Good morning, Melbourne.

Officials at Brevard Zoo (the project at Port Canaveral) announced a new lease agreement that brings the Bowen Aquarium project closer to a December groundbreaking; final construction bids remain pending.

A Floridian astronaut is among four crew set to launch today from Cape Canaveral on the Crew-13 mission.

The team includes two Americans + one Canadian and one Russian as they head to the ISS for a long-term research stint.

The Brevard Veterans Coalition will host a free breakfast for Veterans on Saturday, Oct.

3 at Macedonia Baptist Church in Melbourne to honor Breast Cancer Awareness — attendees are asked to wear pink to show support.

SpaceX's Falcon Heavy is set to launch today from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center carrying a classified government payload - the launch window opens at 11:53 p.m. ET with a backup on Friday, Oct.

2.

Florida’s minimum wage increased to $15 an hour on Sept.

30 as the final step of a voter-approved amendment (passed in 2020). The new rate exceeds the federal minimum wage and compares well with rates in states like Arizona and Colorado.

SSI recipients get a check today + another on Friday, Oct.

30, while Social Security benefits follow a birthday schedule; the administration will announce the COLA on Oct. 14.

Today, NASA and SpaceX will launch Crew-13 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral.

Four astronauts will board a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule to reach the International Space Station by 7 p.m. ET.

In September, a new Pepe’s Cantina (modern Mexican fare) opened on Wickham Road, Anchor and Bean Coffee launched its Palm Bay cafe, and Chick-fil-A in Merritt Island reopened Sept.

15; meanwhile, Lilly Rose Cafe and a long-established Starbucks closed, and Squid Lips in Cocoa Beach will resume in December.