How will Amendment 3 impact Brevard County?
Brevard County officials are assessing the potential budget impacts of Amendment 3, which could eliminate most homestead property taxes. WFIT’s Terri Wright explains.
Brevard County Manager Jim Liesenfelt is warning of widespread budget cuts if Amendment 3 passes in November. He says law enforcement and fire rescue could be affected despite protections for core services, while libraries could close branches, parks could face cuts and new fees, and services such as county boat ramps could also be impacted. The warning comes after a Leon County judge ordered the amendment's ballot title and summary rewritten. Officials say the proposal does not guarantee funding for core services.
Blue Origin identifies cause of rocket explosion.
Blue Origin says it has now identified the cause of the massive explosion of its New Glenn Rocket. CEO Dave Limp posted yesterday that the May 28th explosion started with a faulty oxygen valve in one of the rocket’s engines. Blue Origin is modifying the valve and expects to have updated hardware ready by the end of the month. The company says it’s making quick progress on clearing out the debris and beginning to rebuild the destroyed launch pad. They hope to have both the launch pad and New Glenn operational by year's end. The explosion was the largest recorded in Cape Canaveral's history, with a shockwave detected 135 miles away.
In other space news, SpaceX won a contract worth $1.6 billion to deploy military satellite constellations.
Another Brightline fatality.
A man was struck and killed by a northbound Brightline train in Melbourne late Tuesday. The deadly crash happened about 11:30 p.m. near the intersection of Babcock Street and Apollo Boulevard. Melbourne police notified the Brightline conductor of a person near the tracks. The train slowed down to 35 mph, but the man walked directly into the path of the oncoming train.
In related news, retail space at the Miami Central Brightline station is at risk of being sold off after a recently filed foreclosure suit. A representative for one of Brightline’s lenders is suing over a $65-million-dollar loan it alleges Brightline has failed to pay off. WLRN’s local government reporter Joshua Ceballos breaks down the allegations.
“The lender, XYQ Cayman Limited, loaned Brightline the money in 2022. According to the company’s legal complaint, Brightline Holdings missed multiple deadlines to pay down its debt, and also missed several interest payments. XYQ now wants to foreclose on the Miami Central retail space to recoup its losses.”
The suit is pending in Miami-Dade County court. A representative for Brightline said stores and restaurants at the station remain open, and the train lines are unaffected.
We have a winner…
The Florida Python Challenge has come to a close. The Fish & Wildlife Commission reports the 10-day event drew nearly 1,000 participants from 30 states and overseas. The longest snake pulled during the challenge measured nearly 17 feet. But it was Tom Rahill who took home the $10,000 first prize. He removed 97 pythons from the Everglades National Park.
Florida Tech Women’s Soccer ranked #1.
In sports, Florida Tech Women’s Soccer has been ranked #1 in a preseason poll. For the first time, women’s soccer came out on top of Division II, as announced by the United Soccer Coaches. Tech will open its season in a rematch of the 2025 National Championship against No. 3 Franklin Pierce on Aug. 27.
