PALM BAY CITY COUNCIL VOTES TO ACCEPT PURCHASE CONTRACT FOR PELICAN HARBOR MARINA

At the May 20th Regular Council Meeting, Palm Bay City Council voted to accept the recommendation of the Bayfront Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to execute a purchase contract with Space Coast Marinas, LLC for the sale of three parcels, known as Pelican Harbor Marina, owned by the CRA and City.

Space Coast Marinas submitted an offer of $1.9 million to purchase the Marina for the development of a dry dock boat storage and service facility, boat launch and wash service, boat club, ship store, tiki bar with an outdoor entertainment venue, restaurant, and retail amenities to include a valet service. Space Coast Marinas intends to renovate the existing marina slips and construct and maintain a public boardwalk along the waterfront.

Space Coast Marinas anticipates the overall capital investment for this development project to be at least $10-12 million and create approximately 302 new jobs. The developer has also purchased two privately owned parcels, a vacant 0.37-acre site located at 4200 Dixie Highway NE and has under contract the Bait & Tackle located at the southwest corner of Dixie Highway and Pospisil Avenue NE.

Under current plans, the buyer will retain Paddling Paradise, which is currently in a month-to-month lease with the City to operate out of the existing 1600 SF facility at 4220 Dixie Highway NE. Paddling Paradise has offered kayak and stand-up paddleboard rentals and tours at this site for nearly two years, generating ecotourism to Turkey Creek and the Indian River along Palm Bay’s bayfront.

“This is an exciting development project for the City,” said Joan Junkala-Brown, Deputy City Manager. “The proposed development will add value to what currently exists and further create an environment for residents and visitors to gather, eat, shop, and listen to live music whether arriving by boat or vehicle. This project will encourage further redevelopment of the area and hopefully serve as a catalyst to implement the City’s vision for a Bayfront Village, a quaint waterfront downtown district for the community to enjoy.”

MAYOR MEDINA DELIVERS STATE OF THE CITY ADDRESS

Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina delivered his inaugural State of the City Address on Thursday, May 20, 2021 in City Council Chambers. 

The State of the City presentation covered the City’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, featured updates on Palm Bay’s growing economy, and shared a look at Mayor Medina’s vision for the Palm Bay of tomorrow.

The State of the City Address is available for view at www.pbfl.org/SOC.

LEGISLATURE GRANTS PALM BAY $300,000 FOR STORMWATER IMPROVEMENTS

The City of Palm Bay is pleased to announce that a $300,000 funding appropriation for stormwater improvements has been approved by the Florida Legislature as part of the 2021-2022 session. The funding appropriation will be used as a 50% cost-share to install two nutrient separating stormwater baffle boxes.

Considered a Best Management Practice by the Department of Environmental Protection, baffle boxes assist in the removal of sediment, debris, litter, and harmful nutrient contaminants including nitrogen and phosphorus from stormwater runoff. The structures are typically positioned at stormwater outfalls to prevent damaging pollutants from entering a body of water. Palm Bay’s two new baffle boxes will be strategically placed in locations that flow toward Turkey Creek to improve water quality within the waterway and protect the Indian River Lagoon.

On December 3, 2020, Palm Bay City Council voted unanimously to authorize the City’s State lobbying team to pursue grant funding for stormwater system improvements. Supported by State Senator Debbie Mayfield and Representative Randy Fine, the $300,000 funding allocation will enable the City of Palm Bay to improve the City’s stormwater infrastructure and serve as a responsible steward of our local natural resources.

“We are truly grateful to our local legislators for their support of Palm Bay’s request this year,” said City Manager Suzanne Sherman. “Installing these baffle boxes will be one of many steps that the City of Palm Bay will be taking in the coming years as we work to do our part to improve and protect our precious natural resources.”

THE CITY OF PALM BAY SEEKS PUBLIC INPUT ON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATE

The City of Palm Bay is seeking public input as it reviews and updates its comprehensive plan. The comprehensive plan, known as Palm Bay 2040 Vision, is a long-range plan that helps guide the City’s future actions through clearly stated goals, objectives, and policies. These policies inform local decision making and set the tone for future growth and development to ensure a high quality of life and a resilient community for future generations.

The City of Palm Bay is undergoing a period of rapid change – the City’s population is growing, new developments are sprouting throughout the community, and local employment opportunities are continuing to diversify. With new opportunities for growth appearing every day, the potential for the City of Palm Bay’s future is limitless. That is why the City is seeking ideas, perspectives, and expertise from the public to help determine what Palm Bay should look like in 2040.

Over the next several months, the City of Palm Bay is hosting a series of public visioning workshops to engage with the community and gather input on the comprehensive plan. The meetings will be conducted in-person, with an option for online participation. To learn how to participate digitally, visit the Palm Bay 2040 Vision website at https://smeinc.mysocialpinpoint.com/palm-bay-2040-vision. Residents and stakeholders are also invited to make their voices heard by participating in surveys, submitting to the idea wall, voting, and engaging in online exercises on the website.

Palm Bay 2040 Vision Public Workshops

Workshop 1: “Where are we now?”

June 29, 2021 at 6pm in Council Chambers

This public workshop outlines the existing conditions and will explore issues revealed during the initial discussions with community stakeholders. Exercises with the public will be focused on existing issues and/or current trends impacting the City.

Workshop 2: “Where do we want to go?”

August 24, 2021 at 6pm in Council Chambers

Utilizing the public input from the previous workshop, concepts and ideas will be presented to the public. At this workshop we will be asking for preferences related to the different concepts presented. For example, if lack of employment opportunities is an issue that arises, we may identify locations within the City for employment center land uses and ask participants for their preferences on the proposed locations.

Workshop 3: “How do we get there?”

November 8, 2021 at 6pm in Council Chambers

This workshop will serve as the culmination of the public input process. The Palm Bay 2040 Vision will be nearly complete, which will be based on the issues and concepts brought to light up to this point. Participants will have an opportunity to provide feedback on the plan that will identify how the City will accomplish the Vision (e.g., through new comprehensive plan policies, new future land uses, locations for employment, location for the new downtown, new roadway corridors, etc.).

There will also be a forthcoming comprehensive plan visioning workshop with the Palm Bay City Council, date to be determined. For updates on the Council workshop and the entire Palm Bay 2040 Vision process, visit the comprehensive plan update website at http://smeinc.mysocialpinpoint.com/palm-bay-2040-vision

COUNCILMAN FOSTER GRADUATES FROM INSTITUTE FOR ELECTED OFFICIALS

City of Palm Bay Councilman Randy Foster recently graduated from the Institute for Elected Municipal Officials (IEMO), a course from the Florida League of Cities’ premier educational program designed specifically for Florida’s elected municipal officials.

Foster completed the first level of IEMO training, which is specially designed for newly elected officials and those with less than one term in office. The comprehensive 16-hour course provides participants with an intensive academic program focusing on the numerous aspects of municipal government. Topics of the course include municipal government structure, revenue components and governmental accounting for cities as well as intergovernmental relations and council relationships.

“Municipal government is more complex than most people realize and being a newly elected official can be quite overwhelming at times,” said Florida League of Cities President Troy Ortiz, commissioner for the City of Orlando. “That’s what the League’s IEMO course is specifically geared toward – helping our newly elected local leaders understand the structures and services of municipal government and teaching them foundational best practices for governing their city, town, or village. I commend this class of graduates for successfully completing the course, and I encourage them to share their newfound knowledge with their community so we can continue educating Floridians on the important role cities play and continue building stronger cities.”

IEMO class sizes are kept small, which allows participants to network and share ideas with other elected officials in a personal group setting. By creating an environment in which challenges and best practices are shared, many IEMO graduates have been able to develop solutions to local problems.

“I learned a lot from the IEMO training. I recommend all new councilmembers attend,” said Councilman Randy Foster. “The Florida League of Cities put on an excellent training to educated councilmembers to do their job better.”

DEPUTY MAYOR JOHNSON HONORED WITH 2021 HOME RULE HERO AWARD

The Florida League of Cities (FLC), the united voice for Florida’s municipal governments, recently recognized Palm Bay Deputy Mayor Kenny Johnson with a 2021 Home Rule Hero Award. Deputy Mayor Johnson worked throughout the 2021 Legislative Session to advocate for and protect the Home Rule powers of Florida’s municipalities, promote local voices making local choices, and advance the Florida League of Cities’ legislative priorities.

Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials, both elected and nonelected, who consistently responded to the League’s request to reach out to members of the legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue.

“I have actively worked on increasing engagement at the local level,” said Deputy Mayor Kenny Johnson. “Every year bills are introduced to preempt local governments. Preemptions are meant to provide uniformity throughout our great state on key issues, but every municipality is not the same. This is why it is important that the level of government closest to the people advocate for the people, which is what being a Home Rule Hero is all about.”

“These local officials went above and beyond during the 2021 Legislative Session,” said FLC Director of Legislative Affairs Casey Cook. “They made an extraordinary effort, were actively engaged and highly effective in their advocacy efforts. Even with all the various challenges present this year due to the pandemic, they stepped up. They engaged with legislators, shared their stories, and made their voices heard, and it made a difference. On behalf of the League and its legislative team, it’s my sincere honor to recognize this year’s award recipients and thank them for their service.”

PALM BAY HIRES NEW DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY & ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

The City of Palm Bay is pleased to introduce newly-hired Director of Community & Economic Development, Nancy Bunt. Ms. Bunt possesses extensive experience in housing administration, economic development, redevelopment, and business tax receipts, having worked in local municipal government for over 25 years for both the City of Titusville and City of Cocoa. The previous Director of Community and Economic Development, Joan Junkala-Brown, was recently promoted to the role of Deputy City Manager.

Prior to joining the senior staff team at the City of Palm Bay, Ms. Bunt spent 16 years with the City of Cocoa in several different capacities. She began as the Housing Program Manager where she was promoted to Deputy Community Services Director and finally ended her time there as the Community Services Director/Planning & Zoning Administrator.

During her time with Cocoa, Ms. Bunt was responsible for business attraction and retention efforts as well as coordinating grant funding opportunities to implement new programs to cultivate economic growth within the city. Ms. Bunt also managed the 1,700 Business Tax Receipts operation to ensure a welcoming and streamlined approach to establishing a new business.

One of her main functions during her tenure with the City of Cocoa was to oversee housing programs to ensure programs are compliant with applicable state and federal laws, and they properly implemented and fiscally managed. She has maintained this compliancy during her 26 years of supervising housing programs.

Ms. Bunt holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration, a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Central Florida, as well as various housing certifications for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The City of Palm Bay welcomes Nancy and her wealth of knowledge to the team!

CITY MANAGER SUZANNE SHERMAN HONORED WITH HOME RULE HERO AWARD

The Florida League of Cities (FLC), recently recognized Palm Bay City Manager Suzanne Sherman with a 2021 Home Rule Hero Award for her hard work and advocacy efforts during the 2021 Legislative Session. City Manager Sherman worked tirelessly throughout session to promote local voices making local choices, protect the Home Rule powers of Florida’s municipalities and advance the League’s legislative agenda.

“These local officials went above and beyond during the 2021 Legislative Session,” said FLC Director of Legislative Affairs Casey Cook. “Even with all the various challenges present this year due to the pandemic, they stepped up. They engaged with legislators, shared their stories, and made their voices heard, and it made a difference. On behalf of the League and its legislative team, it’s my sincere honor to recognize this year’s award recipients and thank them for their service.”

Home Rule is the ability for a city to address local problems with local solutions with minimal state interference. Home Rule Hero Award recipients are local government officials, both elected and nonelected, who consistently responded to the League’s request to reach out to members of the legislature and help give a local perspective on an issue.

“It is an honor to work side by side with many others in local and state government to build relationships and encourage decision-making that will strengthen our communities for the future,” said City Manager Suzanne Sherman.

• July 1 @ 7:00pm
• August 5 @ 7:00pm
• September 2 @ 7:00pm
• July 15 @ 7:00pm
• August 19 @ 7:00pm
• September 16 @ 7:00pm

All meetings are held in Council Chambers in the City Hall Complex located at 120 Malabar Road SE. Watch meetings live on the City’s website at www.pbfl.org/watch and on the City’s Facebook page. Meeting agendas are available at www.pbfl.org/agenda.