Finding a specific notice in the Florida Today obituaries past 10 days shouldn't feel like a part-time job. Honestly, when you’re grieving or just trying to check on an old neighbor in Brevard County, the last thing you want is a clunky interface or a "paywall" surprise.
The Space Coast is a tight-knit place. People here—from Titusville down to Palm Bay—rely on these records not just for dates and times, but to piece together the stories of lives lived near the Indian River or out on the Merritt Island shores. But if you’ve tried searching the main Florida Today site lately, you’ve probably noticed it’s a bit... different.
Basically, the paper transitioned its archive management to Legacy.com years ago. This means while the "ink and paper" version still lands on driveways in Viera, the digital footprint is spread across a few different spots.
The Best Way to Search the Past 10 Days
If you need a name from the last week or two, don't just scroll aimlessly. The digital archive for Florida Today updates daily, usually by 6:00 AM EST.
Most people make the mistake of searching only by a full name. Pro tip: if the person had a common name or if you’re unsure of the exact spelling, try searching by just the last name and the "last 30 days" filter. It’s way more reliable.
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Why Some Names Don't Show Up
It's kinda frustrating when you know someone passed, but their name isn't in the list. Here is the reality: obituaries are a paid service. They aren't "automatic" news reports. If a family chooses not to run a notice in Florida Today, it simply won't be there.
You should also check the local funeral home sites directly. In Brevard, names often appear on the websites of Brownlie-Maxwell, North Brevard Funeral Home, or Ammen Family Cremation a full day or two before they hit the newspaper’s digital feed.
Recent Notable Remembrances in Brevard (January 2026)
The last ten days have seen the passing of several individuals who shaped the local community. These aren't just names; they are the people who worked at KSC, taught at Bayside High, or fished the lagoons for decades.
- Carleene Renae Austin (Melbourne): A familiar face in the local medical community, Carleene passed on January 9, 2026. She spent years helping build the infrastructure for Osler Medical. Her life was a testament to the growth of healthcare in Melbourne.
- Michelle Aline McDonel (Titusville): A Titusville High grad (Class of '70) who passed on January 8. She was deeply connected to the North Brevard area, having worked at Kennedy Space Center and JCPenney.
- Lorraine T. Sabourin (West Melbourne): Known to many as "Lorrie," she passed at Holmes Regional on January 12.
- Kimberly Anne Boyd (Melbourne): A longtime resident who passed on January 10 after a courageous battle with illness.
Navigating the Florida Today Digital Archive
Let's talk about the tech side. When you land on the Florida Today obituary page, you're looking at a syndicated feed.
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Filtering by Date
- Select the "Date Range" dropdown. 2. Choose "Past 30 Days" even if you only need the last ten. This ensures the cache doesn't miss anyone who passed ten days ago but whose service notice was only finalized yesterday.
- Use the "Location" filter. Set it to "Melbourne" or "Titusville" to narrow the noise if you're getting hits from other parts of Florida.
The cost to place these notices has gone up, which is why you're seeing shorter "death notices" more often than the full-page life stories of the past. Currently, a basic notice starts around $75, but the price jumps significantly if you add a photo or extra paragraphs. That’s why many families are moving to "online-only" tributes.
What Most People Get Wrong About These Records
There's a common misconception that if a name is in the Florida Today obituaries past 10 days, the funeral has already happened. That's usually wrong.
In Florida, especially with our "snowbird" population, services are often delayed by 2–4 weeks to allow family members to travel from up north. Always look at the bottom of the notice for the "Service Information" section. If it says "Services to be held at a later date," you haven't missed it yet.
Another thing: the Guestbook. Legacy.com keeps these open for a long time. Even if you didn't know the person well, leaving a short note about how they impacted your life at the office or the grocery store means the world to the family.
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Actionable Steps for Finding a Record
If you are currently looking for someone and hitting a wall, do this:
- Check the "Recent" Tab: On the Florida Today Legacy page, sort by "Most Recent" rather than "Relevance."
- Verify via Funeral Home: If the name isn't there, search the name plus "funeral home Brevard County."
- Check Social Media: Search for the person's name on Facebook and filter by "Posts." Local families often post the full obituary there before it’s officially published.
- Check the Citrus County Chronicle or Orlando Sentinel: If the person lived on the edge of the county (like in Mims or Micco), their notice might have been placed in a neighboring county's paper instead.
Finding these records is about patience. The data is updated in waves throughout the day, so if you don't see what you're looking for at 8:00 AM, try again after lunch.
To stay updated without manual searching, you can actually set up a "Name Alert" on Legacy.com. You enter the surname and the location (Brevard/Florida Today), and they’ll email you the moment a matching notice is published. It’s a bit of a "set it and forget it" solution for staying connected to the community.