Redistricting election maps in Florida.
With the 2026 fight for House control heating up, Florida Republican leader Evan Power wants to redraw district lines to add 3 to 5 more seats for the GOP. Power argued that Democrats have enjoyed an unfair edge in other states and that Republicans deserve a majority reflecting national vote trends.
“I would prefer that people play fair, but what we have seen is that Democrats have weaponized the system for 20 years, because they never wanted to give up control. Now, we are seeing exactly how deep the rot is, now that we are in the majority and we are exposing some of it.”
Both red and blue states are pursuing similar strategies, with new maps already approved in several places. Democrats countered that Republicans are rigging the system to lock in House control for 2026. Florida's current map already heavily favors Republicans, who hold 20 of the state's 28 U.S. Representatives in Washington.
Double-header rocket launch on tap for tonight.
After yesterday’s successful Blue Origin, ULA and SpaceX launches, a double-header is an tap for this evening. SpaceX has scheduled two Falcon 9 launches for after 10PM to meet the FAA daytime flight restrictions. One will lift off from pad 39A, the other from pad 40. The trajectories will be toward the southeast, providing good views for Brevard and Indian River Counties. The four hour launch windows open at 10:01PM this evening.
Florida adopts Heritage Foundation education priorities.
Florida approved a new curriculum on Thursday to teach public school students about the “dangers and evils of communism,” academic standards that some historians have criticized as propaganda. Members of the State Board of Education also signed a Heritage Foundation education pledge to teach students about “good and evil” in the world and help them foster “a healthy sense of patriotism.” Florida is the first state to adopt the Phoenix Declaration put out by the conservative think tank. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares the details.
Florida is the first state in the nation to formally adopt the document as its guiding principles for education. In it, the Heritage Foundation outlines a vision for an education system focused on traditional values, parental empowerment, and academic rigor. Supporters say the declaration promotes universal values such as parental choice, academic excellence, and objective truth.
However, critics argue that although the document includes language with which many can agree, its adoption will politicize Florida's public education system. The Florida Education Association called it a "political campaign disguised as a declaration" and a "political pledge."
EFSC faces lawsuit from employee fired over Charlie Kirk comments.
A new federal lawsuit alleges Eastern Florida State College violated the First and 14th amendments in terminating a former accountant who posted on social media about conservative activist Charlie Kirk. The complaint was filed Wednesday on behalf of Erika Santos. Santos’ attorney said her post did not condone the death of Kirk. Eastern Florida State College called Santos’ comments “vile and disgraceful.”
Closure of Police Hall of Fame costs Brevard County $2.7 million.
Brevard County awarded the Police Hall of Fame in Titusville a $5 million tourism grant in 2023 to go toward the museum's planned expansion. The expansion never happened, although the county had already paid $2.7 million of the grant to the museum. Last month the museum's leadership told Titusville officials that it would soon close its doors. Now tourism officials want to know where the money went and whether or not they can recover any of the $2.7 million.
