Things To Do In SW Florida

Laughter filled the air Saturday evening, along with confetti and streamers, as SAK Comedy Lab officially opened a new home for its improv performances on Church Street.

SAK, which established its first local theater in 1991, is now located in a new $1.4 million facility on the second floor of the 55 West development — around the corner from its previous digs on Orange Avenue.

“This is keeping art in downtown,” said Barbara Hartley, executive director of Orlando’s Downtown Arts District at Saturday’s grand-opening celebration. “It’s amazing to have such a great organization here.”

Hartley, who has been attending SAK shows since she was in high school, said the troupe’s new location pairs well with Fringe ArtSpace — just across the pedestrian bridge over Church Street — and together the two theaters could help rejuvenate downtown.

“It starts to cement everything,” she said. “It’s coming to life.”

Her enthusiasm was echoed by Kelly Allen, marketing and communications manager for the city’s Downtown Development Board/Community Redevelopment Agency. The city is contributing about $300,000 toward the construction of the new space. read more

By Sam Kemmis | NerdWallet

For some, “digital nomad” evokes the image of a young, unencumbered tech worker sending emails from the beach. Indeed, three-quarters of digital nomads are under age 40, according to a 2023 survey of over 1,200 digital nomads by Flatio, an online accommodation platform.

Yet some families have joined the digital nomad lifestyle, leaving their belongings — and the idea of a “home” — behind as they travel the globe. The lifestyle may not afford families the same hammock-swinging freedom that digital nomads without children enjoy, but these adventurous parents say the trade-offs are worth it.

“We really like the whole adventure,” says Chris Oberman, founder of Moving Jack, a blog about his family’s trips around the world. “Normal things like going to the supermarket become really special because it’s a new experience.”

Originally from the Netherlands, Oberman, his partner, their 6-month-old baby and their two cats are currently in Iraq. They plan to move to South Korea this summer. read more

By Andrew Khouri, Los Angeles Times

Steven and Katherine Wolf missed out on the ultra-low mortgage rates of the pandemic. By the time the couple secured solid jobs and could buy a home, borrowing costs more than doubled.

Rather than wait, the former renters jumped into homeownership in fall 2022. They also stretched, buying a Bakersfield, California, home that carried an uncomfortable monthly payment.

Steven Wolf figured the pain would be fleeting. Within a year rates would drop enough to allow them to refinance and put hundreds of dollars back into their pockets.

That hasn’t happened and isn’t expected to soon. In fact, rates are higher.

“We did this with the expectation that we would only have to weather this high payment for a chunk of time,” the 37-year old English teacher said. “Now that chunk of time is looking like it might actually be permanent.”

Across the country, many buyers employed similar strategies after rates surged in 2022 — at times encouraged by real estate agents and mortgage brokers who earn a commission on each deal. The tactic could still work, but as interest rates stay higher for longer, some Americans express varying degrees of regret as their finances buckle. read more

Floridians will still be able to buy and use delta-8 and other hemp products, after Gov. Ron DeSantis on Friday vetoed a bill that sought to reshape Florida’s marketplace.

As the bill, SB 1698, moved through Florida’s legislative process, it was opposed by consumers who said they need the products for their physical and mental health and by businesses who said it would cause thousands of Floridians to lose their jobs.

DeSantis, based on his veto letter, seemed to agree. In the letter, DeSantis said the bill would “impose debilitating regulatory burdens on small businesses” and would “introduce dramatic disruption and harm to many small retail and manufacturing businesses in Florida.”

A study commissioned by a hemp trade group found that Florida’s hemp market racked up more than $10 billion in sales in 2022 and employed more than 100,000 people.

DeSantis said he would encourage the Legislature to return to the topic next session to create a regulatory framework for Florida’s hemp marketplace. read more

Will Essilfie | (TNS) Bankrate.com

Delta Air Lines is one of the largest airlines based in the United States, having transported over 190 million customers to 290 destinations around the world in 2023, the company says, with plenty of options for frequent flyers and occasional travelers alike.

But for its most premium flyers, Delta offers two options that enable you to have a more comfortable and efficient journey from check-in to landing. Continue reading to learn about Delta’s premium cabin offerings — Delta One and First Class — and what to know about both before you book your next flight.

Delta One and Delta First Class are the most premium cabin options on Delta flights. Delta One is the airline’s most premium cabin offered on long-haul routes as well as select transcontinental flights within the United States. It offers a lie-flat seat that turns into a bed and premium food and drink options.

Although “first class” usually denotes the best an airline has to offer, Delta First refers to the airline’s domestic front-of-cabin seats that are a larger recliner seat vs. a lie-flat experience. read more