Palm Bay City Council votes against fluoridation
Palm Bay, the most populous city in Brevard County, will not add fluoride to its city-supplied drinking water. After hearing input from numerous speakers, the Palm Bay City Council voted against repairing the municipal water department's fluoridation equipment, which has been inoperable since 2017.
Fluoridation remains a contentious issue. Public health organizations like the American Dental Association advocate for it as a crucial measure to prevent tooth decay and related health problems. However, opponents argue that the potential health risks of adding fluoride to drinking water outweigh its benefits.
Brevard free VPK for your kids
In Florida, voluntary prekindergarten, or VPK, is free for kids who will be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1. There are no income requirements or restrictions.
KinderCare offers a voluntary prekindergarten program funded by the state. It's meant for Florida 4-year-olds to help prep them ahead of school.
To help prepare them for a classroom setting, KinderCare helps kids learn "foundational literacy and numeracy skills," The program also provides childcare options for working parents.
The state pays for three hours of instructional time daily, or 15 hours weekly. KinderCare also partners with state and local agencies to help provide families with tuition subsidies and military and employer-sponsored discounts to help cover full days of care.
The Early Learning Coalition recommends VPK because it helps prepare kids for kindergarten and creates a foundation for success throughout the rest of their time in school. According to the coalition, VPK programs not only introduce kids to early literacy skills but also teach them accountability and introduce them to classroom settings and the student-teacher dynamic.
More injured pelicans.
It’s a mystery on who or what is injuring shorebirds across the Southeast. Rick Glasby has more:
In just the first six days of this year eight more injured pelicans were dropped off at the Florida Wildlife Hospital in Melbourne. Around the same time last year the hospital had a similar surge in injured pelicans. Now an investigation is underway to find out who or what is hurting the birds. Wildlife hospitals across the Southeast are reporting pelicans with similar injuries, usually broken wings. Humans are suspected as the culprits. Megan Stolen at the Florida Wildlife Hospital is gathering evidence to identify the cause of injuries, with suspicions pointing to offshore activities.
You are encouraged to report sightings of injured or dead pelicans to aid the investigation.
DeSantis wants special legislative session
Gov. Ron DeSantis said Tuesday he wants the Florida Legislature to call a special session to address immigration, condominium safety regulations, hurricane relief, and fraudulent signature-gathering petitions for constitutional amendments.
However, in November, House Speaker Daniel Perez told reporters Any sort of immigration policy comes from the federal government. “It’s for the federal government to decide. That’s a question that you should be asking the president.”
Senate President Ben Albritton added “That’s a federal issue, “My purview is to oversee the operation of the Florida Senate. I don’t serve in the federal government.”
In regard to condo regulations, Former Senate President Kathleen Passidomo said in September that a special session wasn’t needed on the condominium issue Albritton and Perez backed Passidomo’s sentiments.
DeSantis also said he would like for lawmakers to address the best way to use state resources to help the federal government remove undocumented immigrants, saying that could include imposing some obligations on local law enforcement agencies.
The regularly scheduled 60-day session is slated to begin on March 4.
More: www.floridatoday.com
