Surfing Santas set record.
Yes, Virginia: It was the biggest crowd ever to view the Surfing Santas on Christmas eve. Over 10,000 people took to Cocoa Beach to view the annual holiday tradition that dates back to 2009. Merchandise sales generated by the event support the Florida Surf Museum and Grind for Life, a local nonprofit which helps cancer patients get to and from appointments.
Cape Canaveral city council gets involved in school closure.
Cape Canaveral city council members will meet with Brevard School Board members concerning the closure of Cape View Elementary School. The meeting is scheduled for January 6th, about two weeks before the school board is set to consider the school’s closure. Cape View Elementary is under-enrolled, and if it’s shut down, the 246 students will be sent to Roosevelt Elementary, seven miles away in Cocoa Beach.
Space Coast to get new artificial reef.
An Orlando utility company knew what to do with 100 concrete poles. Dump them in the ocean off the Space Coast. The pole sections will form part of an artificial reef 15 miles offshore and 85 feet down. It will be part of the Brevard County artificial reef project, which has created nine other reefs over the past ten years. Artificial reefs create shelter for marine life, and are great fishing and diving locations.
Battle of the Renaissance Fairs.
An annual renaissance fair in Brevard County canceled its 2026 event earlier this month because it could not find a venue. Now another renaissance fair will go on in Melbourne. The Space Coast Renaissance Fair is taking place at Space Coast Daily Park on Stadium Parkway in Melbourne on two weekends in January. The county told the organizers of the competing event, Brevard Renaissance Fair, that their event could not be held at Wickham Park in 2026. The organizers promise to be back in the Renaissance Fair business in 2027.
Lawmakers want to change the state bird.
The Northern Mockingbird is the official state bird in Florida. And in four other states. It’s been that way since 1927. Now three state lawmakers want to change that. They have filed bills in Tallahassee that would make the American Flamingo the state bird, and the Florida Scrub-jay the official state songbird. This month the proposed legislation moved out of the Natural Resources Committee and into the State Affairs Committee for consideration. If passed, the flamingo will become the official state bird next July.
Future of Cocoa Expo uncertain.
It was the spring training home for the Houston Astros for twenty years. But after years of financial troubles, an historic baseball complex in Cocoa is for sale. The property was taken over by a bank in 2020, and its future depends on who buys the property. It could be resurrected as a sports complex, or torn down for development. Originally called the Cocoa Stadium, then Cocoa Expo, and now the Launch Pad Sports Complex, it’s located off State Road 520 just west of I-95. After the sale, a new owner will decide if its baseball heritage continues.
Florida Man steals 400 pounds of avocados.
A Florida Man was caught stealing 400 pounds of avocados from a grove in Miami-Dade. The 29-year-old man was harvesting the fruit and loading them into his car, a Mercedes. He said he was going to sell the avocados to get money for Christmas gifts for his kids.
