Good morning, Palm Bay.

SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 24 Amazon Project Kuiper satellites today at 9:40 a.m. from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — the 45th Weather Squadron predicts only 40% favorable conditions due to cumulus clouds, anvil clouds and lightning, and the first-stage booster will later land on a drone ship about eight minutes after liftoff.

Former Indian River County planning director Christopher Balter resigned on Aug.

7 after his arrest on Aug. 4 in Palm Bay for selling a controlled substance and forging a quit-claim deed linked to his grandfather’s death on Feb. 1 (he was released on $22,500 bond with a court date set for Sept. 2 at Moore Justice Center).

A Brevard County judge delayed a bond decision for Stephan Dieujuste, a former college football player charged with second-degree murder after he fatally shot 19-year-old Nathaniel Jennings outside a Melbourne bar on May 11 + surveillance video shows Jennings approaching with raised fists while Dieujuste claims self-defense.

Rico Navarro, wanted on an outstanding warrant and featured in the Wheel of Fugitive, was located at Ivey’s Iron Bar Lodge on Tuesday when the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office Fugitive Unit tracked him down—he is now in custody with a $15,000 bond.

Brevard Public Schools will start the 2025-2026 school year on Aug.

11 with more than 74,300 students returning and new policies changing attendance and cell phone rules. The district will launch Career and Technical programs in aerospace, electrical, and diesel technology — while teacher contract talks continue.

The Canaveral Port Authority will hold a public hearing on its proposed operating budget on Wednesday, August 20 at 9:05 a.m. at the Commissioners Meeting Room at 445 Challenger Road in Port Canaveral— the budget covers the fiscal year beginning October 1 and ending September 30, 2026 while detailed figures will be published on Sunday, August 17.

At least five dengue fever cases were reported in Brevard County from local mosquito bites—Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus—and mosquito control crews increased traps and aerial fogging on August 7th to slow the spread.

Kevin Ruddick, a 70-year-old surfer from Brevard County, received a dual-chamber leadless pacemaker from Dr. Ken Lee at Health First after battling a dangerously slow heart rate.

He is now feeling better—he plans to resume surfing and is preparing for a mid-August trip to enjoy a renewed quality of life.