New Titusville mayor takes on strategic plan

By Jessica Raynor
Florida Today

Jim Tulley wants to take on the city’s strategic plan as one of the first issues he’ll tackle as Titusville’s new mayor.

It’s an issue that will be brought before a new council tonight, with new Titusville City Councilor Martha Jane Long sitting in Tulley’s vacated council member’s seat.
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Brevard Art Museum head steps down

From Florida Today
By Pam Harbaugh

After 13 months as president and CEO of the Brevard Art Museum, Karl Hollander resigned Monday. He handed his letter of resignation to Sue Hopkins, chairwoman of the museum’s board of trustees.
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Cocoa to increase water fees by 15%

Florida Today
COCOA — The city council voted 4-1 on Tuesday to increase water rates to its 80,000 customers starting Oct. 1. Mayor Michael Blake cast the dissenting vote.
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Regulators grill State Farm officials over 47 percent hike request

State regulators Tuesday aggressively grilled State Farm officials asking them to justify their request for a 47 percent increase to homeowners insurance rates.

Four Office of Insurance Regulation officials squared off in a Capitol hearing room at tables a dozen feet from four State Farm executives — put under oath to tell the truth — and argued about reasonable profits, discounts for protecting against wind damage, expected hurricane losses, state law and complex computer models.
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Crist in Brevard in countdown to commercial launch capability

COCOA — The first commercial launch from Space Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station could come as early as 2010 or 2011, said Space Florida President and CEO Steve Kohler.    “We have customers we are talking to,” said Kohler.    Gov. Charlie Crist and Lt. Gov. Jeff Kottkamp joined Kohler today to formally announce the lease of SLC 36 from the Air Force at a press conference in the Astronaut Memorial Planetarium at the Brevard Community College Cocoa campus.

Crist said the agreement would help Brevard County’s economy during the expected economic slump due to the end of the shuttle program in 2010.
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Democrats set new date to vote electors

The Florida Democratic Party has finally nailed down a time and place for its do-over meeting to select a slate of 27 members of the Electoral College.   

It’s set for 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 20, at the IBEW union hall in Orlando.   

A problem arose over the weekend when the Democratic State Executive Committee met in Tampa to choose 27 electors, but couldn’t get a quorum. State law requires both parties to submit certified lists of electors to the governor’s office before Sept. 1.   

Party leaders initially called for an Aug. 18 meeting, time and place to be determined. But Democratic National Committeeman Jon Ausman of Tallahassee pointed out that the date didn’t allow 10 days notice, as required by party rules.   

Ausman said that if Sen. Barack Obama carries Florida but his electors are not chosen with strict compliance to every rule and law, the Republicans might go to court and challenge those 27 votes — maybe even affecting the national outcome in a close race. Remember 2000, Ausman said, recalling the 36 days of court fights and recounts over Florida’s then-25 electoral votes.   

So today, the party set the new date. Democratic Party spokesman Eric Jotkoff said lawyers have assured the leadership that notifying executive committee members by e-mail, fax and phone ought to be legally sufficient.   

“We expect a large turnout at the meeting because the members of the State Executive Committee are understand it is their duty to approve the slate of electors, so when Barack Obama wins Florida, there will be no question about our electors,” said Jotkoff.   

Florida Republican Party Chairman Jim Greer marveled at the Democratic disarray. Last spring, the party fought for a couple of months over seating of Florida delegates to the national convention, which was resolved after a long and divisive fight between Obama supporters and backers of Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.   

“The continued inability of the Florida Democrats to get their act together simply amazes me,” said Greer.
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Judge halts West Melbourne water suit

A Brevard County judge has put the stopper on a lawsuit between neighbors Melbourne and West Melbourne over their disputed water contract.

Circuit Court Judge George Turner signed an order to put a hold on the lawsuit filed by West Melbourne, saying the two cities have not yet exhausted negotiations.

The order is standard procedure under Florida laws regarding governments suing each other, and sends both sides back to talk, attorneys for both cities said.
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DiPatri gets $18,801 in bonus pay

Brevard Public Schools leader Richard DiPatri will receive an $18,801 bonus this year, the district said Tuesday. DiPatri received $204,940 in base pay for the 2007-08 school year and was eligible for $20,494 in bonus money, or 10 percent of his pay.
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Titusville may freeze employees’ salaries

TITUSVILLE — The city’s proposed $131 million budget eliminates many capital improvement projects, freezes salaries and includes no program enhancements — but doesn’t call for any layoffs.
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Brevard park projects may be finished by 2010

Before voters agreed in 2006 to borrow up to $85.7 million to finish more than 20 park referendum projects, Brevard County officials said they hoped to complete the parks within two years.
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