Cape Canaveral and Brevard school board don’t reach consensus.
Brevard's school board and Cape Canaveral's city council met yesterday to discuss the potential closure of Cape View Elementary due to low enrollment. Cape Canaveral city officials requested a one-year delay on the decision so they can explore ways to boost enrollment. But the school board did not commit. A vote by the school board on whether to close Cape View is scheduled for January 20th. If Cape View elementary is closed, students would be transferred to Roosevelt Elementary, which is also significantly under enrolled.
SpaceX schedules daytime launch for Thursday.
SpaceX has scheduled a Falcon 9 launch for this Thursday afternoon. The launch window is open from 1:29 until 5:29PM. The rocket will deploy 29 Starlink satellites in low-Earth orbit.
The I-95 slowdown initiative.
Brevard's 72-mile stretch of I-95 has been labeled one of the most deadly in the country. So the County Sheriff’s office has launched a new safety campaign, called ‘This is the Only Warning You’re Getting.’ On the first day of the operation, 112 Traffic Citations were issued. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us more.
The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office is teaming up with the Florida Highway Patrol on a new enforcement campaign targeting speeding along Interstate 95. Speed-related crashes remain a leading cause of serious injuries and deaths on the heavily traveled corridor, which runs the length of Brevard County.
The effort will place additional deputies and troopers along high-risk stretches of I-95, focusing on drivers who exceed posted limits, weave through traffic, or otherwise drive aggressively. The sheriff said the goal of the campaign “isn’t to write tickets — it’s to save lives.”
Channel dredging to begin at Sebastian Inlet.
A dredging project at Sebastian Inlet has started up again. Although the inlet remains open, boaters are warned to be cautious as the channel is deepened. The $9 million project will also widen the beach south of Sebastian Inlet. Work is expected to end by March 30, before the start of sea turtle nesting season.
Florida hit by “super flu.”
Florida is being hit hard by the so-called “super flu.” A couple of factors are linked to the surge in cases: The dominant strain emerged after this year’s vaccine was developed, making it less effective. And according to state data, the percentage of adult Floridians getting vaccinated against the flu has dropped over the past three years. Doctors still recommend getting the flu vaccine to lessen the severity of the illness and reduce the risk of hospitalization.
Annie the Dragon up for sale.
The southernmost tip of Merritt Island, Dragon Point, is for sale. It’s perhaps the most legendary residential property on Florida's Space Coast. The long-vacant Dragon Point is listed for $4.5 million. The property is named after Annie, a 65-foot-long dragon sculpture that oversaw the confluence of the Indian and Banana rivers for decades before collapsing in a storm.
How old is too old to drive in Florida?
Florida doesn’t have an upper age limit for driving. But it does require a vision test for drivers 80 years or older. A standard driver’s license for non-commercial vehicles is renewed in the state every eight years for those 79 and under. But at age 80, it must be renewed every six years. And the driver must pass a vision test. It’s free at the DMV, or you can have your doctor administer the test.
