County commissioners to address PFAS in drinking water.
Tomorrow, Brevard County Commissioners will decide how to deal with stricter limits on emerging 'forever chemicals' in the county's drinking water. PFAS have been linked to increased cancer risk, thyroid disease, and other health issues in humans. Recent tests found PFAS levels exceeding new EPA limits in the North Brevard/Mims and Barefoot Bay water systems. Dealing with PFAS will be complex and costly for utilities. Under EPA rules, water utilities have until 2027 to finish initial PFAS monitoring, and until 2031 to implement treatment solutions. Brevard's long-term water treatment solution includes a proposed reverse osmosis plant, projected to be operational in about four or more years, but there is no short-term remedy available for PFAS results that exceed recommended ranges. On Tuesday, commissioners will consider directing the County Manager to evaluate the feasibility of notifying affected utility customers about elevated PFAS monitoring results.
FWC wants annual bear hunt.
Florida plans to make its black bear hunt an annual event, a move that has highlighted sharp divisions between animal rights activists and hunters. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
State wildlife officials say 52 black bears were killed during the recent hunt, which the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission has described as a success.
Many animal rights activists entered the permit lottery not to hunt, but to prevent others from doing so, arguing that the data used to justify the hunt — showing a 53% statewide increase in bear populations since 2002 — was outdated because it was collected in 2014 and 2015. An estimated 40 to 50 activists ultimately won hunting permits.
In total, more than 163,000 permit applications were submitted, generating about $817,000 in application fees. The state issued 172 permits for the hunt.
1,000 Brevardians protest ICE.
More than 1,000 protesters gathered at the intersection of U.S. 1 and King Street in Cocoa yesterday. It was a rally to protest the shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent. Peaceful protests were held across Florida and the country over the weekend.
Massive immigration package targets Florida employers.
A Florida state senator filed a wide ranging immigration bill in advance of the regular legislative session. The bill created by Republican State Senator Jonathan Martin would levy civil penalties for employers that fail to properly use the federal database that checks whether new hires are legally authorized to work in the country. And employers that fail to check an employee's immigrant status before submitting workers comp claims would personally be liable for any costs stemming from the workplace accident.
Astronauts prepare for trip home.
After an astronaut suffered a medical issue on the International Space Station, NASA's four-person Crew-11 is making preparations to board their SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The astronauts have begun packing up their belongings and preparing the Dragon spacecraft and spacesuits for their upcoming departure. They plan to undock from the orbiting laboratory at 5 p.m. Wednesday, pending weather conditions. The early return will mark the first medical evacuation in the ISS's 25-year history. The four astronauts launched back in Aug. 2025 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A.
