Florida
Small Business Environmental Assistance Program
The Small Business Environmental Assistance Program (SBEAP), established under Section 507 of the Clean Air Act, is a resource available to help small businesses understand and comply with environmental regulations. Florida’s SBEAP is housed within the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s Division of Air Resource Management.
Although the SBEAP is primarily air-focused, staff either provide direct assistance with multimedia questions or refer customers to the appropriate environmental program area.
To qualify for assistance as a small business, the business must have fewer than 100 employees, release less than 75 tons of all regulated air pollutants and release less than 50 tons of any single regulated air pollutant.
Services
Florida’s SBEAP provides free and confidential environmental permitting and compliance assistance to small businesses through a variety of services including:
Phone or Email Consultations
Referrals to other Environmental Programs
Regulatory Updates and Resources
The SBEAP disseminates news and information on environmental regulations that may affect small businesses and develops fact sheets, booklets, forms and other materials for specific industries covered under the Air General Permit Program.
Visit the National Small Business Environmental Assistance Program for more comprehensive regulatory updates and other resources for small businesses.
Outreach and Education
The SBEAP also partners with various organizations and trade associations to help protect the interests of small businesses and enhance awareness and compliance with environmental regulations.
Industry Associations
Other Resource Links
Ombudsman
Jessica Dalton
Florida Department of Environmental Protection
Division of Air Resource Management
2600 Blair Stone Road, MS 5500
Tallahassee, FL 32399
800-722-7457 / 850-717-9106
The Small Business Ombudsman oversees the SBEAP and serves as an advocate for Florida’s small businesses. The ombudsman is responsible for keeping small businesses informed of impending or new regulations and associated requirements to enhance awareness and compliance, ensuring that small business interests are represented during the rule-making process and providing confidential assistance to small-business owners as requested.
A so Florida thing is coming up to kick off the weekend. A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is scheduled for the same day as the first full moon of May 2026 (yes, there are two full moons in May this year).
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit on Friday, May 1. The four-hour launch window opens up 10 minutes after the May 1 full moon peaks in the sky.
Though rockets here launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, people from the Treasure Coast can sometimes see this phenomenon.
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and as far south as West Palm Beach.
When there’s a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky, and the contrail after makes for a great photo.
Below is more information on the next rocket launch from Florida and suggestions on where to watch it from the Treasure Coast.
For questions or comments, email USA TODAY Network Space Reporters Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com, Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com or Eric Lagatta at elagatta@usatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Is there a rocket launch from Florida today? Next launch is Friday, May 1
SpaceX Starlink 10-38
- Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit.
- Launch window: 1:33 p.m. to 5:33 p.m. ET on Friday, May 1.
- Trajectory: Northeast.
- Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Sonic booms: No.
- Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser.
Where to watch a rocket launch in Sebastian, Vero Beach, Florida
- Sebastian Inlet State Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach, Florida (cost to enter)
- Wabasso Beach Park, 1808 Wabasso Beach Road, Wabasso, Florida
- Ambersands Beach Park, 12566 N. SR A1A, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking)
- South Beach Park, 1700 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking)
- Merrill Barber Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida
- Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida
Where to watch a rocket launch in Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, Florida
- Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, 905 Shorewinds Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
- Blind Creek Beachside North and South, 5460 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
- Blue Heron Beach, 2101 Blue Heron Blvd., Fort Pierce, Florida
- Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, 3600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
- Dollman Park Beachside, 9200 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida
- Herman’s Bay Beach, 7880 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida
- John Brooks Park Beachside, 3300 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
- Middle Cove Beach, 4600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
- Normandy Beach in Jensen Beach, Florida
- Pepper Park Beachside, 3302 N. SR A1A, Fort Pierce, Florida
- Walton Rocks Beach, 6700 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida (dog park)
- Waveland Beach, 10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida
Where to watch a rocket launch in Stuart, Florida
- State Road A1A causeway in Stuart, Florida
- House of Refuge and beach, 301 S.E. MacArthur Blvd., Stuart, Florida
Watch rocket launches with NASA on Prime Video
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
NASA content, including some rocket launches, is available to watch through NASA+ on desktop, both from its official site and YouTube. The platform is also available to download as a mobile app on smartphones.
All NASA+ content is also available to those who have Prime Video downloaded on any of their devices – whether it be a smartphone or smart TV.
The content, which does not require a Prime subscription to view, is one of Prime Video’s FAST channels (free ad-supported television). Viewers can find it under Prime’s Live TV section at the top of the screen when they open the app.
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
The body of Alejandro Jacomino Gonzalez, 41 was discovered in coastal Georgia, according to FBI officials.
The body of a truck driver was discovered in Georgia nearly two weeks after he went missing from a Florida rest stop, officials said.
Alejandro Jacomino González, 41, of Miami, picked up vehicles in Georgia on April 16 and was transporting them to Miami. He stopped at a rest stop in Brevard County, Florida on April 17 about 1:21 a.m. and rested for several hours.
The truck’s GPS showed shortly before 8 a.m., the truck “traveled one exit south and then turned north toward Jacksonville, Florida,” according to the FBI.
“Shortly after, González stopped responding and the truck was reported missing,” the FBI said.
The truck, without some of the vehicles González was transporting, was located in Port Wentworth, Georgia. Three vehicles were recovered in Florida, FBI officials said.
González’s body was located in coastal Georgia. Details on how he died, when and how his remains were located were not provided.
FBI seeking help from public in case of killed Florida truck driver
The FBI is seeking anyone who has photos or video from the Brevard County rest area in Grant-Valkaria, Florida between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m. April 17.
Officials are especially interested in the southern portion of the rest stop, near the ramp reconnecting to Interstate-95. Images can shared through an online form.
Michelle Spitzer is a journalist for The USA TODAY NETWORK-FLORIDA. As the network’s Rapid Response reporter, she covers Florida’s breaking news. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
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