What happens after a city hosts the world? Miami is about to find out. In 2026 the city hosted seven FIFA World Cup matches, including a quarterfinal and the bronze final. The city’s broader calendar also featured the College Football Playoff national championship game, the World Baseball Classic and the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. World Cup fans have flooded Miami in June and July 2026, but tourism experts are wondering whether that will translate to more tourism next year. Mauro Pimentel/AFP via Getty Images The question now is whether this global exposure in 2026 will translate into sustained tourism demand in 2027. As dean of one of the nation’s leading hospitality schools, I research trends affecting tourism, travel behavior and the hospitality industry in one of the country’s most international visitor markets. My work keeps me closely connected to industry leaders and destination partners across South Florida. Based on the latest economic indicators and South Florida’s calendar of major events, 2027 is shaping up to be a pivotal year for the area’s visitor economy. Right now the data points to fewer domestic budget travelers but more – and higher-spending – international ones. The fall of Spirit Start with the biggest shock: the closure of Spirit Airlines in May 2026. The ultra-low-cost carrier headquartered in South Florida was the dominant airline at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport for years. But in spring 2026, jet fuel prices roughly doubled amid the fuel crisis triggered by conflict in the Middle East, and when a hoped-for federal rescue fell through. Only months earlier the airline had planned 100 peak daily departures from Fort Lauderdale in 2026. That capacity is now gone. The consequences of this for 2027 fall unevenly. Ultra-low-cost carriers make their living on price-sensitive leisure travelers, such as the families and spontaneous weekenders who fill Florida hotel rooms in the shoulder seasons of April to May and September to November. With Spirit’s seats gone and fuel costs pushing fares up across the airline industry, the cheapest tier of air travel to Florida has thinned considerably. Some of those trips will likely migrate to remaining carriers at higher fares. Others simply will not happen. Then there are Florida residents, who accounted for about 9.1 million visits to Greater Miami in 2025, including 4.8 million overnight visitors and 4.3 million day-trippers. This segment is best insulated from the airline price shock, which will help 2027 visitation. In 2026, Miami International Airport has seen an uptick in overall international travel. Joe Raedle/Getty Images News via Getty Images International travel Even before the latest concerns about fuel prices and Spirit Airlines’ closure, Greater Miami’s international market was inconsistent. In 2025 the area’s international visitation declined 2.8% to about 6.26 million total international travelers. Overnight visitors from Colombia, Brazil and Canada decreased, for a loss of roughly 75,000 visitors compared to 2024. Growth from the U.K., Italy and Argentina nearly offset that loss, adding about 73,000 visitors combined, but those gains were not enough to reverse the overall decline in international visitation. This matters because international visitors tend to punch above their weight economically. In Greater Miami they accounted for roughly US$7.2 billion in spending in 2025, about 5% more than the prior year, even as total international visitation dipped 2.8%. This suggests people are staying longer and spending more. Early 2026 showed signs of a rebound from that dip. U.S. inbound international travel fell 5.5% in 2025, and early 2026 has been uneven nationally. But Florida’s gateways remain a bright spot: In the first quarter of 2026, Miami, Orlando and Tampa together processed about 1.59 million international arrivals; 1.13 million of those arrivals were to Miami International Airport alone. Meanwhile, JFK and Newark airports welcomed slightly more overseas arrivals at 1.15 million, but this is down 7% from the first quarter of 2025 for those destinations. Carrying the momentum forward Early media research suggests that the World Cup may help carry Greater Miami’s tourism momentum into 2027. The Miami Host Committee reported that the FIFA Fan Festival Miami drew more than 600,000 fans over 24 days at Bayfront Park, alongside more than 70 match broadcasts, 1,000 performers, dozens of food and beverage vendors and family-friendly activities. If they had a good time, the more than 64,000 fans who attended these matches may plan a return trip to Miami. Still, 2027 has no World Cup, no CFP championship, no World Baseball Classic. But the calendar is not empty – it’s simply different. Miami Beach is hosting the Professional Convention Management Association Convening Leaders in January 2027, effectively giving thousands of the world’s meeting planners a chance to experience Miami’s beaches, nightlife and cultural amenities. The convention pipeline behind this event is unusually strong: Adobe’s Creativity Conference, the iConnections Global Alts investor gathering, Unleash America and a Nike national tournament are already contracted for the 2027 fiscal year. And Amazon, WordPress and Boston Consulting Group events are currently in advanced negotiation. Plus, recurring anchor events such as the Miami Open, Formula 1 Grand Prix, Art Basel and the South Beach Wine and Food Festival will continue. The Grand Hyatt Miami Beach, the Miami Beach Convention Center’s long-awaited 800-room headquarters hotel, is scheduled to open in November 2027. This structural addition will outlast any single event. In short, 2027’s demand skews away from one-off spectacle and toward business events, group travel and repeat leisure. The price is right Pricing is the wild card, and the freshest data shows why hotel performance depends not only on how many rooms are booked but on how much travelers are willing to pay for them. Through May 2026, Miami-Dade led all top 25 U.S. hotel markets in occupancy at nearly 80%, while posting the nation’s highest average daily rate at $293.67, up 11.2% in a year. Preliminary data on hotel stays for the week ending June 27, 2026, shows Miami’s average daily rate is up 51.1% year over year, and revenue per available room is up 51.6%. Occupancy was relatively flat at 73.5%, underscoring that the World Cup effect was driven more by pricing power than by fuller hotels. The 2027 forecast The question now is whether any of that pricing power persists once the event calendar normalizes, especially if airfares stay high and price-sensitive visitors stay home. My reading of the data is that headline visitor counts in 2027 may be roughly flat, perhaps even down modestly in the domestic budget segment. Meanwhile, I think visitor spending will prove more resilient, because the mix shifts toward international, group and drive-market travelers who stay longer or cost less to reach. Several early indicators will demonstrate whether this forecast is correct. I will be looking at how quickly airlines backfill Fort Lauderdale’s lost seats, along with how quickly the prices of jet fuel and airfare normalizes. It will also be important to watch whether the first quarter surges from Canada and Mexico persist through this winter and whether Latin American demand, still Florida’s international backbone, recovers from its 2025 dip. A stronger dollar can make Florida more expensive for overseas visitors, while concerns about visa delays and U.S. border procedures can affect whether travelers choose Florida or competing destinations elsewhere. But research on destination loyalty consistently shows that repeat visitation follows satisfaction with the total experience rather than any single attraction. Millions of first-time World Cup visitors have formed that impression in 2026. Miami business owners can’t set fuel prices or exchange rates, but they can determine whether the people who came for the world’s biggest sporting event find a reason to come back on their own in 2027. Words by Michael Cheng, Dean and Professor of Hospitality Management, Florida International University. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today. . Top beach photo by Austin Hervias/Unsplash

Imagine almost every person on Earth doing nothing but making cups of tea, day and night, one every second – and pouring every single one into the sea. It sounds absurd. Yet it helps us picture one of the biggest changes happening to our planet. Kashish Grover / unsplash, CC BY-SA Although we experience global warming through hotter air and record-breaking heatwaves, the atmosphere is only a sideshow, which we happen to especially notice because we live within it. The more important feature is that the ocean is absorbing some 90% of the extra heat now being trapped at the Earth’s surface. This heat is being measured year by year, with increasing precision, by a network of satellites and ocean-based instruments. A few years ago, Chinese climate scientist Lijing Cheng and colleagues put together all the data for 2021 from this ocean-wide panoply of devices. The oceans, they said, absorbed some 15 zettajoules of energy that year. That sounds impressive – but what does it mean? A zettajoule is 1 followed by 21 noughts: unintelligible in itself, and even more confusing when placed in stark contrast to the humble joule, which is the energy needed to raise 0.239 grams of water by 1°C. To try to convey the hugeness of 15 zettajoules, one needs to find some suitable analogy. One common comparison is that it’s the energy equivalent of seven Hiroshima-scale atom bombs exploding every second. It’s a dramatic and oft-used image – but (luckily) outside most people’s direct experience. That’s why we wanted to bring things a little closer to home. Let’s use a mug of tea. What’s brewing in the oceans? Heating a mug of tea needs about 100,000 joules. Divide 15 zettajoules by that figure, and then divide that by the number of seconds in year, gives 4.8 billion mugs of hot tea entering the ocean each second. 100,000 joules: a splash in the ocean. Zayed Ahmed Zadu / unsplash, CC BY-SA We can even try to be properly scientific about this, and invent the measure of a billion mugs of hot tea per second. Following the scientific convention of “giga” for billion, you could even use gigamugs per second: or GMug/s. In 2021, ocean heat input was running at 4.8 GMug/s. These are large numbers, and it is sobering that the energy directly expended for global human use each year (from all sources) is much smaller: a bit more than half a zettajoule – or some 0.2 billion mugs of hot tea per second in our new measure. Make a mug of tea with fossil-fuelled energy, and the carbon dioxide emitted in that simple process means that you are also doing the equivalent of pouring a dozen or more mugs of hot tea into the sea. The oceans are absorbing even more heat But global warming has not been standing still since 2021. It has been accelerating, partly because greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere continue to rise, partly because the air is getting cleaner and letting more sunlight in, and perhaps partly because warming is beginning to reduce reflective cloud cover, allowing even more heat to be absorbed. This would be an example of a positive feedback: warming causing changes that lead to yet more warming. If so, that could be a slippery slope for the global climate – and for us. Global average ocean temperature anomaly from the surface to nearly 2000 m depth over the past 20 years: The Argo programme uses a fleet of more than 4,000 autonomous robots around the world to measure ocean temperatures. Argo data shows the sea is warming from top to bottom, though fastest at the surface. Martin Head / Argo That acceleration has now been measured in the oceans too. An updated analysis estimated that, in 2025, the oceans absorbed about 23 zettajoules of extra energy. That’s roughly half as much again as the 2021 figure, although the precise figure is subject to natural variation and measurement uncertainty. Translating that into our new measure means the oceans are now absorbing the equivalent of some 7.6 billion cups of hot tea every second. That’s almost one cup every second for every person on the planet – just as we asked you to imagine at the start. That extra heat is the physical effect of the trillion or more tonnes of carbon dioxide, plus other greenhouse gases, that we have added to the air since we began burning fossil fuels in earnest, some two centuries ago. It’s raising sea levels, driving marine heat waves and melting polar ice. The tea cup analogy is one way of getting the point across – that the Earth is absorbing ever more heat. It’s something to remember as national promises of pathways to net zero become increasingly diluted, delayed, mocked or forgotten, and as investments in fossil fuels rise steeply: a path that might briefly enrich oil company shareholders, but that will permanently impoverish and endanger everyone else, for countless generations to come. Better by far to invest instead in energy sources that are not carbon-based. That’s something to ponder on, over a cup of tea. Words by Jan Zalasiewicz, Professor of Palaeobiology, University of Leicester, Colin Summerhayes, Marine Geologist and Oceanographer, Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge, and Martin J. Head, Professor of Earth Sciences, Brock University. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.

There's something timeless about inviting friends and family into your home for an evening of great conversation, delicious food, and a welcoming atmosphere. Across Miami and South Florida, entertaining has evolved beyond simply preparing a meal. Today's hosts are creating curated experiences that reflect their personal style while making guests feel genuinely comfortable. Image by DepositPhotos Whether you're planning an intimate dinner party, a rooftop cocktail gathering, or a relaxed weekend get-together, thoughtful preparation can transform an ordinary evening into a memorable occasion. Why Home Entertaining Has Become a Lifestyle Statement Modern entertaining is less about perfection and more about authenticity. Guests appreciate spaces that feel inviting rather than overly formal. Comfortable seating, layered lighting, and carefully selected décor often leave a stronger impression than elaborate centerpieces or complicated menus. For many homeowners, entertaining has also become an extension of interior design. Outdoor patios, open kitchens, and flexible living spaces encourage natural interaction while showcasing the host's personality. The most successful gatherings share one common characteristic: they make people feel welcome from the moment they arrive. Designing a Space That Encourages Conversation A beautiful home doesn't automatically create meaningful social experiences. Layout matters just as much as aesthetics. Arrange seating so guests naturally face one another, rather than focusing on a television or a single focal point. Small conversation areas encourage people to mingle, while soft lighting creates a relaxed atmosphere that helps everyone settle in. Consider incorporating natural textures such as wood, linen, and stone alongside fresh flowers or greenery. These subtle details create warmth without overwhelming the space. Background music should complement the evening rather than dominate it. Curated playlists with smooth transitions help establish the mood while keeping conversations effortless. As hosting styles continue to evolve, many adults are embracing more personalized ways to relax and socialize. For some, that includes enjoying cannabis alongside good food, music, and conversation in a comfortable home setting. Partaking in Distro cannabis has become part of laid-back evenings with friends, offering another option for guests who prefer it over traditional alcoholic beverages. As with any gathering, hosts should encourage responsible consumption and be mindful of their guests' preferences. Setting the Mood with Food, Drinks, and Atmosphere Exceptional hosts understand that simplicity often delivers the best experience. Instead of preparing numerous complicated dishes, focus on a smaller menu featuring high-quality ingredients. Fresh seafood, seasonal vegetables, artisanal cheeses, and handcrafted desserts create an elevated dining experience without unnecessary stress. When serving beverages, variety is equally important. Offer options such as: Sparkling water infused with citrus or herbs Signature mocktails Carefully selected wines Fresh coffee and premium teas for the evening's conclusion Small serving stations throughout the home also encourage guests to move naturally rather than gather in one crowded location. Thoughtful lighting further enhances the atmosphere. Layer table lamps, candles, and outdoor string lights to create depth while avoiding overly bright overhead fixtures. Image by DepositPhotos Thoughtful Details That Guests Remember The moments people remember are often the smallest ones. A handwritten place card, a locally sourced dessert, or fresh flowers from a neighborhood market can elevate the entire experience without requiring a significant investment. Scent also plays an important role. Light, subtle fragrances such as citrus, sandalwood, or fresh linen create a pleasant environment without competing with food aromas. Temperature deserves equal attention. Outdoor gatherings benefit from portable fans during warmer months, while cooler evenings become more inviting with soft blankets or patio heaters. Hosts who anticipate these details allow guests to relax completely. Making Every Gathering Feel Effortless The best entertainment rarely appears overly planned, even when careful preparation happens behind the scenes. Complete as much work as possible before guests arrive. Prepare appetizers in advance, organize serving dishes early, and create a simple timeline for the evening. This allows you to spend more time engaging with friends instead of constantly working in the kitchen. Remember that genuine hospitality isn't measured by flawless execution. It's reflected in how comfortable your guests feel, how naturally conversations unfold, and how easily everyone enjoys spending time together. As lifestyles continue to emphasize meaningful experiences over material possessions, home entertaining remains one of the most rewarding ways to connect with others. By combining thoughtful design, welcoming hospitality, and attention to detail, every gathering can become an occasion that guests remember long after the evening ends. For homeowners throughout Miami and beyond, creating memorable experiences starts not with extravagant spending, but with intentional choices that celebrate comfort, conversation, and the simple pleasure of bringing people together. By ML Staff. Images courtesy of DepositPhotos

Image by Dilok Klaisataporn / Vecteezy If the at-fault driver doesn't have enough insurance in Florida, you may still have ways to recover your losses, but getting full compensation can become much more complicated. Depending on the facts of your case, you may need to turn to your own insurance, pursue a claim against the at-fault driver, or look at whether another party shares legal responsibility. Your responsibilities after a car accident matter just as much as the insurance involved. The decisions you make in the first few days, reporting the crash, seeking medical care, documenting your injuries, and notifying your insurer, can affect both your claim and your ability to recover damages if the other driver's coverage runs out. Many Florida drivers are surprised to learn that the state does not require most motorists to carry bodily injury liability insurance. That leaves accident victims facing a difficult question: who pays when the available insurance isn't enough? The answer depends on your injuries, the insurance policies involved, and the legal options available under Florida law. What Happens When the At-Fault Driver's Insurance Isn't Enough? Florida follows a no-fault insurance system for most crashes. Under Florida Statutes § 627.7407, drivers must carry at least $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection (PIP) and $10,000 in Property Damage Liability (PDL). PIP pays for your own medical expenses and lost wages up to your policy limits, no matter who caused the crash. The problem starts when your injuries cost more than PIP covers or when the at-fault driver has little or no insurance. Florida does not require most drivers to carry Bodily Injury Liability (BIL) coverage. That means the driver who caused the crash may not have insurance to pay for your medical bills, pain and suffering, or other losses. Your Options If Insurance Falls Short If the at-fault driver's policy cannot cover your damages, you may be able to recover compensation through one or more of these options: Use your uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage. This optional coverage can help pay for injuries when the other driver's insurance is missing or too low. File a personal lawsuit. If your injuries meet Florida's serious injury threshold under Florida Statutes § 627.737, you may seek damages that go beyond PIP benefits. Look for other liable parties. In some crashes, another driver, an employer, or even a vehicle manufacturer may share legal responsibility. Pursue the at-fault driver's personal assets. This is possible, but recovery depends on whether the driver has income or assets that can satisfy a judgment. Why Coverage Limits Matter Medical costs rise quickly after a serious crash. According to the National Safety Council, the average economic cost of a disabling motor vehicle injury exceeded $155,000 in its latest injury cost estimates. Severe injuries such as TBI can result in much higher lifetime expenses. That gap between your losses and the available insurance often becomes the central issue in a claim. If multiple people were injured in the same crash, everyone may have to share the at-fault driver's limited policy, reducing the amount each person receives. Instead of waiting until after a crash, take a close look at your insurance coverage now. A policy that seemed more than enough today can fall short after a serious accident. If you have uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, it can help fill the gap when the at-fault driver doesn't have enough insurance to cover your injuries. While Florida doesn't require drivers to carry this coverage, many people find out how valuable it is only after they need it. Key Takeaways If the at-fault driver doesn't have enough insurance in Florida, you may need to rely on your own insurance or explore other ways to recover the money you've lost. Florida requires drivers to carry PIP coverage, but those benefits often run out long before the bills stop coming after a serious injury. Most Florida drivers are not required to carry Bodily Injury Liability insurance, which can leave injured victims with few insurance funds to pursue. If you carry uninsured/underinsured motorist (UM/UIM) coverage, it may help cover medical expenses, lost income, and other damages the at-fault driver's policy won't pay. When your injuries qualify under Florida's serious injury threshold, you may have the right to bring a claim for damages that PIP does not cover, including pain and suffering. Every crash is different. In some cases, another person or company may share responsibility, or the at-fault driver may have assets that could be used to satisfy a judgment. By ML Staff. Image courtesy of Vecteezy

Image by Taiga Miyamoto / Unsplash Many drivers make the same mistakes at flashing red lights – they roll through without stopping, assume they have the right of way, or focus only on traffic from one direction. These errors can lead to crashes, traffic tickets, and close calls that are easy to avoid by following the rules and staying alert. Flashing red signals are used at intersections where extra caution is needed, often because of changing traffic patterns, limited visibility, or lower traffic volumes outside peak hours. Unlike regular traffic lights, they are designed to keep traffic moving safely without a full signal cycle. Understanding what a flashing red light means helps drivers make better decisions, especially at unfamiliar intersections where a quick mistake can have serious consequences. In this article, you'll learn the most common mistakes drivers make at flashing red lights and the simple habits that can help you avoid them every time you approach one. 1. Failing to Come to a Complete Stop One of the most common mistakes drivers make is slowing down instead of coming to a complete stop at a flashing red light. A flashing red signal must always be treated like a stop sign, not a yield sign. In many states, the law is clear. For example, California Vehicle Code § 21457 requires drivers facing a flashing red signal to stop at the marked limit line, crosswalk, or before entering the intersection. After coming to a complete stop, drivers may proceed only when it is safe and after yielding to any vehicles or pedestrians with the right of way. Rolling through the intersection without fully stopping can result in a traffic citation and significantly increase the risk of a collision. 2. Proceeding Before It's Safe Stopping is only the first step. Once you stop, you must yield to: Vehicles already in the intersection Traffic with the right of way Pedestrians in or entering the crosswalk Cyclists crossing legally Many drivers stop correctly but pull out too soon because they expect other drivers to slow down. That assumption causes preventable collisions. 3. Looking in Only One Direction Drivers often focus on the nearest lane and forget to scan the entire intersection. Before moving: Look left. Look right. Look left again. Check for pedestrians and cyclists. This takes only a few seconds but helps you spot hazards that may not be obvious at first glance. 4. Following the Car Ahead Without Stopping Heavy traffic creates pressure to keep moving. If the vehicle in front of you stops, you still have to stop. Traffic laws apply to every driver, not just the first vehicle in line. Skipping your own stop leaves little time to react if another vehicle enters the intersection. 5. Ignoring Poor Visibility A flashing red light often appears at intersections with limited sight distance, temporary signal operation, or lower traffic volumes. If your view is blocked by parked vehicles, trees, or large trucks: Stop completely. Ease forward only if needed to improve your view. Stop again if necessary before entering traffic. The extra few seconds are worth it. Why These Mistakes Matter According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), roughly half of all traffic injuries and about one-quarter of traffic fatalities in the United States happen at or near intersections. Most flashing red crashes are not caused by confusing signals. They happen because drivers rush, make assumptions, or fail to stop completely. Treat every flashing red light as you would a stop sign. That simple habit gives you more time to see hazards, yield correctly, and move through the intersection safely. Key Takeaways A flashing red light requires a complete stop, just like a stop sign. Stop before the limit line, crosswalk, or intersection, then yield before moving. Never assume you have the right of way after stopping. Scan the entire intersection, including for pedestrians and cyclists. Do not follow another vehicle through without making your own complete stop. Use extra caution when visibility is limited or traffic conditions change. Following these rules reduces crash risk and helps you avoid traffic citations. By ML Staff. Image courtesy of Unsplash

You can begin driving in Florida at age 15 by obtaining a learner's license, provided you meet the state's eligibility requirements. At age 16, many teens may qualify for an intermediate license with certain restrictions, and by age 18, most licensing restrictions are removed. Florida's graduated licensing system is designed to help new drivers gain experience while improving road safety. Florida has one of the busiest road networks in the United States, with millions of residents and visitors traveling throughout the state every year. From major cities like Miami, Orlando, and Tampa to smaller coastal communities, drivers regularly share the roads with tourists, commercial vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. Because of this heavy traffic, Florida has established licensing rules that allow young drivers to develop safe driving skills gradually. Understanding the driving age in Florida is important for teenagers and parents who are preparing for a new driver in the family. Knowing the licensing stages and legal requirements helps ensure young drivers stay compliant with state law and build safe driving habits. Getting a Learner's License at Age 15 Florida allows eligible teenagers to apply for a learner's license once they turn 15 years old. To qualify, applicants generally must: Complete a Traffic Law and Substance Abuse Education (TLSAE) course Pass a vision and hearing test Pass the Class E Knowledge Exam Provide the required identification documents Obtain parental consent if under 18 With a learner's license, drivers must always be accompanied by a licensed driver who is at least 21 years old and occupies the front passenger seat. Intermediate License at Age 16 After holding a learner's license for at least one year without any traffic convictions and meeting other state requirements, many teens may qualify for an intermediate license. This license allows young drivers to operate a vehicle without supervision but includes restrictions, particularly regarding nighttime driving. These limitations are intended to reduce the risks associated with inexperienced drivers. As teens gain more driving experience, these restrictions gradually become less restrictive. Full Driving Privileges at Age 18 Once drivers reach age 18, they may generally obtain a full unrestricted Florida driver's license if they meet all licensing requirements. At this stage, most restrictions associated with the graduated licensing program no longer apply. However, all drivers must continue to follow Florida traffic laws and drive responsibly. Safe driving remains essential regardless of age or experience. Why Florida Uses Graduated Licensing Learning to drive safely takes time. Florida's graduated licensing system allows teenagers to gain experience under lower-risk conditions before receiving full driving privileges. Studies have shown that supervised driving and gradual exposure to different traffic situations help reduce accidents involving young drivers. This approach benefits both new drivers and everyone else sharing the road. Responsibilities of New Drivers Receiving a driver's license is an important milestone, but it also comes with significant responsibilities. New drivers should always: Obey posted speed limits. Avoid distracted driving. Wear a seat belt. Never drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Maintain a safe following distance. Limit distractions from passengers. Developing good driving habits early can help prevent accidents throughout a driver's lifetime. Florida Law Governing Driver Licenses Florida's driver licensing requirements are established under Florida Statutes § 322.05, which addresses eligibility requirements for obtaining a driver's license, including minimum age requirements for applicants. Understanding these legal requirements helps new drivers complete the licensing process correctly and maintain compliance with state law. Preparing for Safe Driving Parents play an important role in helping teenagers become safe drivers. Practicing in different traffic conditions, discussing defensive driving techniques, and encouraging responsible decision-making can build confidence behind the wheel. Regular practice also helps young drivers become more comfortable handling real-world situations. Safe driving begins with preparation, patience, and responsible habits. Key Takeaways Teens in Florida may apply for a learner's license at age 15 if they meet state requirements. Intermediate licenses are generally available at age 16 after meeting experience requirements. Most licensing restrictions end when drivers reach age 18. Florida uses a graduated licensing system to help new drivers gain experience safely. Florida Statutes § 322.05 establishes eligibility requirements for obtaining a driver's license. Parents and supervised practice play an important role in developing safe driving skills. Responsible driving habits help reduce accidents and protect everyone on Florida's roads. By ML Staff. Image courtesy of Pexels

The vintage designer bag market has never been more competitive, and online boutiques selling pre-owned luxury pieces face a real trust problem. Shoppers want Chanel and Hermès at accessible prices, but they're terrified of fakes. Building that trust without a physical storefront is genuinely hard. After reviewing dozens of resale platforms and boutique sites, it's clear that the best ones combine rigorous authentication with smart community-building. This guide covers five standout boutiques that have figured out how to do both well. How this ranking was put together Each boutique on this list was assessed using publicly available information pulled from official websites, customer reviews, social media presence, and editorial coverage. Only boutiques with a proven track record of authenticated luxury resale were included. Options without verifiable real-world sales history or customer feedback didn't make the cut. → See the full research breakdown FashioNica - Best for luxury vintage ecommerce and authenticated designer resale Lola Saratoga - Best for luxury designer consignment and authenticated pre-owned fashion Consign of the Times - Best for luxury pre-owned designer goods resale Break. Archive - Best for luxury vintage ecommerce 1stDibs - Best for luxury ecommerce marketplaces and authenticated vintage goods sales Why Online Boutiques Are Worth a Closer Look Buying a vintage designer bag online should be stressful without the right seller. The market is flooded with questionable sellers, and fast fashion giants have trained buyers to expect instant gratification with zero-effort returns. That raises the bar dramatically for boutique sellers. A boutique that skips proper authentication or delivers a poor unboxing experience will bleed customers fast. Repeat purchase rate tells the story immediately. When shoppers feel confident, average order value climbs, cart abandonment drops, and customer lifetime value builds naturally over time. The right boutique solves both the trust problem and the experience problem at once. 5 Top Picks at a Glance Note: All data in this table is sourced from review platforms and the official websites of the listed companies. Company Name Years Operating Headquartered In FashioNica Est. 2014 Online Lola Saratoga Est. 2013 Saratoga Springs, New York Consign of the Times Est. 2001 Miami Beach, Florida Break. Archive Est. 2021 London 1stDibs Est. 2000 New York City FashioNica - Best for Luxury Vintage Ecommerce and Authenticated Designer Resale What Services Does FashioNica Provide? FashioNica focuses on curating, restoring, authenticating, and reselling high-end vintage designer handbags and jewelry from names like Hermès, Chanel, Dior, Fendi, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. The boutique runs weekly authenticated drops, with items often selling out within minutes during live social media previews. Their authentication uses Entrupy technology, which puts them ahead of most boutiques still doing this manually. Shoppers can browse the full authenticated collection at https://fashionica.com/, where the drop model creates genuine urgency without manufactured hype. What Sets FashioNica Apart for Online Boutiques? There's a real gap between claiming "we authenticate everything" and actually using third-party technology like Entrupy to prove it. That's exactly where FashioNica separates itself from the rest. That verification-backed approach, combined with a gamified auction experience on Whatnot, turns one-time buyers into repeat community members (and that kind of retention is rare in this market). Real User Sentiment: FashioNica has earned serious media credibility, with founder Nica Yusay featured in Forbes, Vogue Business, Fortune, and CNBC. Customers consistently respond to the weekly drops with near-immediate sell-outs, which is about as strong a real-world proof point as a boutique can have. The community engagement alone sets a standard most resale boutiques don't come close to matching. Lola Saratoga - Best for Luxury Designer Consignment and Authenticated Pre-Owned Fashion What Services Does Lola Saratoga Provide? Lola Saratoga handles authenticated pre-owned consignment for premium brands including Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Hermès, and YSL, alongside contemporary accessories from Tory Burch and Gorjana. Founded in 2013 by Megan Druckman, they operate physical retail locations in Saratoga Springs and Albany, New York, with an online presence through their website and Trendful. Their submission process turns around responses in one to two business days, with sellers choosing between buyout, consignment, or store credit. What Sets Lola Saratoga Apart for Online Boutiques? Many consignment boutiques force sellers to choose between convenience and fair value. Lola Saratoga's multi-option selling structure solves that by giving consignors real flexibility from the start. That kind of omnichannel approach (physical locations plus a clean online channel) builds the kind of buyer trust that pure-play online boutiques spend years trying to replicate. Real User Sentiment: Lola Saratoga's longevity since 2013, combined with physical storefronts that back their online presence, speaks to a customer base that keeps coming back (not cheap to earn in luxury resale). Their third-party authentication and exclusive retailer partnerships give shoppers a level of confidence that reduces hesitation at checkout. Consign of the Times - Best for Luxury Pre-Owned Designer Goods Resale What Services Does Consign of the Times Provide? Consign of the Times operates as Miami Beach's go-to pre-owned luxury resale boutique, selling authentic handbags, shoes, clothing, and accessories from Hermès, Chanel, Louis Vuitton, and Cartier. Founded in 2001, they source inventory from a global network of consignors and sell across their physical location, website, and Instagram live shopping events. Prices run at substantial discounts from retail, and each piece gets personal attention rather than being processed in bulk. What Sets Consign of the Times Apart for Online Boutiques? Most resale operations at this level chase volume. Consign of the Times has built its reputation entirely on curated relationships with both consignors and customers. That personal-service model is what makes their Hermès and Chanel selection among the most trusted in the market, because every item reflects a real curatorial decision, not an algorithm. Real User Sentiment: Customers call out the personalized approach as the defining difference here, noting that staff remember preferences and treat each transaction like it matters. That individual attention is what keeps buyers returning instead of chasing lower prices elsewhere (and in luxury resale, that loyalty is genuinely hard to build). Break. Archive - Best for Luxury Vintage Ecommerce What Services Does Break. Archive Provide? Break. Archive sources and resells authentic vintage designer handbags and accessories from Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Fendi, and Chanel. Based in London and operating as a solo-founded business, they authenticate every item in-house by assessing stitching quality, material consistency, hardware details, and brand-specific markings. With over £1 million in annual revenue and a following of 270K on Instagram and 208.8K on TikTok, they've built a boutique with real pull for their age group. What Sets Break. Archive Apart for Online Boutiques? Generating consistent revenue as a one-person vintage boutique is genuinely hard, and Break. Archive's drop model answers that directly. One drop reportedly generated £44,000 overnight. What's great about their approach is how environmental responsibility and luxury coexist naturally, making the brand appealing to younger buyers who want both without compromise. Real User Sentiment: Customers respond strongly to the loyalty discount program and the playful, personality-driven brand voice across social media. The combination of expert authentication and a genuinely engaged community is what separates Break. Archive from the many vintage resellers that look similar on the surface but deliver inconsistently. 1stDibs - Best for Luxury Ecommerce Marketplaces and Authenticated Vintage Goods Sales What Services Does 1stDibs Provide? 1stDibs connects buyers with a curated network of 4,000 authorized dealers across 28 countries, selling vintage and contemporary fashion, furniture, art, jewelry, and watches. Founded in 2000 by Michael Bruno and now publicly traded on Nasdaq, the platform moved to online purchasing in 2013 and raised $112 million in its 2021 IPO. They also run a Trade Program for designers and architects who need volume pricing and dedicated account management (think enterprise-level access to the vintage market). What Sets 1stDibs Apart for Online Boutiques? The main problem 1stDibs solves is trust at scale, getting buyers comfortable spending five and six figures on items they've never physically touched. Their strict dealer authentication pipeline makes that possible, and a public Nasdaq listing only reinforces the credibility behind every transaction. Real User Sentiment: Buyers and sellers consistently point to the depth and variety of curated inventory as the platform's biggest strength. The dealer authentication model gives high-value purchases a sense of security that peer-to-peer marketplaces simply can't match. The willingness of customers to buy six-figure pieces sight unseen is proof that the trust infrastructure 1stDibs built actually works. How These Were Chosen and Verified Putting this list together required more than a quick scan of search results. The selection process ran through multiple passes to make sure every boutique earned its place based on real performance. Data Collection as Foundation The initial pool of candidates was built by pulling information from luxury resale directories, ecommerce review platforms, editorial features in fashion and business publications, and the official websites of boutiques operating in the vintage designer bag space. Social media presence and community engagement signals were also factored in, since authenticated resale boutiques live and die by the trust they build in public. The Shortlisting Pass From that initial pool, boutiques without verifiable authentication processes or clear track records were removed early. Review patterns were analyzed across platforms to identify consistency, looking for whether customer sentiment reflected genuine repeat engagement or one-time transactional purchases. Boutiques with thin review histories or unclear sourcing practices didn't advance. Verification Pass Each shortlisted boutique's website claims were cross-referenced against publicly available reviews, social media activity, and editorial mentions. When a boutique claimed to authenticate every item, that claim was checked against real customer accounts and any third-party documentation available. Sites that made strong claims without supporting evidence were deprioritized. Industry Recognition and Authority Media coverage, founder features, and mentions in respected publications were reviewed as authority signals. Boutiques featured in outlets like Forbes, Vogue Business, CNBC, or Fortune carry a different weight than those with zero editorial footprint. Public achievements like Nasdaq listings or documented revenue figures were also treated as credibility markers. Evidence Specific to Online Boutiques The final filter focused on evidence tied to authenticated vintage designer bag sales. Boutiques needed to show dedicated authentication processes, real-world sell-through rates, and customer communities built around luxury resale, not just general fashion. Case studies, documented drops, and platform-specific performance data were reviewed where publicly available. What to Look For When Choosing Online Boutiques Picking a vintage designer bag boutique is not just about price. Authentication standards, community trust, and buying experience all matter more than the sticker number on a bag. Here's what to check before committing. Industry/Domain Experience: How long has the boutique been operating in authenticated luxury resale? Years in business and a track record of verified sell-throughs signal that they know what they're doing. Features and Service: Does the boutique offer authentication documentation, condition reports, and clear return policies? The stronger the buyer protections, the more confidence you can shop with. Pricing Structure: Pre-owned luxury doesn't mean cheap, but pricing should be transparent. Look for boutiques that explain their pricing relative to retail and disclose restoration costs clearly. Results Measurement: Strong boutiques track sell-through rates, repeat purchase rates, and buyer retention openly. If a boutique can point to consistent sell-outs or long buyer retention, that's a good sign. Industry Knowledge and Compliance: Boutiques selling luxury goods need to stay current with FTC disclosure rules, consumer protection laws, and textile labeling requirements. Any boutique that skips this creates risk for buyers and sellers alike. Final Take Vintage designer bags are worth real money, and where you buy them matters more than most shoppers realize. The boutiques on this list have all earned their spot by solving the hardest problem in luxury resale, which is building trust at a distance. FashioNica's tech-backed authentication and live-drop model stand out for engagement. 1stDibs wins on scale. The others fill important niches between them. As authenticated resale keeps growing, boutiques that invest in community and verification will lead. By ML staff. Image courtesy of Unsplash.

A father is worried about his toddler, who has been running a fever for two days and pulling at one ear. A 65-year-old woman has been getting winded on her morning walks and feeling more fatigued than usual. Both reach for their phones and type their symptoms into an AI chatbot. The mental shortcuts doctors use in diagnosis aren’t that different from how chatbots come up with answers to your health questions. Philip Dulian/picture alliance via Getty Images “Your child likely has an ear infection,” the father learns. “Your symptoms could indicate a cardiac condition,” the woman reads. Those are helpful answers – and there’s a good chance they’re correct. Artificial intelligence is approaching, and in some cases exceeding, doctors’ ability to make accurate diagnoses. An April 2026 study found OpenAI’s o1 model had a 78% accuracy rate on complex diagnostic cases published in the New England Journal of Medicine and also outperformed experienced doctors when diagnosing actual emergency room patients. Similarly, ChatGPT, working on its own, outperformed physicians in diagnosing complex cases, a 2024 study found – even when the physicians were able to use ChatGPT themselves. Making a correct diagnosis, though, is only half a doctor’s job. The other half is knowing what to do about it – in other words, deciding how to manage a patient’s health condition. I am a doctor and medical educator studying how doctors make these decisions, a process known as management reasoning, and how doctors in training develop this ability. For clear-cut health concerns, an AI diagnosis may be enough for someone to get the care they need – a little numbing cream for a baby’s gums, say, or an appointment with a cardiologist. But uncertainty is common in clinical practice. Often, knowing what ails a patient is necessary but not sufficient for determining how to care for them. And how to manage a patient, even after the diagnosis is settled, is a complex question. People are seeking answers for health problems from AI platforms like ChatGPT. Diagnosis categorizes, but management prioritizes Experienced doctors do not assess each patient from scratch. Over years of practice, they build mental shortcuts called illness scripts. Illness scripts are more than symptom checklists. They capture what a disease typically looks like, who tends to get it and how it most often progresses. When a doctor sees a new patient, they match what they observe against these mental scripts – a process of categorization and pattern recognition. When a patient appears with a familiar pattern of signs and symptoms, a doctor calls up the matching mental script almost without thinking. This frees them to notice elements that don’t quite align: a symptom that doesn’t fit, or a detail in the patient’s history – a recent trip abroad, an unusual exposure at work – that points toward a different diagnosis. It’s not surprising that AI is good at this pattern-matching process. Large language models like ChatGPT work in a similar way. They predict what word should come next in a sentence based on patterns learned from enormous amounts of text, including the medical literature. In that literature, the word “pneumonia” reliably follows certain symptom patterns: fever, say, combined with a cloudy patch on a chest X-ray. Pattern matching, at this level, is essentially the same thing a doctor does when fitting a patient’s symptoms to an illness script. But deciding what to do next – what tests to run, what treatments to try, what to monitor and what to follow up on – works differently. Instead of one right answer, a doctor faces multiple reasonable options. The art of medical management is prioritizing which among these options is best for the patient in front of you. The human advantage So how does a doctor go from diagnosing a patient to figuring out how best to care for them? The answer is almost always, “It depends.” Consider two men, Marcus and Tomás, both 68, both just diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer. Their biopsies show the same thing: a slow-growing tumor confined to the prostate. Both are offered the same two management options. Treat now, with surgery or radiation, accepting the risks of urinary incontinence and changes to sexual function. Or monitor closely with regular tests and biopsies, treating only if it grows. A study that followed more than 82,000 men with early-stage prostate cancer for 15 years found that fewer than 3 in 100 died of their prostate cancer regardless of which path they chose, though men who chose monitoring were about twice as likely to see their cancer spread. AI can present both options alongside those statistics. What a doctor brings is knowledge of the person sitting across from them. Marcus has no other significant health conditions. His doctor knows this, and knows Marcus well enough to know that uncertainty sits badly with him. For a patient without other pressing health concerns, a slow-growing tumor has time to progress and become something more serious. Both management paths are genuinely reasonable, but Marcus cannot live with waiting. Knowing cancer is in his body, watched but untreated, is not something he can set aside. He chooses treatment. AI chatbots are not especially good at prioritizing options in the face of risk and uncertainty. MoMo Productions/DigitalVision via Getty Images Tomás has advanced heart failure, something his doctor has been managing alongside him for years. She knows that his heart condition poses a more immediate threat to his health than this slow-growing tumor does. She knows, too, that he watched a friend go through radiation and come out diminished. Treating aggressively would mean bearing real costs for a benefit that may never arrive. She recommends active surveillance. For Tomás, it is the right answer and a relief. Different management decisions are the norm in medicine. The right path for any patient depends on who that patient is and what they value, and on a doctor’s judgment about where the evidence is reliable and where genuine uncertainty remains. Judging risk and uncertainty To decide how to manage a patient’s condition, a doctor first considers evidence from the medical literature and then applies the available management options to the patient’s particular circumstances. This requires honest communication , shared decision-making, jointly navigating risk and acknowledging uncertainty. Some risk can be measured. For chest pain, doctors use scoring tools that estimate a patient’s short-term likelihood of a heart attack based on their symptoms and test results. AI can likely work through those numbers faster than most doctors. But risk and uncertainty at the bedside or in the clinic are difficult to measure. Scoring systems and practice guidelines are designed for the average patient – an idealized person, who does not exist. And both doctors’ and patients’ sense of risk and uncertainty are shaped by their experience. For many patients, this includes a long and justified history of mistrust in the healthcare system. AI does not know what you have been through or what risk trade-offs you are willing to accept. It cannot acknowledge uncertainty the way a good doctor can, returning to it with you as your circumstances change. This is where diagnosis and management part ways. The father of the feverish toddler probably got a useful answer: AI has seen enough feverish toddlers in the medical literature to make a reasonable call. But knowing what to do next, including when to stop watching and start worrying, is a conversation best had with your doctor. Words by Andrew Parsons, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Virginia. Special thanks for The Conversation. Support and donate today.

Construction firm Robins & Morton joined AdventHealth to celebrate the topping out of the new AdventHealth Auburndale ER on July 24 in Auburndale, Florida. The milestone celebrates the placement of the building’s final structural beam and continued work on a facility designed to improve access to care. The 13,000-square-foot facility, being built at 1036 US Highway 92 West in Auburndale, will feature 12 private exam rooms, advanced imaging including X-ray, CT, and ultrasound, and a full-service lab to provide prompt test results. Families can also expect pediatric emergency care, pharmacy services, and respiratory therapy. "With the massive growth in Polk County, it is essential that we continue to work to ensure our community has access to exceptional emergency care close to where they live when they need it most,” said Jennifer Wandersleben, CEO for AdventHealth Southwest Florida region. “This new ER in Auburndale is about giving families living in and around this area peace of mind. We're delighted to take this latest step and further grow our footprint here and be part of this amazing community.” The facility is also expected to create more than 35 new jobs. Robins & Morton is the general contractor for the project, the latest in the longtime partnership between AdventHealth and Robins & Morton. HuntonBrady is the architect. “Reaching this topping out milestone on the AdventHealth Auburndale ER is a meaningful moment for our team and for the Auburndale community," Robins & Morton Division Manager Todd Watson said. "This new facility reflects the kind of thoughtful, patient-centered care environment that AdventHealth is known for delivering. We are proud of the work our team has put into this project and look forward to seeing it open its doors to serve the people of this community.” The facility is scheduled to open to new patients early next year. By ML Staff.

Versace has introduced a La Vacanza collection of men’s sneakers for the summer season, highlighting a range of styles designed for casual and holiday wear. The curated selection features sneakers with refined detailing and signature Versace House symbols, offering options that balance contemporary design with recognizable brand elements. The La Vacanza men’s sneakers are available at Versace boutiques and on versace.com for online purchase. By ML. Photo(s)/Gianni Versace

Prada has unveiled a renewed color direction for its Bonnie bag line, featuring a palette of deep tones intended to signal a shift in attitude and highlight the model’s iconic design. The collection focuses on rich, sophisticated hues that aim to revitalize the visual identity of the Bonnie silhouette while maintaining its recognizable structure and hardware. Customers can explore the full selection of Bonnie bags in these new colors on the official Prada website, including multiple configurations and sizes within the updated range. Discover the collection online By ML. Photo(s)/Prada

Aspen is expanding its summer arts programming with the introduction of the first Collector Camp, an initiative presented by Aspen Art Museum and Art Basel during Aspen Art Week. Running annually from late July to early August, Aspen Art Week draws collectors, artists, and visitors for a schedule of exhibitions, performances, and talks that culminates in Aspen Art Museum’s ArtCrush gala. Ahead of the launch of Collector Camp, Aspen Art Museum director Nicola Lees, artist Precious Okoyomon, and patron Sarah Arison are highlighting how the town’s institutions, artists, and supporters contribute to what they describe as an exceptional cultural ecosystem. Further details about the program and Aspen’s creative community are available through Art Basel online. By ML. Photo(s)/Art Basel