In-person voting begins Monday in Brevard.
Early, in-person, voting for the November election begins Monday, October 21st in Brevard. You may vote at any of Brevard's Early Voting sites regardless of where you live in the county. There are ten early voting sites - check VoteBrevard.gov for the locations. Sites are open from 8AM to 6PM Monday through Friday, and 8AM to 4PM weekends.
Small Business aid runs out of funding.
Small businesses hit hard by Hurricane Milton are now facing a new challenge: the Small Business Administration's disaster loan program has run out of funds. Washington has promised that more aid is on the way, but with Congress currently in recess, many business owners in need of financial relief are left in limbo. Business owners are encouraged to continue applying to the program while funding is sorted out.
Do hurricanes stir up red tide?
Hurricanes Helene and Milton may have stirred up blooms of red tide, the microscopic algae. According to scientists with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, a significant red tide bloom has formed off the central west coast of Florida. This bloom is far enough off-shore now not to directly impact people on the coast. But as it drifts closer to the coast, residents can expect respiratory problems and eye irritation. Scientists believe that the hurricane’s high winds and rough surf stirred-up nitrogen upwellings, helping feed blooms of this algae which releases neurotoxins into the water. And the heavy rains helped wash pollution into the Gulf, including nitrogen used as fertilizer in Florida’s agricultural industry.
New Northrup Grumman facility may employ 1,200.
Northrop Grumman may employ about 1,200 workers at its future campus expansion at Melbourne Airport. Thursday night, the Melbourne Planning and Zoning Board unanimously recommended approval of the site plan off NASA Boulevard. Up next, the Melbourne City Council will cast decisive votes on the expansion November 12th.
Florida continues to grow.
Despite rumors that families are fleeing Florida for other states, the Census Bureau data says the opposite. The latest state-to-state migration figures were released on Thursday, revealing about 1 million more people moved to Florida last year. Over 940,000 people moved to Florida, and just over 510,000 moved out. This means that the state’s net population jumped yet again, by about 1,000 people a day. New York was the state that sent the largest number of people to settle in Florida, followed by Georgia and California.
Foam fouls Space Coast beaches.
A staggering amount of foam-like debris has washed up on Florida’s east coast beaches in recent days. The likely culprits are Hurricanes Milton and Helene. The yellow foam stretched at least 150 miles from Palm Beach County up to Cocoa Beach. Mike McGarry of Brevard’s Natural Resources Department, called the volume of foam unprecedented. McGarry said he believes the foam is debris from homes and buildings destroyed by Hurricane Milton-spawned tornadoes. But an FAU professor says the debris is not from tornados. He thinks it’s from buildings destroyed by Hurricane Helene in the Big Bend area. The debris was then swept by the Florida current down the Gulf, through the Florida straits, and up the east coast Gulf Stream.
