Drought continues.
The National Weather Service in Melbourne warns that drought conditions continue in Brevard County due to long term rainfall deficits. Portions of northern and southern Brevard are experiencing a severe drought, while central Brevard has moderate drought conditions. Drier than normal conditions are expected through April, resulting in a heightened wildfire threat this Spring.
Melbourne mother and daughter convicted of Medicare fraud.
A mother and daughter from Melbourne were convicted by a federal grand jury yesterday of Medicare fraud. Cindy Justice and Ashleigh Davis of Melbourne used their business, PureScience Rx, for health care fraud and illegal kickbacks. The pair paid telemarketers to promote medically unnecessary prescriptions, and then billed Medicare. The government ultimately paid more than $4.9 million on the fraudulent claims. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in July.
Rockledge scrapyard owner arrested on chop-shop charges.
An auto salvage owner was taken into custody after Brevard County sheriff’s deputies raided a Rockledge junkyard following an investigation into claims of dealing in stolen property. Charges against Ted Gross of Melbourne include operating a chop shop. Deputies found 12 stolen cars at Scrappy’s Auto Salvage. Thirteen undocumented workers were also detained during the raid yesterday.
Brevard tourism grant rule changed.
Brevard County's Tourism Development Council has updated its guidelines for awarding marketing grants to cultural events. The new rules require grant recipients to verify no registered sex offenders are employed, and to repay funds if events are canceled. Another change allows grant money, funded by a 5% tourist tax, be used for renting county-owned venues like Wickham Park.
Jury awards millions to Brevard woman who ate ice cream with nails.
A jury has awarded a West Melbourne woman $14 million after ingesting metal in an ice cream cone. The trouble started in 2018 when the woman went to Bruster’s Real Ice Cream shop in Palm Bay. She took a bite of a butter pecan cone and felt something, but thought it was pecans. An x-ray showed she had ingested a nail and other metal. She required multiple surgeries and suffered lasting health complications. The multimillion judgement focused on the mental anguish and lasting physical impact of the injuries caused by the metal.
Don’t cursive at me.
The Florida Legislature has approved a bill that would require cursive writing in schools again. WFIT’s Terri Wright gives us details.
Florida lawmakers are considering education legislation for 2026 that would require students to demonstrate proficiency in reading and writing cursive. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Toby Oberdorf, said research shows cursive writing can aid in the early identification of learning disabilities such as dyslexia and autism, while also improving concentration and sentence structure. House Bill 127 would mandate cursive instruction and proficiency testing for students in third through fifth grades.
If signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis, the new requirement would take effect July 1.
Protests planned for Saturday in Brevard.
Two protests are planned for Saturday in Brevard County. The “No Kings’ rallies will be held from noon until 3PM in Cocoa at 520 and US1, and in Palm Bay from 10AM until 2 at the corner of Babcock and Palm Bay Road. These are peaceful demonstrations committed to nonviolent action.
