Will the Trump/Musk feud impact the Space Coast?
How will the feud between Elon Musk and President Trump impact the Space Coast? It’s too soon to say if the rhetoric flying around is a temporary war of words, or actual threats. President Trump has threatened to cancel nearly $22 billion in SpaceX government contracts. Musk then replied he would begin immediately "decommissioning" SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon is used by NASA to send astronauts and supplies to the International Space Station. Hours later Musk appeared to back down, tweeting he won’t stop Dragon from flying. We will know for sure next Tuesday when SpaceX had scheduled the next Dragon flight to the ISS with private astronauts.
The next rocket launch from the Cape is slated for tonight. SpaceX will send a satellite to orbit for SiriusXM radio. The four hour launch window opens at 11:19PM tonight. The 45th Weather Squadron predicts an 85% chance of favorable conditions.
Are we trading Michael for Joe?
Signs posted at Michael’s crafts store in Viera indicate the store is closing. The crafting retailer, located at 2221 Town Center, is the same location a building permit was recently filed for Trader Joe’s. The county says the permit for Trader Joe’s in Viera was “under review.”
Florida to plan for a financial rainy day.
The Florida Legislature will set aside $1.5 billion in the next two fiscal years as a hedge against the chance of a recession and less federal funding. The money is intended to go into the Budget Stabilization Fund, a reserve account that has $4.4 billion in it already. Federal funding makes up about a third of the state's budget and Senate President Ben Albritton said the state should not expect to keep receiving the same amount if Congress tries to cut spending.
Florida Today reports that Florida is flush with cash, but its public workforce is running on empty. Florida faces public worker shortages in key sectors like prisons, schools, and law enforcement despite strong fiscal health. Republican leaders prioritize low per capita worker numbers and fiscal restraint, leading to debates over tax cuts rather than addressing critical staffing needs. While recent pay raises have helped alleviate some shortages, issues continue due to competition with the private sector and inflation.
Sahara dust keeps on coming.
We have another chance for a colorful sunrise or sunset. Meteorologist Mega Borowski says the plume of Saharan dust will linger overhead today before dissipating over the weekend.
“Right so the haze that we are seeing is actually dust that has been lofted into the air by thunderstorms on the edge Saharan desert. The plume was picked up by the easterly trade winds and pushed thousands of miles across the Atlantic to us here in Florida. Now these particles reflect and refract sunlight to create hazy looking skies during the height of the day, and vibrant sunrises and sunsets. They also can irritate those with sensitive respiratory systems- so if you have breathing problems, check the air quality index before spending prolonged amounts of time outside. Finally this dust can actually help to prevent tropical systems from forming—which is good news for Florida, at least for the next few days when the layer is around.”
Megan says plumes will periodically track across over the Atlantic during the summertime months, and that we can expect additional Saharan Air Layer events in the coming months.
