Melbourne Mayor Proposes Renaming Street to Honor Charlie Kirk.
Melbourne Mayor Paul Alfrey announced on Monday that he plans to bring an agenda item before the City Council to rename a stretch of Cypress Avenue in honor of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot and killed last week. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more:
The proposed change would affect Cypress Avenue between Eau Gallie Boulevard and Orange Street, renaming it “Charlie Kirk Lane.” Within hours, Alfrey’s post drew hundreds of reactions and more than 250 comments, sparking heated debate and highlighting the sharp divide in Melbourne over the proposal. The Melbourne City Council is expected to formally consider Alfrey’s proposal at its upcoming meeting.
Finger pointing about Alligator Alcatraz.
The state of Florida and the federal government have found a way to get around a judge’s ruling ordering dismantlement of Alligator Alcatraz: they obscured which of them was responsible for its construction. The state paid upfront. That let the Court of Appeals claim that federal environmental laws don’t apply because Florida officials haven’t used any federal money. Days after that decision came down, the feds committed the reimbursement money. Activists now have asked the appeals court to reconsider their decision and shut down Alligator Alcatraz. Bottom line: the detention facility remains open.
Bomb threat on Brevard causeways.
A Florida man was arrested after allegedly threatening to plant bombs and to shoot at vehicles as they drove over causeways in Brevard. A caller to 911 allegedly said he was plotting to target the area directly west of the Eau Gallie causeway, which is highly populated at night due to the multiple bars and restaurants. Dispatchers were able to identify the caller as Floyd Bradley. He had made 45 calls to the police in the last six months. Bradley is facing charges related to false reporting.
Florida Attorney General says open carry is now ‘law of the state.’
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier on Monday said people being able to openly carry guns is “the law of the state.” Uthmeier’s comment came after a panel of the 1st District Court of Appeal last week ruled that a longstanding ban on open carry in Florida was unconstitutional. Democrats criticized the court opinion, calling it “tone deaf given the state of violence in this country.”
Publix tops the list of “great places to work.”
Retail employees in Florida responded to a survey, asking them about their workplace. Publix came out on top. 84% of its employees call it a great place to work. Nationwide, Publix came in at #3. The best retail place to work in the country is Wegmans Food Markets, headquartered in Rochester, New York.
The Big Red Blob.
The National Hurricane Center today again bumped up its forecast chances that a tropical wave in the Atlantic would develop into the season’s next tropical depression or storm. There’s now an 90% chance of a tropical depression forming this week in the Atlantic. If it were to form into a tropical storm, it will be named Gabrielle. Currently, predictions are for the storm to curve north, staying away from Florida and the U.S. Meanwhile, one of the country’s major hurricane forecasters has slightly lowered its prediction for the number of storms this year. AccuWeather has dropped its prediction for the number of named tropical systems from 18 to 16, and now expects six to nine of those will become hurricanes.
