Happy New Year!

Realized this morning that a weekly update was not sent last Friday!  It was a short week with limited staff and five agendas to pull together!  Everyone pulled their weight and will continue to serve the community through this week of five scheduled meetings including Planning & Zoning Board, Parks Board, Commission Workshop and Special Town meeting, and Town Manager Interviews.  Please refer to the Town website for all agenda packets for updates on meeting topics.

This morning, January 5^th, Atlantic Development began the Basin 1 Infrastructure Improvement project including delivery of material and equipment; and establishing the MOT plan in accordance with public noticing.

 On January 6^th at the PZ meeting, staff will facilitate a discussion regarding the Landscape Ordinance between the PZ Board and the EAB per their request.

 Staff is working on finalizing the budget power point for the Workshop on January 7^th and will provide copies prior to the meeting.

 Board of Adjustment meeting Agenda is due this week for a variance to be presented on January 15^th.

 Staff will provide refreshments and lunch for the all-day interviews on January 9^th.

Merry Christmas!

It has been a very busy week for staff as they continue to prepare for the Town festivities. Loads of good treats continue to show up much to the dismay of my waistline! We truly appreciate all the good cheer provided by the community and look forward to a much-deserved break as Town Hall closes for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We will have limited staff on Friday December 26^th as many are taking an extended weekend break.

1. Last week, TM spoke with Mr. Tom Harmer, Senior Advisor with ICMA (see attached email(PDF, 229KB)) regarding the Facilitator Workshop. Mr. Harmer was very supportive and confirmed that the Senior Advisor group of retired Managers could assist us with our request and that the cost would be in accordance with direct expenses such as travel. We hope to cement an agreement in the early new year and schedule a workshop for February 4^th as discussed by TC.
2. TM reviewed the Landscape Ordinance from the Town Planner and has provided further guidance on updating the Ordinance to be presented for discussion with PZ/EAB on January 6^th.
3. TM contacted Atlantic Development regarding 410 Riverview Lane Storm Repair award of contract.  The contractor has acknowledged and accepted the notification of award and will prepare a Change Order for Basin 1 contract and provide a schedule of work in the near future.
4. TM received a third quote from a licensed contractor for the leaking showers on the second floor of Town Hall. These showers are part of the Fire Departments protocol for decontamination following emergency response. As previously presented to TC, funding was not budgeted for this expense and would require a budget modification. A special meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday January 7^th following the TC scheduled workshop.
5. TM and Finance Director are working on revisions to the two Job Descriptions approved for assignment, Code Enforcement Officer and Finance Clerk. Both jobs shall be posted at the start of the new year.
6. TM met with LKC Honey to execute the revised agreement for their hives located at the Old Town Hall. Since the activity is part of the lease agreement with Brevard County, a copy of the agreement was sent to BC Parks and Recreation for their approval.
7. PD officers, along with 1 deputy, were 1^st to respond to a Murder Suicide in the South County Area. We keep the individuals involved in this domestic related incident in our thoughts.
8. A selection of our Police Department attended Handgun/rifle qualifications in department training last week.
9. We want to thank the PD for providing security coverage at all the Special and Regular Town Commission Meetings this past year!
10. Staff held a holiday lunch on Friday December 19^th and exchanged stories, shared good food and white elephant gifts!
11. Fire Department Volunteers have been working feverishly collecting and properly identifying each gift for each child at the appropriate stop for the annual Santa Run on Christmas Eve! The Masny Room is full of good cheer and colorful gifts.
12. Big shout out to our Santa’s Elves who have been generous with their time responding to each Santa Letter in the North Pole Mailbox.  You know who you are!!
13. Great News! On December 18^th, FEMA deposited $42,631.04 into the Town’s operating account . The funds are reimbursement from Debris Removal during Hurricane Milton at 100% federal share.
14. Staff is honored to work alongside the members of the Melbourne Beach Volunteer Fire Department selected for recognition by the Space Coast Fire Chiefs Association:

• Fire Chief Gavin Brown – 2025 Space Coast Fire Chief of the Year
• Fire Marshal (& Volunteer Safety Officer) Dave Micka – 2025 Space Coast Fire Marshal of the Year
• Town Clerk (& Volunteer Fire Lieutenant) Amber Brown – 2025 Space Coast Volunteer Firefighter of the Year

 “The Space Coast Fire Chiefs Association is comprised of every Fire Department within Brevard County (both paid and volunteer), meaning that these awards are extremely competitive as they are open to every fire service member within our County.  Additionally, this is the first time our Department has had a member selected as Fire Chief or Fire Marshal of the Year, and only the 2^nd time that we have had one of our volunteer members selected as Volunteer Firefighter of the Year.  Our small agency being selected to receive 3 of the 9 possible awards is a direct reflection of our Department’s exemplary leadership, dedication to community service, and unwavering commitment to the advancement of public safety.” Chief Gavin Brown

There will be an awards ceremony held on January 15^th, 2026 to honor these members of the Melbourne Beach community who go over and above to donate their time and expertise exemplifying true Public Servants.  Thank you for your service!

The Christmas season has officially begun with the Tree Lighting and Christmas Parade tomorrow morning! Once again, we thank all the staff for their hard work in making these events memorable for the whole community. Special shout out this week to the Fire Department and Police Department and all their volunteers without whom we would not have a Christmas Parade, Pancake Breakfast or the Santa Run! Additionally, the PD and the Office Clerk (Trisha) have been very successful in filling the bins for Toys for Tots! These are the events that make a small community feel like home. 

1. Today, TM and Fire Chief contacted FEMA regarding the SAFER Grant and received a final determination that the Town of Melbourne Beach was not successful in receiving the funding. According to FEMA, all successful applicants have been notified, and “turn down” letters will be sent out soon to those local governments that were not successful. With this announcement, the FD will move forward with issuing employment advertisements by the start of the new year. We are all looking forward to securing qualified staff to build a more sustainable department.
2. Basin 1 Improvement project information can be found on the Town website and social media pages. It will include a letter of notice, schedule and sequencing of the project and maintenance of traffic (MOT) maps. Work is scheduled to begin January 5, 2026.
3. FDOT was contacted this week regarding crosswalks and ADA upgrades to the intersection of Ocean Ave. and SR AIA.  A favorable response was given by the Safety Team for these improvements, and we will hear more in March. Construction is scheduled to begin in May/June 2026.
4. TM and PW met with David Baggett with Haley-Ward on December 9^th. David has performed a thorough review of Basin 10 information including existing improvements and previous stormwater studies. He will present a scope and fee proposal for the Commissions consideration at the January 21^st RCM. Currently there is $40,000 set aside in the budget for this work.
5. Progress on the Safety Street Signage project is almost complete. PD volunteers are about 95% done with the speed limit sign mapping. PW is working on inventorying existing signs and providing price points for each. A final count and costs will be provided to the Commission for their consideration.
6. Florida League of Cities Ambassador contacted TM providing a contact with the Florida City & County Management Association staff regarding our need for a facilitator experienced in improving communication in a small municipality. TM reached out to the retired city manager who oversees the Senior Advisor program, Ken Parker. We look forward to connecting with this group and determining what assistance may be provided.
7. PD finalized their assessment of a possible transfer of service from Spectrum to AT&T Fiber. The final determination is that the cost difference is approximately $1070 per month with taxes and fees, a $10 difference from what the Town pays currently. Staff recommends keeping Spectrum cable for redundancy which is baked into these costs. With this switch in provider, the Town will increase the upload and download speeds to 1 Gbps and increase reliability. The Town will work with AT&T to establish a mesh network at the Town complex which includes location of weak spots, adding modems and updating hardware connections. This upgrade should alleviate problems at the Community Center and Ocean Ave cameras. Additional one-time costs may apply.
8. The Agenda for the December 17^th RTCM was completed this week.

I would like to start this week’s report by commending the PW staff and Deputy Clerk (Cyd) for all their diligence in preparing the Town for the Christmas events. They have performed these extra duties on top of everyday tasks without missing a beat!

1. On December 2^nd the P&Z Board meeting was held. In preparation, the TM met with the Town Planner (OGorman) to review several items including: EAR update, Site Plan Task Assignments, Landscape Ordinance and Contract. A new designation of responsibilities was shared with the Board relating to the Building Official, Town Engineer and Town Planner in accordance with LDC 7A- 170 (See Attached(PDF, 40KB)).
2. On December 4^th the Parks Board meeting was held. The TM and PW Foreman attended the meeting to coordinate with the Board on the holiday events.
3. The Special Magistrate contract was executed and sent with the requested modifications.
4. A new agreement has been drafted with LKC Honey, honeybee hives located at the Old Town Hall. TM will meet with company owners to finalize.
5. TM scheduled to attend the FLC Grant Readiness: Setting up Policies and Procedures Zoom webinar on December 10^th @ 2:00 pm.
6. TM reached out to FLC Ambassador Erin Russel to request assistance with a facilitator for the staff survey workshop. We are awaiting a response. TM has provided two links of what the FLC may provide (local government retreats company and retreat help) and what Leadergov provides (https://icma.org/page/practices-effective-local-government-management-and-leadership) for facilitating a workshop. TM has followed Leadergov informative (free) videos and guidance for many years. Please check out the links for further information and discussion.
7. TM updated the Vulnerability Assessment online information with the following schedule of events: Data Acquisition (August 2025); Flood Exposure and Sensitivity Analyses (Feb 26); Vulnerability Assessment Draft Materials (maps, tables)(April); Final Vulnerability Assessment Report (June).
8. TM has reviewed the Basin 10 assessment provided by Haley-Ward. A scheduled meeting has been set for December 9^th to take next steps toward a proposed scope and fee for Commission consideration.
9. On December 1^st, the new Building Administrator, Steve Freeman, joined the staff. He has been a great addition to the team!

• On November 14^th, staff held the opening for the Invitation to Bid for 410 Riverview Lane Storm Repair. The Town received one bid for this project which consists of a failing stormwater pipe lateral resulting in a hole in the road. The bid was from Jobear Contracting Inc. for a total cost of $127,460.00. Town options are to accept, decline or review other options such as seeking new bids. Funding was not budgeted for this expense and would require a budget modification.

• On August 20^th at the RTCM, information was shared regarding the leaking showers on the second floor of Town Hall. These showers are part of the Fire Departments protocol for decontamination following emergency response.  A contractor was hired to repair the leaks which resulted in complete gutting of the three shower stalls (two men/one woman). Two quotes have been obtained (5 companies contacted) providing similar scope and price for the replacement of the shower stalls at approximately $15,000.  Funding was not budgeted for this expense and would require a budget modification.

• At the RCM in August the TC approved the purchase and replacement of impact fixed windows for the second floor of Town Hall in the amount of $6,227. The work was finalized this month with the assistance of PW.

• A new Tab was added to the Town Website featuring “Projects in Action”! First projects will be Basin 1 Improvements and the Vulnerability Assessment.

• A Staff meeting was held on November 18^th to discuss Holiday schedules and event planning. Information and schedules have been shared on all social media platforms. The Parks Board has done a great job in taking a lead in assisting PW in organizing the event including Food Trucks, Entertainment and Photo Booth. PW is performing a great service establishing all of the decorations in time for the event and making sure everything works for the tree lighting.

• On November 14^th, TM attended TAB meeting to determine how best to work together for the benefit of the Town.  TAB, as reported, has agreed to assist staff in resolving the audio/visual issues in the community center and assist in comparing municipal software packages to determine costs and best practices for this Town which may be considered as part of FY 27 budget discussions.

• TM provided TC with the Draft spreadsheet of strategic priority programs and projects to be workshopped in the near future. TM recommends that the workshop be combined with the first Quarter budget review in January.

• Chief Brown and TM attended the Emergency Management Coordinators meeting on November 20^th in Rockledge to review the recently approved BC Hazard Mitigation Plan.  The EOC has requested that each municipality adopt the plan by Resolution which furthers the Towns eligibility to seek FEMA grants such as the Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). Staff will bring forward to TC in the next few months following review of the County plan in comparison with Town documents.

• On November 20^th, TM and Clerk attended the BOA meeting consisting of one residential site plan seeking a variance to build eastward of the Coastal Construction Line approved by the FDEP.

• Chief Zander has initiated a program with PD and PW to conduct a survey of all Town streets to determine speed sign consistency and placement. We will provide the TC with the survey results and proposed costs when available.

• Chief Zander has initiated with the PD Volunteers a program to determine key lock location and identification in the Town Hall complex. He has found that the massive pile of keys does not match with existing doors, are inconsistent, and do not have the master key associated with the lock.  As part of public safety, it is important that the building be secured from the inside as well as the outside, and that we follow protocol regarding key allocation. TM has discussed with Chief Zander the ongoing issues brought to light by this volunteer exercise and provided below are the four prices for each individual project from the Locksmith which will be 4 separate projects associated with the appropriate building budget for a total of $8240 which is in the budget.

  • PD- $1,910

  • FD- $1,610

  • Town Hall/PW-$3,910

  • Ryckman Park/Community Center- $810

• On November 19^th the TC addressed the staff survey as presented and prepared on October 30^th.  Peoples Element LLC is an online HR survey platform and is not associated with a “live” firm. TM is meeting with staff to gather input on what they would like to see in a workshop setting in order to determine the most effective and appropriate facilitator that will assist the Town in resolving this issue.

• On November 19^th, David Bagget with Haley Ward (continuing services engineering consultant) provided a detailed analysis of the past projects associated with Cherry and Cedar (Basin 10). Staff will begin review of this analysis and provide further updates.

• On November 17^th, TM and Glenn Grignon with Atlantic Development kicked off Basin 1 Infrastructure Improvements! All TVing of pipes on Riverside and South Palm has been completed and we have found NO ISSUES! However, the 15-inch RCP across South Palm between drainage structures associated with Flamingo Road will need to be replaced. Please see attached Engineering Report(PDF, 994KB) from LJA (BSE) regarding recent findings. Residents surrounding the Flamingo Road stormwater system and on Riverside were notified of all initial work.

• On November 17^th, TM and Glenn visited several small project sites and Basin 10. It has been recommended by LJA and Atlantic that revised inlets with grated tops could be easily installed at the corner of Cedar Lane and Cherry as part of the existing contract with Atlantic. We are waiting on a proposal of the proposed costs. This is a quick modification that has been brought to the Town from residents and the engineer which may be part of the solution as we move forward with further analysis with Haley Ward.

• Atlantic also agreed to TV the pipe at 449 Riverview Ln at no cost.

We started off this week with our flash flood storm but ended with beautiful fall weather in time for Halloween! Overall, the Town faired very well after the rain as testament to our stormwater system. We are excited to start the Basin 1 project and have identified the high-level areas that require immediate attention. Though flood waters have not reached any houses as of yet, several areas have experienced “too close for comfort” water levels. These are the basins we will concentrate our immediate efforts in to determine the problem and next steps to solutions. Staff will continue to keep the Mayor and Commission informed on this progress.

• Staff held several interviews this week for a new Permit Technician. Offers have been made to a Code Compliance Officer and a Permit Technician.
• The Vulnerability Assessment workshop has been scheduled for Wednesday November 5^th at 6:00 pm.  Public noticing to all social media pages started on Monday. We look forward to this educational workshop on coastal resiliency.
• A Special Meeting has been called for Wednesday November 5^th at 7:00pm to review the Basin 1 Infrastructure Improvement project. Following the pre-construction meeting held last Thursday with Town Engineer BSE, Selected contractor Atlantic Development, PW and TM, the contract captures the scope, schedule and sequencing of the project. The contractor will provide an executed contract at the meeting for consideration and staff will issue the Notice to Proceed. 
• TM attended the MRC LID conference on Wednesday only. Staff is considering making a Green Infrastructure and Low Impact Design presentation in near future.
• A review of the “Mayor of the Day” program, similar to Coral Springs, is in the works.
• TM is reviewing several pedestrian crossings in Town and coordinating with FDOT.
• The proposed Landscape Ordinance Task Order has been sent to Town Planner for review and comment.
• The PZ regularly scheduled meeting has been moved to Monday November 3^rd due to Election Day.  Packets were delivered on Friday.

Following is a short list of the PD’s week: 

• There were zero STR PD calls for service last week.
• We attended the Marine Intel Unit this week.  No good information to pass along other than they caught and relocated the Crocodile again after it ate a dog in Satellite Beach.
• We attended Rock Harbor’s first annual National First Responder Event.
• Tea DeLeon completed 1 year of service. To note, we are the only Police Department in the county that is fully staffed.  We have been fully staffed now for over a year.
• Our Volunteers conducted Business Outreach this week. They go to every business in town to say Hi and find any concerns and report on anything that was done to alleviate concerns from the prior month outreach. As well as beach patrol on the ATV’s.
• Annual equipment Inspections were completed this week.
• Two cars broke down this week.  1 is getting fixed and should be done within a day or two, the other still has to be evaluated.
• We will be scheduling our quarterly Bagel’s with the Blue in November.
• We added another volunteer to our volunteer program.  Total now at 9.

The following is a summary of the high-level items addressed by staff this week. 

• Met with Board Chair Curtis Byrd prior to attending the Environmental Advisory Board meeting Wednesday evening. Great group of dedicated residents! I assisted the Board in strategizing how to proceed with the proposed Landscape Ordinance.
• Attended the State of the State breakfast meeting on Tuesday morning with staff members Chief Zander, Chief Brown and Clerk Brown at the invitation of Mayor Dennington. Very informative regarding the next legislative session which shall be focused on Property Taxes.
• Received surprise Thank You Notes from Vice Mayor Barlow presented from children attending the Fall Festival. They wrote notes thanking the MBVFD and MBPD, showing their appreciation! We will deliver to both departments upon the return of Chief Brown on Monday.
• Staff held several interviews this week for Code Enforcement and Permit Technician.
• Held Staff meeting with Department Heads/Leadership Team and reviewed Emergency Management and Software. 
• The BO consultant, CAP, continues to impress staff with their knowledge, response and professionalism! We are very pleased and continue assisting them in integration of their services with the Town. One instance of process improvement is the initiation of a Task Order Spreadsheet for each project so that projects are captured into one file and not lost in someone's emails! They readily set this folder up in BS&A.
• Worked closely with City Attorney to finalize the Special Magistrate contract with past/current attorney Kristin Ottinger with her new firm. We hope to have the Special Magistrate contract in place by next week.
• Continued working on a finalized list of priority projects/programs as part of task list/rolling agenda items. This will be presented in the RCM Agenda Package for November.
• Finalized Vulnerability Asset Map for Applied Ecology. Scheduled a workshop for November 5^th per Commission direction.  Public noticing will begin on Monday following final review of the draft flyers sent by the consultant. 
• A Basin 1 pre-construction meeting was held on Thursday with Town Engineer BSE, Selected contractor Atlantic Development, PW and TM. Meeting minutes captured the scope, schedule and sequencing of the project. Town Attorney is working on a final contract per the Commissions instructions which should be finalized by early next week.  Commission may consider calling a special meeting following the Workshop on November 5^th to approve the contract and issue the NTP. 
• Deckard Software provided a training session for new code enforcement officer and Technical Advisory Board member.
• The FEMA letter was sent regarding the SAFER Grant notification per the Commissions request.
• Brevard County EOC will hold a Emergency Management Coordinators meeting on November 6^th which will be attended by Chief Brown and TM.
• TM and Town Attorney have begun review of Bid Books to provide a more consistent and complete (hopefully less pages!) document for future use.
• Chief Zander followed up with AT&T regarding their proposal to provide fiber to the Town which may result in better service at less cost.  We will report on the results after further comparison.

• Attended Technology Advisory Board meeting. Presentation of STR Monitoring Software Solution by Deckard Technologies. New part time code enforcement employee, Fredderick (Fritz) Rieser, was also in attendance to become knowledgeable of the programs overlaps and gaps.
• Met with Commissioners Reed and Mayor Dennington to receive an overview of priorities. 
• Corresponded with planning consultant Corey O’Gorman for zoning clarifications regarding proposed changes to the landscape ordinance and existing Vulnerability Assessment.
• Prepared for and attended Planning and Zoning Board meeting.
• Held Staff meeting to introduce new interim manager and to review priority projects and programs. Established bi-monthly staff meetings and weekly one on ones
• Began review of contracts: BO services, Planning services, and Software services.
• Worked closely with City Attorney to finalize BO services contract which should be finalized by early next week.
• Established draft list of priority projects as part of task list/rolling agenda items.
• Outreach meetings included:
  • Town Manager Indialantic.
  • BSE BASIN 1/SW Master Plan; requested a phase 1 colored project plan and contractor proposed project schedule.
  • FDOT SR A1A Maintenance Resurfacing Project Plans; Final plans provided by FDOT and a proposed March out to bid date.
  • Teams meeting with Applied Ecology regarding the Vulnerability Assessment with Brevard County; Applied Ecology is working with BC as part of a State funded resiliency grant to assist small municipalities and unincorporated areas to update their Vulnerability Assessments.  Melbourne Beach completed this assessment in 2019. Part of the program includes an outreach meeting which the Town may consider hosting in the near future since the information required is time sensitive. An updated study will increase the municipalities chances of receiving future grant funding for hardening or resiliency projects.

• Reviewed Town stormwater infrastructure and existing projects as part of a ride along with PW Supervisor.
• Budget review with Finance Director.
• New Employee matriculation.
• Requested TECHNOLOGY ASSET INVENTORY CHECKLIST and Cyber Security protocol from Computer Experts, the Town IT consultants.
• Continued the Towns support of the “Day in the IRL” and the Oyster Mats on the Pier event on Thursday.