Brevard, priorities for Florida Legislature session
Brevard County and its municipalities are prioritizing their requests ahead of the Jan. 29 annual meeting of the seven-member Brevard County delegation to the Florida Legislature.
The priorities for submission to the legislation range from
Indian River Lagoon protection program, cost‐share grants to sustain sand on local beaches, and wastewater treatment.
Some of the municipality’s priorities include affordable housing measures,
septic-to-sewer conversions, railroad safety standards, and homelessness programs.
Women’s March
Saturday, several hundred attended the Brevard Women’s March "We Won’t Back Down" at Eau Gallie Park Square and on the Eau Gallie Causeway. Organized by Jennifer Jenkins and a coalition of local organizations to bring attention to various societal issues and rights for women.
The Federal Aviation Administration has opened two mishap investigations for SpaceX and Blue Origin
On Friday, the FAA issued a mishap investigation against SpaceX after the upper stage of the Starship lost communications and blew up during its seventh test flight in Texas.
The FAA has grounded Starship until SpaceX can correct an issue and prove the next spacecraft is safe.
In a statement from the FAA “A return to flight is based on the FAA determining that any system, process, or procedure related to the mishap does not affect public safety.”
Florida’s universal vouchers come with a high price tag
Florida's universal school vouchers are drawing criticism from a non-profit organization.
Governor Ron DeSantis recently boasted about the high enrollment in the voucher program, encouraging Congress and the Trump administration to take note.
More than half a million Florida students use it two years after the universal voucher program was signed into law.
But Florida Policy Institute's Norín Dollard says that growth has come with a cost.
It's not only helping low-income families, she says, but also students who were already in private schools.
"So, we estimate that about 70 percent of voucher students would be students that have never been in public school before. So they're already in private school, so this was just a tuition assistance for them."
The institute estimates the universal voucher program cost four billion dollars this school year.
New Medicare drug cap goes into effect this year.
Some Medicare enrollees will see thousands in savings.
It’s because a new cap on prescription drugs goes into effect this year.
-Starting in the New Year, Medicare Part D enrollees’ out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs now caps at $2,000.
In 2024, some Part D coverage participants had out-of-pocket drug costs capped at around 35 hundred dollars.
Leigh Purvis is with A-A-R-P.
“The fact that this new two thousand dollars out of pocket cap now exists is going to help a lot of people who unfortunately were facing tough choices between paying for their prescription drugs and paying for other important, things like their food or their rent ”
According to Health Insurance dot org, about 1 point 4 million Floridians are enrolled in Medicare Part D.
MLK Jr. Day Celebrations
Several MLK Jr. Day Celebrations are planned for today.
At 1:00 p.m. Melbourne will honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Joseph N. Davis Community Center.
Both the Chief Corner Stone Missionary Baptist Church and the
St. James AME Church in Titusville will host MLK Jr. events.
Tomorrow, FL Tech will hold an MLK commemoration at 5:00 p.m.
More: www.floridatoday.com
