COCOA BEACH

The Space Coast Mural Festival is coming back with a street party and mural maze this weekend.

A Kissimmee woman was arrested Wednesday, accused of stealing thousands of dollars from an elderly woman in a scam known as a “Jamaican Sweepstake Scheme.”

One of Florida’s most iconic spots to surf has been ranked as one of the most threatened by rising sea levels, according to a national study by the Surfrider Foundation.

August 30 is National Beach Day and Central Floridians live in a prime spot to take advantage of this toes-in-the-sand holiday.

The countdown begins. NASA's Artemis I mission is on track for Monday morning if all systems are a go. And the daughter of an Artemis I project engineer who died in April will have the chance to see the results of her father's work.

Several restaurants along the Space Coast are planning to open early Monday morning ahead of the planned Artemis I launch, hoping to capitalize on the crowds expected to watch the historic lift-off.

Looking to enjoy breakfast while awaiting the Artemis I launch?

Garrett Zendek, a drone photographer from Virginia, woke up early on Aug. 14 to capture the sunrise on his drone on Cocoa Beach but instead he captured a herd of sharks swimming along.

Whether it’s the beaches, incredible rocket launches or attractions, the Space Coast is home to some pretty unique things.

A bicyclist who was hit by a car in Cocoa Beach has died.

A Cocoa Beach man admitted to holding a woman captive while beating and raping her, according to police.

A Cocoa Beach man was arrested for allegedly beating and sexually battering a victim over several hours Thursday, according to police.

While the nation mourned the demise of Choco Taco ice cream treats Tuesday, a line formed at the counter of Sweet Rolled Tacos in Cocoa Beach.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — A Merritt Island man was arrested early Saturday after police said he exposed himself to three adult women on the beach south of Minuteman Causeway. Cocoa Beach police responded to the south end of Cocoa Beach around 1 a.m. on Saturday after receiving a 911 call from three victims who stated they were followed on the beach for several blocks by a naked male. According to a news release, the man followed the woman from South 2nd Street to their rental home in the south end of the city. The suspect, later identified as Alexander Civitate, allegedly touched himself continually in a lewd manner during this encounter, police said. The victims positively identified Civitate and he was taken into custody without incident.

A man and woman were arrested after having stolen a $29,000 diamond ring from a Cocoa Beach jewelry store Tuesday, according to police.

A pub crawl in downtown Cocoa Beach will benefit and support homeless veterans in the area.

Cocoa Beach commissioners allowed Westgate Resorts to move forward with its plans to build a six-story resort at Cocoa Beach Pier.

The online customer review site Yelp has released its list of the top 100 restaurants in the state and Central Florida businesses make up nearly a fifth of the list.

A 68-year-old woman visiting New Smyrna Beach drowned after she got caught in a rip current, according to Volusia County Beach Safety Ocean Rescue.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — A New Hampshire man was booked into the Brevard County jail Wednesday charged with video voyeurism after police say he was caught secretly recording video under a young girl’s clothing at a local business. Cocoa Beach police responded to the Ron Jon Surf Shop on North Atlantic Ave. on May 29 after receiving a report of a man using a GoPro camera to record an “up-skirt” video of a girl in the store. Cocoa Beach Man Arrested for Video Voyeurism at Local Surf Shop William Manning, 63, of Cocoa Beach, was arrested for... Posted by Cocoa Beach Police & Fire on Wednesday, June 15, 2022Manning can be seen walking into the store with the GoPro already in his hand, according to police. The video shows Manning kneel down directly behind the victim and extend the camera towards her, directly under her skirt. According to investigators, he initially claimed he only used his GoPro to take pictures and videos of the beach.

Executive chef Kati Marosites knows hotel restaurants in Brevard County aren't front-of-mind when locals want a night out, but she's hoping the Starlite Restaurant and Pool Bar can help change that.

A large chunk of State Road A1A in Cocoa Beach was shut down Wednesday night because of a water main break.

Summer Guide 2022

Florida’s efforts to keep beaches clean and save lives in the ocean are taking a high-tech turn with the introduction of a cleaning robot.

A British man visiting Brevard County this past weekend now has the ultimate fishing story to tell his family and friends.

Central Florida teacher accused of hitting child who has autism in the face, police sayCOCOA BEACH, Fla. — A Cocoa Beach teacher is facing felony child abuse charges after police said she hit a student in the face. READ: Woman arrested after crashing Brevard County wedding, getting food and beer, refusing to leaveOfficers said Candice Bartell was caught on video hitting a child who has autism. Bartell, who is a teacher at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary, told investigators it was a “playful tap” to show affection. READ: Judge: 14-year-old to be charged as adult for fatal shooting on Titusville bike trailSchool officials told investigators that teachers know not to touch students’ faces. ©2022 Cox Media Group

Spring breakers may catch a glimpse of a beach robot trudging through the sand of Brevard County's coastline this month.

A teacher at Theodore Roosevelt Elementary School was arrested after she struck a child with autism in the face, according to Cocoa Beach police.

A six-story hotel with a parking garage and swimming pools could dramatically change the look of the Cocoa Beach Pier.

A man was arrested on Valentine's Day, accused of raping a woman in September, according to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office.

Warm

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School is being evacuated Friday morning after reports of a bomb threat. The school district tweeted at 10:50 a.m. that students and staff were being moved to a designated safety zone. School officials said they are working with law enforcement to sweep the campus and investigate. We are evacuating our students & staff to a designated safety zone.

Just six days before his 50th birthday, there was Kelly Slater being hoisted through a sea of euphoric spectators, celebrating with a bottle of Champagne in one hand and tears of joy and memories flowing in his eyes.

The virus that causes COVID-19 bumped up to record levels in Cocoa Beach sewage at the same time it was plummeting in neighboring Cape Canaveral.

With 5,000 COVID-19 take-home tests, there was enough for hundreds of drivers moving through two locations in Cocoa on Thursday.

Crowds of people gathered at Cocoa Beach on Christmas Eve to watch as surfers donning their best Santa attire made waves on the Space Coast.

Surfing Santas will once again return to Cocoa Beach after going virtual last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — A Cocoa Beach father was arrested after police say he threatened a school official and struck a school resource officer. According to a police report Michael Ciccarello became irate during a meeting with school officials to discuss his daughter’s return to school. School staff then placed a portion of the school on lockdown to protect students. Read: NASA officials give a preview of the launch of the agency’s first planetary defense test missionPolice said Ciccarello was then ordered to leave the school but he refused. As officers were taking Ciccarello into custody, he struck an officer and tried to leave the school before being tased and arrested.

Teen killed in possible accidental shooting, police say Stock photo of crime scene tape. (Kali9/Getty Images)COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Cocoa Beach police are investigating a deadly shooting that happened Friday night. According to police, a Satellite Beach teen died of an apparent gunshot wound. The investigation led to the 150 block of Cedar Avenue, where police believe the shooting occurred. Read: Sheriff investigating a fatal shooting at hookah bar in Kissimmee, deputies sayPolice said the shooting appears to be the tragic result of the mishandling of a firearm.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — A well-being check ends in an arrest in Cocoa Beach on Saturday. Cocoa Beach police responded to the 300 block of North Fourth Street following the request for a well-being check on a female who lives at the residence. Read: Body of missing woman Miya Marcano found, sheriff saysThe Brevard County Sheriff’s Office responded to the location to assist. Read: Residents at Arden Villas demand change after missing woman found deadThis was an isolated incident with no threat to the community. Anyone who may have information pertinent to this case is asked to contact the Cocoa Beach Police Department at 321-868-3251.

A 17-year-old boy from Cocoa drowned near the Westgate Cocoa Beach pier on Saturday morning, according to Cocoa Beach Police & Fire.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Kent Fey remembers the smog, the smell and the sound of that fateful day in 1981. He was feet away when the five-story Harbour Cay condominiums that were under construction in Cocoa Beach collapsed. Surfside condo collapse: Search efforts resume, building demolition ‘likely’Fey was working as a lifeguard at Fischer Park when he heard the building come crashing down. In all, 11 construction workers died and 23 were injured in the collapse that day in March 1981. ‘Walkways are in danger of collapse’: 72 Osceola County condo units declared unsafe“Actually, because I think people have to understand that cutting corners is not acceptable.

Beach safety officials are warning beachgoers to swim near lifeguards and look out for posted warnings about rip currents after several swimmers recently died in Brevard County.

A call was received Saturday about two people in distress in the water in Cocoa Beach.

VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — A 12-year-old boy from Cocoa Beach said he plans to surf again one day after recently being attacked by a shark. Jai Villamil was surfing in New Smyrna Beach on Monday when a shark bit him multiple times, he said. He said the shark bit him in the nerves, so he did not have any pain. READ: Man, boy bitten by sharks at New Smyrna BeachHe was with a friend who had just gotten of a wave and told him he had been bitten by a shark. READ: Stingray deaths at ZooTampa blamed on ‘supersaturation’Vilamil will be wheelchair-bound for at least six to eight months as he recovers.

Saharan dust coming to your hometown may sound scary, but it will actually make for astonishing sunsets in Central Florida. The dust cloud that rides...

The Fat Snook owner Mona Foy said she hopes to have the restaurant open again in early July.

The Fat Snook in Cocoa Beach is temporarily closed due to "unprecedented labor shortage."

After a year that all but proved their central stance untenable and ridiculous, an anti-vax group is planning a superspreader event in Cocoa Beach. The...

Seaweed on the beach is nothing new, but this is a lot.

Cheering staff at Cape Canaveral Hospital Friday received a visit from who Health First officials said was the hospital chain’s first COVID-19 patient and survivor.

A motorcyclist traveling in Cocoa Beach crashed into a van Wednesday night, killing the driver and himself, according to the Cocoa Beach Police Department.

Follow these traffic guidelines if you're on the roads on Crew-2 launch day.

Valiant Air Command, the group that owns the vintage World War II torpedo bomber that splash-landed off Patrick Space Force Base on Saturday, was planning to move the aircraft back to its museum.

Crews rescued a pilot who landed their plane close to shore at the Cocoa Beach Air Show Saturday after a “mechanical issue,” according to event organizers.

It's getting even hotter and drier.

A pet runway model contest and dog surfing championships were among many activities at the 57th annual Easter Surf Festival in Cocoa Beach this weekend.

Plans are advancing to raze International Palms Resort and replace it with a $300 million, four-star-plus Westin-branded oceanfront resort with 502 rooms.

Tens of millions of dollars is being spent to repeatedly rebuild Central Florida beaches as the effects of climate change chew away the sand.

His travel is also restricted to the Middle District of Florida and Washington D.C., as needed for his trial. A screen capture from Dillion Homol's Facebook Live. According to the FBI, Homol in a live stream said: “It’s the Capitol building, they are counting the electorals in there right now and we stormed it. A screen capture from Dillion Homol's Facebook Live. At least 29 people have been arrested in Florida as of Thursday, of which 21 in the Middle District of Florida.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. – Cocoa Beach — the Space Coast’s premier tourism spot — soon will see new sands, dredged up and pumped in from shoals several miles offshore of Cape Canaveral. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin placing the new sand on the so-called North Reach section of its Brevard County Shore Protection Project “on or about March 20,” News 6 partner Florida Today reports. That estimated $15 million project is expected to be completed by April 30, county officials say, when beach widening projects must stop to prevent disrupting endangered and threatened sea turtle nesting. AdThe Cocoa Beach project, also expected to be complete by April 30, is the latest in a series of periodic federal beach renourishments that began in 2000. The source sand for the Cocoa Beach project will be dredged from Canaveral Shoals, about five miles offshore of Cape Canaveral.

COCOA BEACH, Fla. – During a warm weekend in Cocoa Beach, Mayor Ben Malik was driving downtown on State Road A1A when he encountered “people with coolers stumbling into the road” en route from the beach to their vehicles. I’m tired of talking about it,” he said during last week’s Cocoa Beach City Commission meeting. Interviewed Monday, Malik said he hopes to discuss beach-drinking regulations during the March 18 Cocoa Beach City Commission meeting. For years, Cocoa Beach officials have wrestled with options to control nuisance drinkers who congregate each spring near the beach end of Minutemen Causeway. AdGeneral beach rules in Cocoa Beach, per the City Hall website:

It’s almost like pre-pandemic spring break, says Thompson. Another sign that spring break tourism is rebounding is the passenger figures at Orlando International Airport, traditionally one of the nation’s busiest airports during spring break. AdSoft national numbersNationally, however, spring break tourism demand remains soft. Despite the nationwide progress on COVID-19 vaccines, spring break travel intentions actually appear to be dropping. The 12.4% who plan to travel for spring break is down from 16% the week prior, the poll by Destination Analysts found.

In ordinary times, the beaches and roads along Floridas Space Coast would be packed with hundreds of thousands of spectators, eager to witness the first astronaut launch from Florida in nine years, scheduled for May 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)ORLANDO, Fla. In ordinary times, the beaches and roads along Floridas Space Coast would be packed with hundreds of thousands of spectators, eager to witness the first astronaut launch from Florida in nine years. Earlier this month, NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine asked potential spectators to watch the launch online or on TV from home. NASA astronauts have not launched from the U.S. since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. Although crowd sizes varied, a high-profile space shuttle launch could attract a half million visitors to the Space Coast.

click image Screenshot via Westgate Cocoa Beach Pier/YouTubeBeachgoers left behind more than 13,000 pounds of trash at a Florida beach last weekend. According to Florida Today, crews last Saturday and Sunday picked up over 13,000 pounds of garbage on Cocoa Beach, which is about an hour east of Orlando, as the state continues to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. The huge increase in trash, which for scale is equal to roughly the same weight as a full grown African bush elephant or an adult T-Rex, has prompted local officials to increase fines and enforcement. Cocoa Beach wasnt the only sandy spot in Florida that had a tough time reopening to the public. Last weekend, the City of Naples decided to reclose their beaches after large crowds were reported.

The body of a missing swimmer was found in Cocoa Beach on Tuesday. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - This weekend, Brevard County is under a tropical storm watch and lifeguards expect waves to be about half the size of the big surf Hurricane Dorian brought to the Central Florida coast. Just like a tropical storm, I think, or not even," Corbin said not worried about the new storm. Brevard Ocean Rescue said when crews got to 14th Street, those two people had gotten out of the water safely. Brevard County said Dorian did millions of dollars in damage to sand dunes from Satellite Beach to Melbourne Beach. Like lifeguards, Brevard County Emergency Management is also warning of possible storm conditions this weekend.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - A kite surfer decided to brave the waves Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Dorian. The Category 2 storm was on its way toward Florida's coast, causing rough waves at Central Florida beaches. In Cocoa Beach, a kite surfer took advantage of the 20 mph winds. Spectators even edged toward the shore to watch the surfer catch some waves. Authorities warn that the kite surfer's actions are extremely dangerous, especially as a hurricane approaches.

Getty ImagesPeople take photos as the sun rises over a nearly empty beach as Hurricane Dorian lingers offshore Tuesday in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Getty ImagesTwo men observe a squall caused by Hurricane Dorian, which is looming in the Atlantic Ocean, on Tuesday in Ormond Beach, Florida. Getty ImagesA woman takes a picture as the effects of Hurricane Dorian begin to be felt Monday in Cocoa Beach (Scott Olson/Getty Images). Getty ImagesWaves roll in to shore as Hurricane Dorian continued to make its way toward the Florida coast Monday in Indialantic, Florida (Scott Olson/Getty Images). Getty ImagesPeople were seen making sandbags Saturday at the citys municipal center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida (Mark Wilson/Getty Images).

Getty ImagesPeople take photos as the sun rises over a nearly empty beach as Hurricane Dorian lingers offshore Tuesday in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Getty ImagesTwo men observe a squall caused by Hurricane Dorian, which is looming in the Atlantic Ocean, on Tuesday in Ormond Beach, Florida. Getty ImagesA woman takes a picture as the effects of Hurricane Dorian begin to be felt Monday in Cocoa Beach (Scott Olson/Getty Images). Getty ImagesWaves roll in to shore as Hurricane Dorian continued to make its way toward the Florida coast Monday in Indialantic, Florida (Scott Olson/Getty Images). Getty ImagesPeople were seen making sandbags Saturday at the citys municipal center in New Smyrna Beach, Florida (Mark Wilson/Getty Images).

A message to Hurricane Dorian is spry painted on a covering over a window at the Coastal Angler Magazine office, Monday, Sept. 2, 2019, in Cocoa Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)Powerful Hurricane Dorian has been going nowhere because nothing high up is making it budge. But meteorologists say the steering currents at 18,000 feet above ground have ground to a halt because high pressure and low pressure systems are canceling each other out. The steering currents aren't moving, so neither is Dorian. Its eyewall first hit Grand Bahama Island Sunday night, and 18 hours later part of the eye still lingered there. While it's horrible for the Bahamas, meteorologists say it may help spare Florida a bit.

Ed Martnez, co-owner of The Fat Donkey Ice Cream and Fine Desserts in Cocoa Beach. (Image: Justin Potter/WKMG)COCOA BEACH, Fla. - News 6 viewers voted, and it's official: The Fat Donkey Ice Cream in Cocoa Beach won the top spot for this year's Best of Summer Frozen Treat. The ice cream shop has become a staple in the seaside town since opening in 2013. "We have dessert jars, we have specialty churro ice cream sandwiches that we make that are amazing, waffle ice cream sandwiches," co-owner Kim Martnez said. The ice cream shop was once the Mai Tiki Studio Gallery owned by local artist Wayne Coombs who died in 2012.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (Reuters) - Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins returned to the launch pad Tuesday at NASAs Kennedy Space Center in Florida where he flew to the moon 50 years ago along with the late Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin. Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins speaks at a panel discussion on the 50th anniversary of the launch, in Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S., July 16, 2019. REUTERS/Joe SkipperWonderful feeling to be back at launch pad 39A, Collins, the command module pilot for Apollo 11, said in an interview on the pad with Kennedy Space Center Director Bob Cabana, himself a veteran of four space shuttle launches and a former shuttle commander. Aldrin, 89, was to join Collins on the launch pad but canceled. Collins was to be joined Tuesday evening at a gala in Cape Canaveral, Florida, by Charles Duke, the youngest human to walk on the moon as an Apollo 16 astronaut, Apollo flight director Gerald Griffin, Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, and four-time shuttle veteran Charlie Precourt.

A conversation with Amy Gellert's killer Bunny and Bob Lehton were held captive and attacked by an intruder in their Cocoa Beach, Fla., home on March 20, 1994. In a police interview 12 days later, they describe the masked man's behavior during the moments leading up to the killing of their daughter.

Florida investigators hunt for unusual weapons in brutal 1994 attack, murder "He had a real relationship with that dagger." Bunny and Bob Lehton describe how an intruder controlled them with an unusual dagger and a prop gun during an attack at their Cocoa Beach home on March 20, 1994.