Stay out of the surf.
Although Hurricane Erin is nowhere near Florida, she is impacting Brevard’s beaches. The National Weather Service in Melbourne warns of a high risk of rip currents through this Thursday. Increasingly rough surf and life-threatening rip currents are forecast for Space Coast beaches. Heed the advice of lifeguards, beach patrol flags and signs.
Florida Public Radio Emergency Network Meteorologist William Maxham says wind speeds inside Erin will continue to fluctuate.
“Erin’s winds increased by over eighty miles an hour in just a day, then decreased a bit Sunday. That’s because Erin went through an eyewall replacement cycle, and part of that process tightens the circulation and forces the wind to pick up speed to conserve angular momentum. Erin will continue to pulse up and down in power and remain a major hurricane through mid-week, when it is expected to move over cooler water.”
Red tide reported in Brevard.
Florida Fish and Wildlife reported the red tide organism was observed at background concentrations in one sample from Florida’s East Coast. It was in Brevard, from a testing station off Macfarlane Street in Melbourne Beach.
Florida Medicaid spending higher than budgeted.
According to the latest state analysis, Florida faces a serious budgetary hole. Florida Medicaid expenditures will exceed appropriations by over half a billion dollars. The analysis shows the current-year estimate produces a General Revenue deficit of $125 million relative to the appropriated level.
Two rocket launches this week.
Two rocket launches are on tap for this week from the Cape. SpaceX will launch the Space Force’s X-37B space plane on Thursday. The secretive X-37B looks like a mini-shuttle, and fits inside the payload fairing of a Falcon 9. The last flight of the space plane lasted for over a year before landing.
Then on Sunday, the next shipment of supplies to the International Space Station will take flight on a SpaceX Dragon cargo capsule.
And in Texas, SpaceX may attempt another launch of its massive Starship rocket this Sunday. The FAA closed its investigation of the last Starship mishap, clearing the way for the 10th test flight of Starship and Super Heavy booster.
Executive order to increase US space competitiveness.
In an effort to increase the competitiveness of the US commercial space industry, an executive order was signed in Washington. It should streamline license and permit approvals for rocket launches and reentries. Cut red tape to make it easier to build new spaceports, and increase the number of commercial rocket launches. By dismantling regulatory barriers, the executive order was designed to reduce the risk of the United States losing its competitive edge in the commercial space industry.
Two Americans drown at Carnival’s island resort.
Two Americans drowned in separate incidents at Carnival Cruise Line’s Celebration Key. One of the victims was a passenger on the Mardi Gras ship, which departed from Port Canaveral. The two passengers drowned within hours of each other.
New flights from Vero to Boston and NY.
If you want to fly to Boston or New York, and you live in southern Brevard County, now there’s an alternative to Orlando. JetBlue will be flying from Vero Beach Regional Airport to Boston’s Logan and New York’s JFK airports starting in December. The flights will be once a day, year round, with introductory fares starting at $69.
