It's a great day Palm Bay!
January was quite a busy month for events! I attended the ribbon cutting for Palm Bay Fire Rescue's new Training Tower and Burn Building located at Fire Station 5 on Foundation Park Drive. I want to send a special thank you to Senator Mayfield for coming out to support our event and my fellow councilmembers who were able to attend. The Training Tower and Burn Building will facilitate basic fire ground skills training and live fire burns and can also accommodate advanced technical rescue training. The addition of this new training facility will allow Palm Bay Fire Rescue the ability to conduct more frequent trainings on a wide variety of skills while saving the City more than $10,000 a year in training facility rental fees. The 3-acre parcel also provides space for expansion to accommodate future training needs.
My fellow councilmembers and I also had the privilege of attending Brevard Caribbean American Sports & Cultural Association's 18th Annual MLK Memorial Program and Breakfast, where we honored the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The first annual Palm Bay Indian Kite Festival featured great food, Bollywood dancers, beautiful music, henna tattoos, bounce houses, free cotton candy, and popcorn for the kids. All those beautiful kites flying high in the sky were truly a sight to see.
The City of Palm Bay's Second Annual Multicultural Festival was even bigger than last year! This free event showcased culture, dance, music, food, and hands-on activities from countries around the world, with various food and craft vendors, face painting, glitter tattoos, and inflatables for the kids. The live entertainment kept the party jumping all day. We hope to see you all next year!
January was also an exciting month for the Palm Bay Police Department, which recently welcomed a new member to their agency…one that happens to have four legs instead of two. Toby, the agency's first-ever therapy canine, will be working alongside Officer Kurval of the Community Resource Unit and will be utilized at community events to enhance outreach efforts and to provide emotional support to agency members and victims of crimes (both children and adults) involving traumatic events. If you see Toby out and about, feel free to go up and say hello; pets are always welcomed and appreciated.
This month we celebrate Black History Month, when we honor the many contributions and achievements made by African Americans and recognize their central role in U.S. history. One of our greatest Americans, Frederick Douglass, said, "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men." Let us always remember to mentor our youth and teach our children our history among those biblical principles so they know the truth. I am proud to live and serve in a community where diversity is celebrated and people of color are represented.
We also celebrate some significant leaders during February. President's Day is on the third Monday of February each year and not only honors George Washington, the first President of the United States, and Abraham Lincoln, whose birthdays are both in February, but honors all the presidents who have served in the United States. Let us all stop and acknowledge these great men and all they did for our country.
I want to take a moment and wish my beautiful wife, Lissette, and all the other lovely ladies of Palm Bay a very happy Valentine's Day! Life is too short, be sure to tell the people you love how special they are to you each and every day.
Don't forget to mark your calendars for Saturday, March 18, 2023, for the annual Mayor's Ball charity fundraiser. As Mayor of the greatest city on the face of the Earth, I feel it is my duty to give back to the community and since this cause is so near and dear to my heart, I will once again be raising funds for the construction of a new monument at Sacrifice Park, a memorial honoring first responders who gave their lives while serving our great city and the Brevard County community.
It is my mission to give our valued first responders a memorial worthy of their sacrifice, of which they be proud, and I would like to invite you to be a part of this effort. I humbly ask for your continued support of this effort by becoming an event sponsor or contributing a donation. Please help me build a lasting tribute for the brave men and women who serve our community with honor and distinction every day.
For information about the upcoming Mayor's Ball, sponsorship opportunities, and a sneak-peak of the proposed improvements to Sacrifice Park, visit www.palmbayflorida.org/mayorsball.
