Early voting underway now.
Early in-person voting in the primary election is underway now in Brevard County. You can cast your ballot through this Saturday, August 15 in Titusville, Melbourne and Palm Bay. Primary election day is August 18th. Visit votebrevard.gov for details.
Whether you are voting by mail, in-person early voting, or on August 18, here’s a summary of candidates from Brevard running for the Florida State House. Four Republicans are running for the District 31 seat, currently held by Tyler Sirois. Mindy Gibson of Satellite Beach, Robyn Hattaway of Merritt Island, Marcus Herman of Merritt Island and Matt Woodside of Merritt Island. District 31 represents much of northeast Brevard. The winner will face Democrat Daniel Lewis Cicirelli, whose unopposed in his party.
District 32 is much of Mainland Brevard south of Cocoa, parts of South Merritt Island and the beachside. Incumbent Brian Hodgers of Viera, faces newcomer Mark Lightner, of Rockledge, for the District 32 House seat. The winner will face Democrat Juan Hinojosa.
Florida House District 34 seat represents southernmost Brevard and Indian River County. Incumbent Robert Brackett and Paul Sohi face off in the GOP primary. The winner will face Democrat Jordyn Guadalupe Balderas in the Nov. 3 general election.
Visit FloridaToday.com for more information on each candidate.
Old Publix makes way for new in Palm Bay.
One of Brevard County’s original Publix supermarkets is being demolished and replaced with a new, larger two-story Publix, complete with a drive-through pharmacy window and a liquor store.
Built in 1979 at the the intersection of Palm Bay Road and Babcock Street, the complex originally included now-defunct retailers, like K-Mart, Eckerd Drugs, and Radio Shack. The new Publix is at least 18 months away.
Another superspeeder caught on I-95.
The Brevard Sheriff’s Office was conducting traffic enforcement on I-95 when a Miami driver zipped past him at 117 MPH. Omar Soliman was charged with reckless driving and excessive speed. His excuse: He was trying to make it to Buc-ee’s to use the bathroom. But wait, that’s 60 miles away.
School is back in session.
Brevard Public Schools opened today, so expect the return of crossing guards, school-zone speed limits, and school busses loading and unloading students. Slow down and drive safely. WFIT’s Terri Wright shares some changes in effect for this school year.
Brevard Public Schools begins the new school year with more than 71,000 students at 100 schools. New this year is a district-wide artificial intelligence policy requiring approval for AI tools used in schools, along with guidelines for research, fact-checking, and protecting personal information. Students in grades three through five are also required to learn cursive for the first time since 2010. After installing them at high schools in 2024, BPS will expand its OpenGate weapons detection systems to all 11 middle schools this fall.
Florida Tech wins the Karman Clash.
Florida Tech has won the Karman Clash - the competition with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. The rivalry honors athletic excellence and aerospace heritage. Throughout the year the two universities tracked wins in varsity sports. But at the end the competition was tied, so the winner this year was determined by the athletes with the most community service hours. And Florida Tech officially won the inaugural Karman Clash trophy.
NHC monitoring the Atlantic.
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three areas across the Atlantic Ocean for tropical development. Meteorologist Andrew Wulfeck [WULF-eck] from the Florida Public Radio Emergency Network says even though the tropics appear to be busy none of the systems pose a threat to Florida.
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring three distinct areas for tropical development over the next seven days. The closest area of disturbed weather to Florida is north of Bermuda. It is heading eastward - away from the U.S. towards Europe and only has a low chance of development. The two other tropical waves being monitored are between the Caribbean Islands and the coast of Africa. Forecast models show both features will likely struggle to organize to organize into significant cyclones and stay far away from the Lower 48. There remains no direct threat to Florida from the tropics over at least the next few weeks.
Andrew says the peak of the hurricane season is a month away. Hurricane forecasters still expect the season to be less active due to a strengthening El Nino.
