Port Canaveral reports record passenger count.
The cruise business is booming at Port Canaveral with nearly 7.6 million passengers recorded in the fiscal year. The port had 911 ship calls, only five more than it saw in 2023, but because of bigger ships sailing at higher capacity, the passenger count grew by 800,000 year over year. Will Port Canaveral regain its title as the world’s busiest cruise port? Too soon to tell. Although Canaveral’s number is notably nearly 300,000 higher than the Port Miami - number one last year - Miami has yet to report its most recent passenger count.
Astronauts returning to Earth.
A SpaceX crew capsule undocked from the Space Station yesterday and is on its way to a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico. Three NASA astronauts and a Russian cosmonaut completed a seven-month stay aboard the orbiting laboratory. Pending weather conditions, the splashdown time is targeted for approximately 3:30 AM, Friday, Oct. 25 off the coast of Florida.
Yesterday’s Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral tied the record for the most rocket launches in a year - 70. Next up: Another SpaceX Starlink mission this Saturday evening.
Florida spends $16 million to fight amendments.
The State of Florida has spent over $16 million to discourage voters from approving the recreational marijuana and abortion rights amendments. Over the past few weeks, four state agencies have ordered $16.2 million worth of advertising. The Florida Departments of Children & Families, Health, and Education, and the Agency for Health Care Administration are paying for the commercials. The TV and digital ads are meant to weaken support for Amendment 3 (the recreational pot measure) and Amendment 4 (the abortion rights measure). Critics believe at least $4 million of the money came from Florida’s Opioid Settlement Trust Fund. The trust fund money is supposed to be used for programs that address the opioid epidemic. None of the state agencies nor the Governor’s Office responded to the allegation.
Mancave fight to continue.
Just when we thought it was over, the fight between a beachside homeowner and Brevard County over a mancave built from shipping containers is back on. On Tuesday the Brevard County Commission ruled 4-1 that the owner of the structure, Joe Traska, needs to remove it. Earlier this year, a special magistrate ruled that the homeowner had 30 days to unstack the shipping containers, and obtain a revision to the building permit. He didn’t. Commission Chairman Jason Steele said “There is only one place this seems to be going and that’s to the courts.”
Homeowner Traska submitted a building permit to the county last year for the “man cave” and it was approved. The neighbors noticed, and the fight began. The county then admitted the permit was approved in error. Brevard County code allows new cargo shipping containers to be used as residential storage, but stacking of containers is not permitted.
Margaritaville Resort is alive.
Plans for the long-awaited Margaritaville Resort in Melbourne are back on track. Construction is set to resume soon after months of delays. Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey confirmed that the developer is preparing to move forward with the project. The resort will feature 150 hotel rooms, five restaurants, an event venue, and a public boardwalk along US 1. The $75 million project was put on hold due to high construction and financing costs. The mayor recently received an email from the developer requesting a meeting to restart the project. Some building permits will need to be renewed.
