Florida House passes bill to lower age for long-guns.
The Florida House passed a bill yesterday to lower the age to purchase a long-gun to 18. Brevard County Republican Tyler Sirois sponsored the legislation. Florida lawmakers raised the age to purchase a long gun from 18 to 21 after the Parkland school shooting. There is no companion bill in the Florida Senate.
In other state legislative action, a Florida House panel Thursday gave the green light to a proposal to gradually increase the homestead exemption for property taxes by $100,000 each year for the next decade. The proposal is one of many on property taxes making its way through the House. There is no Senate companion to the resolution.
The Florida House approved a proposal that would tighten the state Board of Nursing’s oversight of nursing schools. Supporters say that’s needed because poorly performing nursing schools have left graduates ill-prepared to work in the high-demand field. In recent years only 70% of graduates could pass the exam to begin practicing.
No raise for Brevard first-year teachers.
The union for Brevard’s teachers is gearing up to go to arbitration after the school district didn't pay first-year teachers a salary increase last November. The union argues that’s in violation of their contract. The school district maintains the final ratified contract excludes new teachers from the raise.
Manatees struck by boats brought to Brevard Zoo.
Two manatees now have a new home at the Brevard Zoo. The two victims of boat strikes were transferred from a rehab facility in Jacksonville. The Brevard Zoo has the capacity to care for up to six manatee patients at a time, offering monitoring, weight gain or better weather conditions before their release back into the wild.
Florida is #1 - in new self-storage units.
The development of new self-storage units in the country declined last year - except in Florida. Nearly 9 million square feet of new self-storage space was added in the Sunshine State in 2025 - more than any other state. Locally, Palm Bay increased storage units by over 5%.
And here’s another quirky world’s largest title for Florida? Buc-ee’s plans to open a mega store in Fort Pierce in 2027. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares the details.
The Texas-based chain is known for its mammoth travel centers, and plans a new store at Interstate 95 and Indrio Road, northwest of Fort Pierce and southwest of Vero Beach. The 76,245 square foot Buc-ee’s will feature 120 gas pumps, 18 electric vehicle charging stations, and more than 700 parking spaces, making it larger than the chain’s current record-holder in Texas. This will be Buc-ee’s fourth Florida location; the store will likely open in late 2027 or early 2028.
MLK day is next Monday.
Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated next Monday, Jan. 19. The NAACP will host the annual MLK day parade and service from 2 to 5 p.m. on Monday Cocoa Riverfront Park. The Florida Tech Alumni Association and the Black Student Union will celebrate Dr. King's life and achievements on Tuesday evening at the Gleason Performing Arts Center. Check our news partner, Florida Today, for a complete list of MLK day events.
