Charter Review Commission Meets Thursday to Examine Council Structure and City Administration
The Palm Bay Charter Review Commission meets November 13 at 6 p.m. to review City Charter Articles III and IV, covering council structure and administrative powers.
Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay Charter Review Commission (CRC) will meet on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers, 120 Malabar Road SE. The session will be broadcast live on the city’s website at https://www.palmbayfl.gov/government/listen-watch-meetings.
This is the second meeting of the 2025 CRC, a citizen commission created earlier this year by the City Council to examine and recommend updates to the City Charter. The November 13 agenda calls for continued review of Article III (Legislative) and Article IV (Administrative)—the sections that define how the City Council operates and how the City Manager and other charter officers administer city government.
Key Discussion Areas
The agenda packet lists several proposals that may be reviewed or discussed under these sections:
Expanding the City Council: Vice-Chair Thomas Gaume has submitted a proposal to increase the council from five to seven members, adding four residential-district seats while retaining citywide voting.
Council Vacancies: A proposed amendment would restore special elections for long-term vacancies instead of relying solely on council appointments.
Standards of Conduct: A draft section would set local ethical standards for council members and connect willful violations to forfeiture of office.
Physical Presence for Voting: Another item would require council votes to be cast only by members physically present in the Chambers, except for documented medical necessity.
Additional Commissioner Proposals: Written submissions from Commissioners Ruth Kaufhold and Mark Miller suggest language updates to council composition, compensation, and administrative definitions.
Public Participation
Residents are encouraged to attend and offer input.
Public comment is accepted on any non-agenda items at the start of the meeting and again before action on individual items.
Each speaker is limited to three minutes.
For those unable to attend in person, the meeting will be livestreamed at https://www.palmbayfl.gov/government/listen-watch-meetings.
Accessibility assistance is available through the City Clerk’s Office at (321) 952-3414 or via Florida Relay 711.
You can download the full agenda and submitted proposals here.
