Palm Bay may shift 911 to county.
The Palm Bay City Council may shift 911 dispatch to the county, a move that is a contentious issue for residents. WFIT’s Terri Wright reports.
As Palm Bay develops its annual budget and faces potential limits on property-tax revenue under Amendment 3, the City Council is considering transferring its 911 dispatch operations to the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.
Supporters say the move could save the city $1 million to $2 million a year, while opponents cite concerns about response times and the loss of local jobs. Palm Bay, Brevard County’s largest municipality, has 27 dispatchers who could have to compete for positions with the Sheriff’s Office.
Following resident feedback, the council added the proposal to its agenda for this Thursday, Sept. 17, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.
Nearly 600 books banned from Florida schools.
Florida school districts reported about 600 books removed, restricted or discontinued during the 2025-26 school year.
The state Department of Education lists removals from 10 counties, including Brevard. In most counties, books were challenged by parents or community members and then reviewed under state laws governing what students can access. Each county's list, added all together, comes to 200 more entries than last year’s total. Brevard County was among the counties that removed books. Brevard Public Schools pulled a total of 9 books from the shelves.
Sarno landfill temporarily closed.
The county’s landfill off Sarno Road in Melbourne reached capacity, and was temporarily closed on Tuesday. The closure of the Sarno landfill has forced all solid waste trucks in the county to unload at a facility in Cocoa. The diversion has resulted in significantly longer wait times for trucks delivering waste to the Cocoa site. And that may impact the pickup of trash in certain areas.
Brevard County delays gas tax proposal.
Gas prices are rising in Florida with the average cost up 18 cents in a week. And the news was not lost on Brevard County commissioners. Yesterday they delayed consideration of a local gas tax increase, saying they are reluctant to raise fuel costs now. But county commissioners may eventually let voters decide the issue as the county faces a $2.2 billion transportation and infrastructure backlog.
Palm Bay councilman again uses social media to attack Indians, immigrants.
Palm Bay City Councilman Chandler Langevin, who made national news last year over his social-media attacks on Indian-Americans and immigrants, has renewed his racist posts in recent days. On Sept. 11, Langevin replied to U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, “ Take your curry and go home.” Another Langevin post: "American has been completely invaded by foreigners. 100 million people must be departed.” The Palm Bay council voted last to formally censure Langevin, stripping him of his committee assignments and his ability to introduce agenda items.
Nearly 50 Florida billionaires make Forbes list.
Forbes released its annual list of the 400 wealthiest people in the United States. Nearly 50 of them reside in Florida. Amazon and Blue Origin founder and Biscayne Bay resident Jeff Bezos came in at #2, with $378 billion. Oracle founder Larry Ellison, who owns a compound in Manalapan, came in 7th, with $204 billion. Meta founder and rumored new Florida resident Mark Zuckerberg, ranked No. 6. Texas resident Elon Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, was at the top of the heap, with a net worth of $908 billion. Donald Trump came in at No. 245.
