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WFIT Local & State News - January 14, 2025 - PM

Candidates invest six-figure amounts into upcoming Florida House race.

Candidates in a soon-to-be-vacant Florida House of Representatives seat in Brevard County have put a total of $550,000 of their own money into the campaign. Four Republicans have announced their candidacies for the District 32 seat. Just-released campaign financing reports to the Florida Division of Elections show three of them have put $100,000 to $250,000 apiece into their campaign. The candidates are Dr. Terrence Cronin, a Melbourne dermatologist, Brian Hodgers of Viera, and Matt Susin is a member of the Brevard School Board who lives in Suntree. So far, no date has been set for the House District 32 special election.

DeSantis calls for special session for immigration crackdown.

Gov. Ron DeSantis called Monday for a special legislative session to help implement President-elect Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. The Governor threatened suspension for local officials who don’t cooperate with Trump’s immigration policies.

In a rare act of defiance, state lawmakers are pushing back against DeSantis’ call for a special session. Legislative leaders call the special session on immigration premature and irresponsible.

Space News.

Up next on the Space Coast launch calendar, a lunar mission for Firefly Aerospace. The Blue Ghost moon lander is scheduled to lift off on a Falcon 9 at 1:11AM Wednesday. Another lunar spacecraft is being launched on the same SpaceX rocket Wednesday. The Resilience comes from the Japan-based company, ispace. Blue Ghost won’t land on the moon for another 60 days. Resilence’s mission lasts even longer, not touching down on the moon for four to five months after launch.

And in Texas, the seventh flight test of SpaceX’s Starship is preparing to launch as soon as Wednesday. The launch window will open at 5PM. SpaceX claims the upcoming flight test will launch a new generation Starship, attempt Starship’s first payload deployment test, fly experiments geared towards catching the second stage on a ship, and returning the Super Heavy booster back to the Texas launchpad.

Then Blue Origin will again attempt the debut flight of its New Glenn rocket. The launch window at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station extends from 1AM to 4AM Thursday. Blue Origin revealed the reason for yesterday’s scrub: Ice forming in a purge line on an auxiliary power unit.

Bob Cabana recognized by Biden.

Bob Cabana, director of Kennedy Space Center for more than a decade, was awarded the highest honor a federal civilian employee can receive. Cabana, in addition to leading KSC, was an astronaut, and also served as NASA associate administrator. He received the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civilian Service, signed by Joe Biden.

First Brightline-related death in 2025.

Melbourne police are conducting a death investigation into the first reported Brightline-related fatality of the year. A person apparently lay down on the tracks late Sunday and was struck by the oncoming train. The fatal collision happened about 11:30 p.m. Sunday along the railroad tracks between Seminole Avenue and Hibiscus Avenue. The Federal Railroad Administration reports that there were nine train-related fatalities in Brevard last year. Eight of those were Brightline-related.

Rick Glasby is a Broadcast Journalist at WFIT.