New home hookup fees skyrocket.
By a 3-2 vote, Brevard County Commission this week voted to more than quadruple the cost of new water connections and double the cost of new sewer hookups. The goal is to raise the money needed to meet coming growth and federal regulations. Commissioners approved the connection fee increases for South Beaches, Merritt Island, North Brevard, Port St. John, and the South Central Mainland Service Area.
SpaceX crashes into the moon.
Part of a Space-X rocket crashed into the Moon this week. The four-ton object hit the lunar surface at over five thousand miles an hour. Space Reporter Brendan Byrne joined WUSF's Florida Matters Live and Local Thursday. He said the rocket was successfully launched last year and the part in question usually burns up in the earth's atmosphere. But this time was different.
"Amateur astrologers started figuring out that 'hey, this might slam into the moon.' This was as early as April of this year they figured it out. SpaceX said 'that wasn't our intention.' But what they think happened is some interference with the sun's energy actually pushed this into a collision course onto the moon."
Starlink crushes competition.
SpaceX’s Starlink continues its dominance of the low Earth orbit broadband satellites. Hughes Satellites cited Starlink as the reason for filing Chapter 11 bankruptcy this week. Hughes did not have the cash needed to repay about $1.5 billion in debt by an Aug. 3 deadline.
Florida’s Wildlife Corridor expands.
1,500 additional acres have been added to the Florida Wildlife Corridor. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us more.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor is roughly 18 million acres, stretching from the Everglades up to Georgia and Alabama. It shields this land from development, protects green space, water quality, and endangered species like the Florida panther.
"It is sort of a green highway, if you will, throughout our state that wildlife use to roam."
Traci Deen is with Conservation Florida, which helped a family-owned cattle ranch in Highlands County get about six million dollars combined from state and federal funds ... in exchange for agreeing to never develop the property. She says, to keep the corridor intact, this needs to be done twenty times over from Pensacola down to the Keys.
Vape detectors installed in Brevard school.
A major vaping crackdown is underway across Brevard Public Schools. New vape detectors are being installed, starting with Viera High School. The vape detectors will immediately alert administrators if vape smoke is detected in bathrooms.
Affordability is central to Florida governor’s race.
Affordability is the central issue in the Florida governor's race between Republican Byron Donalds and Democrat David Jolly. A recent poll shows Donalds leading Jolly by 5%, with Florida voters most concerned about inflation, housing, and property insurance. Donalds holds a significant fundraising advantage, having raised $95 million compared to Jolly's $6 million. Jolly, a former Republican, hopes to overcome a large cash deficit and voter registration disadvantage by capitalizing on an anti-incumbent climate.
NOAA updated hurricane forecast has fewer storms.
An updated NOAA forecast continues to call for a below normal hurricane season with seven to 13 named storms, including two to six hurricanes. Of the hurricanes, up to two could grow to Cat 3 or higher. A strong El Niño and significant wind shear are expected to suppress storm development during the season.
Northrop Grumman dedicates new aircraft design center.
In a major Melbourne expansion, Northrop Grumman has dedicated a newly built 300,000‑square‑foot facility at Melbourne Orlando International Airport. The aerospace-defense contractor’s hub has space for more than 1,200 engineers dedicated to advanced aircraft design.
