Brevard schools to pay $568,000 to settle Moms for Liberty suit.
Brevard Public Schools is set to pay nearly $568,000 to settle a lawsuit with members of Moms for Liberty. The lawsuit alleged the school board's public comment policies violated First Amendment rights by stifling criticism. A federal court previously ruled the board's policy banning "abusive" speech was unconstitutional. The draft settlement agreement is set to be approved at tomorrow night’s school board meeting. The money will go to lawyers, not Moms for Liberty.
Medical Associates of Brevard warns of data breach.
Is your doctor a member of Medical Associates of Brevard? If so, you should know that your personal and protected health information may have been breached. Medical Associates of Brevard are notifying nearly 250,000 of a data breach that was discovered earlier this year. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services over 246,000 people may be impacted. A ransomware group has claimed responsibility. Although MAB has not received any reports of misuse of data so far, it has arranged for Experian to provide 12 to 24 months of free credit monitoring to those affected.
$1 million in treasure recovered from Florida shipwreck.
A 1715 shipwreck off the east Florida coasts has yielded another $1 million in Spanish coins. In July 1715, a fleet of Spanish ships departed Cuba with a stockpile of gold and silver coins collected from Central and South America. About a week into the journey, a hurricane veered into the path of the fleet, and all but one ship sank off the east coast of Florida somewhere between Melbourne and Fort Pierce. A shipwreck salvage company announced last week they had retrieved 1,000 silver and gold coins from the Spanish fleet. Florida law requires that 20% of the find belongs to the state.
Buy it and they will come.
Melbourne Airport has spent $28 million to buy nearly 200 acres of land at the northwest part of the airport. Administrators had sought to acquire the property for decades. Airport officials hope the land gets developed as a major aeronautical facility, attracting millions of dollars in investment and hundreds — if not thousands — of jobs.
Grand jury to meet over Hope Florida.
Prosecutors in Tallahassee are convening a grand jury related to the Hope Florida Foundation, the charity spearheaded by Casey DeSantis. Subpoenas have issued for witnesses to appear before a grand jury the week of October 13. This marks a potentially serious development that could lead to criminal charges.
Rocket launches resume early tomorrow.
After nearly a week of delays due to the weather, rocket launches resume this week at the Cape. SpaceX plans on launching more Starlink satellites shortly after midnight tonite. The four hour launch window extends to 4:10AM Tuesday morning.
Smell of pot doesn’t justify a police search.
A state appeals court last week reversed course and said police can not search vehicles only on the basis of smelling marijuana. The court said that laws allowing medical marijuana means that not all pot smokers are breaking the law. In legal terms, the smell does not provide probable cause to justify a search.
Wizard of Oz museum to stay in Brevard.
Cape Canaveral's Wizard of Oz museum will now be moving to Cocoa Beach instead of Kissimmee. Owner Fred Trust cited high construction costs and lengthy timelines in Kissimmee as reasons for the change. The museum features Wizard of Oz memorabilia.
