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The Avenue Viera is getting three new options for customers to shop at.

Playa Bowls, J. McLaughlin, and Big Peach Running will all be coming to the outdoor shopping venue that includes a mix of retail and restaurants.

Big Peach Running, which sells running shoes, athletic gear and accessories, will open Feb. 15. Opening dates weren’t yet announced for Playa Bowls and J. McLaughlin.

Playa Bowls specializes in health-conscious offerings like acai bowls, smoothies and juices. The founders started Playa Bowls in their home turf of the Jersey Shore and based the quick-service restaurant off their surfing travels around the world. There are more than 200 Playa Bowls nationwide.

J. McLaughlin is a clothing and accessory store for men and women that has been around since 1977. The Brooklyn-based company has more than 170 stores in the US.

More: Retail trends for this holiday season include shopping earlier, looking for deals

“These unique retailers will enhance our diverse offerings and reflect our commitment to providing a well-rounded and elevated shopping experience for our valued customers, said Kyle Cooper, General Manager of The Avenue Viera. " The addition of Playa Bowls, J. McLaughlin, and Big Peach Running further aligns with The Avenue Viera's position as the destination for those seeking a combination of style, taste, and active living.”

Spitzer can be reached at mspitzer@floridatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: The Avenue Viera is getting three new tenants including fashion and food options

COCOA BEACH, Fla. – Quinisha “Q” Bredwood took a big risk opening her restaurant, Q’s Crackin Crab & Seafood Kitchen, in Cocoa Beach right at the height of the pandemic.

“We found a building at the end of January (2020) and then we were negotiating our lease from January to February,” Bredwoood said. “And we were watching our friend who was in China as a teacher and talking about this pandemic. I was like, ‘That’s not gonna happen.’”

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Of course, it did happen. The pandemic forced the whole world to shut down and, in Bredwood’s case, kept her from opening at all.

“I was like, ‘What did we just do?’” Bredwood said. “Anthony (Bredwood’s husband) was like, ‘You know what? We got the money already spent. We negotiated four months of free rent. So let’s just watch out and look at everything, but we don’t have to open right away.’”

Check out the Florida Foodie podcast. You can find every episode in the media player below:

Florida Foodie

Crooked Can Brewing remains focused on Central Florida as it readies for big expansion

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Crooked Can Brewing remains focused on Central Florida as it readies for big expansion

Pizza hobby becomes nostalgic business for SoDough Square’s owner

Owner of Dancing Empanada ready to sell business he started out of trunk of his car

Husband, wife behind Pho Wheels dish out Asian street food all across Central Florida

Owner of Winter Park’s Hen & Hog battles serious health issues while keeping his business open

Universal Orlando shows off impressive menus for Minion Café, Halloween Horror Nights

Pandemic-induced boredom led to success of Central Florida bakery Stackd Brownies

Owners of Orlando’s Kaya mix fun, fine dining and traditional Filipino meals

First Responder’s Coffee Company supports those who serve their communities

Jewish Family Services of Greater Orlando sees a growing need for food assistance

Eventually, Q’s Crackin’ Crab was able to open on Fourth of July weekend 2020.

The restaurant has a prime location, nestled between Cocoa Beach Pier and Port Canaveral. The menu also offers more than just run-of-the-mill seafood.

“I call it soulful seafood because it’s like I throw in our soul food, but it’s like our still Florida-style seafood with the garlic butter and the Cajun seasoning and stuff like that,” Bredwood said.

She said the community has embraced her and her business.

“It feels weird living in the dream that you had once you know and now you’re in it. So it’s great,” Bredwood said.

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It’s a community Bredwood grew up in, having lived all over Brevard County.

“I moved a lot growing up,” she said. “So I went to three different high schools. So I have relationships at Cocoa High, Rockledge High and I graduated from Satellite (Beach) High. I know everyone.”

Having grown up in the community, Bredwood now looks to support it, especially the young people she hires as employees.

“A lot of times, they don’t have the experience and they don’t know how to deal with adversity or tough situations,” she said. “So we’re teaching them a lot. My husband played football, and so he has that structure. So we have a lot of football players that work with us. We’re coaching them a lot of time.”

Beyond supporting her young employees, Bredwood is also raising seven girls of her own as well. Her children range in age from nearly 1 year old to 19.

“I stay at home during the week with two of them. Then my 14-year-old is in high school. My 19-year-old is in college. She’s a manager at the restaurant. She works on the weekends. I stay at home during the week with the baby and my 4-year-old because we’re trying to find a new school for her,” she said.

On the latest episode of Florida Foodie, Bredwood talks more about balancing her family with her business. She also shares how her business has changed since it opened and the awards she’s received.

Please follow our Florida Foodie hosts on social media. You can find Candace Campos on Twitter and Facebook. Lisa Bell is also on Facebook and Twitter and you can check out her children’s book, “Norman the Watchful Gnome.”

Florida Foodie is a biweekly podcast from WKMG and Graham Media that takes a closer look at what we eat, how we eat it and the impact that has on us here in Florida and for everyone, everywhere. Find new episodes on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

The show was filmed during Gaydar's senior year of high school.

The Indian River Lagoon spans only 156 miles and isn't well-known outside the Space and Treasure coasts.

But 19-year-old Erin Gaydar has been working since she was in seventh grade to change that — to bring awareness to the lagoon and its microalgal blooms that lead to fish kills, and the excessive nutrients in the water that lead to these issues.

Now, she and the lagoon are getting international exposure with an upcoming appearance in a National Geographic series about teens competing in an international science fair.

"Science Fair: The Series" is a three-episode series "by nerds, for nerds," according to Muck Media, the production company producing the series, which will premiere on National Geographic Dec. 10 at 8 p.m and releases the following day on Disney+ and Hulu. Gaydar is one of several teens to be featured, with the show following her through her senior year of high school to the ISEF competition.

The Edgewood Jr./Sr. High graduate, now a sophomore at University of South Florida, worked on research that spanned most of high school and eventually led to her senior-year science fair project. The project's goal was to generate an effective solution to reduce microalgae with three possible methods.

That project gained the attention of National Geographic and won Gaydar first place in her category in Brevard's regional science fair; first in her category at the state fair; Best in Fair; and the Dr. Ying scholarship, which gave her a bid to compete at the International Science and Engineering Fair against more than 80 other countries, regions and territories. There, in May 2022, she placed fourth in her category.

With her work being set to be broadcast worldwide on Sunday, she's excited for the both locals and those on the other side of the world to learn more about the problems the Indian River Lagoon is facing, and potential solutions to help.

"People that can see the show in Asia and Australia and things like that, they won't even know what the lagoon is, but they'll be hearing about it," she said. "I think it's super important for people to ... understand that the Indian River Lagoon made it this far. We should definitely focus on it and trying to help it."

Gaydar, who participated in science fairs from age 8 until she graduated, said she's also looking forward to viewers seeing how exciting science fairs can be.

"I think science fair is one of the most beautiful things that schools created because it allows kids to be creative and actually study something and learn something knew, and it also requires them to physically present what they found," she said, adding that participating in fairs helped prepare her for the show.

Though Gaydar's project is over, she said she's still in communication with people who assisted her when she was doing her research, including people at NASA, Florida Tech, Marine Resource Council and others. As a marine biology student, she's not sure yet what area she wants to focus on when she's out of school. But she hopes to help continue to communicate with the world about science through media.

"I would always get that question, 'What do you want to do?' and I was like, 'Well, I want to do this,'" she said. "I want to do documentaries and tell people about the issues that the world is experiencing, and also show them the beauty of the environment."

Finch Walker is the education reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Walker at 321-290-4744 or fwalker@floridatoday.com. X: @_finchwalker

Sprouting up over what once was farmland, Florida Power & Light Co. is installing about 200,000 solar panels on what will become its second solar energy center in Palm Bay and fifth overall in Brevard County.

FPL's 74.5-megawatt Ibis Solar Energy Center is being built on a 500-acre site off Centerlane Road, not from its sister Palm Bay Solar Energy Center. When it goes online in January, Ibis will be able to generate enough power for about 15,000 homes and will be able to operate without any staff onsite.

"This site will provide low-cost, reliable energy for our customers throughout the state and here in the county," FPL spokesman Marshall Hastings said. It will take "the free energy from the sun and emissions-free energy, and put it up onto the grid for all of our customers to be able to use."

The Ibis facility, like other FPL projects of its size, is costing $90 million to $100 million to build. It has employed as many as 200 construction workers at its peak, according to Geoff West, director for FPL development in the company's northeast and northwest Florida region that includes Brevard.

After the Ibis project goes online, FPL plans to begin building a third Palm Bay solar project nearby that it will call the Fox Trail Solar Energy Center, with construction expected to start in April and be completed in January 2025.

The Ibis facility will have new solar panel technology that enables the panels to move throughout the day ? in effect, "following the sun" ? to maximize power generation. It also will have two-sided panels to more effectively capture solar power. That helps FPL reduce the number of solar panels required at a solar center to produce the same amount of electricity.

In all, FPL has 66 solar facilities in operation in 30 of Florida's 67 counties, including 16 sites that opened in 2023. Another 30 solar facilities are in the pipeline to open in 2024. It boasts of having the largest array of solar plants of any utility in the country.

FPL's solar energy presence is growing, but it still accounts for just 6% of its total energy mix, compared with about 70% for natural gas and 20% for nuclear.

Although FPL's rates have been rising, they would have been rising even faster without the push to build more solar plants.

"Because of our growing solar investments, FPL has had to purchase less fuel, which means less cost that is passed on to customers," Hastings said. "The company has saved customers approximately $700 million in avoided fuel costs since we began investing in the technology, with approximately $375 million in savings in 2022 alone."

Hastings, however, said FPL could not provide projections of how a shift toward solar would affect the average customer's bill.

"There are many factors that go into a customer’s bill, including the amount of energy they use, restoration costs for hurricanes and other charges," Hastings said. "One piece of the customer bill that we can influence is the cost of fuel to generate electricity. Those fuel costs are passed directly to customers. Over the past few years, the cost of natural gas to generate electricity has fluctuated significantly, driven by global events."

Ratepayers initially pay for the cost of developing the solar projects. But Hastings said the savings of using solar instead of natural gas, for example, will reduce power generation costs in the long run.

As sunlight hits the solar panels, the energy from the sun is converted into direct current electricity before it flows into power inverters, where it is converted into alternating current. The zero-emissions electricity travels through transformers, and the voltage is boosted for delivery onto the electric grid for delivery to homes and businesses.

The Ibis facility is FPL's fifth major solar project in Brevard. The others, with the years they opened, are:

In all, FPL owns more than 3,600 acres in southern Palm Bay. So, in addition to its planned Fox Trail Solar Energy Center, it has land available for other projects there, considering its solar projects typically are built on 400- to 600-acre sites. But FPL officials say the company has nothing specific in the works for Palm Bay after Fox Trail.

Solar projects now being built by FPL and other companies typically are 74.5 megawatts, allowing the utilities to work directly with local government officials, which generally speeds up the approval process. Projects of 75 megawatts or more must following a state statute for licensing large power plants.

Regardless of the size of the project, it must undergo environmental review and various permitting.

West said the property off Centerlane Road that FPL is developing for its solar centers previously was used a cattle and sod farm before FPL purchased the land. At one time, the site also had citrus groves.

Brevard County Property Appraiser Dana Blickley said the taxable value of the site increases after the solar panels are installed, generating more property tax revenue for Brevard County, Palm Bay and the Brevard School District, when compared with land that is zoned for agriculture or is vacant.

Palm Bay City Manager Suzanne Sherman said she is "excited to see the FPL Palm Bay Solar Energy Center contribute to Palm Bay's resilience and prosperity," including by boosting city property tax revenue at the project's site.

Mayor Rob Medina sees FPL's solar projects in Palm Bay as "shining as a symbol of our city's commitment to a sustainable future" by both generating clean energy and helping "spark economic vitality."

In addition to its solar complexes, FPL has installed small solar structures that provide shade and harness power from the sun at various locations in Brevard, including at the Brevard Zoo, the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Palm Bay City Hall, Pelican Beach Park, Port Canaveral and Riverview Park.

Juno Beach-based FPL is the nation's largest electric utility, serving 5.8 million accounts, or more than 12 million people, in 43 Florida counties.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

ABOVE VIDEO: Join Space Coast Daily Sports Talk with Juan Rodriguez and Zach Clark as they discuss high school football across Brevard County. See the State Semifinal Playoff Preview Between Booker at Cocoa. This is the 29th season of high school football coverage for the principals of Space Coast Daily and the Friday Night Locker Room – brought to you by Erdman Automotive, Health First and All Points.

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Space Coast Daily presents the “Space Coast Daily Sports Talk” with Juan Rodriguez and Zach Clark at the Space Coast Daily – Friday Night Locker Room Erdman Automotive TV Studios in Cocoa.

This is the 29th season of high school football coverage for the principals of Space Coast Daily and the Friday Night Locker Room – brought you by Erdman Automotive, Health First and All Points.

The 2023 season is filled with talented student-athletes all across Brevard County and many are being sought after some of the best college football teams across the country.

With many decisions to be made by numerous athletes on where to pursue their college dreams, the Space Coast Daily – Friday Night Locker Room team is your go-to source for the latest announcements and commitments made by the athletes.

SEE THE FULL 2023 PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE BELOW.

This year’s coverage on Space Coast Daily TV will once again feature a dynamic broadcast lineup that was the first official media entity to bring prep football play-by-play coverage on radio and TV to Brevard County.

The Space Coast Daily – Friday Night Locker Room principals and broadcast team have more than 100 years of experience covering youth and high school sports in Brevard County.

Space Coast Sports Hall of Famers Steve Wilson and Orville Susong of the Friday Night Locker Room will once again bring you all the live action from the broadcast booth. In addition, Tom Palermo, Jim Palermo, Giles Malone, Zach Clark, Juan Rodriguez, Ron Lighthall, Terry Spain, Matt O’Hern, Gavin Keith and Brian Dillon will anchor or produce play-by-play broadcasts this season.

Don’t miss these live sports broadcasts featuring cutting-edge coverage on the streaming Space Coast Daily TV, along with player interviews, replays, highlights, pre-game and post-game analysis, and much more!

The Space Coast Daily team brings you the very best Brevard County news and sports coverage. This is the fourth decade of high school sports coverage for the principals of Space Coast Daily and the Friday Night Locker Room.

In 1997, Dr. Jim Palermo, now Editor-in-Chief of Space Coast Daily, and Tom Palermo, now Space Coast Daily president and publisher, called the first-ever Brevard County high school football game on the radio.

From 1997 through 2000, the Palermo brothers called high school football action on WMEL and below is a clipping promoting the broadcasts out of the August 26, 1999 edition of Space Coast Press newspaper, which was owned and published by Tom Palermo. Gannett purchased the Press from Palermo in July 2000.

“One of the most memorable moments during those years was when we broadcast the Palm Bay – Dillard 2000 state championship game back to Brevard from the Swamp in Gainesville,” said Jim Palermo.

Dan Burke’s Palm Bay Pirates defeated Dillard 10-6 to win the 6A title that year.

The Palermo’s turned over the reins of the broadcasts to the Friday Night Locker Room team beginning in 2001. Since then, the Friday Night Locker Room hasn’t missed a beat as Steve Wilson and Orville Susong begin their 22nd full season broadcasting prep sports on the Space Coast.

In 2012, Space Coast Daily and the Friday Night Locker Room forged a partnership to bring Brevard County a one-of-a-kind comprehensive, cutting-edge multimedia youth and high school sports coverage, including football, volleyball, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, track and field, wrestling, bowling and more.

Ever the innovators, the Space Coast Daily – Friday Night Locker Room team provided Space Coast sports fans the first web live streams and Facebook Live play-by-play action and are dedicated to being the preeminent purveyor of multimedia sports coverage on the Space Coast for many years to come.

Space Coast Daily excels across all mediums, including social media, the web, print and grassroots events, such as the Space Coast Sports Hall of Fame, which Space Coast Daily founded in 2011.

SEE THE FULL 2023 PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE BELOW.

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2023 PREP FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Astronaut War Eagles

2022 Record: 2-8

August 18 – @ East River August 25 – MCC September 1 – @Sebastian River September 8 – @ Merritt Island September 15 – New Smyrna Beach September 22 – Satellite September 29 – Palm Bay October 6 – @ Winter Springs October 13 – Space Coast October 20 – @ Cocoa October 27 – @ Titusville

Bayside Bears

2022 Record: 4-6

August 17 – Sebastian River August 25 – Palm Bay September 1 – Holy Trinity September 8 – Open September 15 – @ Rockledge September 29 – Satellite October 6 – @ Viera October 13 – @ Merritt Island October 20 – Eau Gallie October 27 – @ Jensen Beach November 3 – @ Heritage

Cocoa Tigers

2022 Record: 11-3 (reigning state champs 2-S)

August 18 – Satellite August 25 – @ Jones September 1 – Venice September 8 – @ St. Thomas Aquinas September 22 – Eau Gallie September 29 – Treasure Coast October 6 – Seminole October 13 – @ Titusville October 20 – Astronaut October 27 – Palm Bay November 3 – @ Rockledge

Cocoa Beach Minutemen

2022 Record: 6-3

August 18 – @ Orangewood Christian August 25 – @ Holy Trinity September 1 – Foundation Academy September 8 – Taylor September 22 – Halifax Academy September 29 – Windemere Prep October 6 – St. Edward’s October 13 – Out of Door Academy October 20 – MCC

Eau Gallie Commodores

2022 Record: 7-4

August 18 – Titusville August 25 – @ Springstead September 1 – @ Bishop Moore September 8 – Winter Haven September 15 – Satellite September 22 – @ Cocoa September 29 – @ Merritt Island October 6 – Flagler Palm Coast October 20 – @ Bayside October 27 – Rockledge November 3 – @ Melbourne

Heritage Panthers

2022 Record: 5-5

August 18 – @ Jensen Beach August 25 – @ Satellite Beach September 1 – Palm Bay September 8 – Centennial September 14 – @ Oviedo September 22 – Merritt Island September 29 – @ Viera October 6 – @ Central October 13 – @ Melbourne October 27 – Harmony November 3 – Bayside

Holy Trinity Tigers

2022 Record: 6-5

August 25 – Cocoa Beach September 1 – @ Bayside September 15 – @ Merritt Island September 22 – @ @Father Lopez September 29 – @ Halifax Academy October 6 – Space Coast October 13 – MCC October 20 – @ American Heritage November 3 – Calvary Christian

Melbourne Bulldogs

2022 Record: 9-3

August 18 – Lake Brantley August 25 – @ Titusville September 1 – @ Merritt Island September 8 – Satellite Beach September 14 – Orange Park September 22 – @ Tohopekaliga September 29 – Harmony October 6 – @ Palm Bay October 13 – Heritage October 27 – @ Viera November 3 – Eau Gallie

Melbourne Central Catholic Hustlers

2022 Record: 2-8

August 18 – Atlantic August 25 – @ Astronaut September 1 – @ Space Coast September 8 – Cypress Creek September 15 – @ Viera September 22 – St. Joseph Academy September 29 – @ Father Lopez October 6 – @ Mount Dora Christian Academy October 13 – @ Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy October 20 – Cocoa Beach October 27 – Halifax Academy

Merritt Island Christian Cougars

2022 Record: 6-4

August 18 – Old Plank Christian Academy August 25 – @ Donahue Catholic September 1 – @ City of Life Christian Academy September 7 – @ Florida School for the Deaf & Blind September 15 – @ Calvary Chapel Academy September 22 – Geneva September 29 – Master’s Academy October 6 – Liberty Christian Prep October 13 – Hernando Christian Academy October 20 – Lake Mary Prep

Merritt Island Mustangs

2022 Record: 6-5

August 18 – New Smyrna Beach August 25 – Deltona September 1 – Melbourne September 8 – Astronaut September 15 – Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy September 22 – @ Heritage September 29 – Eau Gallie October 13 – Bayside October 20 – @ Rockledge October 27 – @ Satellite November 3 – Eustis

Palm Bay Pirates

2022 Record 8-4

August 25 – @ Bayside September 1 – @ Heritage September 8 – Harmony September 15 – Titusville September 22 – @ Central September 29 – @ Astronaut October 6 – Melbourne October 13 – @ Sebastian River October 27 – @ Cocoa November 3 – Satellite

Rockledge Raiders

2022 Record 9-3

August 18 – Carrollwood Day August 25 – @ Seminole September 1 – @ Duncanville (TX) September 8 – @ Viera September 15 – Bayside September 22 – @ Osceola September 29 – @ Trinity Christian Academy (JAX) October 13 – @ Satellite October 27 – Merritt Island October 27 – @ Eau Gallie November 3 – Cocoa

Satellite Scorpions

2022 Record 5-6

August 18 – @ Cocoa August 25 – Heritage September 1 – Viera September 8 – @ Melbourne September 15 – @ Eau Gallie September 22 – @ Astronaut September 29 – @ Bayside October 6 – @ Seabreeze October 13 – Rockledge October 27 – Merritt Island November 3 – @ Palm Bay

Space Coast Vipers

2022 Record 1-9

August 18 – Atlantic August 25 – @ Lake Howell September 1 – @ MCC September 8 – Holy Trinity September 15 – @ Cocoa September 22 – Tohopekaliga September 29 – @ Titusville October 6 – @ Palatka October 13 – Astronaut October 20 – Palm Bay November 3 – @ Satellite

Titusville Terriers

2022 Record 7-4

August 18 – @ Eau Gallie August 25 – Melbourne September 1 – @ Yulee September 8 – Celebration September 15 – @ Palm Bay September 22 – Fleming Island September 29 – @ Space Coast October 6 – Calvary Christian Academy October 13 – Cocoa October 20 – Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy October 27 – Astronaut November 3 – @ Viera

Viera Hawks

2022 Record 0-10

August 18 – @ New Smyrna Beach August 25 – South Fork September 1 – Satellite September 8 – Rockledge September 15 – MCC September 22 – @ Baker County September 29 – Heritage October 6 – Bayside October 13 – @ Harmony October 27 – Melbourne November 3 – Titusville