Palm Bay, FL -- The Palm Bay Charter Review Commission holds its third meeting of 2026 on Thursday, March 12, beginning at 6:00 P.M. in Council Chambers at City Hall, 120 Malabar Road SE. The agenda covers five charter articles, with the central debate focused on whether to change how the city’s property tax revenue cap works. But the meeting may open with something else entirely: a conduct question about commissioners using personal devices during prior meetings. The meeting is broadcast live on the city’s website.
The commission has ten members and has been working through the charter since November. Thursday’s agenda brings them to the last five articles, from taxes and borrowing to public safety and the transition schedule.
Where Things Stand
The commission has approved amendments to Articles I, III, IV, and V across its first two meetings. The changes include new procedures for filling vacant Council seats, revised public comment rules, a reduced signature threshold for citizen petitions (from 10% to 4.5%), and citizenship and naturalization requirements for the City Clerk, City Attorney, and City Manager.
The February 12 meeting also approved a redefinition of the word “Constitution” within the charter text, and a term limit reform capping Council service at 12 consecutive years or three consecutive terms. That term limit vote was unanimous. The Constitutional definition vote passed 8-2, with commissioners Thomas Gaume and Phil Weinberg voting no.
At that same meeting, Commissioner Weinberg moved to remove all references to the 3% property tax cap from the charter. The motion failed 7-2, with only Weinberg and Commissioner Jordin Chandler in favor. The commission also voted on a proposal to eliminate designated Council seat numbers and hold all four Council races at large. That motion failed 4-6.
A Cell Phone Problem on the Dais
At the March 5 City Council meeting, Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe stated on the record that it had been brought to his attention that members of the Charter Review Commission appeared to be on a group text chat during a CRC meeting, with two or three commissioners on the thread simultaneously. He did not name names or make formal accusations, but said the optics were not great. Mayor Rob Medina responded: “You’re spot on.”
Following that council meeting, an agenda revision request was submitted to the City Clerk asking that a formal standing rule on electronic devices be placed as the first order of business at Thursday’s meeting. The proposed rule would require all commissioners to power off or silence personal electronic devices at the call to order and surrender them to the City Clerk, with devices returned at adjournment. A commissioner needing a device for official meeting documents could declare that use to the Chair in advance and receive approval on a case-by-case basis.
Personal device restrictions are standard practice for public boards in Florida, in large part because of the Sunshine Law. Section 286.011, Florida Statutes, prohibits two or more members of the same public board from discussing matters that may foreseeably come before that board outside of a public meeting.
A group text between commissioners during a meeting creates the possibility of exactly that kind of communication. Whether it violates the statute depends on the content of the messages, but the risk is why most boards either prohibit or restrict device use on the dais.
The published agenda for Thursday’s meeting does not include the electronic device item.
Disclosure: This reporter submitted the agenda revision request described above. See editor’s note below.
Article VI: The Tax Cap
The most substantive scheduled item Thursday is Article VI. Section 6.01(b) of the current charter limits annual property tax revenue growth to 3%, regardless of inflation. The cap was approved by voters in 2016 with 71% support. Section 6.01(c) allows the Council to exceed the cap with a supermajority vote, provided it declares an emergency or critical need.
The proposal before the commission replaces the flat 3% with a formula: the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U), as published by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, plus one percentage point. The result is capped at a hard ceiling of 5%. The cap cannot exceed 5% in any year. The supermajority override remains unchanged.
The proposal is not a repeal. The cap stays in place. Only the formula changes.
The supporting document included in the agenda packet makes the economic case. From 2019 through 2024, cumulative inflation was 22.4% according to BLS data. The 3% cap allowed 15.9% revenue growth over the same period. For the current fiscal year, the cap rate fell below the rollback rate for the first time in city history, meaning the cap was restricting revenue below what the city collected the prior year before accounting for new construction. The Council declared a critical need to fund baseline operations.
The proposal includes a year-by-year comparison using BLS data from 2020 through 2025. In low-inflation years the formula produces a tighter cap than 3%. In 2020, when inflation was 1.2%, the proposed cap would have been 2.2%. In high-inflation years like 2022, when CPI hit 8%, the 5% ceiling would have held the cap well below what the city needed to cover actual cost increases. As of January 2026, inflation is running at 2.4%, which would produce a proposed cap of 3.4%.
The document also includes suggested ballot language for the November 2026 general election and anticipates likely questions from commission members and the public.
Disclosure: This reporter serves as Vice-Chair of the Charter Review Commission and is presenting the Article VI proposal at Thursday’s meeting. See editor’s note below.
Articles VII Through X
The remaining four articles on the agenda are brief. No proposed changes to any of them have been announced.
Article VII authorizes the Council to borrow money and issue bonds under state law. Article VIII establishes the police department, fire department, and requires the City Manager to maintain a current emergency response plan. Article IX covers the Charter Review Commission’s authority and the Council’s power to create boards and committees. Article X addresses conflicts with existing laws, pending matters, the severability clause, and the charter’s effective date.
Meeting Information
The Charter Review Commission meets Thursday, March 12, 2026 at 6:00 P.M. in Council Chambers at Palm Bay City Hall, 120 Malabar Road SE, Palm Bay, FL 32907. The meeting is broadcast live on the city’s website.
Public comment is open on all agenda items at the time each item is heard. Speakers wishing to address non-agenda items may do so during the public comments period at the beginning of the meeting. All speakers are limited to three minutes.
Sources
CRC Meeting 2026-03 Agenda Packet -- City of Palm Bay
Section 286.011, Florida Statutes -- Government in the Sunshine Law
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U data cited in agenda packet
Editor’s note: Thomas Gaume, who covers city government for The Palm Bayer, serves as Vice-Chair of the Palm Bay Charter Review Commission. He is presenting the Article VI property tax proposal described in this article and submitted the agenda revision request for the electronic device standing rule described in this article. That request was not reflected in the published agenda. The Palm Bayer is disclosing both roles so readers can weigh the coverage accordingly.
