Palm Bay, FL -- The May 7 Regular Council Meeting carries one of the heaviest agendas of the year. A citywide cannabis dispensary ban hits first reading. A 33-home subdivision returns for final adoption after the Planning and Zoning Board voted to deny it. The 1,198-acre Palm Vista Everlands West package is back from a continuance. The first South Regional Water Reclamation Facility status update since the April 16 emergency procurement sits on the presentation slot. And Council will consider a $360,000 five-year state lobbying contract. Doors open at 6:00 PM in Council Chambers, 120 Malabar Road SE.
Cannabis dispensary ban hits first reading
Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe is sponsoring Ordinance 2026-13, which would amend Chapter 120 of the city code to ban all new medical marijuana treatment center dispensing facilities inside Palm Bay’s municipal boundaries. The item is on the agenda as New Business, Item 1, for first reading.
Existing licensed operators are not forced out. The ordinance treats any dispensing facility lawfully operating in the city on the date of enactment as a nonconforming use under Title XVII, Chapter 173, Part 9 of the city code. The authority cited is Section 381.986(11), Florida Statutes, which lets cities ban dispensing facilities outright but prevents cities that do not ban from setting numeric caps or zoning rules stricter than those for licensed pharmacies.
The Planning and Zoning Board hears the same ordinance text on May 6, and the board’s recommendation transmits to Council before the May 7 vote. The federal rescheduling of marijuana to Schedule III was finalized for medical use on April 28, 2026. That federal change does not alter F.S. 381.986(11). Cities retain ban authority independent of federal scheduling.
Centerpointe Church rezoning returns for final adoption after P&Z denial
Ordinance 2025-44 is on the Public Hearings calendar as Item 1 for final reading, a quasi-judicial proceeding. The ordinance would rezone 10 acres north of Emerald Road, south of Valor Drive, and west of Cavern Avenue from RR (Rural Residential) to RS-1 (Single-Family Residential), enabling a 33-home subdivision within a 41-lot project. Applicant: Centerpointe Church, Inc., represented by Bill Price of Price Family Homes. The application originally requested RS-2; the May 7 version reads RS-1, a downgrade negotiated through a Settlement Agreement referenced in the packet table of contents as Attachment 12. The settlement agreement referenced in the packet was not made publicly available.
The Planning and Zoning Board recommended denial of the rezoning by a vote of 4 to 1 at its September 3, 2025 meeting. The City Manager’s memo summarizes the basis as “Rural Residential being a rarity in Palm Bay; green space preservation should be paramount; and Rural Residential was a more proper match in density.” The motion to deny was made by board member Filiberto and seconded by board member McNally. The board’s companion small-scale Future Land Use Map vote carried 4 to 1 in favor, with Filiberto the lone dissenter. The case reaches Council on final reading anyway, with staff recommending approval. Ex parte communications must be disclosed on the record.
Palm Vista Everlands West PUD returns from continuance
Ordinance 2026-11 is on the Public Hearings calendar as Item 3 for first reading. The item is quasi-judicial and was continued from the April 16 RCM at the applicant’s request. It would grant Preliminary Development Plan approval for a Planned Unit Development on 1,198.17 acres at the northwest intersection of St. Johns Heritage Parkway NW and the Melbourne-Tillman Water Control District Canal Number One. Applicant: Millrose Properties Florida, LLC. The development program totals 1,600 single-family homes, 760 multifamily units, and 145,000 square feet of non-residential space.
According to the Morton/Jefferson concurrency memo at packet pages 578-584, the project requires approximately 12 additional sworn police personnel, a quint apparatus at proposed Fire Station 8, and phased capacity improvements on St. Johns Heritage Parkway. The 1,000th building permit triggers a demonstration of funding or proportionate-share mitigation for SJHP widening from two to four lanes; the 1,800th permit requires actual construction or equivalent improvements. The site contains roughly 300-plus acres of preserved wetlands. Wastewater service requires connection to the South Regional Water Reclamation Facility. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval on a 3-to-2 vote, with board members Warner and McNally voting no.
Millrose FLUM amendment paired on the same hearing
Ordinance 2026-10 is on the Public Hearings calendar as Item 2 for first reading, the companion Future Land Use Map amendment for the same property. The change moves the 1,198.17 acres from a mix of Low Density Residential, High Density Residential, Commercial, and Recreational and Open Space designations to a single Neighborhood Center designation. This item was also continued from April 16.
The applicant’s proposed term sheet, summarized in the staff memo at packet pages 406-411, includes upfront proportionate-share contributions of approximately $1.75 million toward a fire rescue quint apparatus and $56,000 toward police services, both at Final Development Plan approval for the initial phase. Impact fees for fire, police, and transportation would be paid in advance on a per-phase basis. Final terms remain subject to a future Development Agreement. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval for transmittal to the Florida Department of Commerce on a 5-to-0 vote.
First SRWRF status update since the April 16 emergency declaration
A South Regional Reclamation Facility update has been added to the agenda as Presentations Item 1, by agenda revision. This is the first SRWRF status update on a Council agenda since the April 16 meeting, where Council authorized a $2.4 million emergency no-bid procurement after staff disclosed permit violations at the plant. Background and the full vote are captured in the April 16 SRWRF emergency recap on Substack and on the news.thepalmbayer.com mirror.
The presentation slot does not carry a noticed dollar amount or a vote item. Items to watch include FDEP permit status, contractor performance, change orders against the emergency authorization, and the timeline to bring the facility back into compliance.
Southern Group lobbying contract on the Procurements calendar
Council will consider awarding 01-RFP-26, State Lobbying Services, to The Southern Group of Florida, Inc. The contract sets a 12-month initial term commencing May 15, 2026, with four optional 12-month renewals, capped at $72,000 annually and $360,000 over the five-year maximum. Funds sit within the City Manager’s operating budget.
The procurement evaluation, summarized in the legislative memo at packet page 885, ranked Southern Group highest at 92.33 points, ahead of GrayRobinson PA at 86.27, Corcoran Partners at 72.00, Sunrise Consulting Group at 69.61, and Colodny Fass at 60.00. The evaluation team was City Manager Matthew Morton, Deputy City Manager Brian Robinson, and Grants Manager Tonya Holder. The memo identifies “the existence of former agency executives on staff as a defining factor” in Southern Group’s high score. The Notice of Consideration in the procurement attachment reads “May 21, 2026”; the agenda places the item on May 7. The discrepancy is on the face of the packet.
If awarded, this would be Palm Bay’s first state lobbying contract under Morton, who took office May 1, 2025. An archive search of 715 prior Palm Bayer articles surfaced no record of a prior state lobbying retention. The memo says state lobbying services have “helped deliver millions in appropriations” in recent years, language that suggests a prior arrangement, but no specific prior contract is referenced in the packet.
Buried-lede watch at the back of the agenda
The Council Reports and Administrative and Legal Reports sections sit at the very end of the agenda, with no listed items. The April 16 SRWRF emergency declaration surfaced under those end-of-agenda items rather than as noticed business. Anyone watching the meeting live or pulling video after the fact should stay through the close.
In recent meetings, the highest-yield news of the night has arrived after the public hearings and procurements wrap. The full agenda packet runs 1,012 pages and is available through the city’s PrimeGov portal at palmbayflorida.primegov.com.
This story is also published at news.thepalmbayer.com/news/rcm-2026-05-07-preview/ with additional inline visuals, related coverage links, and a video embed where available.
