Things To Do In SW Florida

TALLAHASSEE — Property insurance companies in Florida have consistently avoided scrutiny when seeking to raise rates by keeping proposals just below the threshold that would trigger a public hearing.

These hearings are mandated when an insurer proposes a 15% rate hike or higher.

Out of 134 rate requests since 2022, the most commonly sought increase? 14.9%

Companies have also used a practice of piggy-backing rate adjustments — first introducing a rate under 15% and then coming back again. That has caused some homeowners to see premiums surge more than 20% when their policies renew.

Now state regulators have a message for insurance companies: No more games when it comes to requesting rate increases.

Florida’s Office of Insurance Regulation is signaling that such tactics are no longer tolerated. On Thursday, regulators held a public hearing for Deerfield Beach-based People’s Trust Insurance Co., seeking an overall 14.8% rate hike for about 38,000 policies that mostly cover vacant homes. read more

By MATTHEW DALY and LINLEY SANDERS (Associated Press)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Many Americans still aren’t sold on going electric for their next car purchase. High prices and a lack of easy-to-find charging stations are major sticking points, a new poll shows.

About 4 in 10 U.S. adults say they would be at least somewhat likely to buy an EV the next time they buy a car, according to the poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research and the Energy Policy Institute at the University of Chicago, while 46% say they are not too likely or not at all likely to purchase one.

The poll results, which echo an AP-NORC poll from last year, show that President Joe Biden’s election-year plan to dramatically raise EV sales is running into resistance from American drivers. Only 13% of U.S. adults say they or someone in their household owns or leases a gas-hybrid car, and just 9% own or lease an electric vehicle.

Caleb Jud of Cincinnati said he’s considering an EV, but may end up with a plug-in hybrid — if he goes electric. While Cincinnati winters aren’t extremely cold, “the thought of getting stuck in the driveway with an EV that won’t run is worrisome, and I know it wouldn’t be an issue with a plug-in hybrid,″ he said. Freezing temperatures can slow chemical reactions in EV batteries, depleting power and reducing driving range. read more

A pair of NASA astronauts will be at it again Wednesday morning trying to take a ride on Boeing’s CST-100 Starliner making its first-ever human spaceflight.

Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams have already suited up and climbed on board the spacecraft twice in the last month, but will try for a third time with a launch attempt set for 10:52 a.m. atop a United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Space Launch Complex 41.

Space Launch Delta 45’s weather squadron forecasts a 90% chance for good conditions.

The most recent attempt on Saturday came within four minutes of liftoff, but an issue with ULA’s computer system at the launch pad forced the scrub.

“The disappointment lasts for about three seconds,” said ULA President and CEO Tory Bruno after the scrub. “We’ve been at this a long time and you just immediately get busy and do your job, and we’ll be back.”

Teams have since replaced the launch computer hardware setting up the latest attempt. A May 6 attempt was scrubbed because of a fluttering valve on the ULA rocket’s upper Centaur stage, also since replaced while Boeing and NASA had to sign off on the safety of a small helium leak on Starliner’s propulsion module that they ultimately decided not to fix. read more

Growth in Central Florida continues to barrel forward, powered by double-digit increases in overall land values in Apopka, St. Cloud and much of Lake County, according to new reports from the region’s property appraisers.

Recently released “Best Estimates of Taxable Values,” annual reports the elected appraisers are required to provide to taxing authorities, show rising property values and billions in new construction have helped boost county tax rolls across the region over the past 12 months.

“I don’t see it slowing down.” said Orange County Property Appraiser Amy Mercado. “We’ve been pretty stable all along.”

Mercado said the best estimate of Orange County total market value for 2024 is $330.6 billion, up 5 percent from $313.9 billion in 2023. That includes $5.9 billion in new construction.

Total residential property values in Orange County rose about 9%, or $13.9 billion, to a new record high of $166.9 billion.

Apopka, the county’s second-largest city, boasts the greatest percentage increase in total taxable values from 2023, up 21% to $7.17 billion. Mercado said the total includes $403 million in new industrial construction and $155.6 million in new apartment construction. Orlando, by far the region’s largest city, is up 5 percent year over year. read more

By Chanelle Bessette | NerdWallet

Combining finances with a partner can happen at any stage of your relationship, even if you’ve been married to your partner for a long time. It can be a great opportunity for a couple to get on the same page about what they want their financial future to look like, especially when it comes to big considerations such as child care, homeownership and retirement.

An academic study published in the Journal of Consumer Research in 2023 found that couples with joint bank accounts experience less financial conflict and greater harmony within their relationships. The study results indicated that couples who merged their finances had a strong sense of financial partnership. In contrast, couples with separate bank accounts tended to operate in a more “tit for tat” financial exchange.

If you and your partner feel like it’s time to combine your finances, here’s how you can work toward merging your money.

Taking the plunge on merging finances with your partner

Perhaps you’ve kept your finances separate out of convenience, but now you’re getting tired of making online transfers to your partner for every shared expense. Or maybe you’ve got a considerable expense coming up and you want to streamline your accounts. read more