SpaceX confirms end of Falcon 9 Starlink launches from Cape.
SpaceX has confirmed it. Yesterday’s Starlink mission was the final Falcon 9 flight dedicated to launching Starlink satellites from Florida. Future Starlink launches will be from Vandenberg in California. In the short term, the move will dramatically reduce the number of SpaceX launches from the Cape. So far this year there has been 33 Starlink missions from here. The company is transitioning to the larger Starship rocket for future East Coast Starlink deployments.
Meanwhile, SpaceX and Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry announced yesterday a plan to build a new spaceport for Starship on the Louisiana coast. The company will invest $100 billion in its largest launch facility, located in Vermilion Parish along the Gulf.
And finally, Elon Musk posted a surprising message last week. The head of SpaceX said he’s aiming for 30 plus launches of the massive Starship rocket a day. If my math is correct, that’s more than 10,000 launches a year.
New law revives development plans for agricultural lands in Brevard.
A new law that makes it easier to develop certain rural lands is getting a test run in Brevard County. As Central Florida Public Media’s environment reporter Molly Duerig explains, county commissioners voted to approve what’s called an agricultural enclave designation for ranch land previously proposed — and rejected — for development.
Commissioners voted unanimously to approve an agricultural enclave designation for 142 acres of land on North Merritt Island, right near the Kennedy Space Center. A new law effective as of last month makes it easier for landowners to get an agricultural enclave designation — and, from there, to develop the land.
Before the new law kicked in, commissioners had denied the same developers’ prior request to allow for more intense development. Resident Danielle Dulude says doing so would disrupt the area’s rural character.
“The most severe problem, though, is the flooding … I can tell you from direct experience that the ground where I live stays saturated for months, not just days, even after an ordinary rain.”
To qualify as an agricultural enclave, all the land must be owned by the same entity. The land on North Merritt Island is owned by Joe Strada, the Republican nominee for Florida’s 11th Congressional District.
Donalds picks a running mate.
Byron Donalds yesterday choose state Sen. Bryan Avila as his running mate for Florida governor.
"He has fought woke ideology, he's fought higher taxes, he's fought higher costs every single day, and I could not be more prouder than to have him stand by my side.”
Some say that makes the GOP’s slate more diverse than the Democrats’ — Donalds would become the first Black person to win a statewide election, and Avila is the son of Cuban exiles. The Democratic ticket for Governor is David Jolly and Gwen Graham.
Measles may infect the race for governor.
School vaccine mandates may be a factor in the race for Florida governor. WFIT’s Terri Wright has more.
The DeSantis administration has proposed eliminating several vaccine requirements for public and private school students and making it easier for parents to opt out.
The proposal comes as Republican gubernatorial candidate Byron Donalds says he wants to study the issue before deciding whether to repeal vaccine mandates established by state law. Florida has reported 142 measles cases, the fifth-highest total in the nation.
Democratic gubernatorial nominee David Jolly’s campaign says he would fire Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo if elected.
