Melbourne airport to host Space Coast honor flights for U.S. war veterans on Allegiant jets
For years, the volunteer-driven Space Coast Honor Flight has provided one-day, all-expense-paid trips to veterans from Brevard, Indian River, and Volusia counties to tour an array of military memorials in Washington, D.C. To date, the nonprofit has escorted 2,128 veterans on 81 flights to the capital city.
In the past, the flights originated in Orlando, but now, Space Coast Honor Flight will see off groups of vets on charter flights at Melbourne Orlando International Airport — a logistically simpler operation that should slice six hours or so off those roughly 24-hour itineraries.
Melbourne airport officials will waive all fees for the Allegiant charter flights, Executive Director Greg Donovan said. He said he looks forward to making honor flights "a routine that will be second to none in the country."
"I anticipate we'll have an enormous crowd from the public to show support for our veterans," Donovan said.
Project Beep, a confidential airspace firm, to lease land for $247M Merritt Island facility
Space Florida has authorized leasing 25 acres on northern Merritt Island for Project Beep, an undisclosed aerospace company that plans to build a future quarter-billion-dollar facility. However, little information has been publicly released about this confidential company.
The 30-year Project Beep lease for the last two remaining parcels of the opening phase of Exploration Park, is estimated to be a $247 million investment and creating approximately 1,000 jobs.
Space Florida Eyes Cape Operations
As Florida leaders call for moving the nation’s space-agency headquarters to Brevard County, Space Florida is launching a study about how NASA and U.S. Space Force operations could be merged at Cape Canaveral.
NASA is currently looking to consolidate or relocate operations to streamline the organization.
Governor Ron DeSantis and most members of Florida’s congressional delegation support moving NASA’s headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Florida.
The military and NASA have operated separate portions of the Florida spaceport since the 1950s.
This year, there have been 31 successful launches from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and 13 from the John F. Kennedy Space Center.
Meanwhile, members of the Texas congressional delegation have asked President Donald Trump to move the headquarters to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Space tourists spend more.
Tourists who come to the Space Coast primarily to watch a rocket launch present a lucrative revenue opportunity for local hotels, restaurants and attractions. WFIT’s Rick Glasby has the story:
Data compiled by the Space Coast Office of Tourism shows that these tourists, on average, spend more than other overnight visitors coming to Brevard County. About 14% of overnight visitors to the Space Coast come to watch a launch. And those visitors spend on average 17% more per day than other tourists. And with the cadence of rocket launches increasing, that means more opportunities to attract visitors at a time when overall tourism could be waning because of economic and political concerns.
Fertilizer restrictions to begin along with rainy season in Central Florida
Starting Sunday and through September 30th, local rules in Brevard, Lake, Orange, Seminole and Volusia counties block the use of any fertilizer containing nitrogen or phosphorus. Those pollutants can wash off lawns and into water bodies more easily during Florida’s rainy season, reducing water quality and causing harmful algal blooms.
Pollution from fertilizer is a concern for many of Florida’s freshwater springs, as well as the Indian River Lagoon estuary. In Brevard County, a 15-foot “fertilizer free” buffer zone along the shoreline applies year-round.
More: www.floridatoday.com
