Florida Today from Cocoa, Florida • Page 9

4. i STATE HEWS INSIDE Natural gas pipeline planned to run from Alabama to Florida would damage Gulf of Mexico's bottom, experts say, 8B. MORE STATE HEWS Florida has quietly implemented a voucher plan for disabled children, despite furor over academic school vouchers, 8B. LOCAL MONDAY, February 5, 2001 SECTION James Langford, asst. metro editor, 242-3549, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

LOCAL DRIEFS on Co lied drfue-faf stootiini By Brad Buck FLORIDA TODAY Police suspect Cocoa man in slaying sect sought COCOA A teen-ager was fatally shot Sunday morning while out riding his bike. Police are looking for Rayne Lamont Brownlee, 25, whose last known address is on East Railroad Avenue in Cocoa. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Anthony Caruso at 639-7631. Police said a car pulled up next to him, and someone rolled down a window and fired four rounds at him. Police have identified a partment.

Police did not have a specific address for Dorsey on Sunday night. Dorsey was taken to Holmes Regional Medical Center in Melbourne after the 11:30 a.m. shooting, Matthews said. A hospital spokeswoman said he arrived in critical condi-tion. Dorsey died about 6:30 p.m., Matthews said.

The victim's family was notified about his death Sunday night Dorsey was riding his bike in the 800 block of Stone Street when a 1992 grey Mercury Grand Marquis pulled up. Someone inside fired four shots at him from a handgun, Matthews said. One of the shots hit Dorsey. The car immediately drove off, police said. Police said they are looking for Rayne Lamont Brownlee, 25, whose last known address is on East Railroad Avenue in Cocoa.

Investigators said they developed Brownlee as their suspect after interviewing residents in the area of the shooting. "We're hoping to release in formation on what he looks like (today)," Matthews said. Police were still canvassing the neighborhood late Sunday night, she said. Police said they didn't know the motive for the shooting, and they didn't know whether Brownlee and Dorsey knew each other. Brownlee was previously arrested in June 2000, as one of six suspects in a Port Canaveral crack cocaine dealing ring, shut down by a three-month investigation by the Brevard County 25-year-old Cocoa man as a sus pect and are seeking him for questioning.

Ivery Tremain Dorsey, 17, of Sheriffs Office. Deputies said at that time that several handguns were confiscated from the group. Police ask anyone with information about Brownlee to call Detective Anthony Caruso at 639-7631. Cocoa was shot once on the left side of his body under his arm, said Barbara Matthews, spokeswoman for the Cocoa Police De- City plans 8,000 attend Big Squeeze to dissolve 2 advisory boards By Judy Berman FLORIDA TODAY PALM BAY The Palm Try 7Wi 9 1 1 vl V71 Bay City Council plans to abolish two advisory boards the Environmental Advisory Board and the Utilities Advisory Board next month. The move troubles some who feel the boards offer expertise on issues the council members lack, and they think residents Three arrested on drug counts PALM BAY Three people were charged Sunday on multiple drug counts after a traffic stop at Interstate 95 and Palm Bay Road, authorities said.

Lt. Jim Hobby of the Florida Highway Patrol said three occupants of a vehicle were arrested about 2:50 p.m. Hobby said the charges came during an ongoing investigation involving the FHP and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. FHP investigators wouldn't release anymore information Sunday night, referring all questions to FDLE agents, who were not available for comment Public meeting to discuss Eau Gallie redevelopment MELBOURNE Residents are invited to share their views about redeveloping the Eau Gallie area during a meeting at 6 p.m. Wednesday at St Paul's United Methodist Church, 1591 Highland Ave.

City Planner Cheryl Campbell said city officials want to revitalize the Eau Gallie area, but they encourage those who live and work in the area to shape city planning efforts. "The redevelopment plan will be the result of their ideas," she said. Melbourne and Brevard County have designated the Eau Gallie area as a redevelopment area, which allows for a portion of property taxes from the area to be used for improvement projects. During the past 10 years the area has seen an increase in problems ranging from criminal activities to falling property values, city officials say. A $50,000 state grant, along with $10,000 from Melbourne, has allowed for the hiring of a consulting company that will draw redevelopment plans to enhance residential areas and the business climate, said Mike Moore, Melbourne public information officer.

Time capsule to be unearthed at hotel COCOA BEACH Remnants of the past will be revealed Wednesday when a time capsule at The DoubleTree Oceanfront Hotel and Howard Johnson Express Inn is unearthed, according to Geo Ropert of the Cocoa Beach Chamber of Commerce. The capsule was buried March 5, 1987, Ropert said, on the grounds of what was then the Howard Johnson Plaza Hotel in Cocoa Beach. During Wednesday's event at 5:30 p.m., a time capsule with recent and current items will be buried. Ropert said the capsule will remain undisturbed until 2015. For more information, contact the chamber at 459-2200.

County rejects request to exceed height limit VTERA For the second year in a row, the Brevard County Commission has denied a developer the right to build a luxury residential condominium higher than the 45-foot height limit on a stretch of beach known for its high-rise structures. The board Thursday night denied the developer's request to build 20 feet higher than county zoning codes allow without a special-use permit The developer wanted to build a seven-story super-luxury condo 40 feet from State Road ALA. Last year, the board rejected a request by will have even less of a say about city issues. Photos by Tim Shortt, FLORIDA TODAY NELSON, featuring brothers Matthew and Gunnar, sons of the Festival at Brevard Community College's Palm Bay campus, late Ricky Nelson, perform Sunday at the Big Squeeze Juice The band was popular in the United States several years ago. Cool weather puts damper on Palm Bay's first juice festival -ha Council members are trying to consolidate their power, and people of Palm Bay should beware," said Neal Chancellor, a resident concerned about the Utilities Advisory Board's fate.

The council gave tentative approval to dismantle the volunteer groups at its meeting Thursday. According to a poll taken by the city of 14 communities in Brevard County, only four have an Environmental Advisory Board. The council will review the plan at its meeting Feb. 15 and at a public hearing March 1. But after that hearing, the plan to eliminate the two boards is expected to be final.

"Is there an unspoken agenda that they want to dissolve this board without the board's reviews or comments?" said Troy Rice, a member of the Environmental Advisory Board and former chairman of the nine-member group. Rice said he "never got a good answer" when he asked the council the same question at a January workshop. The board's members work to beautify the community on projects such as getting rid of Brazilian pepper trees, and advise the council on environmental issues. Critics said the board did more than it was allowed and took action without the council's permission. Councilman John Mazziotti said that more than six years ago the city's plans to add ball fields to Liberty Park on Carlyle Avenue were derailed after some members of that board complained to state officials.

They told the state that the park couldn't be developed because scrub jays an endangered species lived there. As a result, the city was ordered to set aside about 25 of the 40 acres for a scrub jay habitat, he said. "It's caused a lot of people problems," Councilman Norman Voltz said. See BOARDS, 4B Sherbin said. Although organizers won't have specific attendance information until Tuesday, Sherbin estimated about 8,000 people attended the event, which started Friday night and ended Sunday afternoon at Brevard Community College's Palm Bay campus.

Organizers had anticipated 15,000 to 20,000 people, but Sherbin said the cool weather kept many people away. He said the festival will be back next year. True to its theme, growers in Brevard and Indian River counties brought in fruit and juice for the festival. Some people went to the festival as much to sample the fruit as the music. "We've been chasing all the different orange juices," Jim Rit-ter of Palm Bay said.

His wife, Cheri, remained festive despite the weather, showing off a blanket they had bought for their dog. Nick Tsamontales of Palm By Brad Buck FLORIDA TODAY PALM BAY Cool, cloudy weather put a damper on attendance at the first Big Squeeze Juice Festival, but Sunday's crowd warmed up to the sounds of Nelson. Keri Kolumbus, 24, of Melbourne said she went to the festival just to the see Gunnar and Matthew Nelson, sons of the late Ricky Nelson. "They played some of their dad's songs as a tribute," Kolumbus said, adding that she had "touched one of their hands" at a concert in Huntsville, when she was 14. Nelson plays all sorts of music, ranging from country to rock and pop, said festival organizer Stephen Sherbin, president of the Millennium Group of Melbourne.

The band is very popular in Japan and Taiwan, Sherbin said, and was somewhat popular in the United States about eight or nine years ago, the same developer for an eight-story condo that would have stretched 24 feet over the height limit A circuit court judge ruled last fall that the county couldn stop the devel oper from building because his project was in line with many other high-rise condos and hotels in the same stretch of unincorporated CHRISTOPHER, 10, and Bradley Keena, 8, of Palm Beach Gardens ride the Cliff Hanger. beachfront near Indialantic. Those structures were built before the county imposed a height limit Bay volunteered at the festival the first two days, then brought his family there Sunday. "This should be bigger than the strawberry festival (in Plant City)," he said. "Florida is known for its citrus." Stan and Eileen Mount, both 70, of Melbourne Beach said they enjoyed the music and the citrus samples, but added that he and his wife usually get their citrus from Indian River County.

County law permits a developer to build up to 45 feet above a one-story ground-level garage. However, the board can grant special-use permits to developers requesting to build higher, provided they agree to meet certain conditions. Renaming Bee Line offensive to vets, critic says The board has asked its legal staff to draft an ordinance that would repeal the SDecial-use permit so no exceptions could be made to the height limit for residential proj Causeway named for Korean War hero, Medal of Honor winner ects. Briefs reported bp Brad Buck, Patricia Walsh and James Langford. Dry conditions in Brevard County The Keetch-Byram Drought Index ranks dryness from zero to 800 with the 600-to-800 range indicating severe drought conditions and a high risk for brush fires.

Officials use the drought index to gauge an area's wildfire danger. find their way on a map here unless it is named the Beach Line is ludicrous and insulting to their intelligence There is a large population of veterans in this county. Some sensitivity needs to be given to their interest when you talk about things like this." According to the Korean War 50th Anniversary Web site, http:korea50.army.mil index-html, on June 24, 1951, near Sobangsan, Korea, two enemy battalions swarmed up a ridge line attempting to overrun Bennett's company. Bennett, a private, left his foxhole to provide cover. Although ordered to move back, he voluntarily remained until mortally wounded.

Cocoa Beach Area Chamber of Commerce President Heidi Brandow said she is exploring the possibility of a name change and how much support the idea has. She said the chamber "would never dishonor the memory of a veteran" who died in combat, and the many veterans in Brevard are "very important to the chamber. Brandow said the chamber would consider a dual name for the road, possibly something like The Emory Bennett Beach Highway. U.S. Rep.

Dave Weldon, R-Palm Bay, supported the 1998 naming of SR 528 to the KSC Highway. See BEE LINE, 2B the Indian and Banana rivers in Central Brevard. Lost in the shuffle is the name change the Legislature enacted in 1998, when SR 528 from SR 436 in Orlando to U.S. 1 in Cocoa was rechris-tened The Kennedy Space Center Highway. The chamber and local merchants say changing the name to the Beach Line will funnel more tourists to the beach.

Andreas counters that renaming the road is a slap in the face to veterans and tourists. "It is patently offensive to assume that renaming the road will bring more tourists here," she said. "To assume tourists can't By Brian Monroe FLORIDA TODAY A controversy is brewing over what to call the 55-mile stretch of asphalt known as State Road 528 or the Bee Line Expressway. On one side are the Cocoa Beach Area Chamber of Commerce and the Tourist Development Commission of Brevard County. They support changing the name to the Beach Line.

On another is former Brevard County Commissioner Karen Andreas, who is standing up for Korean war hero and Congressional Medal of Honor winner Emory L. Bennett, whose name is bestowed on the portion of SR 528 that crosses Brevard County 607 as Arid, desert Wet, marshy conditions conditions Wet Dry -i 600 700 800 0 100 200 300 400 Malcolm Denemark, FLORIDA TODAY PVT. EMORY L. BENNETT was killed in the Korean War when enemy battalions attempted to overrun his company and he left his foxhole to provide cover. Part of State Road 528 is named for him.

To view the Keetch-Byram Drought Index map, visit http:tlame.tl-dof.comlireweatherkbdi index.html FLORIDA TODAY.