Good morning, Palm Bay.

A crane moving a telephone pole on Merritt Island flipped and crushed Jim Crane's home when a broken water main softened the soil that supported it—he said the accident caused extensive damage.

Family members of teen Giovanni Pelletier, missing on August 1 and found dead in a Manatee County retention pond on August 8, are calling for an FBI investigation—saying Florida law enforcement showed little urgency after he left Bradenton to visit relatives in Mims and that an independent autopsy is planned to help bring justice.

Students in Brevard County schools are banned from using personal tech—cellphones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches and smart glasses—for the full school day following a Tuesday night board vote; the district has not yet detailed if exemptions for medical needs will apply or how breaches will be handled. Some parents have raised concerns about safety and health issues.

Tropical Storm Erin is moving west across the Atlantic at 17 mph and carrying winds near 45 mph, and the National Hurricane Center expects it to become a hurricane by Friday—residents in the northern Leeward Islands, Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico are advised to watch its progress.

Brevard County commissioners voted unanimously on Aug.

12 to appoint Jim Liesenfelt as permanent county manager after a nationwide search ended in favor of his acclaimed interim performance—he thanked the board and said he would work to finalize the county budget, maintain the workforce, and advance road projects.