It’s a great day Palm Bay!
On July 27, I had the honor of presiding over the grand reopening and ribbon cutting for the Greater Palm Bay Senior Center following an extensive remodeling. The Center’s renovations included flooring updates, the installation of hurricane-rated windows and doors, bathroom upgrades, and lighting improvements in the parking lot, among other various projects throughout the facility. The improvements were all done in compliance with ADA guidelines, ensuring that the facility is safe and accessible to all members of our community. The Senior Center remodel represents a commitment to collaboration, having been funded in part by a Community Development Block Grant allocation of $527,158. The final cost of the project was $429,907.
I would like to congratulate the City of Palm Bay’s Assistant City Attorney Rodney Edwards for being recognized in Florida Trend’s 2021 Legal Elite in the Government and Non-Profit Attorneys category. This is an astonishing honor as less than 2% of active Florida Bar members practicing in Florida appear among Florida Trend’s Legal Elite. I commend Attorney Edwards, along with the entire staff of your Palm Bay City Attorney’s Office, for maintaining a high level of professional excellence and serving our city with distinction.
As we begin the month of August, we are approaching the midway point in Palm Bay’s comprehensive plan update process. The City’s 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. Our first public meeting on June 29 helped us to determine Palm Bay’s existing conditions through discussion with community stakeholders.
Using the information gathered at our first public meeting as a springboard, the City will host two additional public meetings to determine the directions we would like to see the City of Palm Bay go and how we will get there. Our second public workshop will be held on Tuesday, August 24 at 6pm in Council Chambers, located at 120 Malabar Road. The third and final public workshop will be held on Monday, November 8 at 6pm in Council Chambers. I encourage all Palm Bayers to attend and make your voice heard. This is your opportunity to have a real impact on the Palm Bay of tomorrow!
I am #PalmBayProud to announced that the City of Palm Bay has made a significant step towards building the Bayfront of tomorrow. On Friday, August 6, City staff joined Mike Timmons of Space Coast Marinas, LLC to sign the purchase contract Pelican Harbor Marina. Located at 4220 Dixie Highway NE in Palm Bay’s Bayfront District, the property is the future home of an exciting new development, valued at more than $10 million. The development will include dry dock boat storage, a boat launch, ship store, tiki bar, and outdoor entertainment venue, and restaurant. In addition to creating hundreds of new jobs in Palm Bay, the project will encourage additional development in the area and provide great amenities for the community to enjoy.
In recent weeks, I’ve had the opportunity to accompany Palm Bay’s first responders on several ride-alongs. What a blessing and an honor it was for me to witness our finest first responders in action. I was able to witness firsthand calls regarding an overdose, an arrest for an out-of-town warrant, a DUI stop and arrest, a fire call at a mobile home, a life-saving opportunity where CPR was administered, several security checks of our businesses, and several routine calls for service and guidance.
During one such call during the overnight hours of July 29, Palm Bay Fire Rescue responded to the Panda Express on Malabar Road. Upon arrival, firefighters found smoke coming from the structure and broke glass to access the interior of the unoccupied building. Multiple units were deployed to the scene and took up their respective roles of command transfer, water supply, ventilation, and search. Palm Bay Fire Rescue also deployed the department’s new ladder truck, Truck 1, to the scene to access the roof of the building. Truck 1 enabled the responders to open the roof scuttle hatch and assisted with ventilating smoke from the structure. Thanks to the efforts of our firefighters, as well as the tactical deployment of the City’s specialty firefighting equipment, the fire was contained to a small area in the rear of the restaurant. There were no injuries, and the business is making repairs with plans to reopen soon.
The men and women of the Palm Bay Police Department and Palm Bay Fire Rescue protect and preserve life in our community and are to be commended by our leaders and residents. Call after call they never know what comes our way, however they selflessly sacrifice and put it on the line for each and every one of us. It is their lifestyle, they love to serve their community, and I believe they were called to this life of service. May God bless our first responders and may God continue to bless our great City of Palm Bay.
I would like to take this opportunity to speak frankly and from the heart about COVID-19. Like so many of you, I look forward to a time when we can fully return to normal – without social distancing, without masking, and without the threat of the virus. While infection rates were trending in the right direction for much of this year, we have recently seen a surge in cases due to the highly infectious Delta variant.
Cases are up locally here in Brevard and are expected to keep climbing in coming weeks. I’d like to encourage all Palm Bayers to observe COVID-19 safety measures to protect yourself, your loved ones, and your community. Wash those hands. Wear a mask. Stay six feet apart. Consider getting vaccinated. The City of Palm Bay has a helpful COVID-19 resource page available at www.pbfl.org/COVID19. I urge all of you to look out for one another, and, most importantly, be kind to one another. This is an unprecedented time, but I know that we can pull through it together. Stay well Palm Bay!
Finally, as Floridians we know that tropical weather is an unfortunate, but inevitable part of life here in the Sunshine State. When it comes to hurricanes and tropical storms – it’s not a matter of “if”, but “when”.
This hurricane season, I’d like to encourage all Palm Bayers to have a plan in place before a storm strikes. The City of Palm Bay offers useful resources to help you prepare for hurricane season. Visit pbfl.org/hurricane or pick up one of our free hurricane preparedness guides at City Hall today to learn how to build a hurricane kit, home preparation tips, evacuation and shelter info, and how to stay informed before, during, and after a storm. Remember, when it comes to tropical storms and hurricanes – plan, don’t panic – and enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that you’ll be ready the next time a storm hits.
