VIERA

The Brevard County School Board met on Thursday for the first time after an unexpected ousting of the district’s interim superintendent.

A Brevard County school board member is revealing more about what was behind a unanimous vote to place the district’s interim superintendent on administrative leave.

Former federal corrections officer Jose Viera received a maximum sentence at a hearing Monday, after he pleaded guilty to raping a female inmate in 2020.

The secretary for the misdemeanor division of the public defender’s office in Viera lost a hefty $5,000 lottery prize to pay part of an unemployment overpayment issued by the Department of Economic Opportunity.

As a new Brevard County school board focuses on student discipline, the state released a report on student mental health awareness and training.

As Brevard school board members continued debating the district's student discipline policies, Interim Superintendent Dr. Robert Schiller reported so far this year, there have been more than 200 major misuses of electronic devices resulting in 66 suspensions.

District leaders with Brevard Public School broke ground Wednesday on a long-awaited middle school in Viera.

Brevard County Fire Rescue demonstrated CPR training Tuesday alongside a NFL player and local football star who has a personal connection to cardiac arrest.

A man is accused of human smuggling and evading troopers in Texas after a chase involving troopers. Four illegal immigrants from El Salvador were located in the car.

Brevard County’s school board is within a few months of selecting its next superintendent.

A Cocoa police officer arrested in December after an hourslong standoff with Brevard County law enforcement at a Viera home was denied bond Thursday.

When most people think of rainbows they think of colorful displays in the sky, but people in Brevard County were recently treated to a different kind of weather phenomenon.

Cocoa Police Officer Patrick Kelly is still trying to get out of jail after deputies said he shot toward a SWAT team responding to Kelly's Viera home on Dec. 28.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Have you ever heard of a “fog bow”? According to the U.S. National Weather Service in Melbourne, someone recently spotted one in Viera. Forecasters said the cloudlike arch is similar to a rainbow, but the smaller water droplet size means the color separation is weaker and more smeared. That means the fog bow appears mostly white – like a rainbow zapped of its color. Read: Mount Dora police investigate suspicious death of couple at senior living communityCentral Florida started the New Year with foggy conditions, making the conditions prime for the fog bow.

Records released Friday provided new details into what led up to the hours-long standoff at a Melbourne home that ended with the arrest of a Cocoa police officer.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — A law enforcement officer is accused of firing shots outside of a Viera home after a domestic incident Thursday, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said. According to an arrest report, suspect Patrick Michael Kelly, 39, a member of the Cocoa Police Department, was taken into custody by Brevard County deputies on charges of aggravated assault and domestic violence with a deadly weapon. Kelly had fired multiple rounds in the home, but no injuries were reported during the standoff, Brevard County deputies said. Read: Hurricane Ian insured losses near $12.6 billion in FloridaA video provided to Channel 9 from The Space Coast Rocket blog shows Kelly firing at law enforcement. Video shows law enforcement officer firing weapon during standoff, deputies say (The Space Coast Rocket)Kelly was transported to the Brevard County Jail on a no-bond status.

Brevard County school leaders are promising a new crackdown on cell phones in the classroom as the district continues to work on a new disciplinary policy.

The Chabad of the Space Coast is hosting a free Hanukkah Festival and Menorah parade, which departs from Chabad in Satellite Beach at 3:30 p.m. and travels to Chabad in Viera, located at 7350 Lake Andrew Drive in Melbourne.

The Brevard County School Board selected Dr. Robert Schiller as the new interim superintendent on Friday.

During a Tuesday afternoon meeting, the Brevard County school board narrowed a list of 12 submissions to become the district's interim superintendent to Mark Rendell, James Larsen and Robert Shiller.

Some kids compete on the soccer pitch or volleyball court. Juliet Karsak of Viera brings her A game in the kitchen.

Brevard County school board members are set to discuss discipline crackdown policies during a meeting.

Now, school board members are meeting Thursday to modify the district’s policy, Susin said, and hopefully, stop teachers from quitting.

If a separation agreement now in writing is approved, Dr. Mark Mullins would resign as Brevard Public Schools’ superintendent on News Year’s Eve.

Rides, shows and, of course, fair food is all returning to Brevard County.

An unlicensed contractor accused of defrauding customers throughout Central Florida pleaded no contest to eight felony charges Thursday including grand theft, organized fraud, and contracting without a license during an emergency.

Brevard Public Schools reached a tentative agreement with the Brevard Federation of Teachers union Friday for a new contract that will raise salaries for district teachers, school officials said.

Brevard Public Schools offered a 4% raise for both teachers and recruitment/retention pay in the district’s priority schools, though union leaders rejected the offer, according to district officials.

Melbourne police spoke publicly Tuesday for the first time about investigating a shooting at the Off The Traxx bar where a man died on the dance floor back in March.

A Palm Bay man accused of beating his 12-year-old son and locking him in the laundry room, where he later died, appeared in court Monday.

Talk with Mike Acosta for a few minutes, and it becomes apparent: The man really, really likes making pizza.

A Brevard County commissioner is stepping down.

With its livestreams ending, the county said it will still update the public through its other social media posts and on its website.

Titusville police arrested two women Friday as they were attempting to rip off an Ulta Beauty store, according to a news release.

This is the first year the Viera Rock Fest will take place this weekend at the USSSA Stadium in Viera, Florida.

First, the flocks of birds didn't arrive. Then omicron did.

Viera is resorting to a lottery system to sell new homes because growth is booming.

Costco plans to open its later Central Florida location on Thursday.

VIERA, Fla. — The parents of a Florida Tech student who was killed by police plan to speak out for the first time. People held a vigil on campus Tuesday night to try to heal after Friday night’s attack. Officers said 18-year-old Alhaji Sow was chasing students with a knife before police confronted him. READ: Police: Knife-wielding Florida Tech student shot and killed by officer on campusThe parents will speak at the courthouse in Viera. READ: Florida Tech holds vigil for dead student, community safety; parents announce investigationThey said they have hired an Orlando attorney to conduct an independent investigation.

A Brevard County Sheriff’s Office corrections deputy was arrested on charges of robbery with a firearm, false imprisonment and extortion.

Costco, the Pacific Northwest-based big box chain, plans to open a new location in Brevard County in early December.

A former Viera High School teacher has pleaded guilty to a charge filed against him as part of the Jan. 6 Capitol Hill riot.

Results are in for the Nov. 2 election in Brevard County.

Suntree's Tuscany Grill has found a new home, and a 6,000-square-foot restaurant space in Viera that has housed a French-American bistro, a steakhouse and Mexican restaurant is getting an Italian makeover.

A man is accused of shooting a woman in the head at the Hot Shot shooting range in Holly Hilly on Thursday, according to police.

A bicyclist was hit and killed in a crash involving an SUV Thursday, the Florida Highway Patrol said.

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office found 770 of marijuana in a Viera mini-storage facility, according to a Facebook post from Sheriff Wayne Ivey.

Two people were arrested before board members of Brevard County Public Schools discussed the district’s policy on face coverings on Tuesday night.

Brevard County school board member Jennifer Jenkins said the district's mask mandate and the change in contact tracing from six feet to three feet reduced quarantines by the thousands.

The new testing option opens Wednesday.

It's been a three-year slog, but David Clark is finally ready to introduce Viera to Island IX and it's volcano-inspired burgers.

For the first time in 2021, a Brevard County high school football game has been cancelled due to a COVID-19 quarantine, this time involving Satellite High students.

Hospital emergency rooms in Brevard County are inundated with patients with symptoms of COVID-19.

Masks will be required at all indoor county facilities in Miami-Dade County, and all of Orange County's 4,200 non-unionized county employees must be fully vaccinated by end September.

In what feels like a sad deja vu, a number of Brevard County restaurants have temporarily closed their doors this week due to fast-rising COVID-19...

Gregory Barr entered his competency hearing Tuesday without a wheelchair, a change from how the 26-year-old murder appeared last week at the Brevard County jail.

Brevard County schools vote to make face masks voluntary at end of year At a special meeting in Viera Friday, the school board voted to change its mask policy with one catch: It will not take effect until the end of this school year. Fla. — For months, the Brevard County School board has heard from parents opposing masks in schools. At a special meeting in Viera Friday, the school board voted to change its mask policy with one catch: It will not take effect until the end of this school year. READ: Fauci: COVID-19 booster shot will likely be needed within year of being vaccinatedThe CDC suggests schools continue masking up until the summer. The last day for Brevard County schools is June 3.

A former Brevard County deputy charged with killing a man is expected to take the stand in his own defense.

VIERA, Fla. - A verdict was reached Thursday in the animal cruelty trial of a Sebastian officer charged with the death of his K-9 partner. New details how a police dog died in the care of a Sebastian police officer revealed now during day 2 of Officer Eric Antosia's trial. Officer Antosia will continue to work as a road patrol officer which he has been doing since June 22, 2018 after the conclusion of the Internal Affairs investigation and grievance process for discipline." Due to these policy violations, Officer Antosia was issued a 120- hour suspension without pay. Antosia reported the discovery to the Sebastian K-9 officer who trained him.

VIERA, Fla. - The trial began Tuesday for Sebastian police Officer Eric Antosia, who is charged with the death of his K-9 partner Diesel. State investigators said the Sebastian police officer was working in a courthouse on April 28, 2017, when Diesel died of heatstroke inside a hot patrol car parked outside the courthouse. The outside temperature when Diesel died was 88 degrees, which set a heat record for that date. "Diesel died after being left in a closed vehicle for several hours," according to Assistant State Attorney Michael Hill. But Antosia's attorney, Greg Eisenmenger, said the state doesn't know when, where and why Diesel died.

VIERA, Fla. - Residents in Viera are sharing their thoughts and concerns about teenagers driving golf carts in their community after two teens were seriously hurt during a crash Friday. Katelyn Cushey and her family took a quick drive on their golf cart to the grocery store Saturday morning. But she is concerned about teenagers driving golf carts in their community. He tells News 6 he is looking into installing bollards to prevent golf carts from driving over the overpass. Residents said they ultimately want all golf cart drivers to be safe.

VIERA, Fla. - A Brevard County eye doctor was arrested over the weekend on DUI charges. Dr. Nicholas Pefkaros, 46, was arrested Saturday after Brevard County sheriff's deputies received a call about a reckless driver near Stadium Parkway and Windsong Way, west of I-95. According to an arrest report, Pefkaros told deputies that he took a Xanax and had one drink after meeting with patients. Pefkaros works at Space Coast Opthalmology in Titusville and also has an office in Viera. Pefkaros performed field sobriety tests, and deputies determined that his faculties were impaired, according to the arrest report.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. - Both hurricane and storm surge watches have been issued for Brevard County ahead of Hurricane Dorian, an "extremely dangerous" storm that is expected to be near Central Florida in the coming days. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions can be expected within the next 48 hours. A storm surge watch means there is a possibility of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline, in the indicated locations during the next 48 hours. Residents should also be aware of the potential for life-threatening storm surge. The storm was about 205 miles east of West Palm Beach and was moving west toward Florida at 7 mph.

The sheriff also acknowledged a different fear with Dorian because of its projected track of possible making landfall on Florida's east coast. "That's one of the things that we always ask everyone to do -- is to take the storm seriously," Ivey said. [HURRICANE PREP: Where to find sandbags in your county | What Brevard County residents need to know before a storm]Brevard County emergency management leaders reported that the sand was all gone by 4 p.m.at the Viera site. The county also distributed sandbags Thursday and will continue to distribute Friday at locations in Titusville, Merritt Island and Palm Bay. News 6 was told by residents who went to those distribution locations that the lines and wait times were very long as well.

VIERA, Fla. - A few days before the threat of Tropical Storm Dorian, the phones started to ring at tree trimming services in Brevard County. The owner of Tree Tech Pro's said McClure made a good call. "Especially with the storm coming, it could crack down easily," James Falvey, the owner of the tree trimming service said. Falvey advised other homeowners who need services before the storm to call a tree trimming service immediately. "There's only so many tree services in the area, so the sooner the phone call goes in, the better," he said.

VIERA, Fla. - In a Brevard County courtroom Friday, a 41-year-old convicted felon was ordered to return to prison for the next 40 years. Prosecutors said Blair was familiar with Johnstons Titusville house before March 21 when on that morning, Blair broke in and demanded Johnston withdraw money for him. Prosecutors said inside the Kirby Drive house, Johnston fought back but Blair strangled him. Johnstons Titusville church, St. Gabriels Episcopal, said Johnston dedicated his life to helping recovering addicts and he helped each week with the churchs food pantry. Blair does not have the possibility of parole and his 40-year sentence on the murder charge will run concurrent with other charges in his plea agreement.

VIERA, Fla. - With the highest turnout for a vote in Brevard County's teachers union history, teachers voted against the deal offered by the school district for teacher raises. The results of a union vote over a deal to raise Brevard County teacher salaries were announced Tuesday at a school board meeting after months of negotiations between the teachers union and the school district. On Tuesday, the results revealed that 3,886 teachers voted against the plan and 160 voted for it. He told school board members on Tuesday night that teachers will continue to vote down any proposal that doesn't pay them fairly. Brevard County currently has 26 openings for elementary school teaching positions and 25 openings for middle and high school teacher, according to school district officials.

VIERA, Fla. - Hundreds of teachers in Brevard County will vote on a new contract Friday, and many of them are not happy with the deal. The president of the Brevard Federations of Teachers said the average teacher pay on the Space Coast is among the lowest in the state. "Brevard County teachers are the third-most experienced workforce in the state, and yet we are 30th in the average teacher pay in the state. However, the school board voted against the recommendation, opting instead for raises up to $1,100. We believe a piece of that can be used to pay for teachers," Colucci said.

VIERA, Fla. - A judge from Indian River County who has been on the bench for less than a year will try two of the biggest corruption cases Brevard County has seen in years, which have ruptured the political landscape in Palm Bay and beyond. Michael J. Linn, of the 19th Judicial Circuit in Vero Beach, has been assigned to preside over the Dave Isnardi and Jose Aguiar Palm Bay corruption cases, News 6 partner Florida Today reported. "I think this was done in the abundance of caution," said Michelle Kennedy, spokeswoman for the 18th Judicial Circuit. Dave Isnardi, former Palm Bay deputy city manager, is the husband of Brevard County Commissioner Kristine Isnardi. It's unclear at this point whether the case would be tried outside of Brevard County and the 18th Judicial Circuit.

VIERA, Fla. - A driver was critically injured in an overnight crash in Viera, officials said. The crash was reported in the 5000 block of Stadium Parkway. According to Brevard County Fire Rescue, a car crashed into a tree and transformer. Officials tweeted photos of the crash, showing the car badly damaged and a tree lying across the top of it. Copyright 2019 by WKMG ClickOrlando - All rights reserved.