Fish kill reported near Cocoa Beach.
Thousands of dead fish were reported over the weekend in the Banana River north of Patrick Space Force Base. A spokeswoman for Brevard County said the county was aware of the situation, calling it a natural occurrence related to low oxygen levels in the water and high temperatures.
$1m to transform Melbourne Beach marina.
Nearly $1 million in state funding is set to transform an old marina along A1A in Melbourne Beach into a hub for Indian River Lagoon restoration projects. The recipient of the funding is the Hubbs Sea World Institute. The money will be used to rebuild the seawall, boat ramp and access road to the marina in Melbourne Beach. That will enable placing more seagrass into the Indian River Lagoon, and ultimately feeding more marine mammals.
38 organizations recommended for tourist tax grants.
The Brevard County Tourist Development Council has recommended that 38 local arts, cultural and sports organizations and events receive marketing support grants for the coming budget year. The grants are funded by Brevard County's 5% tourist tax. The proposed grants now go to the County Commission for final approval, with a vote as early as Aug. 12. Under county guidelines, to qualify, recipients must have generated at least 5,001 out-of-county visitors from a previous events, as measured by cellular phone tracking data. The events with the largest grants were The Cocoa Beach airshow and Thunder on the Beach. Each was recommended for a $45,000 marketing support grant.
$1 million offered for cultural celebrations of nation’s 250th birthday.
Cultural organizations have a chance to receive part of a $1 million pot of money for events celebrating the nation’s 250th birthday next July 4 — but they have to act fast. Florida’s Department of State is accepting applications for the grant program, but only up until August 6th. The list of eligible uses for the funding includes educational materials, lectures, exhibits, student performances, public art, concerts, plays and dance productions. The minimum award will be $10,000, and the maximum will be $100,000.
NASA still lacks permanent leader.
The world’s premier space agency still has no permanent leader. That absence at the top of NASA has increased concern among the agency’s 18,000 or so employees. Jared Isaacman's nomination for NASA administrator was withdrawn due to loyalty concerns. Sean Duffy, current Department of Transportation head, is serving as interim NASA administrator. Experts believe the search for a permanent administrator could take several months, perhaps extending into the next calendar year.
In other space news, expect a rocket rumble around midnight tonight. SpaceX has scheduled a Starlink mission, with a launch window that opens at 11:30PM tonight.
Heat wave to continue.
The National Weather Service in Melbourne warns that prolonged, intense heat is expected to continue across East Central Florida this week. Meteorologist Megan Borowski from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network says, unfortunately, this heat wave is unrelenting.
“A dome of high pressure continues to keep temperatures well above normal, and an excessively humid airmass is adding insult to injury.”
Megan says that the heatwave will continue for the next several days, before temperatures trend more toward normal.
