Things To Do In SW Florida

PORT CANAVERAL — Royal Caribbean Utopia of the Seas godmother Meghan Trainor brought the bass while Florida brought the heat for the new massive cruise ship’s naming ceremony on Monday.

The Grammy-award singer and songwriter performed her now decade-old hit “It’s All About That Bass,” although in the gentlest way with a ukulele accompaniment under the searing sun from Port Canaveral ahead of the new ship’s final practice sailing before paying customers board this Friday.

Trainor performed her godmotherly duties saying “bless this ship and everyone who sails on it” as video showed a bottle of sacrificial champagne taking a ride on the ship’s zipline for the traditional christening smash.

Then a storm of paper confetti poured down on and adhered to the sweaty crowd while a drone-propelled disco ball flew overhead.

Attendees were given Utopia-themed sun visors and mini fans as well as bottles of water before the event.

Royal Caribbean Group President and CEO Jason Liberty joked the crowd was supposed to point all the fans toward the stage. read more

Hollerbach’s chief operating officer Chris Cremen notes, with not a small amount of pride, that this popular Sanford restaurant is often full of loud music and loud people, yet when Dennis Dulniak approached him about joining the small but growing roster of Central Florida restaurants catering to people with dementia and their caregivers, “it was an easy ‘yes,’” he says.

“It’s unfortunate, but it seems like everyone has a connection to someone with dementia. So, we want to share awareness and create a fun, happy, safe atmosphere for people to enjoy the gemütlichkeit experience we try and share with everyone.”

Dulniak, whose experience caring for his wife, Nancy, led him to co-found Central Florida Dementia-Friendly Dining, a nonprofit that partners with local restaurants to help create spaces where patients and their caregivers can make memories, “…to give them the respect they deserve and make them feel normal again, because having dementia is not a normal feeling.” read more

Editorial Disclaimer: All investors are advised to conduct their own independent research into investment strategies before making an investment decision. In addition, investors are advised that past investment product performance is no guarantee of future price appreciation.

By Giovanny Moreano, Bankrate.com

Seasoned investors often approach markets with a long-term view, using short- and medium-term volatility to buy into the themes they believe will profit over many years. While identifying these trends is difficult, tuning out the noise can help you focus your portfolio on the winners, possibly resulting in significant gains.

Here are five of the most popular trends right now — including several themes showing significant growth potential in the rest of 2024 and beyond.

1. Generative artificial intelligence

Across industries, data scientists are exploring how to tap into artificial intelligence‘s (AI) power, from designing surgical assistants to developing tools that identify deforestation hotspots in the Amazon rainforest. read more

BY HALELUYA HADERO AND CORA LEWIS Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — It’s summertime, and the bargains seem easy at a time when many consumer prices are high.

July sales events have become a seasonal revenue driver for the retail industry since Amazon launched its first Prime Day back in 2015. While consumers may be enticed by the advertised can’t-miss savings on some products, personal finance experts say shoppers should be careful not to fall for potentially misleading marketing or give in to impulse buys.

Amazon has drummed up expectations in recent weeks for its 10th Prime Day event, which will be held on Tuesday and Wednesday and is open only to customers who pay $14.99 per month, or $139 per year, to receive free shipping and other perks as Prime members.

Rival retailers tried in the past to capture some of the Prime Day excitement by offering their own discounts during the two-day event. This year, Walmart, Target, Kohl’s, and newcomers TikTok Shop and Temu launched summer promotions ahead of Amazon, hoping to siphon off some of the e-commerce giant’s savings-hungry shoppers. Meanwhile, Macy’s will be rolling out what it calls its “best summer deals” during an eight-day discount event that begins on Tuesday. read more

TALLAHASSEE — Duke Energy Florida and consumer representatives Monday filed a proposed settlement that would increase base electric rates — but not as much as Duke originally sought.

The proposal, which needs approval from the state Public Service Commission, would increase base rates by $203 million in 2025 and $59 million in 2026 and includes increases over a three-year period for solar-energy projects, according to a filing at the commission and a Duke news release.

Duke reached the agreement with the state Office of Public Counsel, which represents consumers in utility issues, and other parties in the rate case — the Florida Retail Federation, the Florida Industrial Power Users Group, Nucor Steel Florida, Inc. and PCS Phosphate-White Springs.

“This agreement delivers the smarter, cleaner energy future customers deserve while prioritizing reliability and price stability,” Melissa Seixas, Duke Energy Florida state president, said in a prepared statement.

The parties said in a regulatory filing last week that they were close to reaching an agreement. They asked the commission Monday to consider the settlement in August, when regulators had been scheduled to hold a hearing on Duke’s original proposal. read more