Court lifts block on Florida law restricting social media access for teens.
A federal appeals court on Wednesday vacated a preliminary injunction that blocked the state from enforcing a law that restricted social media. So Florida can again bar children under 14 from opening accounts on certain platforms and requires parental consent for 14- and 15-year-olds. The ban applies to platforms that deploy “addictive features” like push notifications, infinite scrolling, and auto-play.
No soup for you.
Three more Brevard County restaurants have announced they will permanently close in the coming weeks. The Green Room in Cocoa Beach, PSJ Cellar in Cocoa, and Chi Lin on Merritt Island are joining previously shuttered establishments, Lily’s Beachside, Rebellion Cocoa Village, Bravo Taco, Luna, Venezia Wine Veranda, Cocoa Beach’s Destination Food Hall, Royal Peacock in Cocoa, and Shiloh’s in Titustville. Skyrocketing food costs are one of the reasons for the closures.
New K-12 science curriculum scrutinized
The rewrite of Florida’s K-12 science curriculum continues. Education Commissioner Henry Mack spent part of Wednesday’s Board of Education meeting trying to set the record straight on the department’s initiative to re-write science standards for public schools. Mack said he doesn’t want science to be, the only path to knowledge. The National Center for Science Education opposes the proposed science standards. The standards are undergoing public review, with a meeting scheduled for the end of the month in Orange County. The Florida Board of Education is expected to vote in December.
Three rescued manatees come home.
Three young manatees rescued as orphaned calves in Brevard County waters have come home. They arrived this week at the Brevard Zoo, each manatee now hundreds of pounds heavier than when rescuers first pulled them from local canals and rivers. The trio arrived from the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium earlier this week after receiving care there since last year.
Camera van roams Brevard roads.
A white van, covered in cameras and sensors, is scanning Melbourne's roads. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us it’s part of a citywide road study.
The van’s 3D scanners, LiDAR, pavement lasers, HD cameras, and navigation systems determine which areas require urgent resurfacing and assess every road Melbourne maintains. In an announcement, the city said It is far less expensive to maintain roads through resurfacing than to rebuild them. The study will help direct money to the roads that need it most.
The survey is expected to wrap up by the end of 2026, and based on the new data, City staff will update Melbourne’s Pavement Management Plan, creating a priority list for future road repairs.
“Leave us alone.”
New drivers licenses are rolling out in Florida. The updated design includes different iconic wildlife and locations, along with the phrase "Let us alone."
It's a controversial slogan that was on the unofficial state flag when Florida entered the union in 1845 as a slave state. Orlando Democratic State Representative RaShon Young tells WUSF's Florida Matters Live and Local the choice to include it on licenses is tone-deaf.
"This was exclusively at the time that it was introduced, a slavery slogan, and folks who have studied and some of the best historians across the country have described it as a partisan slogan and an expression of resistance to outside interference, and that is troubling."
Young also says that a state I-D needs to recognize everybody who lives there.
