Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay City Council convenes Friday, February 27, 2026, at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers, 120 Malabar Road SE, for Special Council Meeting 2026-07. Two items are on the agenda. The first is a $55,000 settlement of the federal First Amendment lawsuit filed by Councilman Chandler Langevin against the city he serves on. The second is a procedural vote to preserve a fire services funding option for next fiscal year. Both are covered below.
The meeting is broadcast live on the city’s website and on Space Coast Government TV.
Item 1: The Langevin Settlement — $55,000 to End a Federal Lawsuit
Council will vote on a settlement agreement resolving Langevin v. City of Palm Bay, federal case 6:25-cv-2015-GAP-NWH.
To understand why this vote is happening Friday, the timeline matters. Councilman Chandler Langevin filed the federal lawsuit in October 2025, challenging Resolution 2025-41 as a violation of his First Amendment rights. That resolution censured him following inflammatory social media posts targeting Indian immigrants, removed him from all city boards and committees, and required him to seek majority Council consensus before placing items on the agenda. The Council voted 4-1 to censure. Langevin was the sole dissenting vote.
The federal case moved quickly. On December 3, 2025, a temporary injunction hearing was held before U.S. District Judge Gregory A. Presnell. The city voted on December 4 to amend the censure resolution, removing the consensus requirement and the speaking restrictions. Judge Presnell issued a temporary injunction on December 5 blocking the provisions the city had already sunset. The case was headed for a bench trial on March 3, 2026, when the parties reached a settlement in principle on February 16. Judge Presnell closed the case on February 17 with an Order of Dismissal Without Prejudice. The Palm Bayer covered the lead-up here and the settlement announcement here.
The terms of the settlement agreement are now public in the meeting packet. The city will pay $55,000 to Sabatini Law Firm, P.A. in Mount Dora. That payment covers Langevin’s attorney fees and costs. Neither party admits wrongdoing. Langevin releases the city from all claims. Within 10 days of receiving the payment, Langevin’s attorney files a dismissal with prejudice, permanently closing the federal case. Each party covers its own additional costs.
Residents should understand that $55,000 is the payment to Langevin’s attorney. It is not the full cost of this litigation to taxpayers. The city’s outside counsel, Alec D. Russell of GrayRobinson, P.A., represented Palm Bay throughout the case. That firm’s fees are separate and have not been disclosed. The Palm Bayer has a public records request pending for all GrayRobinson invoices on this matter. Those numbers will be reported when the records are released.
One procedural question from the packet is worth flagging before Friday’s vote. An earlier draft of the settlement required Langevin to vote in favor of the agreement. City Attorney Patricia D. Smith raised concerns about a potential voting conflict, since Langevin is the direct financial beneficiary of the payout. That provision was removed from the final agreement. The packet does not state whether Langevin will recuse himself from Friday’s vote. Under Florida Statute §112.3143 (Link Pending), a public officer must abstain from voting on any measure that inures to his or her special private gain. Watch how Mayor Rob Medina handles that question Friday night.
The Palm Bayer is tracking the broader pattern of legal exposure in this ongoing report.
Staff’s recommendation is to approve the settlement. The motion before Council is to approve the agreement and authorize the $55,000 payment.
Item 2: The Fire Assessment Resolution — Preserving an Option, Not Writing a Check
Palm Bay Fire Rescue is asking Council to approve Resolution 2026-03. This is a procedural vote, not a tax bill. No assessment rate has been set and no property owner will receive a bill as a result of Friday’s action.
Here is what the resolution actually does. Florida Statute §197.3632 requires a city to publicly notify the state Department of Revenue, the Brevard County Property Appraiser, and the Brevard County Tax Collector before March 10 if it intends to use the “uniform method” of collecting non-ad valorem assessments for the coming fiscal year. Miss that deadline and the option is off the table until fiscal year 2027-28. Approving Resolution 2026-03 simply tells those three agencies that Palm Bay may pursue this funding path for FY 2026-27. It commits the city to nothing.
Fire Chief Richard E. Stover and City Manager Matthew Morton are driving the request. The legislative memo cites 7% population growth in the city since January 2023, concentrated in the area identified in the resolution’s Exhibit A. That area covers a large swath of Palm Bay’s southwest and southeast quadrants, described in nine pages of metes-and-bounds legal description. No simplified map was included in the packet. If you want to know whether your property falls inside the boundary, the full legal description is on file at the City Clerk’s office, or contact Public Works Customer Service at (321) 952-3437.
The memo’s argument is straightforward. Growth is driving more fire calls in this area. The general fund cannot keep pace. A special assessment would spread the cost proportionally among the properties that directly benefit from improved fire services. Staff is recommending Council approve the resolution to keep the option open while the FY 2026-27 budget is built.
Before any assessment ever reaches a property owner’s tax bill, two additional steps are required. Council must hold a second public hearing, this time with advance individual mailed notice to every affected property owner. And under Article VI, Section 6.02 of the Palm Bay City Charter, any special assessment must be approved by a ballot of the affected landowners. Friday’s vote does not bypass either of those requirements. It simply keeps the calendar open.
The fiscal impact for Friday is minimal. The Brevard County Property Appraiser charges $0.60 per parcel for processing. The Tax Collector may add a fee under Florida Statute §192.091. No dollar amount for any potential assessment has been set or proposed.
Heads Up: Parking Will Be Tight Friday Night
If you’re planning to attend the council meeting in person, plan extra time to find parking and navigate the campus.
The city’s new “Treats, Beats & Eats” food truck festival launches the same night at City Hall, running from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The council meeting starts at 6:00 PM. Both events are at 120 Malabar Road SE. At the Christmas Tree Lighting last December, cars were parked at the Brevard County Library next door and as far away as the shopping center across Minton Road. Friday night could look similar.
Arrive before 5:30 PM if you want a spot close to the building. The library branch next door and the shopping center across Minton Road are both walkable. Council Chambers is a separate building on the southwest corner of the City Hall complex, connected to the main building by outdoor covered walkways. With festival activity in the courtyard, follow the signage or ask any city staff member on site to point you toward the chambers.
What Residents Should Know Before Friday
Both items on Friday’s agenda have downstream consequences that go beyond the vote itself.
For the Langevin settlement, $55,000 is the floor of the public’s cost in this litigation, not the ceiling. The full figure includes the city’s outside counsel fees, which are not yet public. Keep an eye on the voting conflict question.
For the fire assessment, Friday is not the end of the process. It is the beginning. If Council approves the resolution and staff ultimately proposes a rate, residents in the assessment area will receive mailed notice and have the right to vote on any assessment before it is imposed. The charter protection in §6.02 is real. Hold staff to it.
The meeting begins at 6:00 PM Friday in Council Chambers, 120 Malabar Road SE. The full agenda and supporting documents are available for review now.
Sources
Special Council Meeting 2026-07 Agenda and Packet — City of Palm Bay
Palm Bay City Charter, Article VI, §6.02 — Special Assessments
Langevin Lawsuit Settled, Council Vote Pending — The Palm Bayer
Langevin v. Palm Bay: The “Win,” The Wait, and The Record — The Palm Bayer
Palm Bay’s Legal Exposure Grows: Four New Lawsuits Filed Since October — The Palm Bayer
