State of Emergency declared along Florida’s Gulf Coast.
A tropical storm brewing in the Caribbean looks like it’s headed to Florida’s Gulf Coast, possibly the Big Bend area. The prospects are for a major hurricane, along with storm surge, high winds, and heavy rains. Gov. DeSantis has issued an emergency declaration covering 41 counties along the panhandle and the Gulf.
Here in East Central Florida, the National Weather Service says tropical storm conditions are possible on Thursday. There’s a 90% chance of showers and possibly a thunderstorm.
The weather may impact NASA’s launch of an astronaut and a cosmonaut to the International Space Station this week. A flight readiness review yesterday at Kennedy Space Center confirmed that the team is closely monitoring the forecast for Thursday, the earliest possible date for the launch of the Crew Dragon capsule. The Falcon 9 was scheduled to roll out to the pad today for a static fire and final dress rehearsal.
Judge allows lawsuit, alleging Florida failed to prevent sewage spills into IRL.
A federal judge this week refused to dismiss a lawsuit alleging that Florida has violated the Endangered Species Act because of sewage discharges into the Indian River Lagoon that have helped lead to manatee deaths. The Florida Department of Environmental Protection wanted the court to toss out the lawsuit filed by an environmental group. The group contends that the department has not adequately regulated sewage-treatment plants and septic systems, leading to discharges that killed seagrass — a vital food source for manatees. The focus of the lawsuit was the 358 manatees that died in Brevard County in 2021. The lawsuit involved part of the Indian River Lagoon from the Melbourne Causeway in Brevard County to Turnbull Creek in southern Volusia County. US District Judge Carlos Mendoza rejected the motion filed by Florida DEP to toss out the lawsuit.
In related news, federal wildlife officials have proposed expanding the "critical habitat" for Florida manatees. The US Fish and Wildlife Service wants to double the area where large numbers of manatees are known to congregate. The expansion would include areas from Vero Beach to the northern Indian River Lagoon in Indian River, Brevard, and Volusia counties.
Arkansas man arrested in connection with bomb threat.
Less than a week ago a bomb threat was made against Cocoa Beach Jr/Sr High School. Now police know who is suspected of doing it. A man in Arkansas, Phillip Taylor, has been arrested. It’s not immediately known what connection Taylor has with our area. He is being extradited to the Brevard jail.
Campaign to get seniors tested for STDs.
You’ve probably heard the rumor that the Villages in central Florida has the highest rate of sexually transmitted diseases in the country. That’s probably not true. But Floridians 55 and older are increasingly testing positive for STDs and infections. A new ad campaign from the AIDS Healthcare Foundation aims to encourage testing and treatment in Florida. And that includes billboards that show two elderly people sharing a kiss and the caption: “S-T-Ds are timeless.”
