A Brevard County commissioner is stepping down.

A member of the Brevard County Fire Rescue staff is under investigation after he allegedly made a racially insensitive remark to a shooting victim while the person was being transported by ambulance to the hospital for treatment, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.

Bars and liquor stores can officially sell alcohol 24 hours a day in unincorporated Brevard County — for now.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – County commissioners on Tuesday approved contracting with physician group Omni Healthcare to help administer the COVID-19 vaccine — if allocations reach a level higher than the Florida Department of Health drive-thru site in Viera can handle. “What we’re asking for may not ever happen,” Omni Healthcare President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Craig Deligdish told commissioners. Under a revised proposal the county received on March 10, Deligdish said Omni would not charge Brevard County to administer vaccines at its locations. In January, Omni secured 2,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the state Division of Emergency Management and Department of Health. “It is my opinion this is not needed,” Burns said, adding the that county already has the resources to administer the vaccine without adding Omni to the mix.

Ad[TRENDING: Tiger Woods’ leg shattered in rollover crash | Orlando City player faces sex charge | Woman loses $100,000 to romance conman]“This is a simple policy looking out for the well-being of the citizens of Brevard County,” Tobia said at Tuesday’s County Commission meeting. I’m not going to support a mandatory vaccine, but I do get your point,” Commission Chair Rita Pritchett told Tobia. “But it’s their choice, not ours.”The announcement of Tobia’s proposal drew concern and frustration last week from some local firefighters and their supporters, including the Brevard County Professional Firefighters union. Tobia balked at the frequent comparison during the meeting between his vaccine mandate and a countywide mask mandate, proposed last summer by Lober. “I’ve got union firefighters advocating for up to a 30% raise,” he said.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard County Commissioners targeted an outgoing Florida Today editor with a resolution Tuesday “honoring” her but instead the commissioners targeted the journalist’s nationality and the decline of newspaper sales. Florida Today engagement editor Isadora Rangel announced last week she was leaving after 3.5 years at the Brevard County paper for a new position with the Miami Herald. After reading the “more palatable” of his suggestions to add to the resolution, Lober removed his mask to read the second. After laughs all around from the Brevard County Commission, Tobia recommended the commission stick with the first addition Lober suggested but not the second targeting Rangel’s Brazilian nationality. Editor’s note: News 6 has a content sharing agreement with Florida Today that does not include opinion or editorial pieces.

Brevard County gives away more PPE to small businessesBREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Nearly $2 million will be going toward helping Brevard County’s small businesses recover from COVID-19 losses. [TRENDING: Rare ‘Christmas star’ puts on a show | Suspects sold ‘jail broken’ Amazon Fire Sticks | Who will be the next to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?] Commissioner Bryan Lober responded that federal CARES money would not come out of first responders’ paychecks, it would be cut from capital projects. The owner of a salon in Melbourne said he’s taken advantage of the county’s PPE giveaways since they started. The owner of the Younique Spa also said his employees are anticipating receiving the next round of stimulus checks.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Brevard County’s Patrick Air Force Base is still in the running to host the military’s 11th unified combatant command known as the U.S. Space Command. Not to be confused with the U.S. Space Force, the branch under the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Space Command oversees national security missions in space, many of which already launch from Florida’s Space Coast. The U.S. Space Command was previously established in 1985 to coordinate the use of outer space by the branches of the U.S. military but later disbanded. [TRENDING: County prepares for vaccine | Remote learning continues in spring | ‘We’re failing:’ Mayors call for COVID-19 action]Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado-- which is the temporary home of the USSPACECOM-- Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico; Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; Joint Base San Antonio, Texas; and Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska are also among the six finalists. During the next phase, the Air Force will conduct both virtual and in person site visits at all six locations.

GRANT, Fla. – Brevard County commissioners voted 3-2 Tuesday to swap county land with state land inside a sanctuary for Florida scrub jays. Now, plans appear to be moving forward with building a new dredging spoil site for muck from the Indian River Lagoon. The land swap means a muck pit could be lot a lot closer to Gary Cameron’s yard. Supporters of the deal said environmental studies show building the muck pit here is the safest option. “Why not use what you already have?” Cameron asked, referring to a spoil site in Palm Bay.

Pritchett said she encourages people to get concealed weapons permits and carry their weapons and believes 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds should have complete adult rights.But Pritchett said she has qualms about having open-carry in Florida. As of June 30, there were 2.12 million holders of Florida concealed weapon/firearm licenses, according to the states Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Licensing. Most states already allow open carry of firearms, according to data compiled by the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. During Tuesday's County Commission discussion, Lober referenced Ivey's assertions that good people with guns are important to counteract bad people with guns. I fully support this measure to allow all citizens with valid concealed weapons licenses to openly carry their firearms in conformity with the Second Amendment of the Constitution, Edmond said.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. Brevard awoke to grim news on Tuesday: The number of coronavirus fatalities in the county had jumped by 20, from 65 to 85, a one-day record. A line list of deaths published daily by the Department of Health indicates which cases were newly reported on that day. On Monday, Brevard passed 5,000 coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. Brevard County Commission Chairman Bryan Lober on Tuesday reacted to the news of Tuesday's local death record with criticism for those who dismissed efforts to implement mask-wearing mandates. Just last week in Brevard County, Florida Gov.

Georgia Tech assistant professor Clio Andris, who helped develop the database that now tracks every county in the United States, said, before attending gatherings, people should carefully consider the risks. Andris is an assistant professor in the School of City and Regional Planning, with a joint appointment in the School of Interactive Computing at Georgia Tech. Andris said other experts have put that figure at anywhere from six undetected cases for every detected case to 24 undetected cases for every detected case. Researchers at Georgia Tech recently expanded their database called the "COVID-19 Event Risk Assessment Planning Tool" to include county-by-county probabilities for every county in the United States. Using a ratio of 10 undetected cases for every detected case, that would mean there have been 37,220 undetected cases in Brevard County, which has a population estimated by the Census Bureau at 601,942.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. In a contentious special county commission meeting Tuesday, Brevard County leaders rejected the proposal for a county-wide face covering requirement. Chairman Bryan Lober raised the proposal for discussion, suggesting masks should be required inside businesses. Lobers proposal outlined that those who dont comply would potentially be issued a warning and fined for a second offense. Public opposition to proposed mask mandate inside businesses gathers ahead of special @BrevardCo_FL commission meeting. As of Tuesday, Brevard County public health officials had recorded 1,793 cases of coronavirus, up 77 infections from Mondays numbers.

Lober's proposal will be considered by the County Commission during a special meeting that begins at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Brevard County Government Center in Viera. Lober said the five-member County Commission which is all-Republican should avoid having his proposal become entwined in politics. Lober said he made his decision to push for a mask policy after speaking with emergency medicine physicians. Lober generally wears a face mask when out in a public setting, except during County Commission meetings, at which the commissioners are socially distanced from one another. Members of the public can watch the meeting and deliver public comment via videoconferencing from the County Commission chambers on the first floor.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Officials in Brevard County held a news conference Wednesday to discuss Gov. DeSantis’s executive order following the rising number of coronavirus cases in Florida. The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office said it was sifting through the 40-page order to see what additional stores or businesses needed to be closed. The news conference included Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, Commission Chair Bryan Lober, Brevard County Health Officer Maria Stahl, and Public Safety Director Matt Wallace. Brevard County Health Officer Maria Stahl informed the community that they should expect the number of cases to increase as time goes on.