SpaceX notches Tuesday launch doubleheader from Cape Canaveral featuring fog, sonic booms
With blaring sonic booms, a Falcon 9 first-stage booster descended and touched down Tuesday evening at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, wrapping up a SpaceX launch doubleheader day from Florida's Space Coast.
The rocket lifted off at 6:13 p.m. EST from pad 39A at NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center, then deployed two high-resolution imagery satellites into orbit.
The rocket launched two next-generation Worldview Legion satellites to orbit for Maxar intelligence.
SpaceX launched the first set of Worldview Legion satellites in May of last year, the third and fourth satellites in August, and this launch delivered the fifth and sixth satellites to complete the first block of Maxar’s constellation.
Titusville City Manager Larese retiring, effective March 31, after 10 years in position
Titusville City Manager Scott Larese is retiring after more than a decade in that position, effective on March 31.
Larese told Titusville City Council members that he was excited to announce that he was retiring, and was ready to begin the next chapter in his journey.
Council members say they were not aware of Larese's timeline for retirement beforehand, and his pending announcement did not come up during last week's nearly 5½-hour City Council meeting.
Titusville City Council Member Sarah Stoeckel said she is not altogether surprised by it, considering the average tenure of a city manager is three to five years.
Stoeckel — who has been on the City Council for most of Larese's tenure as city manager — said she is generally pleased with Larese's performance. She cited such things as Titusville's relatively strong budget; its police and fire departments; and efforts by the city to balance growth and the preservation of green space.
Florida Gov. DeSantis pushes Legislature for open carry of guns amid immigration tension
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis says that he would sign a bill to allow open carry of firearms, adding to the ongoing tension with legislative opponents on immigration.
DeSantis has previously indicated he supports open carry or what is known as “constitutional carry” but has not done much to push that legislation while in office. But this past weekend he took to social media to say if lawmakers were to approve such a bill, he would sign it.
Desantis said that Florida needs to join the vast majority of states in allowing open carry. Florida currently allows permitless concealed carry, but not open carry.
Attached to the statement was a video of the director of Gun Owners of America in Florida Luis Valdes and Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey talking about a majority of the state’s sheriffs supporting open carry.
Florida is one of five states, and the only red one in the group, that does not allow the open carry of firearms, according to the gun safety research group Giffords. Open carry had been legal in Florida until lawmakers repealed it in 1987.
Gov. DeSantis names top state health care official Jason Weida as new chief of staff
Jason Weida, who has led the state Agency for Health Care Administration during the past two years, will serve as Gov. Ron DeSantis’ next chief of staff.
Weida will succeed James Uthmeier, who is leaving the chief of staff position to become the state's attorney general.
Uthmeier announced Weida’s selection in a memo addressed to “Team DeSantis.” The memo did not say when the change will take effect.
Weida, who is an attorney, became secretary of the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) in 2023 after serving as the agency’s chief of staff.
DeSantis last month said Uthmeier will replace former Attorney General Ashley Moody, who was appointed by DeSantis to replace former U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. John Guard has been serving as acting attorney general.
More: FloridaToday.com