Rep. Miller files bill to limit use of artificial intelligence in gun surveillance
Florida Rep. Monique Miller introduced legislation to ban the use of artificial intelligence to detect firearms in public areas.
It is one of the first bills to be filed by Miller, a Palm Bay Republican, since she was elected to the Florida House in November, representing District 33 in South Brevard County.
Miller said that local governments shouldn't infringe on the right to carry a firearm, or the right to not be illegally searched just because AI makes it possible.
A Senate version of the bill is being sponsored by Sen. Blaise Ingoglia, R-Spring Hill.
The legislation would not apply to schools or other places where, under state law, someone cannot carry a concealed firearm, such as police stations, jails, courthouses, polling places, government meetings, bars or airport passenger terminals.
The technology is being used in 42 states, but not yet in Florida.
Man injured following SUV collision with Brightline train in Malabar
One person was transported to a nearby hospital Tuesday afternoon after a sport utility vehicle collided with a Brightline train in the Malabar area.
The crash happened about 3 p.m. where Jordan Boulevard crosses the railroad tracks just off of U.S. 1, Florida Highway Patrol reported.
Witnesses said the driver, believed to be in his late 50s or 60s, apparently attempted to drive past the railroad arms as the oncoming high speed passenger train rolled through the area. Brevard County Fire Rescue crews along with Malabar Volunteer Fire Department firefighters arrived within moments and pulled an unidentified person from the wrecked vehicle.
A witness who spoke to the driver trapped in the wrecked SUV said the driver was awake and alert.
No one on the train was injured. The collision was the fourth Brightline-related crash to take place in Brevard County this year. Three of the incidents — two in Melbourne, one in Cocoa — were fatal.
All three of those cases involved pedestrians.
An investigation into this crash is currently ongoing.
Brevard commissioners approve $705K for new voting machines
Brevard County commissioners approved the purchase of new voting machines Tuesday that will allow security upgrades for the county's polling sites. In a unanimous vote, the board allotted $705,454.16 toward the purchase of new voter equipment.
That money makes up just over half the total cost of the 200 new machines from Election Services and Software, a company that provides voting machines to counties nationwide. The Supervisor of Elections' budget would cover the remaining amount of around $650,000 for the purchase of the new voter equipment.
Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic said that failing to update the machines could create a situation where some precincts have better machines than others, creating an inconsistent voting experience across the county.
Bobanic said he hopes purchasing the new machines soon will enable them to be put into use for the June special election, which will give polling workers a chance to "get their feet wet" using the new equipment in a lower turnout scenario.
Cocoa makes another try at landing $47 million federal grant for Brightline station
The city of Cocoa is making a new pitch for a federal grant that would help pay for construction of a nearly $81 million Brightline passenger train station in the city.
Cocoa and the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization are seeking a $47.21 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration for the project, after being rejected for a similar-sized federal grant last fall.
Brightline currently runs 16 trains a day in each direction on the 235-mile route between Orlando International Airport and Miami, but does not a have a stop in Brevard County.
If the federal grant is approved, it would clear the way for a Cocoa station to be built off Clearlake Road, just south of State Road 528, on a 90-acre undeveloped site, some of which is owned by Brightline and some by the city.
More: FloridaToday.com