dragon are ready for flight. Weather is 40% favorable for liftoff and the webcast goes live ~3.5 hours ahead of launch → https://t.co/WpSw0gyH3s pic.twitter.com/Ay5o4EBdSJ read more

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: I recently had a scooter accident. I had a flight scheduled on British Airways that I had booked through Expedia. I asked Expedia to reschedule my flight, and it sent me an email saying they had canceled the trip and that I had a ticket credit of $1,987 on British Airways, which would need to be used within a year of my original booking.

I called Expedia last month to use the credit, and they said I had none with them and that I should call the airline. British Airways said I was a no-show for the first flight, so they ended up canceling the entire trip.

I went back to Expedia, and they said that I needed to ask British Airways about the refund. But British Airways won’t give me my money back. Can you help me get Expedia to honor its ticket credit?

— Jim Hutslar, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

ANSWER: I am sorry about your scooter accident and hope you’re on the road to recovery. Expedia should have honored your ticket credit request, whether British Airways considered you a no-show or not. read more