Governor Ron DeSantis has signed HB 991, Florida's version of the national voter SAVE Act. WFIT’s Terri Wright outlines the changes.
The law requires new Florida voters to provide documented proof of U.S. citizenship when registering or updating their registration and eliminates student IDs and retirement center IDs as acceptable forms of voter identification.
Voting rights groups have challenged the measure in court, arguing it creates unnecessary barriers to voting. Nationally, a similar proposal passed the House but appears unlikely to advance in the Senate despite pressure from President Trump.
Critics warn the law could disproportionately affect older residents without birth certificates, first-time voters, people who lost documents in hurricanes or other emergencies, and women who changed their surnames after marriage. The changes are not yet in effect and are scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2027.
Outro: You can check your voter status or register to vote at votebrevard.gov
Another bill signed by the Governor will allow state officials to issue domestic “terrorist” designations. What it means is that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement can propose a group or individual for a terrorist designation, and the governor and Cabinet get to sign off on it. One provision prevents the courts from enforcing sharia law. Civil liberties organizations will most likely challenge the law in court.
Orion swinging on home.
The Artemis II crew exited the lunar sphere of influence this afternoon, and is on the way back home. The astronauts' will spend four days trekking back home before splashing down off the coast of San Diego, California, Friday evening.
The next rocket launch from the Cape is scheduled for Thursday morning. A Falcon 9 will send cargo to the International Space Station. Liftoff is scheduled for 8:26AM Thursday.
More development for Palm Bay.
Another massive new development called Everlands West is being planned for South Palm Bay. The St. Johns Heritage Parkway extension continues to attract homebuilders and buyers. Millrose Properties Florida was approved this past week for a zoning change that will allow them to build 1,600 homes and 760 multifamily units on 1,200 acres. The final project will include 145,000 square feet of non-residential use property for commercial real estate for a planned town center. If the project moves forward, all phases are expected to be completed by 2036.
And the band played on…
After years of fundraising and practice, a student marching band from Ohio came to perform at Walt Disney World. But 16 of the bands instruments were stolen from a trailer parked at their hotel on I-Drive. While the students were at Cocoa Beach, the band director scrambled to replace the stolen instruments. Nearby music stores came to the rescue, and the Ohio students were able to play while marching down Mainstreet USA at Disney World. Once home, they started a GoFundMe campaign, which has already raised more than $15,000.
Good weather for drinking.
If there are still spring-breakers here in Brevard, we apologize. Although the wet weather should bring Brevard out of a drought, it couldn’t be worse for beaching. Rainy weather is expected to last through Thursday, with a flood watch through this evening. There’s a high rip current risk for Brevard’s beaches through Friday, and a high surf advisory through Thursday. Expect breaking waves up to 12 feet in the surf zone. Basically, don’t go in the water.
