Rick Scott waffles on debate with Mucarsel-Powell.
US Senate candidate Debbie Mucarsel-Powell says she wants to debate Rick Scott - maybe three times. But Scott appears not ready to commit, saying “we’ll see what happens.” Meanwhile, the new poll of likely Florida voters by Emerson College shows Mucarsel-Powell cutting into a substantial advantage held by Scott. Scott is now leading by a just single percentage point over Mucarsel-Powell, 46-45%.
Space News.
History of a sort was made this morning in space as two private astronauts from the Polaris Dawn crew exited the SpaceX Dragon capsule for a space walk. Walk may not be the best word to describe the activity. They half-exited the spacecraft and held onto a railing for a few minutes. It was a test of SpaceX’s new pressurized spacesuits.
In other space news, that was a sonic boom that awakened you shortly after 5AM this morning. A Falcon 9 booster returned to land on the Cape after a SpaceX mission to deliver five communications satellites to orbit for AST SpaceMobile. They will test direct-to-cellphone technology for AT&T. The satellites will provide full data service to areas without cell phone towers.
The next rocket launch may come as soon as next Tuesday. SpaceX will send two NASA astronauts to the International Space Station. This is the Dragon spacecraft that will be the ride home for Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore next year.
Construction starts on new Westin resort.
After nine years of planning, regulatory approval and demolition of a former hotel that had seen better days, developer Driftwood Capital has started construction of what will be Brevard County's most upscale hotel ― the Westin Cocoa Beach Resort and Spa. It’s being built on the former site of the Palms Resort on A1A. The six-story Westin hotel is scheduled to open in early 2027.
Publix ranks among best place to work.
Publix Super Markets was ranked at No. 5 for large retailers in Fortune's Best Workplaces in Retail for 2024, marking the 11th straight year the company has made the list. Publix was the only Florida-based company in Fortune's top 20 for large companies. It ranked behind Wegmans Food Markets and Target.
Carnival cancels cruise.
Carnival Cruise Lines had to cancel a recent cruise out of Port Canaveral due to problems with the ship’s propulsion system. The Carnival Vista first experienced difficulties last month, when a cruise to the Southern Caribbean was changed to the Bahamas. The ships speed wasn’t fast enough for the longer voyage. The September 7th cruise was entirely cancelled so the propulsion system could be repaired. The cruise line hopes the ship will be back up to speed by the voyage scheduled to leave this Sunday.
You’ll have to hold it.
If you’re traveling south on I-95 into Brevard County and you need to make a rest stop, you’ll have to wait a bit longer. The rest area in northern Brevard County at Mile Marker 227 is now closed for renovation. When the project is complete the rest area will include a fenced-in pet area, electric vehicle charging stations and twice as many spots for trucks. The $30 million project should be completed by next spring.