Palm Bay rejects fluoridated water.
During Thursday night's meeting, the Palm Bay City Council unanimously voted not to add fluoride to the city's water supply. According to the city's utilities director, the Palm Bay has not injected fluoride into the water since 2016, when the north plant's fluoride system failed, and in 2017, when the same happened to the south plant system. Council member Chandler Langevin said “If people want fluoride, they can purchase topical treatments over the counter." The American Dental Association disagrees with the decision to remove fluoride from the drinking water and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommend fluoride in drinking water for oral health benefits.
Legal fight will continue over Titusville's 'Right to Clean Water.’
Although a court last week struck down a Titusville voter-approved measure that sought to establish the "Right to Clean Water", some voters vowed to continue their fight. The group behind getting the referendum passed in 2022, Speak Up Titusville, has until January 10th to file an appeal of the court’s decision. The measure rejected by the court said that the waters of Titusville should be “free of pollution to maintain a healthy ecosystem.” The group is meeting with lawyers to determine next steps in order to take action before the deadline.
Florida’s last democratic governor dies.
“Buddy” MacKay, the last democratic governor in Florida, has died at the age of 91 on New Year’s Eve. MacKay was lieutenant governor in 1998. He became governor after the sudden death of Lawton Chiles. MacKay was governor for only 23 days, after losing an election to Jeb Bush.
Weekend rocket launches.
The next few days have the potential to be a busy time for rocket launches. Yesterday’s delayed Falcon 9 launch may occur this evening. SpaceX plans to send a telecommunications satellite to orbit for the company, Space42. The launch window opens at 8:27PM. Weather is 80% favorable, but the seas in the recovery area may be a problem.
Then Sunday afternoon, another batch of Starlink satellites will be lofted to orbit. That launch window opens at 12:10PM Sunday.
And the debut of Blue Origin’s massive New Glenn rocket is scheduled for early Monday morning. The launch window opens at 1AM Monday.
Finally, SpaceX may attempt a mid-day launch on Monday. The launch window opens at 11:19AM.
Some Disney log cabins still available for sale.
Walt Disney World’s Fort Wilderness removed its campground cabins last year. And a Brevard man acquired 100 of the log cabins directly from Disney. James Robert Morrison, owner of Mims-based Florida Manufactured Home Sales, has sold a majority of the cabins, but he still has about 25 remaining. One could be yours for $60,000 including delivery up to 100 miles. The one-bedroom, one-bathroom cabins are just under 500-square-feet. They come with all the furniture and even kitchen appliances. And each cabin still have a few Disney touches, including a sign inside a closet welcoming Disney World Resort hotel guests.
January events in Brevard.
Two events are coming to Brevard County in January. The Brevard Renaissance Festival will be held in Melbourne’s Castle Park for five weekends, starting January 18th. And the Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival is coming to the Radisson Resort at the Port, starting January 22nd.