Brevard County News Archives

A minor school bus accident occurred on Merritt Island this morning, a day after a chain-reaction crash involving three Brevard County school buses that sent nine students to area hospitals with minor neck, ...

Officials in a Florida county have been able to enforce sea turtle lighting restrictions through verbal warnings, records show.

Palm Bay Police say the students suffered minor neck, back and head injuries from the accident Thursday evening.

A home invasion victim chasing the armed assailants crashed into another vehicle on the Pineda Causeway, injuring a woman who was taken to an area hospital, sheriff's deputies said.

Deputies were called Sunday to the 1500 block of South Harbor Drive. Because they could smell a strong odor of marijuana, the agency's Special Investigations Unit was alerted and obtained a search warrant.

High gas prices have already changed your driving habits. Now chances are they'll change the way you vacation as well.

Alarmed by numerous calls from would-be vacationers worried about recent -- and nationally reported -- wildfires in Brevard County, area hoteliers and tourism officials want it known that the Space Coast is ...

John Winn just wants to go fishing and maybe play a little golf, but his heart will not allow it.

Launch of NASA's Gamma-ray Large Area Space Telescope, or GLAST, is targeted for Tuesday, June 3, from Pad 17-B at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Two people arrrested in connection with the recent wildfires in Brevard County remain in the Brevard County Jail complex in Sharpes today.

Firefighters in Lake County continue to battle a brush fire this morning that has spread across more than 1,000 acres of dry forests and marshlands and has forced the evacuation of about 90 homes and a ...

A former Republican lawmaker will be in court to challenge his conviction on soliciting a prostitute in central Florida.

The search is on to find a potential new home for Daily Bread's soup kitchen within the next two months.

More people are living close to the woods, so it's becoming critical that firefighters trained to put out structure fires also learn how to battle wildfires.

Palm Bay residents are trying to rebuild after brush fires devestated the area. Fires burning across Brevard County are 80 percent contained.

A Cocoa woman remains at the Brevard County Jail on $2,000 bond following her arrest early this morning for starting several small fires because of apparent boredom overnight in Cocoa, police said.

Fire officials in Brevard County performed backfires around the 320-acre fire in Cocoa on Wednesday afternoon.

Parts of southern Florida were under a dense smoke advisory on Sunday as firefighters worked to control several wildfires that have burned about 62 square miles.

The majority of fires burned around Lake Okeechobee in Glades County and on the coast in Brevard County, where a smokey haze was expected to linger throughout the day.

In the area around Lake Okeechobee, the Florida Highway Patrol used electronic highway signs to warn people about lingering smoke, and areas northeast of the lake were continuing to experience haze from the fires, said Division of Forestry spokeswoman Melissa Yunas.

In the latest report from Palm Bay officials, damage assessments from this week's brush fires indicate 33 homes were destroyed and 236 others were damaged.

We've seen the video across the news. Pictures of hot, fire infernos consume anything in its path.

A massive brush fire has erupted in Volusia County. The fire began on Sunday and was considered contained on Monday.

Firefighters gained more ground on wildfires across the state as better weather moved in, though 15 new blazes sprang up on Friday.

Arson suspect Brian Crowder, 31, will remain in the Brevard County jail on Thursday.

Florida law officers tightened security against potentially angry residents as they questioned an alleged arsonist who may have burned 22 homes.

“There's nothing running or really putting a hard encroach on our control lines at this time”

Although Palm Bay Police have already arrested one arson suspect, they said the investigation is not over. via WESH-TV

“As fire spreads through the Everglades, there is always a chance for power disruption”

While wildfires in Central Florida raged Thursday, the fire at Tate's Hell State Forest in Franklin County was 95 percent contained by morning, according to the state Division of Forestry. via Tallahassee.com

Give Florida and Brevard County leaders credit. They're not waiting for NASA to start dismantling space shuttles and laying off thousands of workers in a couple of years before they line up new jobs for the ... via The Orlando Sentinel

Damage is estimated at nearly $10 million for brush fires that swept through Brevard County, Florida damaging and destroying more than 160 homes. via Daily India

“Slowly but surely, they're starting to chip away at it, but they've got a lot more work to do”

The number of wildfires in Florida continued to grow Wednesday, but firefighters - and police - were making headway in one of the worst hit areas, Brevard County. via Tallahassee.com

“You don't have to get ready: Somebody's going to take care of you. Your house got tore up? Blame somebody else”

Floridians should respond to the upcoming hurricane season just like Malabar and Palm Bay residents have reacted to the wildfire menace, Gov. via Tallahassee Democrat

Schools closed in Palm Bay on Wednesday VIERA - Brevard Public Schools has announced that all schools in Palm Bay will remain closed Wednesday, May 14, due to smoke and fire, and emergency response and recovery ... via FloridaToday.com

Firefighters from three First Coast agencies are working as one unit, protecting homes and buildings as fires continue to burn in Brevard County. via WTLV

A "person of interest" wanted in connection to a series of wildfires in Palm Bay has been taken into custody.

Wednesday, police released a picture of a man who they said was "person of interest" in their arson investigation of the fires. They have not said if the person they've taken into custody is same man.

Palm Bay police say the man they've taken into custody was seen tossing something into some woods Tuesday night. A fire started moments later. Officers chased him, but lost him in the densely wooded area. Police used a reverse 911 call system to alert area residents to be on the look out for the suspect. Read more

“It's not the first time this has happened. There's a lot of people who come to these kinds of events and get called back home.”

George Robins says disaster has weighed heavily on his mind lately. As he sat in a class about emergencies at the Broward County Convention Center on Tuesday, he also was concerned about wildfires threatening his home in Malabar, a rural town in south Brevard County.

'If the wind would have shifted, it would have been right in my yard,' said Robins, deputy chief of operations for the 45th Civil Engineer Squadron at Patrick Air Force Base.

Robins is among emergency managers preoccupied with Central Florida's wildfires as they attend the Florida Governor's Hurricane Conference in Fort Lauderdale. During the five-day conference, which ends Friday, emergency planners, rescue workers and government officials plan ways to help one another and Floridians in case of emergencies. Read more

Brazilian jet manufacturer Embraer is expected to announce Tuesday plans to build a new facility in Melbourne, creating 200 jobs and building a $41 million new facility at Melbourne International Airport, ... via Floridatoday.com

Strong winds fueled wildfires burning in 32-thousand acres along Florida's Atlantic Coast. via Reuters

“I think it's important to have all hands on deck, I want us to be reactive but not over reactive, this is a situation where you try to maintain calm when you're addressing a serious situation.”

By First Coast News Staff TALLAHASSEE, FL -- Governor Charlie Crist asked Floridians to be "fire safe" just before he headed to the front lines of Florida's wildfires in Brevard and Volusia Counties. via WTLV

Three brush fires in southern Brevard County prompted officials to close Interstate 95 Sunday evening. via WESH-TV

The wife of former Rep. Bob Allen, is one of four Republican contenders for the Brevard County Elections Supervisor. via The Florida Times Union

“We have always been able to meet our commitments to our residents”

State emergency management officials closely watching a series of wild fires in South and Central Florida -- including a 2,100-acre blaze in Brevard County -- this morning urged residents to monitor news ... via WTSP-TV Saint Petersburg

“Because of the winds we have cinders that are blowing all over the place”

Brush fires have shut down roads throughout Central Florida, including a stretch of Interstate 95 in Brevard County. via The Orlando Sentinel

“Control is extremely difficult, and there's basically several small subdivisions in the area and fires burning, in some cases, very close to the homes”

Brush fires forced residents to flee more than 100 homes in central Florida on Saturday and closed a major interstate, authorities said. via International Business Times

Heavy smoke from two brush fires prompted the Florida Highway Patrol to close two roadways in Brevard County on Sunday. via WESH-TV

“He was just an amazing person”

The plan was to scatter the ashes of her father over the St. Johns River on Florida's east coast, at the spot where he enjoyed spending his final years catching shrimp. via Tampa Bay Online

“This court need not readdress matters fully explained in its opinion”

An 18th Circuit judge has refused state transportation officials' request to rehear a case in which he threw out thousands of toll violation tickets for SunPass and E-Pass users who had accounts in good ... via Local6.com

“The deputy ran in front of him in dim lighting, and the dog is trained to go on instinct. The dog's handler immediately works with the dog afterward to get back into the training. You don't want the dog to associate that he did anything wrong.”

A Brevard County Sheriff's Office deputy is back at work this morning after being bitten by a police dog during the apprehension Wednesday of two burglary suspects at a business in Titusville. via Florida Today

A Brevard County pilot had to make a hard landing Tuesday when he had a problem with the landing gear. via WFTV

“We don't know if she drowned, suffered blunt trauma or was hit by the propeller”

A Rockledge woman died Monday after falling into the Indian River in Brevard County, officials said. via The Orlando Sentinel

“My son has never been in any trouble before. I'm just up in the air about the whole thing . . . he's an excellent kid.”

Police said a 17-year-old placed under house arrest and tagged with an electronic monitoring device remains a threat to the public because he failed to turn over a gun used to spray bullets into a crowded park. via FloridaToday.com

The Brevard County Sheriff's Office discovered a sophisticated marijuana growing operation. via WESH

“We are extremely lucky we didn't have a tragedy”

Police in Palm Bay are furious this weekend after one of two teens accused of shooting a gun at a public park is released from jail. via Local6.com

“All I ever wanted was to get back my company”

A Brevard County jury awarded $27.5 million to retired Titusville businessman Ralph Eckler, who claimed an investment banking firm and another company wrongly interfered with his right to repurchase the company ... via FloridaToday.com