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WFIT Local & State News - October 28, 2024 PM

The votes are pouring in.

According to the Florida Division of Elections, as of this morning over 2 million Floridians have voted by mail. An addition 1.4 million had requested a mail ballot but haven’t returned it yet. Add another 2.5 million people who have voted in-person for a total of over 4.5 million votes submitted.

In Brevard County the unofficial voter turnout as of this morning was 161,000. That included 68,000 votes by mail, and 92,000 early voting. In Brevard, early voting continues through this Saturday, November 2nd. Mail Ballots must be received in the Supervisor of Elections office on Election Day by 7:00 p.m. in order to be counted!

Local hospitals change owners.

The Melbourne and Rockledge Regional Medical Centers, and the Sebastian River Medical Center have a new owner, and new names. Orlando Health completed its $439 million deal for the three hospitals last week. The acquisitions were the result of a bankruptcy filed by Steward Health Care. The hospitals were immediately rebranded as the Orlando Health Melbourne and Rockledge Hospitals, and the Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital.

Hurricane season isn’t over yet…

Just a reminder that hurricane season isn’t over yet. The National Hurricane Center is tracking an area in the southeastern Caribbean that has a 40% chance of development by the weekend. It’s expected to drift north or northeastward.

SpaceX sets launch record.

Saturday’s SpaceX launch marked the 73rd launch of the year for the Space Coast. And that’s a record for the Cape. ULA was responsible for five of those launches. Still to come in 2024, the debut flight of Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket.

Dolphins continue to die in the IRL.

A study from 2023 revealed a troubling trend that is leading to the injury and death of bottlenose dolphins in the Indian River Lagoon. The study, done by the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute in Melbourne Beach and published in the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, says that one of the main culprits is dolphins getting entangled in fishing gear. There are just over 1,000 dolphins currently in the Indian River Lagoon according to population estimates. In the past four months there have been seven documented cases of dolphins getting entangled in fishing gear.

Deseret Ranch annexation stopped.

A deal between Orlando and Orange County has halted a proposed 80-square-mile annexation of ranch land bordering Brevard County. The Mormon Church filed to annex the land to the City of Orlando before stricter environmental laws took effect. Now the City of Orlando, Orange County, and owners of Deseret Ranch will iron out their differences. The ranch land borders the St Johns River.

Spirit Airlines cuts jobs, sells planes.

If you have tickets booked on Spirit Airlines, pay attention to the news. The airline plans to cut jobs and sell some planes worth millions of dollars. The budget carrier aims to cut costs amid looming financial problems and an uncertain future.

Rick Glasby is a Broadcast Journalist at WFIT.