Palm Bay, FL. The July 2, 2026 Palm Bay City Council meeting features a collision of major utility recovery efforts, land-use decisions, and administrative reforms. At the forefront is a critical update on the $23.4 million South Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility, which has been taken over by the city following a contractor default. How the city manages this recovery and its concurrent multi-million dollar land negotiations will determine whether Palm Bay can keep pace with its own rapid expansion.
Resolving the Bayside Lakes Golf Course Gap
City officials are exploring the acquisition of a 135.19-acre portion of the defunct Majors Golf Course at 3375 Bayside Lakes Boulevard SE. The city planning maps designate the property as General Use zoning with a Rural Single-Family Future Land Use classification.
A massive $3.47 million negotiation gap between the seller and the city presents the primary obstacle to the acquisition. Tuttle-Armfield-Wagner appraised the property at $7,030,000 in May 2026, but the owner, Joy LLC and HDC Development LLC, maintains a value position of approximately $10,500,000. Council members must resolve this discrepancy by establishing a maximum purchase limit.
If purchased, the city will use the property for stormwater retention, drainage, wastewater infrastructure, public parkland, and passive recreation trails. The proposed deal includes a feasibility study period of up to 180 days to test the ground for chemical, pesticide, fertilizer, and arsenic contamination. This acquisition would secure the defunct course for municipal infrastructure and public parkland, preserving a key open space asset for Bayside Lakes residents.
Parkway Expansion and Development Disputes
Millrose Properties Florida, LLC is seeking final approval for a Future Land Use Map amendment and Planned Unit Development zoning. The developer plans to build 1,600 single-family homes, 760 multi-family units, and 145,000 square feet of commercial space northwest of the St. Johns Heritage Parkway.
Although the project has sparked intense community interest, the Planning and Zoning Board voted 3 to 2 to recommend approval, aligning with city Growth Management staff who recommended a phased development framework. Growth Management Director Althea Jefferson recommended phasing thresholds at the 1,000th and 1,800th residential permits, tying progress to the widening of St. Johns Heritage Parkway.
Under the proposed terms, the developer will fund signal warrant studies at Castleberry Lane, Everlands Drive, and Pace Drive. The public safety agreement also requires the developer to pay $1.75 million for a fire rescue quint apparatus at Station 8 and $56,000 for police equipment. Additionally, the developer will place over 300 acres of wetlands and associated buffer areas into a conservation easement.
Reclaiming the South Regional Sewer Facility
Utilities Director Gabriel Bowden will present a progress report on the recovery of the South Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility. The facility uses advanced membrane bioreactor technology to expand municipal wastewater capacity to 2 million gallons per day.
The city terminated the original contractor, R.J. Sullivan Corporation, for default following years of construction delays. To resolve the remaining deficiencies, the city approved a completion agreement with the surety, Continental Casualty Company. The agreement allows the city to direct subcontracts and tap approximately $828,000 in retainage to complete the project.
Completing the remaining work is estimated to cost $2.4 million. Combined with approximately $21 million already spent over five and a half years, the projected total reaches $23.4 million. Operators commenced wet testing on June 15 and began re-seeding the bioreactor membranes during the week of June 22 to prepare the facility to accept its first active wastewater flows.
Consent Agenda and Capital Expenditures
The council will vote on a series of capital purchases and maintenance agreements totaling $1.68 million. A $689,596 design contract with Scalar Consulting Group, LLC for a new roundabout at Malabar Road and the St. Johns Heritage Parkway represents the largest single item.
The city also plans to spend $501,120 for pond cleaning and valve replacement at the North Regional Wastewater Reclamation Facility. To complete this work, the city will hire Cathcart Construction Company by piggybacking on an existing Altamonte Springs contract.
Other purchases include $218,661 for a new Public Works bucket truck and up to $143,000 for streetlight maintenance by Traffic Control Devices, LLC. The council will also consider a $79,717 portable traffic signal at Emerson Drive and the parkway, and a $50,000 design contract for the DeGroodt Road sidewalk.
Reallocating Funds in Budget Amendment Three
The council will hold the first reading of Ordinance 2026-15, which amends the current fiscal year budget to reallocate completed project balances. This amendment recognizes several new revenue sources, including a $2.4 million state grant for the North Emerson sidewalk and lighting project.
The legislation allocates $845,722 in transportation impact fees for the Emerson Drive intersection and $700,000 for the Malabar Road roundabout. It also sets aside $75,000 from fire impact fee reserves to fund a fire rescue assessment study.
The utility department will move $33.08 million in budget authority for plant expansions to future bonding capacity, including $18 million from the North Regional plant and $15.08 million from the South Regional facility. In the public safety sector, the city will purchase six new police communication consoles for $115,000, funded by a total of $203,687 in savings harvested from completed road paving, IT upgrades, and building projects.
Federal Grant Allocations and Senior Nutrition Funding
Public hearings will guide the distribution of federal CDBG and HOME program funds. The city plans to allocate $232,092 of its HOME funding to Macedonia CDC to construct a single-family home on Washington Street NE, with Community Housing Initiative serving as the developer.
The CDBG budget restores funding for senior nutrition programs run by Aging Matters and the Brevard Alzheimer’s Foundation. This restoration follows a tense debate in May, when Councilman Mike Hammer argued strongly against cutting senior services.
$$Embed Video: May 21 debate on CDBG funding and senior nutrition cuts (02:48:00 - 02:51:00)$$
The city will allocate $106,700 for down payment assistance, alongside funding for park upgrades at Ken Greene Park and Veterans Park. Councilman Kenny Johnson questioned the high per-family assistance cap, prompting Housing Administrator Denise Carter to explain that these CDBG funds function as direct, non-repayable grants.
Policy Reform and Charter Officer Appraisals
Councilman Chandler Langevin is sponsoring a policy amendment to change how the city appoints members to citizen advisory boards. The proposal mandates public three-minute interviews for applicants when the number of applications exceeds the number of vacant seats.
The council will use rating sheets to rank candidates, and the clerk will compile the scores to recommend candidates with the lowest totals. Council members will test this new format as five citizens compete for two vacant seats on the Community Development Advisory Board. The candidates include William Price, Sean Brooks, William Aaron Rhodes, Rickey Myers Jr, and Alexis Robin Perez.
Additionally, Councilman Kenny Johnson will sponsor a discussion regarding performance reviews for the city’s charter officers. The evaluation will cover City Manager Matthew Morton, City Attorney Patricia Smith, and City Clerk Terese Jones, following up on Johnson’s previous request for written appraisals.
Emergency Coordination and Regional Mutual Aid
The council will review Ordinance 2026-12 to align municipal emergency planning with the Brevard County Comprehensive Emergency Management Plan. The state agency FloridaCommerce approved the draft language with zero objections during its review in May.
Fire Chief Richard Stover is also requesting approval for an interlocal agreement with the Indian River County Emergency Services District. Due to geographic layouts, Indian River County emergency units can often reach southern Palm Bay locations faster than the city’s own rescue teams.
The agreement establishes a closest-unit response protocol to improve safety for residents in remote areas. Section 7 of the agreement stipulates that neither jurisdiction will charge the other for emergency responses, provided the total number of shared calls remains mutually acceptable.
Sources
Palm Bay City Council Meeting Agenda - July 2, 2026
Palm Bay City Council Meeting Packet (Compiled) - July 2, 2026
Palm Vista Everlands West FLUM Amendment Memorandum (CP25-00005)
Palm Vista Everlands West PUD Zoning Memorandum (PD25-00003)
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