Florida lawmaker wants to ban HOAs.
As more Floridians complain about rising HOA fees and costly lawsuits, one state lawmaker is proposing to do away with Home Owners Associations. Rep. Juan Carlos Porras of Miami says that he is considering filing legislation in the next session in Tallahassee that would abolish HOAs statewide. Porras calls HOAs a failed experiment and thinks HOAs aren’t really necessary anymore. Nearly half the state’s population lives in HOA communities, making any proposal to abolish them a massive undertaking.
Port Canaveral impacted by tariffs.
The commissioners of Port Canaveral appear less than thrilled about a new 15% tariff on imports from the European Union. The tariff will increase the cost of a new cargo crane and a new passenger boarding bridge. Port Canaveral CEO John Murray told commissioners it is a financial hardship for the Port. The tariffs paid by the Port may total over $1.6 million.
Road work in Brevard.
A couple traffic advisories: Evans Road south of Hibiscus in Melbourne will be closed through mid-week for emergency road repair. Another road project is coming soon. The Florida Department of Transportation will be resurfacing three miles of A1A in Melbourne, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach. The project will extend from US192 in Melbourne south to Oak Street in Melbourne Beach.
Space News.
A SpaceX cargo capsule, launched early Sunday, arrived at the International Space Station this morning. It delivered 5,000 pounds of food, supplies, and experiments. But this Dragon spacecraft will provide an additional service to the ISS - it’s capable of providing a reboost to the orbiting laboratory. Over time, the space station’s orbit decays and the Dragon capsule has a separate propellent system to provide a boost.
And yesterday evening in Texas, SpaceX scrubbed the launch of its mega rocket, Starship. The company said it needed to troubleshoot ground equipment. They may attempt to launch again this evening at 7:30PM Eastern.
Then there’s a possible double-header on Wednesday from the Cape. Two Starlink missions are scheduled, one at 1:49AM and another at 6:53AM.
Brevard fights opioid addiction.
In an effort to reduce overdose related deaths, Brevard County has launched a ‘Space for Recovery’ opioid campaign. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us more:
Brevard County has launched the Space for Recovery campaign to fight opioid addiction, with goals of connecting people to treatment, reducing stigma, and boosting prevention education. From 2017 to 2023, the county recorded 1,738 fentanyl-related overdose deaths, and in 2023 alone, first responders answered more than 3,000 suspected overdose calls. The campaign debuted during Fentanyl Awareness Day with a wrapped bus urging: “Make opioid addiction a detour, not a destination.”
Rainbow crosswalk advocates play Wack-a-Mole.
Advocates of the rainbow crosswalk in Orlando near the Pulse nightclub massacre site have been playing Wack-a-Mole with the Florida Department of Transportation. Twice F-DOT painted over the colorful crossing, and then protestors used chalk to bring it back. Now Florida Highway Patrol and Orlando police are guarding the area.
