Palm Bay City Council Meeting Recap – February 20, 2025
Major Decisions, Public Concerns, and Council Votes 🌟
Palm Bay, FL — The Palm Bay City Council met on February 20, 2025, to address infrastructure upgrades, community development, and public safety concerns. Held at City Hall, the meeting saw strong community turnout and ran late into the evening. Below is a concise summary of key actions, public comments, and voting outcomes, based on the official transcript.
Call to Order & Proclamation – Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month 🙏
Mayor Rob Medina kicked off the meeting with an invocation by Pastor Mark Miller of Victory in Christ Jesus Ministries, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilman Chandler Langevin. The Council proclaimed March 2025 as Bleeding Disorders Awareness Month, spotlighting conditions like hemophilia affecting over 20,000 Americans, including 6,000 Floridians.
Guest speaker Samantha Nazario from the Bleeding Disorders Foundation of Florida praised Palm Bay’s seven-year partnership—the longest in Brevard County. She recalled the community’s advocacy, stating, “Back in the 1990s, at the height of the AIDS crisis, the bleeding disorder community fought for the right to test all blood products… saving your life in 1999 with the Ricky Ray Law.” Nazario highlighted the Affordable Care Act’s importance—her son’s medication costs $16,000 per dose—and urged residents to engage local representatives.
Why It Matters: This proclamation reflects Palm Bay’s commitment to health awareness, supporting education and research for bleeding disorders. 🩺
Public Comments & Community Concerns 🗣️
Surveillance & Privacy Concerns – Flock Camera System 📸
Christine Lansana, a 25-year resident, voiced concerns about the Flock Surveillance System, a license plate reader network tracking vehicles. She criticized its opacity, saying, “Flock has been used without public awareness, and now when residents raise concerns, we’re effectively ignored.” Lansana questioned its scope—“Why does it create a database tracking every citizen?”—and demanded a public discussion, citing past police misconduct as a trust issue, urging a pause on expansion until accountability improves.
Council Discussion:
Councilman Kenny Johnson pushed for transparency: “Maybe get her with Deputy Chief Spears or Chief Augello to talk through what we do.”
Mayor Medina noted prior discussions, but Johnson stressed clarity. Chief Mariano Augello later confirmed ongoing talks with Lansana.
Council Response: No immediate action was taken, but the issue was flagged for future review to weigh safety against privacy. 🔍
Police Leadership & Accountability 🚨
Retired Deputy Chief Lance Fisher accused Police Chief Mariano Augello of fostering misconduct, alleging “excessive force incidents, falsified reports, and intimidation tactics against officers who report wrongdoing.” He claimed the department faces “five federal lawsuits and seven officer investigations” and called for an independent review, criticizing Mayor Medina: “You’ve done nothing except blast me at this podium.”
Council Discussion:
Councilman Kenny Johnson urged transparency: “We need to look at existing officer complaints and use-of-force incidents.”
Mayor Rob Medina defended current processes: “Internal reviews are already in place,” while recognizing the concerns.
Interim City Manager Scott Morgan clarified: “To my knowledge, there is no active investigation of our police chief.”
Council Response: No action was taken, though the Council agreed to revisit the idea of an external review later. ⚖️
Code Enforcement & Agricultural Property Concerns 🌾
Residents criticized code enforcement practices for inconsistency and excessive fines. Gary Hilfiger, a business owner, said, “Since January, I got seven violations… It makes me feel like I’m targeted.” Others rallied for Happiness Horse Farm, a nonprofit sanctuary facing a $1,500 stormwater fee and a driveway compliance order despite its agricultural exemption.
Co-founder Emily Turlock pleaded, “We’re being threatened by excessive stormwater fees and code enforcement that could force us to close… This driveway has existed since 1995.” Volunteers Steve Wilcox and Brandy Martin praised its educational role, with young rider Alexis Avoli adding, “It’s given me a huge leap in my equine journey.”
Council Discussion:
Councilman Chandler Langevin asked, “Is there a grandfather clause?”
Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe suggested, “If there’s no grandfathering, can we amend it for agricultural property?”
City Attorney Patricia Smith replied, “Grandfathering depends on prior requirements… We can explore a narrow ordinance.”
Council Response: The Council unanimously directed staff to explore grandfathering or ordinance changes and review stormwater credits, with Acting City Engineer Daniel Blasco confirming a potential credit reassessment. 🐴
Infrastructure & Development Issues 🛠️
Traffic & Rezoning: Residents Manuel Garcia and Donna Douglas opposed a multi-family project at Lakewood and Lawndale, questioning notification: “We haven’t been notified of anything… Do residents have a right to vote on rezoning?”
Road Conditions: Robert Stice requested full repaving of Lynbrook Drive post-water project, citing mismatched repairs.
Council Response: Staff pledged to improve notification processes and assess Lynbrook Drive’s paving needs. 🚧
Key Council Decisions & Votes ✅
Comprehensive Plan Amendment – Urban Mixed-Use Development 🏙️
Ordinance 2025-08 rezoned 133 acres near Micco Road and I-95 from Neighborhood Commercial and Residential 1 to Urban Mixed-Use (UMU), part of the Ashton Park master-planned community. Developer James Dix hailed it as “a game changer,” projecting 13,000+ jobs and $1.5 billion in revenue over 20 years, with a downtown featuring 645 multi-family units and 300,000 square feet of commercial space.
Public Concerns:
Matt Gibson opposed the golf cart focus: “They encourage unsupervised behavior… Palm Bay will carry this burden for 20-30 years.”
Bill Batten supported it but warned: “We’ve lived through failed developments… We’re still paying the price.”
Council Discussion:
Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe praised the plan: “If we’re going to build, this is how to do it.”
Mayor Rob Medina pushed for sports fields: “We have a huge need for baseball and football fields.”
Vote Outcome: Approved 5-0 as a transmittal hearing, pending state review.
Culvert Pipe Replacement Contracts 💧
Contracts worth $1.865 million were awarded to Timothy Rose Contracting for culvert replacements in three neighborhoods, boosting stormwater drainage.
Public Concerns: Bill Batten questioned a $50,000 overrun allocation.
Vote Outcome: Approved 5-0.
Richmond Cove Subdivision 🏡
The Council approved the final plat for an 86-lot single-family subdivision west of Gainer Drive, per a 2022 preliminary approval.
Public Concerns: Bill Batten lamented traffic impacts: “They tore up driveways… We lost our rural residential land.”
Vote Outcome: Approved 4-1, with Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe, Councilman Kenny Johnson, Councilman Michael Hammer, and Councilman Chandler Langevin in favor; Mayor Rob Medina opposed, citing rural land preservation.
Malabar Springs Subdivision 🏘️
The final plat for Malabar Springs Phase 1, 317 single-family homes on 295 acres north of Malabar Road, was approved as part of a 653-home project.
Public Concerns: Caitlin Mendez and Angelica Sneed sought privacy barriers, with Mendez noting, “I’m not comfortable with no barrier behind my home.”
Council Discussion: Councilman Chandler Langevin clarified, “This is final plat approval, not development approval.”
Vote Outcome: Approved 4-1, with Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe, Councilman Kenny Johnson, Councilman Michael Hammer, and Councilman Chandler Langevin in favor; Mayor Rob Medina opposed, consistent with his prior vote.
Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Amendments 💰
Leftover funds were reallocated to Liberty Park improvements and a Housing Rehabilitation Specialist position, with a name change from Riviera to Ken Green Park. Amendment 5 (funding the specialist) was excluded.
Vote Outcome: Approved 5-0.
Sustainability Advisory Board – Expanded Role 🌍
Ordinance 2025-10 removed the board’s duties to include renewable energy, and aim for 100% clean energy by 2035.
Vote Outcome: Approved 5-0.
Automatic Aid Agreement 🚑
An emergency response agreement with Brevard County and the Sheriff’s Office was approved.
Vote Outcome: Approved 5-0.
Looking Ahead ⏳
Unresolved issues include surveillance transparency, police accountability, and traffic solutions. The next meeting is set for March 6, 2025, with the city manager search advancing—over 80 applications are under review, targeting a May 1 start.
Curated by AI and fact-checked by The Palm Bayer editorial team. 😊
Council with the use of code enforcement is forcing Palm Bay to be an HOA. They want to control everything at your home. So do we own our homes or lease them from the city?
I remember the council meeting about chicken during Covid to being able to have work type trailers without wraps in our driveway. Some where along the line they changed this, why? Stay out of my home if it’s not a safety issue
Good summary. I listened to the meeting today (it was lengthy, your Grandmother could of knitted a quilt on a cold day before that meeting was over). Regarding the Horse Farm, the Council dragged the Acting Pub Works Dir to talk to this, she pleaded ignorance but said that Code Enforcement happened to be in the area looking at other driveways and came upon theirs. Good to see the Contractors on the Council point out the absurdity of demanding a permit and a apron on a 30_yr old driveway and act like they wanted to change the code. Not long ago, if you read the Palm Bay Next Door msg board, there would be numerous complaints about Code violations. So did all of those violations get addressed that now Code Enforcement officers have time to mull around agricultural areas to inspect driveways (that there are likely no complaints on ) ? Maybe we need DOGE in Code Enforcement? Kudos to the residents who came out in support of the Horse Farm. Alfe even came to the podium and lamented he's been cited for multi driveway code violations. (must of been a department meeting on driveways, too bad Code couldn't clean out culverts in their spare time) Another resident commented that she had a 4 decade old septic system that might need to be replaced at some point, if she shells out the $$ to replace it and the City brings mandatory sewer to her residence who pays? (Either it got blanked out or I didn't hear a answer) . The subject of Chickens came up again in Council Reports . I was just at Tractor Supply yesterday, they were pushing chicks. Odd the council never considered what the TSC minimum purchase quantity is while they were trying to tell every non HOA property owner how many Chickens they can have.