Palm Bay spilled nearly 500,000 pounds of raw sewage.
The City of Palm Bay reports that more than 467,000 pounds of raw sewage spilled from four lift stations during Hurricane Milton. Lift stations help pump sewage toward treatment plants. One Palm Bay resident said the water behind her home was a river of poop. The city says they are working on fixes. Over $32 million has been approved for improvements to the sewage system.
Over in Tampa, tens of millions of gallons of wastewater flowed into Tampa Bay waterways during Hurricane Milton. Justin Tramble is executive director of Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, a non-profit conservation group.
“We need to reinvest in our infrastructure, or else, you know, every time we have these tropical events, we're going to be harming our watershed, which really hurts our economy. So we're playing with fire.”
He says these spills are no longer resulting from so-called one-hundred year rain events, and sewage treatment plants need to be upgraded - now.
Extensions on tax deadlines.
The Internal Revenue Service is giving taxpayers in Brevard and 50 other Florida counties an extension on tax returns and payments. Taxpayers NOW have until May 1st to file various federal individual and business tax returns and make tax payments.
Over 600,000 Mail-in Ballots Cast in Florida.
Florida voters have already cast more than 603 thousand mail-in ballots for the November elections, with Democrats holding an edge over Republicans. In Brevard County, over 19,000 voters have returned their mail-in ballots as of Wednesday morning.
Early in-person voting will begin next Monday, October 21st in Brevard County.
Free protection for damaged roofs.
Florida’s Operation Blue Roof is offering free temporary protection for storm-damaged roofs after Hurricane Milton. Protective blue sheeting for roofs is available to residents of Brevard and other affected counties for free. Operation Blue Roof is managed by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for FEMA. You must apply before November 5th.
Port Canaveral keeping Florida fueled.
Port Canaveral has been doing its part to keep Florida fueled. Twice the number of fuel tankers have been rolling out of Seaport Canaveral to meet the needs of Central Florida and beyond. David Smith, the general manager of Seaport Canaveral, says it has been averaging between 375 and 400 fuel trucks a day - more than double the normal. Smith says there’s no issue with fuel supply at all.
And then there were none…
Today should be the day. The day that everyone in Brevard has had their power restored after Hurricane Milton. As of this morning only 198 customers were still without electricity.
SpaceX to launch on Thursday.
SpaceX is targeting a 4½-hour window Thursday afternoon to launch a payload of Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit. The launch window extends from 3:55 to 8:25 PM tomorrow.
Brevard weeks at KSC Visitor Complex.
It’s that time of year when the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex discounts tickets for Brevard residents. Adult tickets, which normally cost $75 are now $19 until October 27th. You must show proof of Brevard residency, and it’s suggested you bring a donation of canned goods or hygiene products with you.
