Good morning, Melbourne.

Melbourne Pride celebrated its 20th anniversary today with a parade that started at the Melbourne Auditorium, traveled to New Haven Avenue in downtown, and ended back at the auditorium.

Local organizations and churches showed their support while a vendor village replaced the usual street setup.

Spectators watched SpaceX’s Starship test flight on Sept.

28 in South Padre Island as the rocket launched Starlink V3 satellites with a thunderous roar; local fans may soon see a similar launch from Kennedy Space Center later this year.

Starbucks closed its Melbourne Square store as part of a plan to shut down 250 stores nationally (about 1% of its North American locations) to streamline operations.

Employees could transfer to other branches or receive severance support.

Veterans are honored at the free Red, White & Brass concert on Saturday, Oct.

10 at 7 p.m. at the Amphitheater at Veterans Memorial Park in Merritt Island (organized by Space Coast Symphony and sponsored by SpaceX) as the event features patriotic marches, a world premiere by local composer Mark Piszczek, and a family instrument petting zoo.

Florida’s minimum wage will increase to $15 an hour tomorrow, Sept.

30, as the final step of the Fair Wage amendment & experts say it still falls short of a living wage benchmark for full-time workers.

Florida Tech will honor Carol Craig, founder of Craig Technologies & Sidus Space, as one of 10 awardees during the Alumni Awards Gala held as part of Homecoming Weekend from Oct.

18–24. She earned her MBA from Florida Tech earlier in 2026.

NASA and Boeing provided a briefing Monday at 3 p.m. ET in Brevard County on future plans for the Starliner spacecraft after its 2024 crewed flight encountered technical issues plus officials including NASA administrator Jared Isaacman and Boeing Commercial Crew VP John Mulholland outlined next steps.

The Florida Space Summit took place yesterday at Blue Origin Rocket Park at Kennedy Space Center, drawing state leaders who discussed Florida’s future in space policy.

Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the spaceport will eventually resemble an airport & Congress members outlined plans for a space academy.

Health First’s Holmes Regional Medical Center earned Level III Maternal Care verification and Viera Hospital secured Level II designation + Gold Safe Sleep Certification for mothers and newborns on Tuesday.

The designations reflect strengthened safety measures and a commitment to quality care in the community.

Local sports fans can vote online for the Brevard Girls Athlete of the Week for Sept.

21-26. Voting (at 321preps.com and floridatoday.com) is open until noon on Thursday, Oct. 1 with nominees from sports such as volleyball, cross country, bowling, golf and swimming and diving.