Brevard County employees may now openly carry guns.
Brevard County commissioners have amended policy to allow county employees to openly carry firearms. The change follows a Florida appeals court ruling and guidance from the state's attorney general. County employees must still comply with other state and federal laws, including prohibitions on brandishing weapons. There are still some locations where firearms are not allowed, such as courtrooms, polling places, police stations, and county commission meetings. A more firm policy could be set by the County Commission in the future while officials work through the legal complications created by the appeals court's decision.
Brevard man indicted for Palisades fire.
The Brevard man accused of starting the Palisades fire in California has been hit with new charges. Jonathan Rinderknecht of Melbourne has been indicted in Los Angeles for destruction of property by fire, arson, and timber set afire. Rinderknecht is accused of starting what prosecutors say became 'one of the most destructive wildfires in Los Angeles history.’ His next court appearance is scheduled in the coming weeks in Los Angeles.
Medical marijuana growth has slowed.
Florida's medical marijuana patient growth has slowed. After years of double-digit increases, the growth of medical pot patients is down to 3% in the last two years. But Florida has the largest medical marijuana market in the U.S., with about 4% of its population registered as patients. More than 6.6 million ounces of smokable medical marijuana was dispensed last year in Florida.
Jet service facility open at MLB.
A 250,000 sq. ft. facility to service business jets is now operating at Melbourne Airport. The maintenance, repair, and overhaul complex was created for Dassault’s 14-seat Falcon business jets. The facility will employ 400 workers by the end of next year.
Florida's manufacturing workforce is aging.
Florida employers are struggling to recruit younger workers for manufacturing careers. Tristan Wood reports that’s according to a presentation legislators received Tuesday about workforce development.
More than half of Florida’s manufacturing workforce is made up of people who are 45 or older.
“which is very disproportionately different than most of our other workforce sectors in Florida. So, for all we're doing, we're just simply aging out retirements, out of our out of our manufacturing sector are faster than people coming into it. It's a constant challenge.”
Alex Kelly is the secretary of the Florida Department of Commerce. He says Florida is one of the top states when it comes to attracting new businesses and talent in several manufacturing areas--including medical devices and aerospace--but he warns if lawmakers don’t focus on policy to recruit younger workers to the industry, its growth in Florida could slow or even reverse over the next decade. For WFSU News, I’m Tristan Wood.
SpaceX lands booster 500 times.
SpaceX set a record with this morning Falcon 9 launch. The first stage booster came back for a landing, marking the 500th successful return of a booster.
The next launch from the Cape is scheduled for this Sunday, with the four hour launch window opening at 10:52AM.
Florida health experts concerned with possible measles outbreak.
As Florida moves to lift vaccine mandates, doctors are concerned more people will be hesitant to get the shots. And for some diseases, like measles, that could be really bad for Floridians. The virus can lead to death in some cases. Tampa infectious disease expert Dr. Michael Teng says the measles vaccine has gone through a lot of safety testing, and the benefits outweigh the risks.
“We're talking billions of doses of these things, right? And the side effects are super mild compared to the disease itself, and in addition to the more severe consequences of the viral infection.”
The U.S. has seen more than 15-hundred confirmed cases this year, the highest in three decades. Florida has had six.
