Top stories on the Space Coast in 2023: launches, water war and an execution

As the gray atop my head gets more pronounced, the years seem to come and go faster than ever before.

It's hard to believe 2023 will soon be a memory and 2024 upon us.

It was a rough 2022 for me and 2023 started out just as bad personally. My wife's mother passed away and a longtime friend was arrested on child pornography charges. Thankfully things took a drastic turn and we celebrated some truly wonderful things like my son getting married, family reconciliations and great trips to South Carolina and Alaska.

And if 2023 proved anything to me it's the absolute fact that no matter what is going on, life still goes on.

Some things seem to have no end in sight, such as the audit of former County Commissioner Bryan Lober's spending that expanded to include a full examination of the use of purchasing cards by the five Brevard County Commission offices initiated in the spring of 2022. It's been more than a year since County Clerk Rachel Sadoff asked the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to assist in the investigation last November.

And speaking of probes, current County Commissioner John Tobia is being investigated by state authorities as well for alleged voter fraud. This one bears a close eye as Tobia is running for the Supervisor of Elections post here in Brevard.

We've seen some familiar faces take over some high-profile positions such as new Brevard County School Superintendent Mark Rendell (see more below) and U.S. Space Force Col. Robert Long, who retired earlier this year after commanding Space Launch Delta 30 at Vandenberg Space Force Base in California and now heads up Space Florida as president and CEO.

We also welcomed new faces, like that of John Nicklow who left his post as president of the University of New Orleans to take over at Florida Tech.

Arrivals are typically made possible because of departures and we definitely experienced some of those, including a few who were helped out the door. Assistant State Attorney Bryon Aven finally turned in his resignation papers after pleading guilty to charges brought by the Florida Bar that he presented and encouraged false testimony during a 2022 battery case. He is barred from practicing law for two years.

Also shown the door was Cocoa Beach Police Chief Scott Rosenfeld, who came under fire for alleged bullying, sexism and toxicity in the department. Leading the investigation was Cocoa Beach City Manager Robin Hayes, who resigned herself earlier this month. It's unclear what prompted Hayes to resign.

Palm Bay City Councilman Peter Filiberto resigned early in the year after being arestesd on felony drug charges.

West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose resigned this year as well after some back-n-forth battling over his residency.

There were some things to celebrate, too. William Dillon marked his 15th year of freedom after being exonerated for a murder he did not commit and spending 27 years in prison. Cocoa notched yet another state title in high school football (see below) and foodies relished in the long-anticipated opening of Chef Ercan Ekinci’s Urban Prime Marketplace and Restaurant in Viera.

Rockets are being launched in record numbers (see below) and we went a full year without a hurricane — though we did have a tornado, record heat and other weird weather.

Here in no particular order are the top 10 stories we covered locally in 2023:

Crosley Green denied by Supreme Court, sent back to prison

Crosley Green, believed by many to be innocent of the crimes he was convicted of in 1990, returned to prison to serve out the rest of his life sentence after the US Supreme Court refused to consider his appeal.

Green, 65, spent nearly two years as a "free" man in Titusville under house arrest after a federal court overturned his conviction. He was allowed the limited freedom while the state appealed the ruling. After the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Green's conviction in late 2022, he was permitted to remain free pending the US Supreme Court.

More: Torres: Nothing to do with Crosley Green now except enjoy some ice cream.

Green returned to prison in April. His attorneys continue to seek avenues of freedom on his behalf.

"The last two years have been the best years of my life," Green said, before turning himself in. "I reunited with my family and met my grandkids for the first time. I learned a new job that I really love. I've enjoyed worshiping with my church in Titusville. And I've begun new relationships that have changed my life. I would like to live the years I have left in freedom and peace." — John A. Torres

New school superintendent is hired

In May, the Brevard County School Board chose Mark Rendell, then-principal at Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School, as its next superintendent. Rendell was chosen from a list of 33 applicants.

The board did not unanimously vote for Rendell, with Katye Campbell and Jennifer Jenkins voting against his selection, citing concerns about the choice further dividing both the board and community. They also brought up concerns about his controversial exit from Indian River County, where he served as superintendent from 2015 to 2019. Both board members felt two other finalists were more qualified.

Since he took the reigns in June, Rendell has been faced with the challenges of interpreting and implementing vague state rules, like guidelines about what can and can't be taught in AP Psychology, the need for parental approval on all extra curricular activities and more. He has approached these challenges with caution, saying he wants to protect both students and teachers from legal repercussions.

More: Brevard school board chooses Mark Rendell as new superintendent

Rendell, the only candidate with history in Brevard County, began as a teacher for BPS in 1993 and was later an assistant principal before becoming principal at Titusville High School in 2001. He left for other jobs in 2006 but returned to helm Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr. High School in 2019. — Finch Walker

Record number of launches

By the week before Halloween, the Space Coast had already shattered its record for orbital launches in a single year.

And unprecedented launch traffic keeps racking up from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.

More: SpaceX Falcon 9 mission Monday night ends 11-day launch drought from Florida's Space Coast

For more than a half century, Brevard County’s longstanding record of 29 orbital launches dated to the conclusion of the Gemini program in 1966. That record increased to 30 in 2020 and 31 in 2021 — before rocketing up to 57 last year.

In 2023, it was smashed as launches topped 70.

And in a November speech on Merritt Island, Florida Lt. Gov. Jeanette Nuñez predicted the Space Coast will host more than 100 launches in 2024. — Rick Neale

Port Canaveral becomes world's busiest port for cruising (for a bit)

Port Canaveral was one of Brevard County's economic powerhouses during 2023.

It began the year surpassing PortMiami as the world's busiest cruise port, based on passenger volume. Miami recaptured the crown by the end of 2023, but Port Canaveral still had a stellar year.

Port Canaveral had a 66.5% increase in passenger volume in the 2022-23 budget year that ended Sept. 30, rising to 6.78 million arriving and departing passengers, up from 4.07 million in 2021-22. It also posted record operating revenue of $190.75 million and record profits of $88.73 million. More than $158 million ― or 82.8% ― of its operating revenue came from cruise ships and cruise passenger parking. The port's cargo business set records as well.

More: Port Canaveral loses title of world's busiest cruise port after one year to Miami

Port Canaveral this winter is home to 13 multiday cruise ships from five cruise lines ― Carnival, Disney, MSC, Norwegian and Royal Caribbean. By the end of 2024, two more cruise lines ― Celebrity and Princess ― will base ships at Port Canaveral, and the port will have at least 16 home-ported ships in the winter of 2024-25.

The port also helps boost the Space Coast's overall tourism market, because many cruise passengers stay at local hotels before or after their cruises. They also eat at local restaurants, shop as local stores and visit local attractions. — Dave Berman

Brevard man executed

Brevard County death row inmate James Barnes was executed by lethal injection in August at Florida State Prison northwest of Starke.

Barnes was put to death for brutally raping and murdering Melbourne nurse Patricia “Patsy” Miller inside her condominium in 1988. After killing her, he set her bed on fire with her body in it.

He was also convicted of strangling his estranged wife, Linda, and leaving her body inside a bedroom closet in 1997 in her home near West Melbourne.

More: Torres: Murderer's family anxiously awaits his execution

The day of his execution, Barnes neither requested a last meal nor gave a final statement.

"James Barnes was a violent and ruthless criminal," Melbourne Police Chief David Gillespie said via email.

Barnes became the first Brevard death row inmate to be executed since Mark Dean Schwab was put to death in July 2008.

Cocoa the best ever Brevard H.S. football team?

The Cocoa High football team accomplished more than most any other in Brevard County high school football history, starting the season by beating seven teams ranked statewide by the USA Today Florida Network. The Tigers advanced to the FHSAA state final for Class 2S in Tallahassee and defeated Bradford by the score of 20-6.

More: Cocoa football coaches: Tigers program did the improbable in hiring hits

They finished 14-1 overall for the season, and their only loss came in controversial fashion to national power St. Thomas Aquinas by a point after appearing to have run out the clock.

It was the sixth state title in Cocoa football history and a repeat of the 2S championship won a year ago in Ft. Lauderdale. For sixth-year head coach Ryan Schneider, it was the second Tigers championship in his fourth finals appearance. The team also won its 17th consecutive regional title. — Brian McCallum

County Commission defunds the arts

Brevard County commissioners seemed to be playing a game of hot potato with tourism grants during 2023, as they went back and forth with the funding that they control.

These grants are funded by Brevard County's 5% tourist development tax on hotel rooms, vacation rentals and other short-term rentals.

The most extensive debate involved proposed grants to 25 arts and cultural organizations and events. In overriding recommendations from the Brevard County Tourist Development Council, an advisory board to the County Commission, commissioners initially voted against the arts grants, saying that they instead wanted to move the funds to help pay for ocean lifeguards and the marketing of the lifeguard program.

More: Brevard tourism grants go through with exception of Renaissance Fair, Cocoa Beach races

Some in the arts sector, however, suspected that the impetus for the denial of the arts grants was the concerns raised on social media by Florida Rep. Randy Fine to one of the 25 grants — $15,000 targeted to go to Space Coast Pride and its 2024 Pridefest, an event focused on the LGBTQ+ community, that is held in downtown Melbourne. Commissioners deny this was the reason for their vote.

In the end, by a 3-2 vote, commissioners restored the cultural grant funding totaling $530,000 for the 2023-24 budget year that began Oct. 1, after learning there is enough money for both the cultural grants and the lifeguards. They also restored funding for the Brevard Cultural Alliance, reversing an earlier vote.

But Space Coast Office of Tourism Executive Director Peter Cranis warns that there may not be money available in future years in the tourism budget for arts grants and the Brevard Cultural Alliance because of the recurring funding coming from the tourism agency's budget for the lifeguard program. The tourism major events grant program also could be affected, because its funding comes out of the same cultural portion of the tourism agency.

County commissioners also have placed greater scrutiny on funding of tourism capital grants and sports grants. — Dave Berman

Crosswinds at a crossroads

One of Brevard's longest serving charities. Crosswinds Youth Services in Cocoa, fell on dark times this year, after it was revealed the nonprofit was floundering amid crumbling finances, a forensic audit and a criminal investigation into its longtime former CEO.

A trove of internal documents and emails obtained by FLORIDA TODAY showed concerns about deteriorating facilities — especially in its youth shelter, one of Brevard's only havens for runaway and homeless teens — even as it sat on an obscure executive retirement account worth over half a million dollars.

More: Prominent Brevard charity on verge of collapse as former CEO faces criminal probe

The situation came to head last month when the Florida Network of Youth and Family Services, one of Crosswind's major sources of state funding, temporarily suspended most of its contracted services amid the financial chaos.

The future of the organization, which serves some of Brevard's most vulnerable residents, remains uncertain as it struggles to regain its footing under new leadership. — Eric Rogers

Titusville's Water War

Over the past year Titusville has been in the throes of its own constitutional dilemma, one that pits local rule and local voters against the state legislature with the City Council nestled uncomfortably between the two.

A right to clean water may sound open-ended, but a city charter amendment guaranteeing residents just that passed overwhelmingly last year after the city and county's long history of sewage spills into the Indian River Lagoon. But the City Council a year on has yet to codify the matter into the books officially.

More: Titusville will continue legal challenge against 'right to clean water' ballot initiative

How the local measure would be interpreted under a law passed by the Florida legislature and signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis is another matter. So far the city has attempted twice to get a judgment against the ballot initiative, failing on both occasions.

A third legal challenge is currently in the works as city leaders have said they fear the charter amendment will open them up to undue litigation and trouble from the state. Voters continue pushing to see the charter inked that would grant every resident of Titusville a right to have clean water.  — Tyler Vazquez

Quadruple homicide in Canaveral Groves

The black and white surveillance video was as clear as it was haunting.

Brevard Sheriff’s investigators said the footage, captured about 1 a.m. March 1, showed Domenico Gigante, 36, pulling up in his Dodge pickup near the Canaveral Groves home and its unsuspecting residents.

Then came the gunfire, followed by the off-camera screams of an unseen woman.

Then silence before lights flickered to life on the pickup as it was seen leaving the driveway.

Nine months later Gigante — who investigators said left his Rockledge home then methodically shot and killed four people, including his 15-year-old daughter — faces the death penalty in the single deadliest homicide case since 2012.

More: Canaveral Groves: Dad's strained relationship with daughter preceded shooting, investigators say

Killed were Glenda Terwilliger, 63; Michael Andrew Watson, 36; Constance Marie Terwilliger, 35; and Constance's daughter Kiarra Terwilliger, who was 15. The shooting deaths left two other children traumatized and residents horrified in the ordinarily quiet Central Brevard community.

The Rockledge man, who authorities said felt increasingly frustrated over the estrangement with his daughter, was charged with four counts of premeditated first degree murder.

He pleaded not guilty to the charges and remains jailed without bond.

The slayings were four of the 42 homicides reported in Brevard County since January. — Jeff Gallop

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Top news stories in Brevard County in 2023 cover space, crime, politics