LNG plant killed by Port Authority.
About a hundred people packed the room in Cape Canaveral Tuesday for a workshop about a proposal to build a liquefied natural gas plant on Merritt Island. The idea has sparked lots of concern among area residents.
Canaveral Port Authority commissioner Micah Loyd said, he’s ready to toss out the proposal. Merritt Island resident Christine Layne said she left the workshop feeling hopeful he’ll stick to his word.
“You know, just- the people who come here, usually stay here. Because there's such a love for everything about it. The environment, and just the cleanliness of the island. We do not want a heavy, industrialized island.”
The public outrage worked. The rest of the commissioners backed Loyd, and voted unanimously today to not sell land for the LNG plant. A 50-acre barge canal property on Merritt Island, part of the port authority’s property, was the target of an unsolicited offer by Berkshire Hathaway and Chesapeake Utilities, which wanted to purchase the land for an LNG liquefaction plant.
Developer wants 2,000 new homes in Palm Bay.
A developer wants to add a mile to the St. Johns Heritage Parkway as a gateway to his Rolling Meadow Lakes development. The road extension could mean than 2,000 new homes there in coming years.
Mar-a-Largo has flipped from red to blue.
Democrats flipped a Republican-held Florida House seat in Palm Beach County, delivering a symbolic win in President Donald Trump’s home district. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
According to the Associated Press, Democrat Emily Gregory defeated Republican Jon Maples in the special election for House District 87, which includes Mar-a-Lago. Maples had been backed by Trump, who made the Palm Beach estate his primary residence in 2019.
The race was one of three special legislative elections held Tuesday in heavily Republican Florida. While the outcome does not shift the GOP’s long-standing majorities in the state House and Senate, it carries political significance as a victory in the president’s home turf.
Thousands regain access to HIV drug.
Thousands of Floridians have regained access to HIV drugs as Gov. DeSantis signed a law reversing his own agency’s cuts. The new law provides access to the expensive drugs for up to 16,000 lower income Floridians.
Early prediction for hurricane season.
I know it’s too early to start thinking about hurricane season, but Accuweather has released its prediction: A near- or below-average number of storms in 2026. But 3-5 of them could have a direct impact on the U.S. The area Accuweather forecasters are most concerned about are from Tampa northward through the Big Bend of Florida.
NASA talks moon base.
NASA has unveiled plans to build a permanent base on the surface of the moon. At a speech outlining America’s space policy yesterday, Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency will dramatically increase the number of launches of payloads to the moon with the goal of building a habitable base on the surface. Isaacman said NASA’s Gateway program, a space station orbiting the moon, is on hold.
Meanwhile, we’re just a week away from the first launch opportunity for the Artemis II mission. The four astronauts are scheduled to begin their journey around the moon at 6:24 PM next Wednesday.
What’s next for DeSantis?
Gov. DeSantis is “termed-out,” meaning he can’t run for governor of Florida again. This week DeSantis said he wouldn’t rule out another run for President. And President Trump told a reporter that he would consider DeSantis for a job in his administration. The two did play golf together recently at Mar-a-Largo.
