Amazon planning huge West Melbourne warehouse.
Plans for a huge Amazon warehouse has been approved by the West Melbourne City Council. The site is located just west of I-95 near US-92 and the St. Johns Heritage Parkway. Few details have been released so far, but the Amazon building will span 652,000 square feet and have parking for 1,000 employees. Amazon has not yet submitted construction plans.
In other business news, Melbourne airport is expanding with the purchase of 176 acres for $28 million. The newly acquired land, located on the northwest corner of the airport’s property, is intended to meet rising demand for both aviation and commercial businesses.
More options for home property insurance.
Two more new home insurers have been approved to sell policies in Florida. One is opened by Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and another is founded by a Tampa-area philanthropist. They are the 16th and 17th new entities to enter Florida’s market since legislative reforms were enacted. The state Office of Insurance Regulation said Thursday the insurance companies will participate in Citizens’ depopulation program by taking out 25,000 Citizens policies.
Democratic gubernatorial hopeful David Jolly defends school choice.
The main Democratic candidate for Florida governor — former Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly — called Thursday for changes to Florida’s universal school voucher program. Jolly did not, however, call for the elimination of the program as many Democrats have. Instead, Jolly said changes are needed to ensure its success.
Lawmakers call for resignation of FCC head.
Congressional leaders are calling for FCC Chair Brendan Carr’s resignation. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us why:
The move comes after Carr pressured Disney and ABC affiliates to drop Jimmy Kimmel Live over comments about Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries said Carr “disgraced” his office by bullying ABC to appease the Trump administration. The controversy follows earlier probes critics called efforts to intimidate media outlets. Soon after Carr’s remarks, Nexstar Media Group pulled Kimmel from 32 affiliates while seeking FCC approval for a $6.2 billion merger. Legal experts note FCC rules protect broadcasters’ free speech, and Carr has not commented.
Brightline enters second year of service to Central Florida.
The Brightline passenger rail service enters its second year this weekend of serving Central Florida. Since then, over 3 million riders have taken the three-and-a-half-hour trip between Orlando and Miami. Brightline officials cite those ridership numbers as proving the success of their plan. But credit rating agencies are concerned about whether the company is producing enough cash to pay back the $6 billion in private money it initially borrowed. And Brightline has the highest death rate of any train service in the country - 182 fatalities, or one person every 13 days has been killed in a collision with a Brightline train. The most recent accident occurred when an 83-year—old Rockledge women drove through a crossing arm on Eyster Blvd.
New Disney pass available for Florida residents.
Here’s a deal if you’ve been wanting to visit three Disney theme parks. From now until almost the end the year, you can get a pass for $210 that covers three theme parks over three days. The offer is good only for Florida residents. It’s valid for Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom, but NOT at the Magic Kingdom.
