Brevard County Board of County Commissioners

• Item D.

  PUBLIC COMMENTS

  approved - Chair Altman stated he thinks people can see what an amazing team they have between the Federal government, State, local government, water management district, community leaders, and businesses, it is a really remarkable group of citizens that are doing remarkable things; and he would like to open it up for public comment, there are about 25 cards. Commissioner Delaney stated before public comment she would love if people could also add into their comments what they would be interested in SOIRL 2.0 looking like; at the last workshop a lot of people came up with support, but not really what their vision was for the future; and she would love to hear that if people have thoughts about it. John Nico stated he lives in the north end of Brevard County; his background is in urban planning and he moved to Brevard County about four years ago from Winter Park, Florida; he is a Florida native and he chose to move to Brevard County because he realized quickly that this area has the potential to be one of the most spectacular places to live in the world; in many ways it already is, but there is still important work that needs to be done; and he expressed his appreciation to the Board for its commitment, hard work, and leadership that has brought everyone to this point. He went on to say people are here today because they know the work and research that is being done to restore the Lagoon is effective in showing real measurable progress; one can see from both the research and the projects, the results are trending up and stabilization is occurring up and down the County, 72 miles of the Indian River Lagoon (IRL); there is sea grass returning, fish habitats beginning to form, shellfish are starting to spawn, and the shorelines are beginning to stabilize; in just a short time since he has lived here, he can genuinely say his quality of life has improved and the Lagoon is a big reason why; and he believes one day, if the hard work continues, the Lagoon could give back to the communities the abundance and the sustenance that it once provided 60 years ago. He went on to say this is why the half-cent sales tax matters and is so important; if it does expire Brevard County will lose $58 to $60 million every year that is currently being dedicated to restoring and protecting the Lagoon; the big picture here is that the funding for sewer conversions, stormwater treatment, muck removal, and habitat restoration will all lapse, and the progress that has been made thus far will eventually decline; the County would be putting millions, if not billions of dollars in tourism, and the quality of life for the residents at risk; property values would decline; and the diverse economy would be compromised by cutting these funds dedicated to a healthy Lagoon. He noted protecting the health of natural resources is one of the strongest economic drivers; people come to Brevard County and keep coming back because of the water, the wildlife, the recreation, and the quality of life that nature provides people; as a resident and someone who shares this County with millions of visitors each year, he is proud to pay a half-cent sales tax to ensure that Brevard County has a healthy, vibrant, and living estuary for generations to come; to be clear he is not asking for an additional tax, he is asking to keep the one that is already in place; it is a tax that is working; and thanks to Save our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) and maybe other partner organizations working toward restoring the Lagoon, real progress is being seen in a relatively short period of time. He added the Lagoon is the crown jewel of Brevard County and it is the residents who should have a chance to vote again on the referendum and decide whether to protect it. Robert Rupe stated he was talking to some people in the past and they said SOIRL is not really helping or doing that much, so why keep it; the only thing he ended up thinking in the past is what is basically slowing the County down as far as fixing the Lagoon; the only thing he can think of is the Board and the City Commissioners who are basically allowing development, yeah they fixed the Lagoon, now let them develop; there have been loads of development lately, last three or four years; he wonders why the County has to do all the development without doing things like Low Impact Development (LID), basically make sure to keep all the stormwater on the property and not allow it to go out to the Lagoon; if there was something like that, hopefully if all the cities and County would end up doing that it would help a large part, as far as making SOIRL look like it is doing a lot better job than what a lot of people might think; and he knows it is doing good, but it could definitely be doing better. Robert Pickert stated he is a longtime Brevard resident, a sailor, IRL supporter, career environmental professional, and environmental health and safety manager for Wakefield Biochar; he has provided previous comments on proposing the beneficial reuse of IRL muck amended with biochar and other Brevard natural resources for a local industry to produce a slow-release fertilizer and soil amendment; he stands by his previous comments that the sale of this material could replace or supplement the SOIRL tax with $20 to $40 million of annual non-tax net proceeds to fund the SOIRL program including muck dredging; and today he would like to take a little bit of a different tact and emphasize the SOIRL health benefits for restoration of the Lagoon. He went on to say he first wants to make it clear that these are his comments and his alone as a Brevard resident, and based on the limited muck analysis that he has seen; Wakefield Biochar has been supportive, but the restoration of the IRL is not in the company’s business plan; in fact, the County could produce all of the biochar that it would need; the Solid Waste Department is developing a plan to manage woody waste from the curbside yard waste collection program and storm debris; the Director of Solid Waste has advised him that the Solid Waste Department has no interest in a commercial venture in which it is attempting to sell a product; his three-minute pitch to the SOIRL COC was not enough time to educate the committee on the uses of biochar to support the restoration of the Lagoon; and he hopes the COC invites him back for a more thorough presentation on the properties and relevant applications for biochar. He continued by saying the original SOIRL Ordinance and Comprehensive Management Plan requires the SOIRL COC to not only allow, but to foster tolls and techniques for restoration of the Lagoon and to identify and develop long-term funding sources to preserve, protect, restore, and enhance the IRL system; on to SOIRL health, in all of the IRL restoration projects discussed, there seems to have been some precious little focus on SOIRL health; as he looks at Ms. Barker’s slide on pollution sources versus fund allocations, muck flux and stormwater treatment account for over 50 percent of pollutant sources; he sees an additional 26 percent where SOIRL health is critical to the success of the Lagoon, including miscellaneous base flow, atmospheric deposition, and lawn maintenance; biochar provides habitat for beneficial soil microbes, absorbs water, and absorbs nutrients in a way that makes nutrients bio-available to plants and less leachable to groundwater and the Lagoon; he recommends the SOIRL program convene a group of SOIRL health experts and stakeholders to evaluate the benefits of muck biochar-based fertilizer SOIRL amendment appropriate for Brevard County’s sandy soil; and this effort could support a public SOIRL health information campaign and become a galvanizing message for SOIRL health in Brevard, but first, additional testing of the dewatered muck from each of the dredged dewatering sites and an inventory of muck is being stored or land applied must be completed to properly manage the muck. He noted biochar would help address 77 percent of IRL pollutant sources and could serve as a long term funding source for the Lagoon, making biochar something of a silver bullet; and he supports the reauthorization of the tax and as a supplement and/or transition to more sustainable funding. Milo Zonka expressed his appreciation for this workshop and the wonderful presentations that have been heard; he stated he is in attendance on behalf of the East Coast Zoological Foundation, which the Board may not be as familiar with, but it is the parent organization for the Brevard Zoo, and the soon-to-be parent of the Bowen Aquarium, and also partner with the County through the Restore Shores program which provides a lot of the staff and volunteers for a significant number of programs that go on to help with the oyster beds, seagrass, and some of the other projects that happen; he went back and looked at the data of population in this County and going back to 1850, the first census, there were 139 people in what was St. Lucie County, which then became Brevard County; today he thinks the projection is there will be 681,000 residents of this County this year; and as the old earth day poster cartoon talked about meeting the enemy, the enemy is the people. He commented for everyone in attendance this evening, the people are the problem and potentially the solution; he thinks as people sit and look at the science and the results of the efforts that have gone on with SOIRL and all of the programs that are in work, that continue to give fruits to the labor, the question being talked about is, and people can talk about blame, the people did this to themselves, people can pat themselves on the back, they started doing some great things, but what do the people need to do next; he thinks the challenge is if there is a good collection of science, good programs, what people would ask for is to place it on the ballot and let the population of this County decide; and that is really the only question in front of this Board; the people are not asking the Board to decide for them, they are asking the Board if it is a worthy question to place on the ballot for the voters of Brevard County to decide; and if the residents decide yes, the people will tax themselves and visitors to help participate in righting some of the wrongs, that just the presence of population has created. He noted people are not evil and do not have any ill-intent, they just want to live in Brevard County; he was thinking about Mr. Taranto’s question of where people were on August 23, 2016, and he was at his son’s football practice, looked at his phone, he does not remember that day particularly, but his son and his family are hopefully the growth; and so the people want the County to grow, for people to live here, thrive here, and families to grow here. He stated the people need to make the investment to protect themselves; the mission of Brevard Zoo is to share the joy in nature so that wildlife and people can thrive; he thinks that is a fundamental challenge that everyone wants to have, look forward to, and fight for; and ask the people the questions and let them vote on it in November. Fred Goldstein stated he is a resident of Merritt Island and also a member of the COC, but he is speaking on behalf of himself; yes, the Lagoon is an economic engine, but he is going to focus on an area not spoken about as much, health and healthcare; from the time he was a young kid, he wanted to study sharks; ultimately he received a degree in zoology focused on marine biology; sadly studying sharks was not to be, but his career went into a world full of sharks, healthcare; for the past 12 years he has had a consulting firm in population health; population health is an area that studies, measures, and develops programs to improve the health of communities or individuals living with various disease and conditions; in population health they look at the inputs to our health this way, genetics is the deck one is dealt, healthcare is the repair shop, but per the National Academy of Medicine, the environment where one lives, works, and breathes is what drives 80 percent of the health status of individuals; and it is not the healthcare system as most believe. He went on to say to talk about the environment, on the positive side there is research on what are called blue spaces; these are areas near bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and coastal communities; research has shown that people who live near the coast and saltwater typically live one year longer; living there is associated with positive impacts on their health such as lower rates of depression, improvements in health indicators such as lower cortisol levels, reduces cardiovascular disease, and improved mental health; this is not to scare anyone or to let the fear-mongers run wild, but to discuss what was impacts, and how it is getting better; and in Brevard County, the blue space became a polluted space. He noted he will highlight a few potential health issues; studies have detected toxins from blooms in the nasal swabs of residents; now that may be due to the body eliminating them; another study found that toxins from blooms in the IRL were associated with causing Alzheimer’s like brain damage in dolphins; they do not know if or how either of these may impact people; while exposure to some toxins and pollutants may result in short-term health impacts, others may take years and years to develop; and as former hospital Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) executive, he also looks at the total cost of care. He noted when the IRL is polluted, they are not just losing seagrass, manatees, and more, they are potentially increasing the rates of preventable hospitalizations, ER, and doctor visits for various conditions; now for the good news one heard this morning, over the past few years, they have experienced fewer and smaller blooms; things are getting better; turns out the Lagoon is also critical for one’s health; and to leave everyone with one final thought, people’s health and the health of their children is tied to improving the blue space. Bill Debusk stated he is in attendance as President of the local Sierra Club; he has seen some comments on social media and they are not really positive for this half-cent sales tax and that is not great; renewing the half-cent sales tax is the best and most proven tool to improve the health of the IRL; it will only pass with overwhelming voter support and that support depends on trust; the residents must see their leaders fiercely protecting the Lagoon every single day; people remember how horrible it was back in the day with the fish kills, algae blooms, and starving Manatees; the County cannot afford to go back to these days; the IRL is crucial to the economy, without a healthy Lagoon, it risk losing the very foundation that makes this County a desirable place to live, work, and visit; but placing the half-cent sales tax on the ballot is not enough. He went on to say elected officials in Brevard County must insist on strong measures that mitigate the harm caused by a rapid population and construction growth; there needs to be stricter regulations on runoff, smarter development factors such as LID, and innovative solutions to prevent nutrient pollutions from seeping into the Lagoon; the citizens of Brevard County must see the local officials actively participate in stopping the flow of pollution into the IRL; the Board recently provided two great examples; one, when it called for an in-person public meeting on Blue Origin’s wastewater permit; they want to dump a bunch of wastewater into the Lagoon; the Board stood up and had a public meeting; two, the Board recently voted to make homeowners along the Lagoon eligible for at least $6,000 of financial help for septic tank upgrades; and those are the types of actions local leadership must continue. He mentioned the IRL can be saved, however, it will require ongoing proactive leadership of the elected officials meaning taking decisive actions to tackle pollution at its source, enforcing smarter growth standards, and preventing new threats from undermining the progress; only through this visible commitment will the citizens gain the confidence that renewing the absent sales tax is not merely a temporary band-aid over an endless stream of pollution; and the citizens need these visible commitments to embrace the vision that the half-cent sales tax is a vital investment for fully restoring and protecting this priceless Lagoon for generations to come. Maryann Civil stated she lives in northeast Palm Bay and has been lucky enough to live on Turkey Creek for 35 years; she was also lucky enough to marry into a commercial fishing family from Florida and he is still commercially fishing, Blue Crabbing at 76, and he loves it; the reason she is in attendance tonight is not only to thank Ms. Barker and her crew because she thinks they are doing an excellent job, they are on the Lagoon two to three days per week, and they have noticed there is a lot of oyster recruitment going on in the Lagoon which can do nothing but help the water quality; she also spent almost 30 years as a professional geologist in the State of Florida working on projects of groundwater and soil contamination; one of the basics of those projects is starting at the source of contamination and moving outward to clean it up; and Turkey Creek has always been a little bit of a problem because there are over 200 miles of canals that dump into Turkey Creek. She noted St. Johns, Brevard County, and the City of Palm Bay have worked hand-in-hand along with Melbourne Tillman Water Control District to improve conditions on the creek; she has noticed since the MS1 structure at the C1 canal, is a top-flowing structure that was retrofitted approximately 15 years ago, that there is a lot more floating vegetation coming down the creek; when there is high flow conditions, like September, October, and November, every year there are tons of floating vegetation; in Ms. Barker’s slide show, approximately 40 percent is due to muck accumulation; and as far as the contamination, he recommendation would be to look at the source where all that vegetation is coming from, and she knows on Turkey Creek a lot of it is just west of this top-flowing structure that is not being contained and managed properly. She added maybe if the Board could partner with Melbourne-Tillman to get that vegetation during high flow conditions under control, the County will not have to dredge as much; as she stated she has lived on Turkey Creek for 35 years and there have been three dredging events that she is aware of; and she thanked the Board noting she in favor of the half-cent continuation and to please put the word out. Vince Lamb stated he is long time Merritt Island resident and a past Chair of the Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition; last week he expressed broad support for what the SOIRL program has accomplished and he certainly supports it renewal; tonight he wants to specialize a bit and focus on basic septic systems; he thinks basic septic system removal should be a main emphasis on the SOIRL program moving forward; an estimated 60,000 septic systems currently exists in the IRL watershed in Brevard County; the basic septic systems are high among the sources of nitrogen and phosphorus pollution into the Lagoon; during the first nine years of the SOIRL program, almost 1,000 septic systems have been removed with either sewer connections or upgrades to advanced septic; and this pace needs to increase to support the legislative mandate that basic septic systems in the Lagoon watershed be removed by 2030. He continued by saying removing the basic septic systems is complicated; sewage processing capabilities must be increased and lines extended into chosen areas; in low-density areas where this sewage service is not practical, advanced septic is the best alternative; each one requires custom engineering work and a permit process; grants are needed to reduce the burden on the property owners; reducing and removing the basic septic systems is a key component of many water body restoration efforts, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation; the Florida Keys serve as a role model that the last septic system was removed from the Florida Keys a few years ago after a 25-year program, that included County, State, and Federal funding exceeding $1 billion; and the Keys have less septic systems than Brevard County. He went on to say he wants to encourage the Natural Resources Department and the COC to examine the progress of the last nine years and devise a plan for moving forward; should Brevard County place an emphasis on the septic systems that are close to the Lagoon and where should the new sewage lines be planned to reach more neighborhoods; if the SOIRL plan renewal includes a bold commitment to removing basic septic systems near the Lagoon, the referendum will be more compelling to the voters; clearly this is just one component of the SOIRL plan, but this one has high visibility; and he thanked the Board for hosting the event and providing people the opportunity to speak. Barbara Wall stated it is nice to see everybody and nice to have such a positive group presenting everything; she has learned a lot; she is on the COC, but not representing them this evening; she is there to thank the Board, Ms. Barker and her incredible team; she hears presentations at the COC once a month and it does last for many hours sometimes; they are all wonderful, exciting, educational, and informative; she would recommend that anyone that questions what is happening on this SOIRL group to come to the meetings, see what happens, listen, and learn; she also wanted that the IRL to her is a legacy; she just became a great grandmother which means that four generations of her family are here; and most of them are not living on the Lagoon, but enjoy it every day. She mentioned she has not only seen the cleanup which has been wonderful, she sees the fish jumping, the birds feeding, the Dolphins, the water getting clearer all along the shoreline, which is beautiful; she also sees the beach cleaner; she used to do a lot of beach cleanups all the time and there is not much to cleanup because everyone is taking their own responsibility; and that leads her to her last point which is information, talking to everyone new coming into the community is the best source of keeping the river, the oceans, and the environment clean, it is up to everyone to promote that positive attitude and inform those people. Cammie Donaldson stated she has lived in Brevard County since 1962; she came as a toddler with her parents; her first recollection of the Lagoon was about age four watching fireworks at the Eau Gallie Causeway and seeing what they called phosphorus, not knowing what it was, it was the bioluminescence in the water; of course, as a child, that is a magical looking thing; her parents could not explain but everyone thought it was really cool; in a few years, her father was able to through his business, Southern Gun Exchange on US1 serving the hunting and fishing community, were able to move to Indian Harbor Beach; and from the age of six on, she grew up on the IRL. She mentioned when she was little, one could walk the shoreline and it was filled with fiddler crabs, and people could see Needlefish on the water surface all the time; she fell off the dock at the age of seven and cut her feet all up on all the oysters; 10 years later all those oysters were gone; they used to take the garbage can out to the end of the dock, turn the light on, and they could fill that garbage can with Blue Crabs in an hour at night under the light; one could shrimp, they put out shrimp traps; it was a very lively Lagoon; they saw the Horseshoe Crabs that Ms. Thompson talked about; it was beautiful; and yet she is almost 20 years younger than her husband and he tells her stories of the things he saw in the Lagoon that she never got to see. She continued by saying when she was in her 20s as a young adult, she was already seeing that she was no longer seeing those things; the Needlefish were gone, the Fiddler Crabs were gone, the oysters were gone, and people were building sea walls; things were happening in the Lagoon; she 100 percent supports the sales tax; and she knows as a business person, the inconvenience of discretionary sales tax, every time she does the book keeping; but she thinks it is great and wishes she could do more. She went on to say two years ago, she now lives in downtown Melbourne, as an adult she cannot live on the Lagoon on her money, and they did the septic conversion through the City of Melbourne where she got money through all the stuff that was just learned; her husband spent a lot of time talking to all the neighbors; thankfully the new construction people are having to hook up to sewer; she was actually astounded to find that in downtown Melbourne there was still septic; but they did it and they are so proud and happy that they were able to do that because they are on a very ordinary income and would not have been able to do it without help. She noted she will second what Mr. Lamb said about the septic; it could be streamlined because it is too complex for the average person; needs to be a little more streamlined so the County could get a bigger bang for the buck; she asked the Board to please keep the sales tax. Spence Guerin stated he is the husband of Cammie who just spoke; he would like to thank Mr. Lamb for speaking up about septic tanks; as was just said, they benefitted from that change over; it took a long time and the City had turned down all kinds of requests from people in the area to get them off of septic tanks; consequently some people invested in high end septic tanks and they are still on septic tanks; they are not going to leave because there is not enough financial incentive for them to give up their invested septic tanks; there are problems in that program that need addressing; not everybody in the area opted to get off of septic tanks; and there are some problems in that area that he would love to pass on to the capable team that is heading up this whole effort. He mentioned, as Ms. Thompson suggested, how bountiful the Lagoon was, he would like to add to that; when he was kid before the high-rise bridges, a lantern would be held over the bridge at night and the water was alive with shrimp, crabs, and all kinds of fish; one could see way down in the water, there were Trout, and they were attracted to all the activity around the light, and it brought all kinds of things; the water was very alive; and if one hung the lantern over the water tonight at the causeway somewhere, one would probably see nothing; the changes are just huge; and people who move here from outside the area, there is always stinking and rotting fish, but the Lagoon always looks beautiful, and they can see sunsets and sunrises, therefore, everybody loves it, but they do not know what they do not know. He noted it takes education beyond the effort that is currently being made, in his humble opinion; it is very difficult; that is an ongoing long term effort; he has had efforts regarding that in the past which unfortunately he failed; the need is there on educating the general public, they are huge and ongoing and will ever be ongoing; he thanked the Board for what it is doing, he is glad to see the progress being made; and he mentioned there is a long way to go. Jim McKinney thanked the Board for its service and the progress it has made; he stated he grew up in South Florida on Biscayne Bay in the Florida Keys; when he got ready to retire, he said he was coming back to Florida where he can fish every day because ice fishing is an unnatural act as far as he is concerned; if he cannot feel his feet, he does not know why he is there; he is a conservation coordinator for a local chapter of a fishing club by the name of Salt Strong; he thinks Salt Strong has 50,000 members in several states; they are really concentrated in Florida where there are 450 members just in Brevard County; they have monthly meetings; and as Conservation Coordinator he is always looking for volunteers to go out and work with all of the groups; and he knows a lot of people in this room who have spoken this evening because he sees them at those things. He mentioned the goal is conservation, community, and education; those are the things that he is really invested in as a native Floridian, it matters a lot; he has a big passion for this, it is important; he thinks everyone here this evening is because people care and he thinks it is the people’s job to educate others; he goes to meetings and hears people question progress and saying there is a lot of seagrass; he sees the changes are dramatic; they are making progress, but without an ongoing source of funding, projects fail because they are not being maintained; one can spend millions and millions of dollars, but the maintenance of that has to continue, it does not just happen; and that is why people will say, ‘they did this thing and spent all this money and it is back to the same problem again’ and that is why it has to continue. He stated they are on the path; and he thinks they can get there, but it is going to take a lot more time, effort, and education. Judy Trandel thanked the Board from having this in Palm Bay; she stated she is there to ask the Board to fix the problem, to protect the Lagoon; the question is not whether the Lagoon is worth protecting, it absolutely is, the question is how to protect it in a way that actually works; the request of the half-cent sales tax deserves support, but only if it focuses squarely on fixing the pollution at its source; the Lagoon has been dying because for decades, pollution has been flowing into it every single day from three primary sources, aging stormwater systems that were never designed for today’s development or rainfall patterns; these systems funnel fertilizer, oil, heavy metals, and bacteria straight into the Lagoon; outdated sewage infrastructure, including leaking pipes, lift stations, treatment facilities that release nutrients and pathogens during failures and overflows, and thousands of septic systems many decades old, that leech nitrogen into groundwater, which ultimately ends up in the Lagoon; common sense says this, do not keep mopping the floor while the pipe is still leaking, fix the leak; extending this sales tax makes sense if and only if it is used to fix these core problems first, updating stormwater systems, replacing failing sewers, infrastructure, and converting septic systems to central sewer where it makes the biggest impact; when the damage is stopped at its source, restoration efforts will actually work; and water quality improves, seagrass returns, fish and wildlife recover, and taxpayers see real measurable results from their investment. She mentioned the half-cent sales tax, which actually costs taxpayers a full cent because there are no half-cent denominations, spreads the cost fairly across residents, visitors, and seasonal users while keeping property taxes lower; but with that investment comes responsibility; voters deserve transparency, accountability, and a clear commitment that infrastructure fixes come first; saving the IRL does not start in the water it starts underground in pipes, pumps, and storm drains; and if the problem is fixed first, the Lagoon can heal, and this tax exemption can be a true solution, not just another temporary patch.

  • Brevard County Board of County Commissioners — Minutes
• Item C.6.

  Presentation - Economic Impact of the Indian River Lagoon - Chris Peterson, St. Johns River Water Management District Member

  approved - Chris Peterson stated he was introduced as being from the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD), and he is the secretary of the SJRWMD governing board, but tonight he is not here speaking on their behalf, he is there speaking as a citizen and a Brevard County business owner; he wants to talk a little bit about the money of water; he expressed his appreciation to everyone for the opportunity to speak about one of the most important issues facing Florida, the health of the waters; from the Everglades to the Indian River Lagoon (IRL), form the springs to the St. Johns River basin, the story of Florida is the story of water; and today he would like to share what is being done by the legislature, the Governor, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), SJRWMD, and importantly Brevard County to restore and protect these vital resources. He went on to say first he would like to explain why this means so much to him; he loves natural Florida and spends his time boating, fishing, and it is more than a past time, it is a way of life; he has been so passionate about it that he built his career around it; today he has the privilege of serving as President of Hell’s Bay Boat Works where they build the finest shallow water skiffs in the world right here in Brevard County; according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, saltwater recreational fishing alone generates around $9.2 billion of economic impact that supports about 88,000 jobs in Florida; when combined with freshwater fishing, the total estimate is $13.8 billion and supports about 120 jobs here in Florida; this is why he feels it is so important to spend valuable resources on fixing the water and saving the Lagoon; but here is the truth, without clean water there are no healthy estuaries, and without healthy estuaries, there is not any good fishing, and without good fishing nobody needs the world’s finest skiff which means all the families that depend on Hell’s Bay Boat Works would be impacted. He continued by saying clean water just is not about environment it is about people’s livelihood, their heritage, and their future; in this year’s 25-26 State budget, it includes almost $1.4 billion dedicated to restoration and water quality; the same budget declares that since 2019 Florida has invested nearly $9 billion in restoring and protecting the State’s waterways; in the 2025 Governor’s budget it includes $600 million for targeted water, quality improvements, and spring protection efforts; in that same budget $25 million was allocated for the IRL protection and for priority water projects; and that budget also has $382 million of a larger chunk that is set aside for expanded water quality improvement projects, including wastewater, stormwater, and septic conversion. He mentioned closer to home, the State has also recognized the crisis in the IRL; since 2019, nearly $390 million has been invested in lagoon restoration and $100 million set aside for water quality projects with the IRL basin, from septic to sewer conversions to wastewater treatment upgrades and stormwater retrofits; people know the Lagoon cannot be saved by just one project or one-year funded, it takes consistent, long-term commitment and that is exactly what one can see; long before the State level commitment, Brevard County voters took a very bold step in 2016, approving a half-cent infrastructure sales tax specifically dedicated to restoring and improving the IRL; this half-cent sales tax referendum, often called the Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) program was designed to raise approximately $586 million over 10 years to fund local restoration efforts; and through this tax so far Brevard County has already planned and implemented hundreds of projects or put them into progress. He stated they were all designed to reduce and remove excess nutrients and pollution that undermine the health of the Lagoon, to reduce and prevent nitrogen and Phosphorus from entering the Lagoon with projected annual pollutant reductions already measured in hundreds of thousands of pounds once all of these projects are completed, supported upgrades to septic systems, stormwater improvements, sewer expansions, and innovative approaches like the new science to reduce the pollutant inputs; some of the standout projects funded through this tax include projects in partnership with Brevard County, one of them being the Crane Creek M1 Canal flow restoration project; right here in Brevard County, the Crane Creek project is now complete; for decades the M1 canal sent polluted water east into the IRL; today with a new operable weir, pump stations, and treatment, wetlands west of I-95, the flow has been redirected; the project will prevent over 24,000 pounds of nitrogen and 3,100 pounds of phosphorus from entering the Lagoon each year; and it restores up to seven million gallons per day of fresh water flow back to the St. Johns River and away from the IRL. He noted that is seven million gallons per day of fresh water that is badly needed over in the St. Johns River and is not needed in the IRL; another set of projects making a difference are living shorelines; instead of hardened seawalls, they are building oyster reefs, planting mangroves, marsh grasses, and using nature to stabilize the coast; Brevard County alone helped fund oyster reefs and living shoreline projects that stretch for more than 2,300 feet filtering water, reducing erosion, and providing much needed habitat; the Titusville causeway project is a standout, there are over 650 wave attenuation devices installed, four acres of seagrass restoration and millions of clams, they are very important and the zoo has done clams and others; he thanked them for clams; and mentioned none of these efforts would be possible without partnerships through the cost share programs, local governments, and utilities bring projects forward and the State helps fund them. He continued by saying this model stretches taxpayer dollars, rewards innovation, and ensures that both State and local priorities are met; these projects not only improve water quality, they support the economic and recreational value of the Lagoon, strengthen property values, protect livelihoods of the residents who depend on clean water for tourism, fishing, and people’s quality of life; also all of these dollars have been reinvested here and everyone has helped build these things, contractors, neighbors, all benefit from these and there is always an economic multiplier to that where they spend their dollars; and hopefully they will buy a boat, he will. He went on to say the synergy between State funding and local investment represents a powerful model for environmental stewardship; the State of Florida’s historic water budget brings broad strategic support to communities Statewide; local investments like Brevard County’s half-cent sales tax provide targeted community-driven action where water issues hit home; the combination of State leadership and local initiative is what makes Florida uniquely positioned to tackle the complex water challenges from nutrient pollution to water sustainability, and ecosystem restoration; as the SOIRL sales tax approaches its sunset this year, the community faces important decisions about extending and refining this successful local effort; public engagement and support will be crucial as the community continues to confront legacy pollution and build on the progress that has already been made; and some of that progress has been seen tonight in some of the slides. He added they are making progress and that is a great thing; together with these partnerships between the State, the County, the national government, cities, scientific experts, and engaged residents, they are setting a new standard for water stewardship in Florida, one that protects the waterways today and preserves them for generations to come; but one point is very important to understand, local investment is not separate from the State funding, it is the key that actually unlocks it. He stated across Florida, vast majority of water quality grants, restoration funds, and infrastructure programs operate on a cost share model; that means that State dollars are awarded competitively and require local governments to bring real funding to the table; in Brevard County that half-cent sales tax, not just a local commitment, is the financial foundation that allows Brevard County to compete for more and to secure State funding; because of this investment, Brevard County has been able to meet the required local match thresholds, often well over 50 percent or more for State water quality grants; projects funded through the SOIRL program are structured to align with State priorities making them eligible for funding from FDEP in the water management districts; and every dollar invested through that half-cent sales tax has been leveraged to attract additional State dollars multiplying that impact well beyond what local funding could ever achieve. He went on to say without this dedicated local funding source, many of these projects would simply not qualify for State assistance, regardless of how urgent that need may be; in practical terms, that means that this half-cent sales tax turns local dollars into matched State investments, allows Brevard County to move projects forward years sooner than waiting for State funding alone, and ensures that State funds are also spent on shovel-ready, engineered, and accountable projects rather than just sitting idle; this partnership model is intentional; the State of Florida has made it clear communities that invest in themselves rise to the top of the funding list; by approving the half-cent sales tax, voters send a strong signal that this community is very serious about restoring the IRL; and the State responded by becoming a partner in that effort. He continued by saying the success that is being seen today, cleaner water, nutrient reduction, major infrastructure upgrades, is not a result of one funding source alone, it is State dollars, local investment, scientific planning, and public accountability; that is how real restoration happens and why it is maintaining strong local funding commitment remains essential, not just to continue the work that is already underway, but to ensure that Brevard County remains competitive for future State grants and cost share opportunities; when one steps back and looks at the big picture, the message is clear, Florida is investing in water like never before; the legislature, government, water management districts, and local governments like Brevard County are backing it up with billions of dollars, innovative science, and real results on the ground; however, the money and the projects alone are not enough, the success requires continued community support, tough choices, and a shared vision for the future because whether it is the Everglades, the springs, the St. Johns River, or the IRL these waters do not belong to any one person, they belong to everyone. He stated the IRL is the lifeblood of Brevard County; it fuels the economy, supports a way of life, and defines identity as Floridians; thanks to the half-cent sales tax, thousands of pounds of harmful nutrients have been removed, converted septic tanks, restored oyster reefs and clams, installed living shorelines, and begun to reverse decades of decline; if people want strong property values and a healthy future for Brevard County, it must keep that half-cent sales tax; he advised to keep pushing forward together to ensure Florida’s waters are clean, abundant, and alive for generations to come; in Florida the water is the golden goose that drives the economy; and the water is its soul.

  • Brevard County Board of County Commissioners — Minutes
• Item C.5.

  Presentation - Municipal Perspective - Frank Catino

  approved - Frank Catino stated he would like to share a little about himself because they said municipalities but it shows up there as captain Frank Cantino; he went to jury duty one time and the judge looked at him and said he always wanted to meet the guy whose wife had the real job; that is part of his life, the other part, he has been involved with the City of Satellite Beach for about 45 years; he had the great opportunity when he was much younger to serve on a lot of the boards and then serve on City Council as the longest running elected official; it taught him a lot; and he would like to thank the County Commissioners and Ms. Barker for working with the municipalities. He continued by saying he really thinks working together with a half-cent sales tax brings in more recurring dollars, where grant dollars are available to municipalities to do and complete more projects; these funds are being used for meaningful projects that directly benefit the Indian River Lagoon; none of this would be possible without the tax and the strong collaboration among the County and participating cities; people must remain committed to work together to continue advancing these critical projects; while there is still much work to be done, funding is often the key factor that determines how quickly progress can move forward; and the bloom and a half-cent sales tax has brought together the County and municipalities along with community organizations to help educate the ever-growing population for a better environment. He went on to say years ago he was doing that job and was in the middle of nowhere, a place Aaron Adams told him, “until we went there with the airboats, humans might never have walked these flats”; and he is walking with a gentleman complaining about the IRL and he really thinks the man just wanted him to shut up so he could fish, and in doing so he said, “I’m going to tell you the problem, how to solve it, very easy, just tell people to go home and look in the mirror”, and that was one of the things that really changed and also one of the things that he wanted to thank was the growing population and the National Estuary Program (NEP), Brevard Zoo, Indian River Coalition, and the cities that have created the sustainability boards to educate the public; all those dollars can be put out there, but if people do not do a better job on how they live daily, it is wasting the money; and to him the education has been important and he thanks those groups for it . He noted the fund, to be honest, is really a partnership; the citizens are not paying it all; yes, the citizens pay a good portion of it, but there are tourist who pay, there are grants because the County has this fund, and the County is partnering with people to put the dollars together to get more bang for the buck; he thinks people have to realize that in 1955 there were only 25,000 people living in this County, there is over 650,000 people now; the municipalities and County infrastructure is aging and as a society people cannot go back and live the way they have lived in the past and expect the environment to change; and he thinks working together is a critical factor in making the dollar go more. He stated the cities have worked closely with the County to complete important projects funded by the tax; one project is septic to sewer and other projects are trunk line replacements for stormwater and retention ponds along with muck dredging; it is not over and he does not believe it is ever over; as municipalities in the County and the general public, they must always work towards a cleaner environment; one thing he thinks people need to realize, he knows everybody is in a hurry, but it is important that they spend the dollars wisely and do not waste; Chesapeake Bay took 40 years, Tampa Bay was about a 30 year project, and none of those projects are stopping; Brevard County is in a very different system; it needs to use the best technology and remember tech has a lifespan and will need to be upgraded someday when better technology comes along; and he can say when Satellite Beach back in the 90s, St. Johns River, Marty Smithson came to them and wanted to put baffle boxes in; they were pretty progressive and buying up most of the beach, and wanted to get into this program, so they put the baffle boxes in; and today those baffle boxes are no longer there. He went on to say in that short period of time, they lived their life and better technology came along; they have to reach out to this technology and keep using newer technology, especially in stormwater ponds and stuff that is going to help; when one looks at population growth, one could sure live fine with 25,000 people, but 650,000 when a lot of the cities were built back in the 50s and 60s, and have a hard time changing their makeup because there is no more land to do it; people would never build the beach towns the way it was done in the 50s, if it were being built today; and he is going to tell a story. He stated a few years back Dr. Duane De Freese came to him and said he wanted him to go out with this guy named Grant Gilmore and that it is going to really cool, they will listen to fish talk to each other, he thought this is really going to be good, two doctors trying to get him to go out there, as he goes out there every day to try to catch fish and they do not love him, but now they want him to listen to these fish talk; well it was one of the couple things that really changed his thinking; the one that the gentleman told him to just go home and look in the mirror, he has a small company called Patagonia, the person who said that, and this day he went out that night and fish do talk to each other, it was amazing; but he said something that night that he looks back on and it came true; he said something about the river dying bad and that no one believes him; this river system has been dying for a long time, way before the bloom; and he says this not in a sarcastic way, but the bloom in the long run might have been Mother Nature’s wakeup call to everyone. He continued by saying he thinks until the fish washed up in people’s backyards and floating in the river, he is not saying people did not care, but out of sight out of mind; people did not see it, who were not on the Lagoon; the commercial fishing guides were saying it for years, scientists; the mass public did not see it until this happened; on this slide, believe it or not this little guy swam around Melbourne Beach and many years ago there were giant ones; this is just a little one that swam around not too many years ago; here is another picture of the Lagoon before the algae bloom; this picture he wants people to keep a remembrance of because he is going to show it again in a second, the grass and the little fish, it was amazing fishery; then comes this, an aerial of the algae bloom, and remember the spot he asked everyone to remember, this is it after the bloom cleared and the grass is gone and is just sand; here it is a year and a half ago, starting to come back in about 20 feet of that same spot; and there it is today. He stated the sales tax and the hard work from the County and the municipalities are starting to show, they cannot quit; 10 years is just a drop in the bucket into making this better; and he thanked the Board for its help.

  • Brevard County Board of County Commissioners — Minutes
• Item C.4.

  Presentation - Business Community - Laurilee Thompson

  approved - Laurilee Thompson stated this picture looks different from the first time National Aeronautical and Space Administration (NASA) revealed a view of Florida’s night sky from space; there are a lot more lights in the landscape now; that tiny black gap along the coastline, the one with the yellow arrow, that very special area is the northern Indian River Lagoon (IRL), except for the extreme northeast corner of the State, this is the only place where one can stand on the west shore of an eastern Florida Estuary and look towards a barrier island and not see the lights from houses, hotels, and condos; before spaceships and cruise ships made their way to the community, citrus and fishing were Brevard County’s biggest industries; net fishing was a profitable enterprise; in 1922, the Indian River fishing industry was bigger than that world famous Indian River citrus industry; and the region thrived on both commercial and sport fishing. She continued by saying numerous fish houses and tackle shops operated along the river; by the 1950s pier fishing had become a major activity for tourists as well as locals, and every coastal town had a fishing pier; her Thompson grandparents operated the Titusville fishing pier and her family had the great fortune to live right next to it; a pioneer in the fiberglass boat building business, her dad built his first 16-foot T-craft runabout underneath the apartment where they lived; there was a small basin by their house, when the wind blew out of the east, big mats of seagrass drifted in; and then the Manatees would come, they could sit on the dock, and touch the backs of the grazing Manatees with their bare feet. She went on to say they welcomed the summer when clouds of moon jellies floated into the basin, sometimes there were so many moon jellies that it seemed like one could walk on them as they filled the water column from the bottom to the surface; Bottle-nosed Dolphins fed outside the entrance to the basin every evening; they could see the Dolphins tossing fish in the air and leaping after them; watching the Dolphins from the pier was better than being at Marineland because the dolphins were in the wild, in their home in the river; on summer nights the bioluminescence was spectacular; and staring into dark waters was like peering into a fairy land, as tiny luminous creatures scattered through shimmering seagrass like flickering stars. She mentioned when she was 11, her grandfather had told her something that was so profound, she has never forgotten it; they were standing on his fishing pier looking down the river at the cranes, barges, and the dredges used for building the NASA bridge and causeway; he told her that all the new development was going to kill the river; her grandfather only had a seventh grade education, yet he knew that the causeways and growth was going to be very bad for the Lagoon; that was about the same time that her father built a push net and started dropping her, the net, and a rowboat off at Haulover Canal, on summer days she they could catch shrimp for her grandfather to sell at his pier; and like many kids from families who made their living from the river she was expected to work and it suited her just fine because all she ever wanted was to hang out on the river and fish. She stated later she built 150 crabtraps and she started running them every afternoon after school; when she was 17, her grandfather co-signed for her first bank loan and she bought 500 yards of Gillnet and a bowrunner boat so that she could fish for Mullet; there were massive schools of Mullet back then; the same school of Mullet could pass under her grandfather’s pier for more than 20 minutes; she made a lot of money as a teenager fishing for Mullet; being on the river was a magical time for her; the water was crystal clear and close to shore the bottom was carpeted with rippling and waving seagrass; a walk along any shoreline revealed Fiddler Crabs as far as she could see; when she approached they raced toward their holes, and the motion of hundreds of Fiddler Crabs running for cover looked like water parting as she moved along the shore; and with the coming of spring, hordes of bigger crabs made their presence known, as any sandy beach with a hard onshore wind was covered with spawning Horseshoe Crabs. She went on to say flocks of hungry shorebirds feasted on their eggs, gaining weight for their long distance flights to the arctic tundra to nest; she did not know it then, but she was experiencing the end of the grandeur of the IRL before her grandfather’s prophecy came true; the 2000’s were a period of intense focus on the Indian River as a world class fishery, particularly for its abundant prized Red Fish; anglers came seeking the high quality of the fishery, particularly for sight fishing opportunities in clear shallow waters; the area became a premier destination for competitive angling; it was a regular stop for the professional fishing league Worldwide Red Fish Tour and prestigious local events such as the red bone large celebrity tournaments; guides who consistently performed well in these tournaments gained recognition and some ended up with their own television shows and a large platform for conservation messaging and promoting the Lagoon; and regardless of whether a fishing tournament is a local event or a major professional tour, fishing tournaments are a big business for the hospitality industry, as hotels and restaurants fill to capacity for days as anglers scour for the best fishing spots. She noted the economic worth of unpolluted water through the creation of jobs and fishing, tourism, recreation, and other industries is well documented; these assets make it easy to attract a good workforce for the economy; people come here to enjoy the same magical experiences she had while she was growing up; bioluminescent kayak tour operators put hundreds of people out on the water every summer night relying on schools of mullet for their guests’ experience; Manatees often swim right up to the kayaks and fishing is a widespread activity; popular past times for visitors and residents include birding and wildlife photography; without a healthy Lagoon, the unique nature would not exist; it has been shown time and again, property values increase in direct proportion to their proximity to clean water; and a huge portion of ocean seafood relies on estuaries, and their salt marshes, with estimates that over 70 percent of the U.S. commercial catch and 80 percent of recreational catch depend on these vital nurseries of the sea for critical life stages. She mentioned generations of her family and many others have depended on a healthy Indian River to make a living; this map of Florida salt marshes shows the critical importance of the Mosquito Lagoon and Space Center salt marshes as recharge areas for fisheries; very little salt marsh acreage exists along Florida’s southeastern coast below Kennedy Space Center; she knows that the Lagoon is getting better, the water is clearer and algae blooms are generally spotty, smaller, and do not linger as long as earlier blooms; there is a lot more bait now and fishing continues to improve; seagrass has started coming back strong in the southern Mosquito Lagoon in 2022 and in the northern Indian River in 2024; in 2025, this year, it has expanded south into the basins between the Titusville railroad bridge and NASA Causeway; and with better water quality, it should continue its southern movement. She commented one way to measure the character of a community is to look at what one protects, one protects what it values; the IRL is more than a beautiful body of water nestled inside coastal barrier islands, it is one of the greatest estuaries in North America; its diversity of life is unmatched and its total annual economic value is more than $28.3 billion, a staggering economic impact that affects communities and economies throughout its entire length; everything about the way of life here in Brevard County is enhanced and given greater value due to the influence of the Lagoon; she still likes to fish, but she does not keep them to sell any longer, she throws them back so others can catch them too; due to development and a growing population, the Indian River will never again be wild and free like it was when she was a kid; but it can be brought back to a condition where people’s children and grandchildren can enjoy it as much as she did; it needs to be treated like it is a giant aquarium that is always going to have to be managed; and there is still a long way to go, but it is the responsibility of the people to leave a restored IRL and a funding source to keep it healthy as a legacy for future generations to enjoy.

  • Brevard County Board of County Commissioners — Minutes
• Item C.2.

  Presentation - Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) Citizen Oversight Committee - Vinnie Taranto

  approved - Vinnie Taranto stated Ms. Barker mentioned the Ordinance from back on August 23, 2016, that was approved by the Commissioners; he had the greatest honor to serve the entire County by being a member of the Citizen Oversight Committee (COC); he was one of the original members, served eight years, and was the immediate past chair; this slide is what was in the Ordinance and was the actual ballot language; when people went to the polls to vote yes or no, this is exactly what it said; circled here it says citizen committee oversight; the residents who voted for the sales tax knew they were going to get oversight from a citizen committee; to dig deeper in the Ordinance one will see this is the Ordinance language, and Section 17, there are two things he wants people to remember in this presentation, the first, it stated the oversight committee will recommend updates of the project plan every year, annual project plan updates, recommendations; and the second thing he wants people to remember is it says provide public oversight and a transparent process. He added annual updates and a transparent public process to make the project more efficient. He noted Morris Richardson, County Attorney, often talk about Ordinances being made up of letters which then together form words, which then form sentences, paragraphs and so on, and they end with an intent; what he is going to talk about today is the implementation and the brilliance of that implementation; he once heard the COC described as the best thing since sliced bread, he likes bread it is good, so go ahead as a scientific process and evaluate that; what is the structure of the COC, first off it is even areas of expertise; his area of expertise was technology; there is one voting member and one alternate member; that is seven areas of expertise with two members, that is 14; half are appointed by the Space Coast League of Cities, those are the municipality leadership; and the other half are appointed by the Board of County Commissioners, two-year terms with a possible reappointment up to eight years. He went on to say remember the two things he wants people to remember about the Ordinance, the changing part, this was not original; the original Ordinance did not have a term limit but as somebody who has served eight years and who now watches the meetings, he is glad to hand that baton off; the second thing is there are two ameritus nonvoting members that have that institutional knowledge of what was done two years ago and what was done six years ago; this is something new that is now part of the Committee; the COC meets the third Friday of every month in Viera at 8:30 a.m. and it is also broadcasted live on Space Coast Government Television (SCGTV), Brevard County’s website, the Facebook page, and the YouTube page; he counted and there are 14,445 minutes of meetings on YouTube; and 84 meetings, that is a lot of meetings. He inquired if people remember the first thing he asked them to remember on the Ordinance, public and transparent process, and he noted it is all there; he mentioned what the COC does every month is they take the latest science through expert presentation, and here is a list of presentations through just the first four years, compiled by Dr. John Windsor, every month they receive a list of expert presentations and also hear about new technologies, as Ms. Barker mentioned, like satellites so they can see where the blooms are and are able to track them; this is his favorite, this is a wind model; the Lagoon is 72 miles long, and if one thinks about other impaired bodies of water, Chesapeake Bay, their tidal flow, tide comes in and tide goes out; the IRL is so long that they are wind driven and this is a model that a doctor had put together and it had all these crazy colors and lines going all over showing how the water moved throughout the year; and that is part of the new technology to better understand the Lagoon and how to fix it, that is the latest science. He stated the next thing is SOIRL and the Natural Resources Management staff come in as advisors and give the COC project progress and funding information; they have a monthly revenue chart showing how much has been collected; there are also quarterly project reimbursements; one of the things real quick on that monthly project chart that Ms. Barker mentioned, every dollar is allocated, even the dollars that have not been collected, the dollars they are projecting to collect, because they want the train moving fast and they do not want it to stop; they actually have all of those projected dollars set to projects; and the quarterly project reimbursements, they look at the projects where they are and the ones going out, and the quarterly grant acquisitions, they have been able to take the half cent sales tax and apply for State grants with a 50/50 match. He added they look at how the grant progress is going and the quarterly project progress to see how the projects are moving, and lastly the yearly audit. He went on to say the audit looks at the entire project from beginning to end; they look at the entire process to make sure that it is being done and as efficient as possible; the last component is to take citizen input through public comment and also the fact that they are citizens, so the bylaws state public comment to be heard on a proposition before the COC; when he was chair, he took public comment on the approval of the meeting minutes, approval on the Agenda; he wants to hear from the community; he is there trying to represent them and so he is asking for the input; there is public comment on all propositions; and they also have a general public comment session. He noted for those on the COC, the last meeting went four hours and 45 minutes; that is a good meeting; he is going to represent the public and needs to hear from the public; then the citizens part, it is citizens talking to citizens; this patch was from a gentleman who was very passionate about the Lagoon; he spent 100 hours with him outside of the meetings; he talks to many people in the community and wants to share with the information that he has and he wants them to tell him what he is doing wrong; they want to make the projects better, so he always carries this, it is in his car right now; and it is a reminder of who he is doing this for and who he is representing. He continued by saying they take all of that information, tie it up in a nice bow, and they come up with a yearly project plan update; every year they ask if there are any new projects, new project types, or new ideas, and request they be sent to them to see if they are more efficient; they will swap out projects; they come up with an update and provide it to the Board of County Commissioners and they decide; the COC is an advisory committee, an oversight committee; the COC gives advice and then the Board decides what it would like to do; and one will see that arrow between the yearly project plan and the Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) it is a double arrow and it goes both ways for a very good reason. He continued by saying in 2019 through public comment and science reimbursements were reallocated towards septic; looking at the plan on the left, it was the original plan and gray was the muck dredging and 66 percent of the dollars; in 2019, they sent the plan to the BOCC and it was said why they do not look at reallocating some more to septic and so they took it back and they did; the one on the right is the plan after and the one that was approved; there is a lighter gray and that is 13 percent for interstitial water treatment, treating the water going back into the Lagoon so even if one adds up that 13 and 30 for muck, it is still left with 66 percent; new project examples that Ms. Barker mentioned, the lateral smoke testing, they were able to come up with these ideas in technology and science and provide them; the last thing, the project plan which provides long-term funding, does change, it is brilliant; and like he said earlier, the COC is the best thing since sliced bread and the reason he heard it was because he said it and it is true. He noted it is not because he stated it is because of the people, and those on the slide are the people that he had the honor of serving with who have represented the people, and spent those 14,000 hours; these are the Committee members; and there can be misinformation online, so reach out and talk to these people, they are citizens too.

  • Brevard County Board of County Commissioners — Minutes

No recording or transcript is held for this meeting.

• A transcript is not available.
• No audio or video recording is linked.
• Speakers have not been reliably matched to public profiles.
• Named people and places have not been reliably resolved.
• An individual roll-call roster is not available.

No source correction or revision history is recorded for this meeting. A corrected artifact will appear here as a new version rather than replacing what is shown above.