The week of rumble.
Do you remember when we had only 10 rocket launches a year from the Cape? Things have changed. The Space Coast is on its way to six launches this week alone. SpaceX has four Starlink launches and one for the National Reconnaissance Office. And United Launch Alliance will be sending more Amazon Leo satellites to orbit. That will push the total for the year well above 100 launches.
A Falcon 9 booster landed for the last time at SpaceX landing zone 2 yesterday after sending a spy satellite to orbit. The lease for the Space Force site runs out this month. SpaceX is preparing to land boosters at the actual launch pads in the future.
In other space news, NASA's Perseverance rover, launched from the Cape five years ago, has detected electrical sparks within dust devils on Mars for the first time. The rover's SuperCam instrument recorded dozens of audio clips of the discharges and their shockwaves. This discovery helps scientists better understand Mars' atmospheric chemistry and prepare for future human missions.
Parents push to keep elementary school open.
At the final Brevard school board meeting of the year, the public pleaded to keep Cape View elementary school open. The school board is considering closing Cape View due to declining enrollment. A public hearing and final vote on the school's closure is scheduled for January 20.
Tensions erupt over proposed Charlie Kirk day.
A debate erupted yesterday in Tallahassee over a bill that would make Charlie Kirk only the second person to be commemorated in Florida statute. The bill would memorialize Kirk’s birthday, Oct. 14, as “Charlie Kirk Day of Remembrance.” Kirk, a podcaster and right-wing debater, was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University. State Sen. Tina Polsky said Kirk does not deserve the honor. But the bill passed, and will move on to the next committee for review.
In other news from Tallahassee, Florida homeowners frustrated by Home Owner Association rules may soon see significant reforms under a newly filed bill in the state legislature. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us more
HB 657 was introduced in response to widespread complaints about unclear HOA procedures, inconsistent rule enforcement, limited dispute resolution options, and inadequate oversight. The bill aims to modernize HOA governance and streamline how conflicts are handled in Florida’s courts.
A key provision would, for the first time, create a clear legal process for homeowners to dissolve an HOA that has become dysfunctional or no longer serves the community’s interests. If approved, the law would take effect July 1, 2026.
What if Santa messes up?
Most holiday packages get delivered correctly. But what if you get a package that you didn’t order? Can you keep it? Receiving or taking possession of a misdelivered package is not illegal per se. However, Florida law considers knowingly taking someone else's mail from a mailbox or from a carrier or acquiring it by fraud with the intent to keep it to be mail theft. If a package ends up at your door addressed to someone else, don’t open it. Check the address, and if it’s nearby you could deliver it yourself, or contact the shipper to come to get it.
If you receive a package addressed to you that you didn’t not order, you usually can keep it. You’re not obligated to return goods you didn’t request. But to be safe, contact the seller.
