Cape Canaveral City Manager Morley fired 'with cause' in 3-2 City Council vote
The Cape Canaveral City Council voted 3-2 on Tuesday to fire City Manager Todd Morley "with cause," denying him over $61,000 in severance.
Mayor Wes Morrison cited extensive criticisms during the three-hour discussion.
Morley, with the city since 2002 and city manager since 2020, will be temporarily replaced by Administrative and Financial Services Director John DeLeo. An interim city manager will be selected on Feb. 18 while a permanent replacement is sought.
More than two dozen residents spoke, evenly divided on Morley’s dismissal.
DeSantis says he will veto the legislature's immigration bill
Gov. Ron DeSantis says he will veto an immigration bill passed this week in a special session by the Florida legislature. The body’s Republican leaders say the bill was drafted with input from President Donald Trump. The standoff between the governor and legislature is over differing views on how best to support the president’s crackdowns on illegal immigration. DeSantis claims the legislature’s bill doesn’t go far enough.
“I think that gives away the store. I think that gives away the game…this is like a half step forward and five steps backward, the way this bill is structured.”
DeSantis is critical of the legislature’s decision to place immigration under the purview of the Florida Department of Agriculture instead of the law enforcement agencies he oversees. The bill provides money to local law enforcement to help carry out immigration duties and eliminates in-state tuition for some undocumented students.
Although it’s not clear what route the Legislature will take when DeSantis vetoes the bill, Miami-Dade County Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones said Democrats are willing to negotiate an override if a provision is stripped repealing in-state college and university tuition rates for students lacking legal status who were brought to the country as children.
Environmental groups seek to keep scrub jay protections
Four conservation groups have petitioned a federal court to join a lawsuit by a Charlotte County landowner seeking to remove the Florida Scrub-Jay from the Endangered Species List.
The groups argue the lawsuit is an attempt to avoid paying fees required under Charlotte County’s 2014 Scrub-Jay Habitat Conservation Plan, which funds habitat protection efforts.
The landowner claims Congress cannot list a species as endangered if it exists in only one state.
Earthjustice warns that a ruling in favor of the landowner could threaten protections for other state-specific species, including the Florida Panther.
The Florida Scrub-Jay, federally listed as threatened since 1987 due to habitat loss, now has fewer than 10,000 individuals.
Changes on your FPL bill
Florida Power & Light customers are seeing a "temporary hurricane restoration surcharge" on their 2025 bills.
And the company will be seeking a rate increase to run from 2026 to 2029 to help "diversify the company's electricity generation mix."
The Florida Public Service Commission approved FPL’s request for a temporary charge — for each month in 2025 — to cover costs from 2024 Hurricanes Debby, Helene and Milton.
Rates will increase slightly in February to pay for solar energy centers coming online.
At the end of 2024, FPL notified the Public Service Commission it plans to file a formal request to set new rates A detailed four-year plan is expected to be submitted by the company Feb. 28.
FPL estimated the new rates would increase a typical residential customer bill by an average annual rate of approximately 2.5%.
More: www.floridatoday.com