Brevard has a litter problem.
A national study shows litter has declined by over a third since 2020. But local trends in Brevard County show an increase. According to the new Keep America Beautiful report, coastal areas contain significantly more litter per mile than inland roadways and waterways. Coastal zones nationally contained 8-13 times more litter per mile than inland environments.
Last year, the organization Keep Brevard Beautiful collected over 400 tons of litter and debris from along roadways, shorelines and beaches. But, part of that volume reflects more local effort to pick up litter. One of the most common items picked up - cigarette butts.
Blue Origin grows in Brevard.
Rocket company Blue Origin is expanding in Brevard County. Blue Origin's expansion, called Project Horizon, is expected to support 500 aerospace jobs. The new Merritt Island facility will build upper stages for the company's heavy-lift New Glenn rockets. Right now, Blue Origin is the only company that manufactures and launches rockets from Brevard. SpaceX, United Launch Alliance and NASA are shipping in rocket assemblies to the Cape.
The next SpaceX launch is scheduled for this Friday morning. A Falcon 9 is slated to lift off during a four hour launch window that opens at 7:52AM Friday.
History of Brevard’s Liberty Bell.
Melbourne High celebrated the 50-year anniversary of the student-built Bell at the Liberty Bell Museum. WFIT’s Terri Wright has details.
In a student project for the 1975-76 school year, and in honor of the country’s bicentennial, Brevard County students teamed up to build a replica of the Liberty Bell. The 15 students used thousands of pounds of wood, concrete, and plastic to create an exact duplicate, down to the famous crack. Saturday, nine of the 15 Mel High students, family, friends, and former staff rededicated the bell, marking the 50-year milestone.
The Florida wealth gap widens.
The rich get richer - and the poor get poorer, especially in Florida. According to a recent University of Florida study, the Consumer Sentiment Index has fallen over the past three months. Survey respondents from higher-income households expressed a higher level of confidence in both their personal finances and the economy with a median index score of over 80, up from 72 a year ago. Not so for those from lower-income households whose median index score fell to 58, down from 72 the same month last year. In case you’re wondering, Florida is now home to over 1 million millionaires - over 5% of the state’s population.
More details on Florida’s budget.
Here are some more details about the budget plan approved in Tallahassee over the weekend. The Florida House and Senate agreed to over 500 million for everglades restoration projects, and 75 million to stabilize federal funding cuts to an HIV prescription program. They also put forward an over 150-million-dollar tax cut package, although it does not include gas tax relief that Democrats had been pushing for. As for state employees, across the board raises were not included this year. Only raises for state law enforcement and correctional officers were. While leadership has finalized it, lawmakers can approve it in both house on Friday before sending the budget package to Gov. DeSantis.
Another super speeder on I-95.
Another super speeder has been nabbed on I-95 in Brevard County. A Panama City man was clocked going 107 mph on southbound 95. He told Brevard deputies he was heading to Miami for a vacation. Under Florida's excessive speeding laws, driving over 100 mph is a criminal misdemeanor, resulting in a mandatory arrest, booking, and vehicle impoundment.
