Things To Do In SW Florida

Miranda Jeyaretnam, Saijel Kishan | (TNS) Bloomberg News

In Georgia, the heart of the U.S. green manufacturing boom, a new electric vehicle gigafactory is nearing completion. Spanning 3,000 acres, the plant is expected to create 8,500 new jobs. Hyundai Motor Co. has tapped incentives from President Joe Biden’s signature climate law, the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, which together with the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law helped unleash a wave of investment in clean energy technologies.

Those investments and jobs may hang in the balance if Donald Trump wins the presidential election in November. Trump has vowed to dismantle Biden’s climate policy. A frequent critic of electric cars, he’s taken aim at pollution rules that incentive automakers to sell more EVs and could curtail the IRA’s EV tax credits.

Representative Buddy Carter, a Republican whose district is home to the gigafactory, didn’t vote for the IRA — no Republicans in Congress did. But he said he doesn’t want to see projects like the plant jeopardized. read more

Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has returned to Walt Disney World, and it’s both a treat and tricky.

The event hasn’t had drastic changes this year, but here are a few reminders of how the after-hours, separate-ticket event works at Magic Kingdom.

Is it too early/too hot for costumes?

You’d think so, wouldn’t you? But on opening night last week, the cosplay quotient was high among young and old. Of course, there were princesses, Peter Pans and pirates. In the heat of August or September (aka August, Part 2), I can’t recommend a lot of layers. There are plenty of Disney-based T-shirt options. I saw one woman in street clothes … and a crown. It was a little odd, but she was in the spirit of things.

Or don’t wear a costume at all. It’s OK. You be you, boo.

How hot is it? Despite a candy maker’s classic claim, the chocolate did melt in our hands before it got to the mouth.

What time are the parades?

Here’s a change. The early parade has moved up and now steps off in Frontierland at 8:15 p.m. Then there’s another run-through at 11:15 p.m. Disney says this is to accommodate families with kiddos with early bedtimes. The crowd traditionally has been thinner for the late parade, and that was true on this year’s opening night. The rest of the park felt less populated late as well, even though it was a sell-out. read more

By Holden Lewis | NerdWallet

When you buy a house on or after Aug. 17, you’ll do things differently than before. Rules will change on that date, due to the settlement of an antitrust lawsuit.

Unlike before, you will decide how much your real estate agent will be paid for representing you when you buy a home. And your agent won’t be paid by the seller’s agent. Instead, you’ll probably ask the home’s seller to pay your agent — a request that will be subject to negotiation.

In short: It won’t be the same purchasing process that your parents, siblings and friends went through when they bought their homes before the legal settlement with the National Association of Realtors.

Here’s how the new process will work.

You’ll sign an agreement before touring homes

You’re browsing real estate websites and you’ve spotted a house that you want to visit so you can see inside — this is known as a home tour. Before a real estate agent escorts you inside, you will be required to sign an agreement that defines what the agent will do for you. read more

By DEE-ANN DURBIN

In 2018, Chipotle was reeling from multiple food poisoning outbreaks that had sickened 1,100 people, the company called Taco Bell CEO Brian Niccol to turn things around.

As Chipotle’s Chairman and CEO, Niccol beefed up the company’s marketing and product innovation, added a loyalty program and improved store operations. He also instituted employee benefits, like a program that pays employees’ college tuition costs at certain schools.

Chipotle’s revenue since then has nearly doubled.

On Tuesday, Niccol answered another call, this time from Starbucks. The Seattle coffee giant named Niccol as its new chairman and CEO, hoping he can revive fading sales and re-establish Starbucks as a destination where customers are willing to pay premium prices.

“I am excited to join Starbucks and grateful for the opportunity to help steward this incredible company, alongside hundreds of thousands of devoted partners,” Niccol said.

However, Niccol faces far larger and deeper challenges at Starbucks, which has 38,000 stores worldwide compared with Chipotle’s largely U.S.-based chain of 3,500 restaurants. Niccol has to figure out how to get inflation-weary U.S. customers back into stores for its pricey drinks. read more

Jeff Polk walks the construction site of the Epic Universe theme park frequently. He’s an executive vice president at Universal Orlando and Epic’s general manager. Progress is visible from afar as the company builds toward an announced 2025 opening date.

“I’m sure you’ve seen it just coming out of the ground rather rapidly,” Polk told participants at an International Drive Resort Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon recently.

“I’ve been living in that bunker for about seven years now working on this project. … It has been the joy of a lifetime,” he said.

“We are, I would say, putting everything that we’ve learned to do well in one place at one time. And we have tried and tried and tried to make sure that what everybody’s going to experience next year just completely blows you away,” Polk said.

“After having looked at drawings and looked at pictures of all of it myself, I still can’t believe what we’re building. Every day, I walk out there to something more amazing than the next,” he said. read more