Florida’s House Judiciary Committee voted 13–7 on Tuesday to
advance a bill that would lower the firearm purchase age to 18,
including for assault-style rifles. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares the
details.
The bill would reverse a law enacted after the 2018 Parkland school
shooting. The vote, largely along party lines, sends the measure to
the full House. Rep. Hillary Cassel of Hollywood, who recently
switched from Democrat to Republican, joined Democrats in
opposing it.
The bill’s future remains uncertain: no Senate companion bill has
been filed yet, and similar efforts have failed three times before,
though lawmakers still have time to introduce one before the session
begins in January.
Cosmonaut pulled from SpaceX flight.
A Russian cosmonaut has been pulled from an upcoming NASA flight to the International Space Station. WFIT’s Rick Glasby has the details:
Oleg Artemyev of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, is accused of violating US national security regulations. While training at SpaceX in California, Artemyev allegedly photographed SpaceX hardware and documentation and used his phone to export classified information. He’s been replaced on the next NASA flight from KSC to the ISS.
Hoax call made to Satellite High prompts brief school lockdowns
Multiple Satellite Beach schools were placed on lockdown Tuesday afternoon, Dec. 2, after a threat was made over the phone, according to Brevard Public Schools officials.
Law enforcement conducted a search of Satellite High's campus during the afternoon after a threat was called in to the front office, according to Janet Murnaghan, chief strategic communications officer for Brevard Public Schools. Both the high school and DeLaura Middle School were placed on a lockdown, while Holland Elementary School was placed on a shelter in place.
After the investigation, police confirmed that there was no threat and that it was a swatting call, or a hoax threat that had been made to another school in a different state from the same out-of-state phone number. They determined there was no threat, and schools were given the all clear.
Port Canaveral becomes busiest cruise port in the world surpassing PortMiami
Canaveral has passed the PortMiami to become the busiest cruise port in the world, officials announced Dec. 2. With 8,602,047 passengers for this past fiscal year, Port Canaveral surpassed Miami in total passengers for the second time. Miami announced this year it served over 8.5 million passengers.
Port Canaveral previously bested Miami after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, when the Central Florida port was able to rebound more quickly. After a year, however, Port Canaveral returned to second place in 2023.
Port Canaveral this year had 16 home-ported ships. Its growth in passengers this year marked a 13.3% surge over 7.9 million passengers last year.
Satellite Beach to consider allowing dog walking on beach
- Satellite Beach City Council is considering a four-month pilot program to allow dogs on city beaches.
- The proposed program would run from Jan. 1 to April 30, 2026, with dogs permitted from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- If successful, the program could allow dogs on the beach annually from Nov. 1 to April 30, outside of sea turtle nesting season.
Group says Indian River Lagoon health about same as last year
- The Indian River Lagoon's overall health is rated as 'okay' and has remained stable since last year, according to a new report.
- Most of the lagoon's five basins scored 'okay,' with only the Mosquito Lagoon receiving a 'good' rating for the second year in a row.
- Despite millions spent on restoration, the estuary still has a long way to go to recover from its 2011 collapse.
Flood risk is growing in Brevard so what are we doing about it?
- Record rainfall in October caused significant flooding in Brevard County, damaging homes, cars, and roads.
- Officials are concerned that extreme weather events are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
- County leaders are rethinking development and stormwater management as existing infrastructure is overwhelmed.