Florida House and Senate still can’t agree on a budget.
In Tallahassee, the budget deal between the Florida House and Senate has fallen apart. House Speaker Daniel Perez says the tentative budget deal made last week has “blown up” over tax-cut concerns. So now the legislative session will be extended even longer, maybe through June.
In a recent poll, the public weighed in on eliminating property taxes or lowering the state sales tax. In a James Madison Institute poll, 46% supported cutting the property tax while 32% supported reducing sales taxes. Another 12% said they preferred the status quo.
A bill headed to the governor for approval would hide the addresses of elected officials from the public. Supporters of the legislation say it will help protect lawmakers and their families, but critics worry voters won’t know if legislators live in the districts they represent.
Florida weather offices are understaffed.
The Miami Herald reports that National Weather Service offices in Florida collectively appear to be down 16 employees and even more vacancies remain unfilled. With hurricane season only weeks away, former employees worry that more proposed reductions could compromise public safety. A suggested federal budget from the Trump administration calls for a 27% cut to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
New FEMA head gets tough.
The new head of FEMA, the federal agency tasked with responding to disasters, warned staff in a meeting last Friday not to try to impede upcoming changes. David Richardson said “I will run right over you.” He also suggested policy changes that would push more responsibilities to the states.
Melbourne’s first homicide of the year.
A 19-year-old college football player visiting home for Mother's Day weekend was shot to death early Sunday in Downtown Melbourne. City’s first homicide of the year followed an argument outside a popular nightspot. Melbourne police named the dead man as Nathaniel Bernard Jennings of Palm Bay. The suspected shooter, Stephan Dieujuste, also of Palm Bay, claimed self-defense. The shooting occurred early Sunday morning at the newly-renamed Neon Rodeo nightspot on New Haven Avenue.
Coast Guard rescues two off the Cape.
The US Coast Guard rescued two people from a disabled sailboat over the weekend. The couple were stranded on the water, 40 miles east of Cape Canaveral. The Coast Guard responded after the sailboard radioed for help.
Rocket launch late tonight.
After a scrub early this morning, SpaceX crews will try again tonight to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center. Weather will improve over the four-hour launch window that opens at 11:36PM tonight.
Free Space Center admission for service members.
The Visitor Complex at Kennedy Space Center is offering free admission all this week to active and former service members. Tickets can be purchased on-site at Will Call, or online at Kennedy Space Center dot com. The offer is good through May 18th.
Which is Florida’s dirtiest city?
A new survey reveals the Florida city considered the dirtiest. The study ranked cities based on four metrics: air pollution, water quality, waste management and resident dissatisfaction. Miami was voted Sunshine State’s dirtiest city, suffering relatively poor scores when it came to living conditions and pollution. Melbourne came in at #147 in the nationwide ranking. The “dirtiest” city in the country turned out to be San Bernardino in California.
