<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[The Palm Bayer | Independent Palm Bay News]]></title><description><![CDATA[Always Free, Always Palm Bay. 
Independent coverage of city hall, public safety, and the issues your neighbors are talking about.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vipE!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9108c439-62a0-40f6-a726-d824bdd88ac0_1024x1024.png</url><title>The Palm Bayer | Independent Palm Bay News</title><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 30 Oct 2026 08:41:58 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.thepalmbayer.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[tgaume@gmail.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[tgaume@gmail.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[tgaume@gmail.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[tgaume@gmail.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Three Forks Goes to Planning and Zoning: 664 Homes, an RV Park, and Two Different Schedules for the Heritage Parkway]]></title><description><![CDATA[Wednesday night the board takes up 664 homes, a 119-space RV park, and about 50,000 square feet of commercial, and the packet schedules its parkway two different ways.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/three-forks-goes-to-planning-and</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/three-forks-goes-to-planning-and</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:31:16 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/222652299/1656f2217655ca96441875e39a3a450e.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer) &#8212; Palm Bay&#8217;s Planning and Zoning Board meets Wednesday, November 4, at 6:00 PM in the City Hall Council Chambers with a single new business item on its docket: Case FD23-00013, the Three Forks Mixed Use final development plan for approximately 124.56 acres at the southeast quadrant of Malabar Road and the St. Johns Heritage Parkway. The plan packs 664 homes, a 119-space RV park, and about 50,000 square feet of commercial space onto the corner, along with a southern extension of the Heritage Parkway. Staff recommend approval with conditions, but <a href="https://palmbayflorida.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=4225">the packet</a> leaves key questions unresolved, including which phase actually builds the parkway, why a required condition stops mid-sentence, and what fire coverage serves four-story buildings.</p><h2><strong>What Three Forks is</strong></h2><p>The vacant site is owned by West 80 Acres, LLC and Parkside Commons Center, LLC, represented by Tony Masone, engineer Jake Wise, P.E. (Construction Engineering Group, LLC), and attorney Kim Rezanka (Lacey Rezanka). Palm Bay annexed the land in 2022, and City Council approved the preliminary development plan on October 20, 2022 (cited as Ordinance No. 2022-101 in the staff report&#8217;s background and as Resolution No. 2022-101 in its analysis), setting the permitted uses, intensities, and design standards this final plan must follow. Because the application was filed before the city&#8217;s updated Land Development Code took effect, it is reviewed under the former code.</p><p>The development program calls for 376 detached single-family homes, 288 apartments (664 residential units in all), a 119-space recreational vehicle park, and about 50,000 square feet of neighborhood-serving commercial space across three commercial tracts. Planned amenities and infrastructure include clubhouses, pools, playgrounds, pickleball courts, dog parks, a new lift station, stormwater ponds, and an interconnected network of sidewalks and public walking trails with pedestrian connections to <a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-holiday-guide-2026/">Fred Poppe Regional Park</a>.</p><p>Construction is divided into five phases from December 2026 through 2029, all marked subject to market conditions: - <strong>Phase IA (December 2026 to December 2027):</strong> First 238 single-family lots. - <strong>Phase IB (December 2026 to December 2027):</strong> The 119-space RV park. - <strong>Phase IC (December 2027 to December 2028):</strong> Remaining 138 single-family homes and 3.02 acres of commercial development on one lot. - <strong>Phase ID (December 2027 to 2028):</strong> Another 2.6 acres of commercial development. - <strong>Phase II (September 2028 to December 2029):</strong> All 288 apartments.</p><h2><strong>The parkway is the thread to watch</strong></h2><p>Readers who have followed <a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-27-october-12-2026/">this fall&#8217;s toll study fight</a> know the <a href="https://www.brevardfl.gov/PublicWorks/Projects/StJohnsHeritageParkwayAlternativeCorridorEvaluation">St. Johns Heritage Parkway corridor</a> is the road western Palm Bay&#8217;s growth hangs on. Three Forks plugs straight into it. The applicant has committed to build the parkway extension south from Malabar Road to the project&#8217;s full-access driveway. Malabar Road itself gets two full-access driveways and one right-in, right-out driveway.</p><p>A traffic memorandum in the file, dated July 28, 2026, estimates the revised project will generate about 8,116 average daily vehicle trips, including 467 trips in the morning peak hour and 563 in the evening peak. Staff report that the memorandum found fewer trips than the previously approved Traffic Impact Analysis and concluded it does not alter the project&#8217;s previously identified off-site road improvements or proportionate-share obligations.</p><p>One conflict in the file goes straight to when that road gets built. The staff report&#8217;s roadway narrative places the applicant&#8217;s parkway extension commitment in Phase 2 (the final apartment phase running from September 2028 through December 2029). Yet Recommended Condition 2(f)(i) directs the applicant to revise FDP Drawing 3F-1 to move the parkway extension up to Phase IC (December 2027 to December 2028), &#8220;or provide a provisional phasing schedule.&#8221; While the condition moves the road earlier, the narrative still ties the commitment to Phase 2, Phase IC itself is marked subject to market conditions, and the &#8220;provisional phasing schedule&#8221; clause leaves an open back door. Anyone driving Malabar Road needs to know whether 376 homes and 119 RV spaces can open before the parkway extension exists, and the board should lock down one enforceable trigger in the Condition 1 development agreement before voting.</p><h2><strong>Schools, open space, and what the packet does not price</strong></h2><p>The School Board of Brevard County has already weighed in. Its School Capacity Availability Determination Letter (SCADL No. 2026-11) estimates the project will generate about 214 students (122 elementary, 32 middle school, and 60 high school) and finds that school concurrency is satisfied, with adequate capacity in the adopted Financially Feasible Plan for the 2025-26 through 2030-31 school years.</p><p>On open space, the plan provides 31.99 acres of recreation where the former code required 37.37 acres. Staff report that the city agreed to the reduction because of the expansive public trail system the project builds, including the connection to Fred Poppe Regional Park. Recent surveys for protected species (wood stork, crested caracara, and gopher tortoise) will be required at the site work permit stage, and a final gopher tortoise survey dated within 90 days of submittal is required before construction starts.</p><p>The staff report also prints two different sizes for the commercial component. Its summary table lists Commercial Tracts A, B, and C at about 5.86 acres, while its phasing narrative puts the three commercial lots at about 5.62 acres (3.02 acres in Phase IC and 2.6 acres in Phase ID). While the 50,000-square-foot commercial cap stays the same, the report states both acreage totals without reconciling the 0.24-acre difference.</p><p>The staff report also contains no fire protection analysis. Even though the plan allows four-story, 70-foot apartment and commercial buildings alongside 664 homes and 119 RV spaces, the packet&#8217;s cover memorandum and staff report include no Fire Rescue review, no mention of ladder-truck reach or station response times, and zero occurrences of the word &#8220;fire.&#8221; By contrast, when City Council approved the much larger <a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/rcm-2026-10-15-recap/">Emerald Lakes final development plan (FD26-00001) on October 15</a>, that approval carried explicit fire conditions: an aerial ladder truck in service before the hotel&#8217;s certificate of occupancy, a battalion chief in place at the 200th dwelling, a permanent Station 9 built before occupancy passes 200 units, and an early-occupancy cap of 200 units subject to written Fire Rescue approval. Three Forks is smaller than Emerald Lakes, but four-story buildings at Malabar Road and the Parkway still require fire apparatus and station coverage that the staff report never discusses.</p><p>What the packet leaves unpriced is just as notable. No impact fee figures appear anywhere in the staff report, and no dollar amounts are attached to the off-site road improvements or the proportionate-share obligations. The obligations are named, but they are not priced.</p><h2><strong>The recommendation, and how to be heard</strong></h2><p>Staff recommend approval subject to two conditions. First, the applicant must enter into a development agreement with the city covering development phasing, permitted uses, and off-site transportation improvements. Second, the applicant must revise the final development plan drawings uploaded on August 27, 2026 to: - Update the drawing revision tables (Conditions 2(a) and 2(b)); - Cap building heights on Drawing 3F-1 at four stories / 70 feet for multifamily and commercial buildings and 35 feet for single-family homes; - Add Land Development Code architectural and design standards for single-family and commercial uses on Drawing 3F-8, plus a note on Drawing 3F-8 requiring the RV park to meet or exceed Section 174.045 standards; - Remove a note under the legend on Drawing 3F-7 and revise Drawing 3F-1 to move the Heritage Parkway extension from Phase II to Phase IC (or provide a provisional phasing schedule).</p><p>One of those items, Condition 2(b), stops mid-sentence in the published staff report (&#8220;All FDP drawings: the review/date/revision table must be updated to reflect&#8221;), reading like an unfinished duplicate of Condition 2(a). Staff should either supply the missing words on the record or strike Condition 2(b) before the board votes.</p><p>Because this is a quasi-judicial hearing, the board sits more like a court than a legislature, and its decision must rest on competent substantial evidence in the record. Under Section 59.03 of the Palm Bay Code of Ordinances and <a href="https://palmbayflorida.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=4225">the agenda</a>, any aggrieved or adversely affected person seeking formal party status had to file written notice with the City Clerk by 5:00 PM at least five business days before the hearing (Wednesday, October 28). That window has already closed, leaving regular public comment at Wednesday&#8217;s hearing.</p><h2><strong>Also on the docket: the board&#8217;s own rulebook</strong></h2><p>The night&#8217;s other business item is a proposed amendment to the board&#8217;s by-laws, continued from the August, September, and October meetings. Prepared at the board&#8217;s June 3 request, the changes update the election and terms of the Chair and Vice Chair (setting one-year officer terms and limiting the Chair to one additional consecutive term), while keeping officer elections in March because board terms expire on February 28 every three years. The amendments also shift the job of notifying City Council from the Chair to the board Secretary when a member forfeits a seat by missing two of three successive meetings without cause and without the Chair&#8217;s prior approval, matching current practice. Finally, they replace the fixed 2:00 PM meeting-day deadline for members of the public to submit electronic presentations with a cross-reference to City Council&#8217;s policy (Subsection 7.8.6), which currently requires submission at least 48 hours before the meeting for staff screening. Board action is required to adopt the amended by-laws, and City Council is scheduled to review them on November 19.</p><p>Before sending Three Forks forward on Wednesday night, the board has a simple checklist: lock down whether the Heritage Parkway extension gets built in Phase IC or Phase 2, clean up the unfinished condition and conflicting commercial acreage, and ask staff what fire station covers a four-story building at Malabar and the Parkway.</p><p><em>This story is also published at <a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/three-forks-planning-zoning/">The Palm Bayer</a>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Palm Bay Holiday Guide 2026: Fall Fest, Two Parades, City Closures, and Trash Days]]></title><description><![CDATA[From Fall Fest to the Light Parade: Palm Bay's complete 2026 holiday schedule, with every City Hall closure and trash change. The full guide runs whole, with the complete season video embedded.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/palm-bay-holiday-guide-2026-fall</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/palm-bay-holiday-guide-2026-fall</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 29 Oct 2026 11:03:30 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/3fda4b27-ada2-4e9b-b785-46a26c885738_2048x1152.webp" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;8d2bd466-a176-4f08-b82e-839dde34ca3a&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>PALM BAY, FL &#8212; Palm Bay&#8217;s holiday season starts this Saturday, October 31, with Fall Fest at Fred Poppe Regional Park, 1951 Malabar Road NW. The event runs from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, and admission is free. The city bills it as a celebration of the fall season, and the published lineup fills the evening: trunk-or-treating, a costume contest, a haunted hayride, inflatables, games, crafts, BMX, and spooky scares, with local vendors, food trucks, and music on site. One gap to know before you go: the city has not published parking details for Fall Fest, so allow a little extra time to get in and settled.</p><p></p><p>Veterans Day Parade: Saturday, November 7</p><p></p><p>One week later, Palm Bay marks Veterans Day with a parade on Saturday, November 7. The parade begins at 10:00 AM at the Tony Rosa Community Center and travels along Port Malabar Boulevard to Veterans Memorial Park. Port Malabar Boulevard closes beginning at 9:00 AM, and the city published a closure map with its parade notice. If your Saturday morning route crosses Port Malabar, plan a detour. The parade is the city&#8217;s published Veterans Day observance this year.</p><p></p><p>Veterans Day itself is Wednesday, November 11, and it changes your trash week. Veterans Day is one of only five holidays Republic Services observes: Memorial Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day. There is no collection on November 11. Palm Bay recycling is collected on Wednesdays, and that week&#8217;s recycling pickup is serviced on the next scheduled service day. When a collection day falls on one of the five holidays, Republic&#8217;s published rule is that collection moves to your next scheduled service day.</p><p>Correction, October 29, 2026: an earlier version of this guide said that week&#8217;s recycling run would shift to Saturday, November 14. Republic Services does not run a Saturday makeup collection; the pickup is serviced on the next scheduled service day. The guide has been corrected.</p><p></p><p>Thanksgiving week</p><p></p><p>Thanksgiving week brings two changes. City offices are closed on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26, and on Friday, November 27, so take care of city business before the holiday. On trash, Republic Services does not collect on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 26. Friday, November 27 collection runs as scheduled, so Friday households should set their carts out as usual. If your normal collection day is Thursday, your pickup moves to your next regular service day. That is the whole list for the holiday week: two closed days at City Hall, one skipped trash day, and everything else on its normal s</p><p></p><p>chedule.</p><p></p><p>Christmas Tree Lighting: Friday, December 4</p><p></p><p>The city&#8217;s Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony is Friday, December 4, at 5:00 PM at Palm Bay City Hall, 120 Malabar Road. The city calendar lists the event running until 8:00 PM. Students from local elementary and middle schools will perform. Bring an unwrapped toy for Toys for Tots and you will receive a free light-up wand. After the ceremony, the evening continues inside City Hall with photos with Santa and holiday crafts.</p><p></p><p>One caution on the date: the city&#8217;s first newsletter listed the lighting on December 5 at 5:30 PM, and some listings still show that date. The city corrected it. Friday, December 4, at 5:00 PM is the city&#8217;s confirmed listing.</p><p></p><p>Holiday Light Parade: Saturday, December 5</p><p></p><p>The very next night brings the biggest event of the season. The Holiday Light Parade steps off Saturday, December 5, at 6:00 PM, and the city bills it as the biggest holiday parade on the Space Coast. Road closures begin at 5:00 PM. The parade covers 3 miles: it kicks off at Eastern Florida State College, travels north on San Filippo Drive, heads west along Malabar Road, and finishes at Minton Road in front of City Hall. The published lineup includes brightly lit floats, high school marching bands, cheer squads, and motorized vehicles. If you are driving across town that evening, give Malabar Road a wide berth after 5:00 PM.</p><p></p><p>Christmas week</p><p></p><p>City Hall is closed on Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25. Take care of city business, permits, and payments before Christmas Eve. Christmas Day is also a Republic Services holiday, so there is no collection on Friday, December 25, and that pickup moves to your next regular service day.</p><p></p><p>One more gap to plan around: the city has not published holiday hours for its recreation facilities, including the community centers, the Palm Bay Aquatic Center, and the Senior Center. If a holiday swim or a senior center visit is in your plans, check with the facility before you go.</p><p></p><p>New Year</p><p></p><p>The trash calendar ends the season quietly. New Year&#8217;s Day is not one of Republic&#8217;s five observed holidays, so collection runs as scheduled on Thursday, December 31, and Friday, January 1. Set your carts out on your normal days.</p><p></p><p>City offices are the one open question. The city has not published New Year&#8217;s Eve hours, so whether City Hall is open on December 31 is unannounced as of this writing. If the city publishes New Year&#8217;s Eve hours or holiday hours for its recreation facilities, this guide will be updated.</p><p></p><p>The season at a glance</p><p></p><ul><li><p>Saturday, October 31: Fall Fest, Fred Poppe Regional Park, 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM, free.</p></li><li><p>Saturday, November 7: Veterans Day Parade, 10:00 AM. Port Malabar Boulevard closed from 9:00 AM.</p></li><li><p>Wednesday, November 11: no trash collection. Recycling is serviced on the next scheduled service day.</p></li><li><p>Thursday, November 26: no trash collection. Friday, November 27 runs as scheduled. City Hall closed both days.</p></li><li><p>Friday, December 4: Christmas Tree Lighting, City Hall, 5:00 PM.</p></li><li><p>Saturday, December 5: Holiday Light Parade, 6:00 PM. Road closures from 5:00 PM.</p></li><li><p>Thursday, December 24, and Friday, December 25: City Hall closed. No trash collection December 25.</p></li><li><p>Thursday, December 31, and Friday, January 1: trash collection runs as scheduled. City Hall hours for December 31 are not yet published.</p><p></p></li></ul><p><a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-holiday-guide-2026/">https://palmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-holiday-guide-2026/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Permits, Purchasing, and the Checkbook: City Hall Fills Three Key Seats in One Month]]></title><description><![CDATA[In about a month, Palm Bay filled the three seats that decide what gets built, how the city buys, and where the money goes. Meet the new building, purchasing, and finance chiefs.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/permits-purchasing-and-the-checkbook</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/permits-purchasing-and-the-checkbook</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:20:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vipE!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9108c439-62a0-40f6-a726-d824bdd88ac0_1024x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;e379e7e1-0641-4632-ae9e-69f98eb135cb&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p>PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer) &#8212; In the span of about a month, Palm Bay has filled three of the most consequential seats in city government: the official who decides what gets built, the official who controls how the city buys, and the official who watches the money.</p><p></p><h2>Roy Johnston, Chief Building Official</h2><p>Roy Johnston was announced on October 28 as Palm Bay&#8217;s new Chief Building Official, the city&#8217;s top authority on building permits, plan review, and code enforcement.</p><p></p><p>He arrives from the University of Central Florida, where he served as Director and Building Official from December 2017 until this month, running a building department accredited by the International Accreditation Service. He holds the International Code Council&#8217;s Master Code Professional credential, its highest certification, along with Florida licenses that are all active with no disciplinary history. Before UCF he worked as a master code official in Pittsburgh and as building official in Ross Township, Pennsylvania, where he championed occupancy and accessibility pathways for buildings built before 1927. His department works out of 120 Malabar Road SE.</p><p></p><h2>Chris Smith, Chief Procurement Officer</h2><p>Chris Smith started September 28 as Chief Procurement Officer, the official who runs the city&#8217;s bidding and purchasing.</p><p></p><p>He came from Fairfax County, Virginia, where he worked as a Contract Specialist II from 2024 to 2025, after a stint in procurement for the City of Alexandria from 2022 to 2024. He earned two national procurement certifications in 2025, the NIGP-CPP and the CPPB. In Fairfax, the contracts he managed barred automatic renewals and tied any extension to a performance evaluation, and he ran solicitations on Bonfire, the same bidding platform Palm Bay uses. Introduced to the City Council in October alongside his wife, Dr. Mary Smith, he pledged integrity, ethics, and transparency in the city&#8217;s purchasing.</p><p></p><h2>Bill Schmidt, Chief Financial Officer</h2><p>Bill Schmidt started in mid-October as Chief Financial Officer, succeeding Larry Wojciechowski. The job itself was elevated in the change: Wojciechowski held the title Finance Director, while Schmidt carries the CFO title.</p><p></p><p>City Manager Matthew Morton describes Schmidt as a certified public accountant of more than 20 years, with roughly 20 years in the public sector and 10 in the private sector, and says he was already flagging needed improvements in his first two weeks. The city has not yet published a biography for Schmidt; The Palm Bayer will add his background as it is confirmed.</p><p></p><h2>The common thread</h2><p>Three hires in one month, touching the three points where city government meets residents most directly: what gets built, what things cost, and where the money goes. The Palm Bayer will be watching all three offices as the new team settles in.</p><p></p><p><em>This story is also published at The Palm Bayer.</em></p><p></p><p><a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-new-hires-october-2026/">https://palmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-new-hires-october-2026/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Palm Bay Fall Fest: Halloween Night at Fred Poppe, Free and an Hour Longer This Year]]></title><description><![CDATA[PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer): This year, Fall Fest lands on the night it has always pointed at. Palm Bay's free fall festival is Saturday, October 31, Halloween night itself, 5:00 to 9:00 PM at Fred Poppe Regional Park, with trunk-or-treating, a costume contest, a haunted hayride, and one new addition to the lineup. It also runs an hour longer than last year. The full rundown, including the one warning the city repeats every year: https://palmbayer.com/community/palm-bay-fall-fest-2026/]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/palm-bay-fall-fest-halloween-night</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/palm-bay-fall-fest-halloween-night</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Mon, 26 Oct 2026 15:31:18 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vipE!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9108c439-62a0-40f6-a726-d824bdd88ac0_1024x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Palm Bay&#8217;s Fall Fest moves to the night it has always pointed at. This year the city&#8217;s free fall festival lands on Halloween night itself, Saturday, October 31, from 5:00 to 9:00 PM at Fred Poppe Regional Park, 1951 Malabar Rd NW. Admission is free, and the city bills it as fun for all ages.</p><p>The details up top: Fall Fest is hosted by Palm Bay Recreation and runs four hours, 5:00 to 9:00 PM, at Fred Poppe Regional Park, 1951 Malabar Rd NW, Palm Bay, FL 32907. No tickets, no admission charge.</p><p>The city&#8217;s own list of what fills those four hours: trunk-or-treating, a costume contest, local vendors, food trucks, music, games, crafts, inflatables, and a haunted hayride. BMX demos join the lineup this year, with KTS Action Sports promoting its stunt demonstrations at the fest.</p><p>Two things make this year different. First, the date. In 2024 and 2025 the fest ran on the Saturday before Halloween. This year it sits on October 31 itself, so the costume contest and the trunk-or-treating happen on the night they belong to. Second, the length. Last year&#8217;s fest ran three hours, 5:00 to 8:00 PM. This year it is back to four, matching 2024.</p><p>Fred Poppe is the city&#8217;s 200-acre regional park on Malabar Road, with four lakes, athletic fields, trails, and the Ted Whitlock Community Center inside it. The fest takes over for the evening; the park&#8217;s regular hours run to 10:00 PM.</p><p>A few useful notes before you go. The event area is alcohol-free and smoke-free, and the city asks that costumes and decorations stay family-friendly, not overly scary or gory. If you were hoping to host a trunk, that door has closed: trunk-or-treat registration ended Friday, October 23. The city is still seeking event sponsors at many different levels.</p><p>One warning the city repeats every year: the city does not sell vendor spots or tickets through social media. Posts claiming to sell either one under a city event listing are fraudulent. Fall Fest is free, and nobody legitimate is charging for it online.</p><p>Questions, including sponsorships, go to vendorregistrations@palmbayfl.gov.</p><p>Four hours, one park, Halloween night itself. Join us if you dare.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Week in Palm Bay: Walmart Bought the Land, the Lagoon Tax Math, and the Final Week of Early Voting]]></title><description><![CDATA[Walmart closed on Emerald Lakes' anchor site, no construction date named. Lagoon tax renewal seeks ten more years, nearly ninety percent of mandated septic fixes unfunded. Early voting ends Saturday.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-walmart-bought</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-walmart-bought</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 25 Oct 2026 11:17:20 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/222024470/284dc92b9e6083cb03268cb1343d5277.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer): Walmart bought the land. The deed for the Emerald Lakes anchor site was recorded last Monday, and Walmart still will not name a construction date. Early voting is in its final week, and the lagoon tax renewal asks voters for a second decade.</p><p>Watch the episode above, and read the full record in the article: <a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-29-october-26-2026/">https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-29-october-26-2026/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Week in Palm Bay: Emerald Lakes Approved, Early Voting Opens, and the Anchor the Podium Didn't Name]]></title><description><![CDATA[Emerald Lakes clears its final vote, the anchor the podium never named is in the permit files, and the mail-ballot clock runs out Thursday.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-emerald-lakes</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-emerald-lakes</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 18 Oct 2026 11:21:35 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/220971598/5e01afdcd7adaed3464d4359d8fc0feb.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>PALM BAY, FL &#8212;</strong> Emerald Lakes clears its final vote, the anchor the podium never named is in the permit files, and the mail-ballot clock runs out Thursday.</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><p>Tony Rosa Community Center, 1502 Port Malabar Blvd NE, Palm Bay, FL 32905</p></li><li><p>Ted Whitlock Community Center at Fred Poppe Park, 370 Championship Cir NW, Palm Bay, FL 32907</p></li><li><p>Max K. Rodes Park Community Center, 3410 Flanagan Ave, West Melbourne, FL 32904 (closer for many Palm Bay voters)</p></li></ul><p>Read the full investigation and verified public records at <a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-28-october-19-2026/">The Palm Bayer</a>:<br><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-28-october-19-2026/">https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-28-october-19-2026/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[1,000 Jobs Approved. The Fire Station Is Still a Pitch.]]></title><description><![CDATA[Palm Bay City Council recap, October 15, 2026: Emerald Lakes, the fire ladder, and the station nobody has signed for.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/1000-jobs-approved-the-fire-station</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/1000-jobs-approved-the-fire-station</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:41:00 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/220691615/fdbf77b356a57065debe738427217e1b.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Thursday night's council meeting ran two hours and thirty-nine minutes. This narrated recap (about eight minutes, with two key moments in the meeting's own words) covers the unanimous Emerald Lakes vote, the deputy's promise that no hotel opens without the ladder truck, the city manager's public pitch for a partner to build the South Regional fire station, the scrub-jay exchange, and a rain report with numbers worth hearing precisely.</p><p></p><p>The full article, with every figure attributed: <a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/rcm-2026-10-15-recap/">https://palmbayer.com/news/rcm-2026-10-15-recap/</a></p><p></p><p>Editor's note, Oct. 16, 2026: This report described Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe as absent with no reason given, because no reason was announced during the meeting. Jaffe has since told The Palm Bayer that his colleagues were supposed to announce the reason: that evening he was in Orlando, in his capacity as deputy mayor, for the Germany-Florida Innovation Evening, a Florida-Germany trade event hosted with Siemens Energy at the same hours as the council meeting, 6:00 to 9:15 p.m. He shared his invitation from the German Consul General in Miami.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Week in Palm Bay: 251 Acres to the Oct 15 Hearing, 652 Apartments in the Pipeline, and a $57.5M Brightline Grant ]]></title><description><![CDATA[Emerald Lakes heads to the Oct 15 public hearing, 652 apartments in the pipeline, and Amendment 3 at 55 percent.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-251-acres-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-251-acres-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:50:51 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/219860210/d1d07ea13dd8323daf75ba8c9801b811.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>This Week in Palm Bay: Episode 27 is out.</strong> Ten minutes with Buzz and Rosie on the week of October 12 through 18.</p><p>The big items: Emerald Lakes sends 251 acres to the October 15 public hearing, with 652 apartments in the pipeline. The traffic number to watch: 21,845 daily trips at buildout. Council takes up the Wawa third-sign variance and the final reading of Ordinance 2026-30. Cocoa&#8217;s Brightline station project received a <strong>$57.5 million federal grant</strong> for final design and construction, with service targeted for 2030. And Amendment 3 sits at 55 percent, five points short of the 60 it needs.</p><p>We also mark the Riviera memorial, say farewell to K-9 Kylo, and run through the openings, the 42-booking snapshot, and a full community calendar, from AD-TOBERFEST to the Trail of Terror.</p><p><em>Watch the full episode at <strong><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-27-october-12-2026/">The Palm Bayer</a></strong>.</em></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Emerald Lakes East Phase I Goes to Council With Fire Mitigation Unresolved and Parkway Extension Optional]]></title><description><![CDATA[The 251-acre Emerald Lakes East Phase I reaches Palm Bay council Thursday with open questions on fire service, design rules, and whether the parkway gets finished.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/emerald-lakes-east-phase-i-goes-to</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/emerald-lakes-east-phase-i-goes-to</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 09 Oct 2026 10:20:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/219557501/a2ce94d0fecb5305a2602832cadb1a4f.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>On Thursday night, the Palm Bay City Council votes on the final development plan for <strong>Emerald Lakes East Phase 1</strong>: 652 apartments, over 1.1 million square feet of commercial development, and a 400-room hotel on 251 acres east of I-95.</p><p>The packet leaves three questions open: Fire Rescue&#8217;s mitigation plan has not been established as accepted. The final parkway extension is optional for the developer, not an obligation. And the staff report calls the design exemptions &#8220;in conflict with the approved character&#8221; of the Regional Activity Center.</p><p>Also Thursday: final reading of Ordinance 2026-30 with an SB 180 lawsuit warning on the record, and six new dedicated city funds on the consent agenda.</p><p><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/rcm-2026-10-15-preview/">Read the full preview</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[P&Z Recap: Board Recommends Emerald Lakes East Phase 1, Wawa Third Sign After 2-2 Tie]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watch now (5 mins) | Emerald Lakes East Phase 1 heads to the City Council with the schools question open. A Wawa sign variance needed the city attorney to break a 2-2 tie. The bylaws update was tabled again.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/p-and-z-recap-board-recommends-emerald</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/p-and-z-recap-board-recommends-emerald</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 08 Oct 2026 11:22:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/219408977/f28ecb81a9d926eab807e82555e6d09e.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer).</strong> On Wednesday night, the Planning and Zoning Board voted to recommend City Council approval of Emerald Lakes East Phase 1: 652 multifamily units and more than 1.1 million square feet of non-residential development on 328 acres east of I-95.</p><p>The 4:31 video above covers the three stories that mattered. First, the recommendation itself, with the applicant projecting about $11.3 million in impact fees for this phase and dangling three unnamed anchor users. Second, the Wawa sign variance that deadlocked 2-2 before the city attorney&#8217;s intervention produced an approval. Third, the school concurrency exchange, where the district&#8217;s own numbers show the zoned schools cannot seat the 118 students the phase generates.</p><p>We will keep following the development agreement negotiations and the staff&#8217;s promised sign code rewrite. Both go to council next.</p><p>&#128073; Read the full recap: <strong><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/pzb-recap-october-7-2026/">The Palm Bayer</a></strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Development Map Is Live: Palm Bay's Active Permits, Plotted Nightly ]]></title><description><![CDATA[2,075 permits. 1,923 properties. Every marker pinned to a real parcel. The match rate, including the misses, published right next to the data.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/the-development-map-is-live-palm</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/the-development-map-is-live-palm</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:00:22 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/219122568/cec521289b54a58b612365107ba906fc.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>PALM BAY, FL &#8212;</strong> What is going up on the empty lot at the end of your street? As of today, you can answer that yourself. The Palm Bayer has launched an interactive Development Map showing Palm Bay&#8217;s active development permits on a rolling 90-day window, rebuilt every night.</p><p>Search by address, permit number, or subdivision. Every marker is matched to a real county parcel, and the 212 permits we could not match are off the map, not guessed at. Our match rate is 90.7%, published right next to the data.</p><p>Read the full announcement: <strong><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-development-map-launch/">https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-development-map-launch/</a></strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Week in Palm Bay: A $1.56M Consent Test, 251 Acres on the Parkway, and Registration Day]]></title><description><![CDATA[Council questions utility invoices before approving them, Emerald Lakes East heads to Planning and Zoning with its zoned schools underwater, and voter registration closes today.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-a-156m-consent</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-a-156m-consent</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 04 Oct 2026 10:43:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/218760266/98931afc9556fe58dd97af53d1077aa8.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>PALM BAY, FL &#8212; Council questions utility invoices before approving them, Emerald Lakes East heads to Planning and Zoning with its zoned schools underwater, and voter registration closes today.</p><p></p><p>Key Takeaways:</p><p>&#8226; What Happened: Council approved a $1.56M utility consent package after Kenny Johnson questioned a $603K emergency sewer invoice over odd overtime billing and pressed a $954K SCADA modernization. Ordinances 2026-30 and 2026-31 both passed 5-0, with the city attorney warning 2026-30 could draw an SB 180 challenge. Builders filed 57 homes in six days. A failing 72-inch stormwater pipe triggered an emergency replacement at Fred Lee Park.</p><p>&#8226; Why Residents Care: Emerald Lakes East Phase 1 goes to Planning and Zoning Wednesday: 251 acres, 21,845 daily trips, and a school concurrency letter showing the three zoned schools hundreds of seats underwater by 2030-31. The Aquatic Center RFS closes Wednesday at 5 PM. Voter registration closes today, Monday, October 5.</p><p>&#8226; What's Next: School board doubleheader Tuesday (Pineapple Cove replication pitch in the work session), Aquatic Center presolicitation Wednesday 9 AM, P&amp;Z hearing Wednesday 6 PM, TPO board Thursday, CATF Thursday with the homestead program's formal recommendation vote.</p><p></p><p>Read the full investigation and verified public records at <a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-26-october-5-2026/">The Palm Bayer</a>:</p><p><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-26-october-5-2026/">https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-26-october-5-2026/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pipe Emergency Leads a Short Night: Palm Bay Council Recap, October 1]]></title><description><![CDATA[A failing 72-inch stormwater pipe, pointed questions about a $603,614 sewer invoice and a $954,329 SCADA contract, and a new compatibility standard for conditional uses.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/pipe-emergency-leads-a-short-night</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/pipe-emergency-leads-a-short-night</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 02 Oct 2026 10:34:04 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/218478731/11c481954e2ee6d6b1ef1a204e287f03.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>PALM BAY, FL &#8212;</strong> A failing 72-inch stormwater pipe, pointed questions about a $603,614 sewer invoice and a $954,329 SCADA contract, and a new compatibility standard for conditional uses.</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><p>The night&#8217;s biggest news came last, in administrative reports.</p></li><li><p>Heavy rainfall two weekends ago caused enough erosion to threaten utility infrastructure.</p></li><li><p>DeLorenzo said the contractor, one the city had not used before, mobilized in two days and had pipe on site in four to five days.</p></li></ul><p>Read the full investigation and verified public records at <strong><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-council-recap-october-01-2026/">The Palm Bayer</a></strong>:<br><strong><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-council-recap-october-01-2026/">https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-council-recap-october-01-2026/</a></strong></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Palm Bay's 251-Acre Bet: 21,845 Trips a Day, and Fire Rescue Can't Get There in Time]]></title><description><![CDATA[Emerald Lakes Phase I brings 1,012-seat school deficits and a 6-minute fire response gap to the Planning Board]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/palm-bays-251-acre-bet-21845-trips</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/palm-bays-251-acre-bet-21845-trips</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 01 Oct 2026 18:15:12 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/218384587/6004df8c8bd50cc99bdad6c187c8c54c.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer) &#8212; </strong>On Wednesday night, the Planning and Zoning Board decides whether to advance the largest development proposal in years: Emerald Lakes East Phase I, a 251-acre mixed-use engine on St. Johns Heritage Parkway.</p><p>We audited all 399 pages of the packet. Here is what is flashing red:</p><ul><li><p>&#128658; <strong>Fire Response Gap:</strong> Station 9 runs 6 to 7 minutes out vs. the 240-second benchmark; mitigation remains unfunded.</p></li><li><p>&#127979; <strong>School Math Haircut:</strong> Zoned schools face a 1,012-seat deficit; the district automatically cuts 22&#8211;37% by assuming charter attendance.</p></li><li><p>&#128663; <strong>21,845 Daily Trips:</strong> Signals won&#8217;t be built until volume hits 600 peak eastbound cars; stop signs until then.</p></li><li><p>&#128721; <strong>Wawa Sign Denial:</strong> Staff recommends denial for 51.32 sq ft of extra wall signage on an unbuilt site.</p></li></ul><p>&#128073; Read the complete investigative brief and packet audit at <strong><a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/pzb-october-7-2026-preview-emerald-lakes-east-phase-one/">The Palm Bayer</a></strong>.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Pineapple Cove Pitches New Charter Campus at Emerald Lakes]]></title><description><![CDATA[Replication application arrives as network's Lockmar campus remains mired in neighborhood traffic gridlock]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/pineapple-cove-pitches-new-charter</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/pineapple-cove-pitches-new-charter</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 30 Sep 2026 10:36:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/218152087/9dbe4799454901c2b96083e008bc0921.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>VIERA, FL (The Palm Bayer) &#8212; </strong>Pineapple Cove Classical Academy is proposing a new K-8 charter campus at Emerald Lakes in southeast Palm Bay. But while the application promises new capacity, the network&#8217;s Lockmar campus remains locked in a four-year traffic battle that spills hundreds of cars onto neighborhood roads daily.</p><p>Also on Tuesday&#8217;s School Board docket:</p><ul><li><p>&#128499;&#65039; <strong>0-5 Contract Re-Entry:</strong> A $68,000 vendor contract killed unanimously in September quietly returns on consent.</p></li><li><p>&#127944; <strong>Capital Shift:</strong> $42,450 in stadium design funds leaves Rockledge for Viera High fields.</p></li><li><p>&#127973; <strong>Health Trust Deficit:</strong> District self-insurance fund hits an unhedged 118% loss ratio.</p></li></ul><p>&#128073; Read the complete investigative brief and docket audit at <strong><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/pineapple-cove-pitches-new-charter-campus-at-emerald-lakes/">The Palm Bayer</a></strong>.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[This Week in Palm Bay: Fiscal 2027 Opens Under Strain, County Breaks Charter Cap, Permitting Surges]]></title><description><![CDATA[Palm Bay, FL -- Adopted $457.3M budget leaves a $5.18M utility hole as consent invoices arrive, Brevard overrides tax cap, and builders rush 57 filings.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-fiscal-2027</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/this-week-in-palm-bay-fiscal-2027</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sun, 27 Sep 2026 16:13:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/217689889/59fceefecd447e166a9059cf9f48ca3d.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>PALM BAY, FL &#8212;</strong> Adopted $457.3M budget leaves a $5.18M utility hole as consent invoices arrive, Brevard overrides tax cap, and builders rush 57 filings.</p><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p><ul><li><p><strong>What Happened:</strong> Palm Bay adopted a $457.3 million FY2027 budget at rollback but left an unhedged $5.18 million utility enterprise deficit, with $1.558 million in emergency sewer and SCADA invoices arriving on the October 1 consent agenda. Meanwhile, Brevard County broke its charter tax cap to extract $17.7 million in additional revenue, the School Board authorized $100 million in short-term borrowing, and residential builders flooded City Hall with 57 permit filings in five days.</p></li><li><p><strong>Why Residents Care:</strong> Florida law strictly bars using general property taxes to rescue utility enterprise funds, meaning delayed repairs or future rate spikes remain inevitable. Regionally, county property tax bills will climb despite the local rollback, while an influx of new pre-plat residential filings strains south county roads, water grids, and public transit corridors already facing service cuts like SCAT Route 33.</p></li><li><p><strong>What&#8217;s Next:</strong> City Council meets Thursday, October 1, to ratify consent infrastructure contracts, vote on pre-plat permitting under Ordinance 2026-31, and review the unaudited third-quarter financial report. Voter registration for the November General Election closes Monday, October 5.</p></li></ul><p>Read the full investigation and verified public records at <a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-25-september-28-2026/">The Palm Bayer</a>:<br><a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-25-september-28-2026/">https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/this-week-in-palm-bay-episode-25-september-28-2026/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The $1.55 Million Utility Consent Squeeze: Retroactive Sewer Invoices and Redacted SCADA Overhauls Lead Palm Bay Docket]]></title><description><![CDATA[Correction: the original version of this post carried the 60-second social short instead of the full council preview video, and the article link was not clickable.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/the-155-million-utility-consent-squeeze</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/the-155-million-utility-consent-squeeze</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Sat, 26 Sep 2026 14:25:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/217519061/274ef2e42158a6e46cb2874274d1f384.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Correction: the original version of this post carried the 60-second social short instead of the full council preview video, and the article link was not clickable. Both are fixed in this repost.</p><p></p><p>Palm Bay Council faces a $603K Titusville piggyback payout for already-buried pipe.</p><p></p><p>City administration has scheduled $1,557,943 in utility capital spending across the consent agenda for a single en bloc vote, including a $603,614 retroactive sewer payout and $954,329.</p><p></p><p>Full watchdog investigation: <a href="https://palmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-council-preview-october-01-2026/">https://palmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-council-preview-october-01-2026/</a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[School Board Splits 4-1 on $100M Borrowing to Bridge Charter Cash Trough; Tackles Speech Policy After Half-Million Dollar Defeat]]></title><description><![CDATA[The Brevard County School Board split 4-1 to approve $100M in short-term borrowing to navigate an $84M cash valley caused by charter school disbursements, then convened an open work session to dismantle a meeting broadcast blackout following a half-million dollar federal speech defeat.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/school-board-splits-4-1-on-100m-borrowing</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/school-board-splits-4-1-on-100m-borrowing</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Fri, 25 Sep 2026 13:48:27 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vipE!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F9108c439-62a0-40f6-a726-d824bdd88ac0_1024x1024.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>The Brevard County School Board split 4-1 to approve $100M in short-term borrowing to navigate an $84M cash valley caused by charter school disbursements, then convened an open work session to dismantle a meeting broadcast blackout following a half-million dollar federal speech defeat.</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;4b5efe1e-f70b-444c-87d2-acd1b50a665d&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p></p><p>Read the full story:</p><p>https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/brevard-school-board-100m-tan-liquidity-trough-policy-0169/?utm_source=substack&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=brevard-school-board-100m-tan-liquidity-trough-policy-0169-deploy</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Brevard Commission Adopts $2.425B Budget, Sets Aggregate Millage 6.12% Above Rolled-Back Rate as Jail and 'Sick Building' Crises Collide]]></title><description><![CDATA[Watchdog investigation and analysis from Palm Bay, Florida.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/brevard-commission-adopts-2425b-budget</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/brevard-commission-adopts-2425b-budget</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 14:01:23 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/217241833/4e24feb309b54bb7b309b152b95e3cfd.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>VIERA, FL, The Brevard County Commission voted 4-1 to pass a $2.425 billion budget and set an aggregate millage rate 6.12% above the rolled-back rate, driven by structural decay at the 40-year-old county jail and an unvarnished warning from Property Appraiser Dana Blickley that Government Complex North has two years of economic life before teardown.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p></li><li><p>Initial docket read-in under Item D.2 listed $2,425,838,420, reflecting a minor $6,427 technical variance reconciled in the final $2,425,831,993 Resolution D.4 adoption.</p></li><li><p>Shifting 100 percent of Ocean Rescue lifeguarding expenses from the county general fund to the Tourist Development Tax (TDT), freeing roughly $2 million in discretionary property tax revenue.</p></li><li><p>Eliminating 44 county staff positions, 18 of which were actively filled, resulting in immediate employee layoffs.</p></li></ul><p>Read the complete forensic analysis and verified public records at <a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/brevard-commission-adopts-2-4b-budget-jail-animal-shelter-hike/">The Palm Bayer</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Palm Bay Adopts $457.3M Budget as Administration Retreats on Fees and Water Reality Hits]]></title><description><![CDATA[Behind a unanimous 5-0 vote and a zero-tax-increase millage, Council manager pulls three fee hikes, director lays bare a 55,280-connection utility crisis, and dais pitches corporate land swaps.]]></description><link>https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/palm-bay-adopts-4573m-budget-as-administration</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.thepalmbayer.com/p/palm-bay-adopts-4573m-budget-as-administration</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Thomas Gaume]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Thu, 24 Sep 2026 09:56:42 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://api.substack.com/feed/podcast/217213393/3b2fec21c2e821118daa5362e9ffc043.mp3" length="0" type="audio/mpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>PALM BAY, FL &#8212;</strong> Behind a unanimous 5-0 vote and a zero-tax-increase millage, Council manager pulls three fee hikes, director lays bare a 55,280-connection utility crisis, and dais pitches corporate land swaps.</p><ul><li><p><strong>Key Takeaways:</strong></p></li><li><p><strong>Well 13:</strong> 12.0 ppt combined.</p></li><li><p><strong>Well 16:</strong> 20.0 ppt combined.</p></li><li><p><strong>Well 18:</strong> 48.0 ppt combined (twelve times the federal limit).</p></li></ul><p>Read the complete forensic analysis and verified public records at <a href="https://news.thepalmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-fy2027-final-budget-hearing-recap/">The Palm Bayer</a>.</p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>