A Palm Bay man awaiting trial on felony child abuse charges got a Brevard County judge to lift a ban on contact with minors after telling the judge he was a licensed contractor managing a construction project for Brevard Public Schools.![]()
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Florida records show John Eric Vernon holds no contractor license and never has. The school told The Space Coast Rocket he has never been under contract for any of its campuses. And when we asked Vernon directly, he wrote: "I am not a licensed contractor and closed my company."![]()
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Court records also show Vernon filed seven sworn claims of lien against six property owners between 2019 and 2025. Florida law bars unlicensed contractors from filing liens for work that requires a license. Read the article below for the full details and what he may be facing now.![]()
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Did you hire John Vernon or J Vernon Enterprises LLC for remodeling, construction or repair work? If you had a problem with a job, a payment or a lien, we'd like to hear from you. Email editor@thespacecoastrocket.com or send us a message here. You can remain anonymous.![]()
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Vernon has not been convicted, and the case remains pending. His next court date is Oct. 7.![]()
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Fox News reports that the Florida Governor race is now seen as a toss up despite Republicans having a 1.5 million registered voter advantage.
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Trump: "Because of tariffs, we are taking in hundreds of billions of dollars of profits. It's one of the reasons I can offer, if Republicans win the House and Senate, $5,000 to every adult. We can do it and the Democrats can't, because the Democrats don't have any income."![]()
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Reminder, tariffs are taxes.
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A body has been found today during the search for missing surfer Jayson Doyle. Authorities have not yet confirmed the identity publicly.
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The Starbucks inside Melbourne Square Mall is now closed, with its signage wrapped in black plastic, its windows covered in paper, and a letter from the company taped to the front window.![]()
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In the letter addressed to customers, Starbucks said it made "the very difficult decision" this week to close the location. The company thanked customers for the memories and community built at the store and said it is working closely to support its employees, known as partners, through the transition. Customers are directed to nearby Starbucks locations through the company's app.![]()
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The letter does not give a reason for the closure.![]()
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The store had been open for nearly 20 years. Brian Cavins, the location's first manager, marked the closing in a Facebook post, calling it "a bittersweet day." Cavins said he was there when the space was cleared out as a Barnie's Coffee & Tea, then returned a few months later to open it as a Starbucks. It was his first store as a manager and the first team he built.![]()
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According to Cavins, employees are transitioning to new home stores. He spent part of the final day of operations with the staff, noting it felt fitting to be there on both the first day and the last.![]()
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"Thank you for 20+ years of my life, and for all of the amazing customers and partners who were part of the journey along the way," Cavins wrote.![]()
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#Starbucks #MelbourneFL #SpaceCoast
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