Brevard County Board of County Commissioners

Tuesday, March 11, 2025 9:00 AM Brevard County Board of County Commissioners 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way Viera, FL 32940 Commission Chambers Minutes Regular March 11, 2025 A. CALL TO ORDER 9:00 AM Rollcall Commissioner District 1 Katie Delaney , Commissioner District 2 Tom Goodson, Commissioner District 3 Kim Adkinson, Commissioner District 4 Rob Feltner, and Commissioner District 5 Thad Altman Present: C. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Kim Adkinson, District 3 Commissioner Adkinson led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance. E.1. Resolution recognizing the retirement of Matt Culver, Boating & Waterways Program Coordinator for the Natural Resources Management Department, and his 21 years of service to the citizens of Brevard and the State of Florida. - District 2 Chairman Feltner led the assembly in singing Happy Birthday to Matt Culver. He read aloud, and the Board adopted Resolution No. 25-017, recognizing the retirement of Matt Culver. Matt Culver expressed his appreciation for the Resolution; he stated it has been a pleasure working for the County; he probably has one of the best jobs in the County; this would not be possible without everyone in his office assisting him over the years for both in field and technical support; and he would like to thank his Director and past Directors, the Parks Department, Public Works, and his wife and son who is not in attendance today. Result: ADOPTED Mover: Tom Goodson Seconder: Katie Delaney Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman E.2. Resolution acknowledging March as Irish American Heritage Month in Brevard County. - District 4 Chairman Feltner read aloud, and the Board adopted Resolution No. 24-018, acknowledging March as Irish American Heritage Month in Brevard County. Brian McCann stated the Irish Americans of Brevard County appreciate the Resolution to celebrate the Irish Americans and declaring March as Irish Heritage Month, it is very important to them; he hopes to see everybody on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. in downtown Melbourne for the 35th annual St. Patrick’s Day parade; and Meg O’Malley’s is having a great festival all three days, Saturday through Monday. Result: ADOPTED Mover: Kim Adkinson Seconder: Katie Delaney Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman E.3. Presentation by Mr. Vince Lamb with Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition Program Vince Lamb, Indian River Lagoon Coalition Program, stated his objective today is to start a discussion among the Board concerning the future of Brevard County Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) program; between 1990 and 2009 Brevard County ran a highly Page 1 of 40 March 11, 2025 effective conservation land acquisition program that established the current sanctuaries totaling approximately 28,000 acres; and he inquired if the Board knows that Dr. Duane DeFreese was the first Executive Director of the EELs program, and that it was his first job after receiving his Doctorate. He went on to say a County referendum approved in 2004, authorized a maximum of $55 million in bonds to be used to fund land purchases; this was the second referendum funding the EELs program; the County Commission then authorized up to $45 million in bonds and those funds were used to acquire the Thousand Islands of Cocoa Beach, the Ulumay Wildlife Sanctuary, Boyd and DeChristopher Properties on Merritt Island, Fox Lake Sanctuary, and the Scottsmoor Flatwoods in North Brevard, plus some smaller properties; and the Great Recession from 2007-2009 caused Brevard County to suspend conservation land acquisition due to a weakened condition of County finances. He continued by saying in 2022 Brevard County voters, with a 70 percent majority, approved the issuance of $50 million in bonds to be used for more conservation land purchases to be repaid by a small Ad valorem tax over 20 years; some of the Board knows that he has served as Chair of the Political Action Committee to get the campaign in front of the voters; the 2024 Commission then approved the issuance of $6 million in bonds, $3 million for Capital Improvements to existing properties and another $3 million for conservation land acquisition; many people would consider the $3 million as being too small to operate an effective conservation land program; and some of the individual properties out there now are valued greater than $3 million. He stated Brevard County has not allowed the EEL program to invite willing sellers to offer up their lands for purchase consideration for over 15 years; the population has increased more than 100,000 people since then; no accurate assessment exists regarding the availability of willing sellers who will offer-up suitable land properties for sale; therefore, the future of this program is in this Board’s hand; he asked if the Board is interested in re-establishing the conservation lands acquisition program, willing to increase the bond funding to a larger amount that could enable the program to operate effectively, provide guidance to the EEL program staff and the Selection and Management Committee (SMC) regarding how one would like to see the program operate, and does one have specific recommendations regarding how much the bond amount should be increased; and as part of this presentation, he has asked Jim Burney, a member of the Selection and Management Committee, to share his perspective. He commented the success of the EEL program during that 1990–2009 period can largely be attributed to the role of the Selection and Management Committee and their efforts. Jim Burney stated he is a current member of the SMC and a Rockledge resident; he is in attendance to provide a brief overview of the County’s current acquisition process and SMC’s position in that process; Brevard County’s current process for acquiring conservation lands through bond referendum is provided in the Board-approved EEL Land Acquisition Manual, The LAM, the document is available to each Commissioner, and each Commissioner contains information on each step of the process; the land process can really be interpreted as seven steps; the first is submission of a landowner and willing seller application followed by an SMC parcel valuation and a no-go decision; if it is a go decision then the next step is an independent appraisal and subsequent contract negotiations, followed by a contract review by the County Attorney and the Risk Management Land Acquisition Committee; a final SMC vote to move the contract forward to Board consideration is the next step; and followed by a Board approval or denial, and then ultimately a closing. He added all-in-all it is a well-defined and proven process that has been used in the past for acquisitions. He noted focusing back on the SMC, each committee member is selected by the committee and Board-approved for having strong ecological land use and or business background, sometimes there is an overlap on each; SMC has developed a science-based parcel ranking and selection process; this process includes the use of a property ranking matrix, comprised of weighted, ecological land use, and nutrient reduction criteria; this is used for sorting properties and to provide a priority target list for presentation to the Board, and again, a well-defined process that is science-based; once a Page 2 of 40 March 11, 2025 parcel is identified for possible acquisition by SMC, a State-approved appraiser is employed to provide an accurate property value; and subsequent land purchase negotiations are then conducted by an independent intermediary representing the County, neither the appraisal nor the negotiations involve direct SMC participation. He added it is only after County legal and Risk Management approved the purchase contract that SMC re-engages for a vote to move the Contract forward for approval or not; in closing, his intent today was really to demonstrate a well-defined proven course of action by the County for acquiring conservation lands and to reiterate the scientific integrity of the acquisition process; and the SMC advisory group serves at the direction of the Board, and as always, is available for any questions or concerns. He added he is sure the Board is already aware of The LAM, but he just wanted to really express the scientific integrity of the process. Mr. Lamb noted he has given considerable thought regarding the bonding amount, how to find the right amount, and there is no easy answer; if the Board does not want any more conservation lands, then the Board should leave the limit where it stands; if the Board wants to give the program the opportunity to have a big impact, raise the limit to the $50 million maximum; if the Board wants to perhaps, stay somewhere in the middle, the choice is clearly the Board’s; his objective today is to start this discussion; he wants to offer his help going forward, with any information the Board may need; if the Board Members would like to visit the EEL properties in their Districts, he would be very happy to arrange a tour with expert guides; in June or July he would be delighted to show the Board the nesting sea turtles at the Doc Ehrhart Barrier Island Sanctuary where he has worked as a volunteer for almost 20 years; he has years of experience working with the Florida Scrub Jays on the EEL program properties and would be pleased to introduce the Board to these interesting birds; and the future is up to the Board. Commissioner Delaney thanked Mr. Lamb for all of his time, effort, and energy volunteering; she stated she knows people are very passionate about the things that they do; and she appreciates him giving the community his time in this way. Chairman Feltner stated he thinks the prior Board did not want to go up to the $50 million knowing that there would be three new Commissioners and things would change; also, not for nothing, he thinks there is some expectation out there that property values will cool off and maybe that is a better time, in the future, to buy property, and not necessarily at the highest historic value; and he thinks some of those things are contributing factors that will certainly be discussed in the near future. Commissioner Altman thanked Mr. Lamb; he stated he supports him 100 percent; the answer to those four questions are all yes; he supports the EEL program and full bonding; he thinks as far as guidance and how to spend it, when EELs was originally set up, and he was involved in that, they looked for professional neutral, scientific input, and the guidance would be to keep doing what it has been doing, and obviously focus on that which is most endangered and would pay the greatest public benefit; and as far as how much, he supports going to the max. He continued by saying the max is not that much; he wishes the County was doing more, and probably should be doing more; but the max is what the people of Brevard County voted on by over 70 percent, twice or three times because the beach and riverfront could be considered a typical program. He stated there is probably no other program that has greater support, or the immediate effect on the future generations of this County; no other program is so critical and if the County does not save the land now, it is lost forever, there is no way to ever go back; there is an opportunity with what is left; Brevard County has a booming economy; the parks contribute greatly to the economy; he has heard corporations that decided to move their companies and their personnel to Brevard, say that Brevard County environmental and waterfront land acquisition program is the reason they have come here, because of the natural Page 3 of 40 March 11, 2025 environment; and he thinks it is important for the quality of life, economic development, and future generations. He noted he wholeheartedly supports this and thanked Mr. Lamb again for being there. F.1. Assignment of Agreement - The Transit Group, Inc. to Ecological Associates, Inc. The Board executed and approved the Assignment of Agreement between the Board of County Commissioners, The Transit Group, Inc. dba Ecological Associates, Inc., assignor, and Ecological Associates, Inc., Assignee, for Ecological Continuing Consulting Services pursuant to RFQ 8-24-03. Result: APPROVED Mover: Tom Goodson Seconder: Katie Delaney F.2. Approval RE: Disbursement of Educational Impact Fees (Districts 1-5) The Board authorized the disbursement of Educational Facilities Impact Fees in the amount of $4,660,639.47 to the School Board of Brevard County in accordance with the terms of the Interlocal Agreement; and authorized the Budget Office to execute necessary Budget Change Requests to implement this disbursement. Result: APPROVED Mover: Tom Goodson Seconder: Katie Delaney F.3. Adopt Resolution and Release Performance Bond: Watermark Phase 1 and 2 - District 1 Developer: Stanley Martin Homes, LLC The Board executed and adopted Resolution No. 25-019, releasing the Contract and Surety Performance Bond dated April 9, 2024, for Watermark Phase 1 and 2 – Developer: Stanley Martin Homes, LLC. Result: ADOPTED Mover: Tom Goodson Seconder: Katie Delaney F.4. Board Approval: Interlocal Agreement between Brevard County Board of County Commissioners; Wayne Ivey, Sheriff of Brevard County, Florida; and The City of Rockledge for Automatic Aid. The Board approved and authorized the Chairman to execute the Interlocal Agreement between Wayne Ivey, Brevard County Sheriff, and the City of Rockledge for automatic aid; and authorized the County Manager, or his designee, to approve required amendments, extensions, or changes. Result: APPROVED Mover: Tom Goodson Seconder: Katie Delaney F.5. Board Approval: Interlocal Agreement between Brevard County Board of County Commissioners; Wayne Ivey, Sheriff of Brevard County, Florida; and The City of Palm Bay for Automatic Aid. The Board approved and authorized the Chairman to execute the Interlocal Agreement between Wayne Ivey, Brevard County Sheriff, and the City of Palm Bay for automatic aid; and authorized the County Manager, or his designee, to approve required amendments, extensions, Page 4 of 40 March 11, 2025 or changes. Result: APPROVED Mover: Tom Goodson Seconder: Katie Delaney F.6. Appointment(s) / Reappointment(s) The Board appointed/reappointed Lynn Herndon to Art in Public Places Advisory Committee, with said term to expire on March 11, 2027; Clifford Barber to Contractor's Licensing Board, with said term to expire on December 31, 2025; and Charles Roger Hardin to South Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, with said term to expire on March 11, 2027. Result: APPROVED Mover: Tom Goodson Seconder: Katie Delaney F.7. Bill Folder The Board acknowledged receipt of the Bill Folder. Result: APPROVED Mover: Tom Goodson Seconder: Katie Delaney J.4. Florida’s 37th All Veterans Reunion - The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall® Chairman Feltner stated this is his Item; he placed it on the Agenda as it has been an important community event, the Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall coming to Brevard County; there has been a change of guard and the younger guys are taking over; there have been some sharp increases in park fees; and they are having some trouble with that this year. He continued by saying people have done some other things to help with the campaign; and this is a grant from the cultural fund for the Traveling Wall to pay for the park fees. Commissioner Adkinson asked how the $9,000 is actually going to affect the visitors. Thomas Guth stated it goes towards paying for the park, the park is reserved for 10 to 12 days, and it allows all the veterans to come from all over the Country to be at the reunion; they camp all over the park; it is solely for that event; that is how it has been for the past 37 years; and being a non-profit it has been increasingly difficult to raise the funds this year, therefore, this grant would be extremely helpful. He explained the grant that is before the Board will go to pay for Wickham Park; they are a non-profit organization and they want to keep this event going to honor the legacy of Vietnam and all the veterans, as this has been put on for the past 36 years; being new to non-profit, they have gone to a lot of events, craft fairs, pop-up events, restaurants, and all over the place; they have learned that fundraising is extremely hard, especially being a new group of people; he talked with Commissioner Feltner and he is hopeful that this grant will be approved for them; that event is extremely expensive to run, and there have been a lot of cost cutting processes; they received a huge donation for power equipment which saves them about $20,000; and this grant would be extremely helpful. The Board authorized the use of Tourist Development Council (TDC) Cultural Funds in the amount of $9,334.74 to cover the fees associated with the use of Wickham Park for The Vietnam Traveling Memorial Wall® event beginning Sunday, May 4 through Sunday, May 11, 2025. Result: APPROVED Page 5 of 40 March 11, 2025 Mover: Katie Delaney Seconder: Thad Altman Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman G. PUBLIC COMMENTS (Individuals may not speak under both the first and second public comment sections.) Michael Bramson stated the most recent announcement of the closure of the Rockledge Hospital is devastating news for the Board, the firefighter paramedics, and the community; he understands that there are many policies, politics, and financial components in the decision to close the Rockledge Medical Facility; in spite of these factors, private or otherwise, they are all partners in finding ways to deal with this catastrophic decision; but it is not as simple as just driving to another hospital, critical services for heart attacks, cardiac arrest, strokes, and trauma will be delayed when seconds and minutes count; the public safety servants understand that not all rescues are going to be successful; and not being able to save a life is a traumatic event. He continued by saying healthcare providers train religiously in order to provide the best skilled service during these events where seconds and minutes count, and hope for the best outcome; they cannot look forward to the obvious impacts this hospital’s closure will have to the community; diversion or moving to another hospital, especially during an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) or a 9-1-1 call, will increase the workload of those facilities, of the hospitals, of the destinations, and will increase the transport time; according to Google, it is about 20 minutes; it will increase the volume at the hospitals; and it will increase the amount of time one spends waiting at the hospitals. He went on to say it will increase the wall times and the delay of the availability of ambulances to go back in service for the next call waiting; it will increase response times; this is truly a degradation of services for public safety and medical services; and it is going to become a vicious cycle. He noted the related solution found in interviews and news articles are over two years away and it will take an aligned group effort to derive a plan to maintain the services to the citizens, visitors, and taxpayers of Brevard County, and the cities within; the Firefighter’s Union stands ready to assist in this crisis; and please feel free to reach out with any questions. George Mikitarian, President and CEO of Parrish Medical Center, stated he is in attendance to express his concerns regarding the sudden announcement of the closing of the Rockledge Hospital; he understands that there are many people in the community working on this issue; he appreciates having just a few minutes to express his concern from the Parrish Medical Center perspective; the Board has heard one concern prior to him speaking and there are countless other concerns in the community; he knows the Board is aware of them; to start, never in his 41 years in healthcare has he witnessed such a careless disregard for the health of a community by a fellow healthcare provider; and this immediate issue must be addressed for the betterment of that community and the collective community. He continued by saying his other concern focuses around the consequences that this hospital closing will have on his organization’s ability to fulfill its mission of caring for the community of North Brevard; there will certainly be negative impacts upon all hospitals, all urgent care centers, physician offices, local, County, and governments as well; with little or no concern, Orlando Health’s actions have now created significant service, community, and financial problems for the remainder of them; and in generalities, the consequences to Parrish Medical Center in North Brevard could be categorized in three areas. He went on to say service impacts, there will certainly be a negative impact on patient wait times in his Emergency Department as volumes will increase; there will be significant wait times for all County and Titusville emergency vehicles to get back on the road, thus delaying their response times for all citizens; all patients will be traveling longer distances which can certainly complicate their clinical condition by the time he or she arrives in emergency departments; as the emergency department wait times increase, this will have a Page 6 of 40 March 11, 2025 trickle down impact on all other departments within the organization; all departments that service and support the emergency department, such as Radiology, Laboratory, and countless others; and they can only accommodate so many additional patients with the resources that they have. Chairman Feltner stated he would like to yield more time to Mr. Mikitarian. Mr. Mikitarian continued on by saying the negative effects to these departments will then affect the ability to care for patients on patient floors, as these patients will end up staying longer; there is certainly a broad community impact; the North Brevard community will certainly see longer wait times in its emergency department; there are of course, urgent care centers and physician offices that can expand their office times, but there needs to be time to plan; and of course, there is a great negative impact economically as the Rockledge Hospital interacts with many local businesses. He stated thirdly, there is a financial impact; more than likely in the aggregate, Parrish Medical Center, as the County’s only public hospital, will bear the brunt of serving the lower income members of the Rockledge community; the mal distribution of this financial burden could negatively affect Parrish Medical Center to the tune of tens of millions of dollars just in a single year; as an example, Parrish Medical Center currently already on an annual basis, absorbs almost $30 million in uncompensated care; the Rockledge Hospital is roughly the same size and provides the same level of uncompensated care; he asked where this uncompensated care will now go; and he advised they can only increase their staffing and space so much. He added an expansion of staff and expansion of the limited possibilities they have in space could cost them an additional $5 million to $15 million per year; and his ask, in general, and not of the Board specifically, but hopefully to all the influencers in the community, is that there should be an immediate review of this hospital closure by State authorities. He noted it is unfathomable that a hospital is allowed to close without State review of the consequences of such a closure and their review must require a contingency plan be put in place for the community; they like to seek financial support from Orlando Health and locally from the Space Coast Health Foundation should the burden for solutions be placed upon the existing service organizations and government entities; money from both of them could be allocated based upon some equation related to volumes, payer mix, and reimbursement; and in addition, Orlando Health and the Space Coast Health Foundation should contribute the monies necessary for the City of Rockledge and Brevard County Fire Rescue to enhance the 9-1-1 system for the rapid response and or transport of patients, when required. He commented these commitments should be on a three-year basis given the extensive work that must be done to make sure that the community continues to receive the healthcare it so needs; it was not long ago when people considered healthcare providers to be heroes; now this organization comes into this community, into the County, and in an instance insults these people by basically casting them off as disposable assets; these are healthcare heroes that are providing a service to that community; and he hopes everyone that has the ability to affect this decision in a positive way will certainly do that. Commissioner Goodson stated he heard about the cost Parrish Medical Center is going to incur, but he wants to talk about the profits that will be gained by more people; and he asked if there will be none. Mr. Mikitarian advised there will only be an incremental value off the books in terms of covering the overhead; but based upon their analysis of the market, and the expense that they would have to incur, they would never recoup the monies required of them to provide the additional services. Commissioner Altman asked if that is because of the social demographic of who they would be Page 7 of 40 March 11, 2025 serving. Mr. Mikitarian stated as an example, his organization in a good year, as the County’s only public hospital, the bottom line may be $3 million; with the number of emergency department patients that he expects to receive, it would result in about a $4 million loss; some of those emergency department patients get admitted, on average about 13 percent, given the statistics from Rockledge and their own statistics it is pretty consistent, and that 13 percent translates into a revenue; however, that revenue does not offset the treatment of the 87 percent of the folks that would come to the emergency department, more than half of which do not have insurance. Sandra Sullivan stated she runs a group called Wavesaction; she posted about Rockledge Hospital closing; she thinks it is her top performing post of all time; that should put the concern in public perspective of just how much the community is concerned about that; and she thinks there is an obligation by this hospital to do this in a better way. She went on to say she wanted to talk about the budget today; she is very appreciative of the very comprehensive budget presentations that are being done and the transparency and accountability to the public; it is a huge improvement looking at two years ago when that budget workshop was completed; this year there are three meetings in very great detail; it is a concern that previous Commissioners have kicked this can down the road to a point of a crisis; she just wants to put this in perspective, the budget is approximately $2.5 billion and the transportation deficit and maintenance is $2.5 billion, the same number; and clearly this can being kicked down the road has placed the County in a very difficult position. She continued by saying for the firefighters in 2021, they were given a 33 percent increase that was supposed to close that wage gap; that did not happen because in 2022 the cost of growth was $620,000; in last year’s budget it was $30 million; in January it was $48 million; in the most recent magistrate meeting it was $68 million in the next couple of years; and that number is going to go up. She stated this County is facing a huge crisis; she wants to thank the Board for going out to Request for Proposal (RFP) and looking at the impact fee analysis because quite honestly this Board is going to need to take money from a lot of different sources, including space; she was very happy to see it opening up that conversation; and she wants to thank the Board for the communication on the budget workshop and the impact fee, at least going out to RFP and looking at the numbers. She noted the County is going to need impact fees and to tax space; if it puts all of the burden on the people, just assume another 33 percent increase, then this is the most expensive in the State for fire assessment; she also hopes this Board will move the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) assessment per the Attorney General Opinion (AGO) to below the line; and those are just some of the things. She reiterated that she is appreciative of all the effort this Board is putting forth. Peter Moolhuizen stated he represents the Brevard Renaissance Fair; he wanted to thank Commissioner Feltner for what he did; he explained he met with Commissioner Feltner about 14 months ago for the first time, under a stressful situation for both of them; they came to an agreement down the road and worked something out with former Commissioner Pritchett, Mayor Paul Alfrey, and former Commissioner Tobia; they found a piece of land that nobody wanted or nobody used, and had no use for; he said he would love to do a Renaissance Fair there and that they would make it work for them and try to do some other events there; and they have just completed the second event there this past weekend, the Strawberry Festival, where they saw roughly 15,000 people visit the site. He mentioned over the last two months there have been tens of thousands of Brevard residents come out to the site and enjoy themselves; people from all over the State came; they took up the challenge in October and built a huge castle; everybody saw it and it became internationally famous because of the wrap that was placed on it; it was recognized by Lowe’s and other companies all over the world; Page 8 of 40 March 11, 2025 people had fun with it; and that is what it is there for. He noted he wanted to provide some numbers; this year there were five international entertainers there, groups from all over the world, Australia, Ireland, Scotland, and Canada that provided entertainment that people normally do not see in this area; they also had their education day, the largest one ever; there were 3,000 children there this year that came to learn about the middle ages, about the Renaissance period, the different musical instruments, and all the different things involved with that; he has never seen attendance like he saw this year where the children were just poured around the different stages to listen to former educators talk about the Renaissance period; and that is really what it is all about, to ignite their minds, to excite them and make them want to learn. He stated there was also a group there called Equestrian Chaos, a non-profit that works with kids that have disabilities and things; they performed every weekend; they are trick riders and do a great job; they actually left New Orleans parades and things to come to Brevard County because they enjoy it so much here; during the week they entertain kids that had handicaps that came out there and got a chance to meet and ride the horses, and learn different things; they are scheduled to be back next year; and they told him up front that they want to be back next year if the fair will have them. He noted they have some other events that they are going to try to do this year, some unique things to Brevard that have not been done here before; the park is big place and it was set up to handle large events; and he wanted to thank the Board for the opportunity and all of his people thank the Board as well. Commissioner Delaney stated she is pretty speechless about the entire situation; she has to appreciate Mr. Mikitarian for coming here and sharing the struggles that North Brevard will have with this; Port St. John, Canaveral Groves, and North Cocoa, all of those places get brought to Rockledge Hospital when they are having an emergency; from what she has been told from emergency professionals and different hospitals is basically they cannot handle the increase, there is just not enough beds; and not only are the emergency services going to be held up with longer transport times, but the hospitals that would be picking up the slack do not have the ability to handle this increase. She noted she tried contacting Orlando Health and they were not receptive at all, not willing to come to the table, not willing to look at solutions, and hopefully Commissioner Feltner will have better news; she tried reaching out to Space Coast Health Foundation who has about $54 million sitting in their foundation; their entire mission is to work to enhance health and wellness in Brevard County, focusing on the same areas, basically around Rockledge Hospital; again, their mission is access to health and wellness services, advocacy for health and wellness, and also medical services; her ask to Orlando Health was if they reached out to Space Coast Health Foundation for help; she understands that the building is in quite disrepair, but one would think this foundations mission would go right along with keeping this building together for the next couple years until Orlando Health is able to build a new facility; and she was hoping to get Board support, the City of Rockledge put together a Resolution strongly encouraging Orlando Health to postpone its proposed closure of the Orlando Health Rockledge Hospital for the health and safety of the community. She continued by saying while she understands they are a private business and they have to look at their bottom line, they are also in the business of helping people heal and all of that; they claim they could not do the proper inspections prior to purchasing, but she does not know how that is possible; even on their own website it says Rockledge Hospital is profitable, therefore, even in poor condition it is still profitable; she feels like this is a decision being made without any care or concern for the community; and she feels like the Board has to figure out a way to get them to the table to try and find a solution that will work for everybody. Chairman Feltner advised he spoke with Representative Sirois last evening and he said he is working on something; it is legislative session; he asked questions like if there are problems with ACA that maybe he could work on, that makes it easier for him, and he just suggested that he is trying very hard to work on something that they would be receptive to and he asked that Page 9 of 40 March 11, 2025 the Board hold on; he asked about the issue of a resolution or a letter, if it was next week the Board could have taken something like that up, but Representative Sirois suggested that if each office was so inclined it could send a letter; and one letter from the Board has one chance to be opened, but five letters from five Commissioners have five chances to be opened. He commented he will leave it like that today, if the Commissioners are so inclined; he will make a commitment to do one today; and he wants the Board to know that the legislator for that District is very concerned and is doing what he can in Tallahassee to try and find an answer, or at least postpone it. Commissioner Goodson remarked he would like Chief Voltaire to come up. He asked Chief Voltaire if he has the numbers on travel time; and he knows he heard the Firefighters Union, but he is asking him, from Rockledge to the closest hospital, Viera. Chief Patrick Voltaire, Fire Rescue Director, stated it is Viera or it might go to Cape Canaveral; and it might go to Merritt Island, or Cocoa Beach, or Parrish. Commissioner Goodson asked if the travel time is depending on the time of day. Chief Voltaire replied that is a big factor, and it is probably upwards of 15 to 20 minutes; and that all depends on where one is coming from obviously; and if the call happened right in front of the Orlando Health, Rockledge Hospital, on a good day, it is probably going to be 20 minutes in any direction. Commissioner Goodson asked how many ambulance calls to hospitals they made last year. Chief Voltaire replied about 55,000 transports. Commissioner Goodson inquired how many people died. Chief Voltaire stated he does not have that number. Commissioner Goodson commented he would if he was having a batting average. He asked if he can get the Board that information. Chief Voltaire responded affirmatively. Commissioner Goodson noted he would be curious to know that; and then he would like to know from Chief Voltaire’s expertise, if traveling further, they are always running a bigger risk. Chief Voltaire responded again in the affirmative. Commissioner Goodson asked if 60 percent of his calls go to Wuesthoff. Chief Voltaire answered by saying he would not say 60 percent, he does not have a breakdown of the whole County, but 15 percent. Commissioner Goodson inquired if 15 percent is what he heard. Chief Voltaire replied yes, the County Manager has that number. Frank Abbate, County Manager, explained he saw a number of 8,000, so out of 50 something it would be 15 percent. Page 10 of 40 March 11, 2025 Commissioner Goodson stated he would guess other people want to go to other hospitals; and he asked when people are picked up if they can request where to be taken. Chief Voltaire replied they can unless they meet a trauma alert criteria, or a stroke, they would have to take them to a specific hospital that treats for that specific ailment; otherwise, their policy is to take a patient anywhere they want to go in Brevard County. Commissioner Goodson inquired if someone has to go to a special emergency room where would that be. Chief Voltaire explained if that person met trauma alert criteria, he or she would be placed in a helicopter, if available, and be taken to Holmes Regional in Melbourne. Commissioner Goodson asked what kind of injuries go to Wuesthoff. Chief Voltaire remarked pretty much anything besides that, cardiac events, broken limbs, all other emergencies, trauma alerts are the big one and they have to go to Holmes. Commissioner Delaney asked if it is not just about the travel time but also about the wait time for the ambulances and that they will be out of service. Chief Voltaire stated certainly, in the winter time those always escalate for them because the population is a little bit of a flux in Brevard County; wait times are always an issues for them; the Medical Director Group have been working and producing statistics every week to watch those travel times and share them with the hospital staff to try to stay on that; when the new group came in that was a very big focus for Dr. Antevy, getting the crews back out into the streets as fast as they can; Mr. Mikitarian made a great point of how it all kind of flows back to EMS; and when they are holding for hospital beds, that pushes back to Emergency Rooms (ER), which then pushes back to the 9-1-1 system. Commissioner Delaney stated the Chief mentioned that Rockledge Hospital takes emergencies like heart attacks and strokes. Chief Voltaire replied, yes. Commissioner Delaney stated it is not just boo boos, it is pretty serious things; and they talked about the 15 percent emergencies but those are just the emergencies coming from the ambulances. Chief Voltaire responded that is correct. Commissioner Delaney inquired if that includes one of the other ambulance companies if they brought people to them. Chief Voltaire explained those are inner facilities, BCFR are the only ones that do 9-1-1 transport. Commissioner Delaney stated and it does not count if people drive themselves to the ER. Chief Voltaire advised he would not have those numbers. Page 11 of 40 March 11, 2025 Commissioner Delaney noted 15 percent does not sound like a whole lot, but when everything is added together it is quite a lot. Commissioner Goodson mentioned what he is concerned about is the Board is going to start mandating, governing over private entities; he knows it is a hospital and he is very concerned, but he asked if the Board is going to start that, because he does not know if the Board has the authority to do that; however, if sending a letter makes someone excited he thinks that is great. He continued by saying they bought the hospital, whether they checked it or not, it is theirs; he knows Rockledge talked about they thought they owned the land, but he thinks they decided they did not own the land, and that is neither here nor there; he inquired if they are going to build a new hospital in central Brevard; he commented he does not honestly know; he would suggest everyone be prepared for whatever Orlando Health thinks is the best to make money, just like Mr. Mikitarian does, and just like anybody else does because people cannot just have a hospital at their wishes just because they want it; he reiterated they bought it and they will decide what to do with it; and he does not like it any better than the next, but it is fact. Chairman Feltner stated he is not wrong in his thinking that it is a business owned by someone else; he thinks the sudden nature of its closing is what is giving everybody concern; he received a phone call from an Orlando Health person, it was very brief, and he suggested that they call the other Commissioners, but it was said that it would cost more money to renovate it than it would to level it and build a new hospital in its place; and that is what they said was their situation. He went on to say with that said, and he does not know if it is true or not, but he has no reason to dispute that, if they could delay because other things are coming on line, the Health First Facility on Merritt Island, and some of those other things, he thinks that would probably help; he thinks that is all the community is looking for; and that is only his two cents. Commissioner Goodson stated he totally agrees with Chairman Feltner, and understands it; and Andy Gardner called him and he asked if that is who called Chairman Feltner. Chairman Feltner advised it was Michelle Stren. Commissioner Goodson reiterated it was Andy Gardner who called him; he stated time will tell their intentions; however, everything Chairman Feltner said is true and he agrees with him. Commissioner Altman stated he would like to thank Mr. Mikitarian for coming in this public forum and being a voice for healthcare and speaking out; he thinks he is the only person from the industry that has actually come to this chamber to speak; it is pretty amazing that a hospital literally closes without even appearing before the County Commission, the largest local government entity; this was predicted; all of his children were born at that hospital, his wife was born there, his grandfather-in-law helped found this hospital in Rockledge, Wuesthoff; it was a grant from a family that gave money; this hospital runs deep in the community and is a part of the historic community; it has been a part of his wife’s family, who helped start the hospital; and they have been recognized as part of the founding members in the hospital, one can still see the plaque. He went on to say something that has such a deep, historic significance in providing such a deep need; he expressed his appreciation to Michael Bramson for showing up for the firefighters; he noted the Board probably does need to deliberate and talk about this, look at what options, if any, there are; it was predicted; a number of years ago there were a lot of lengthy, very expensive lawsuits between the healthcare providers at the time, fighting over certificates of needs, expansion, and delivery of service; it was predicted if some new hospitals were built, Wuesthoff would have to close because there are only so many services that can be absorbed in a community, or so many hospitals; he saw it coming when the State of Florida chose not to expand Medicaid, a huge mistake, and cost the taxpayers of Florida probably Page 12 of 40 March 11, 2025 close to $100 billion now; and that had a real impact on the safety net for the hospitals who are literally the first line healthcare providers who receive the brunt of all those uninsured patients. He mentioned the Board has not been sensitive to the need of the safety net hospitals, they have been a voice in the wilderness warning and this is a result of that; this is what happens; he hopes the Board continues to talk about it and get with some of the professionals in the community to give some input as far as what options the Board has, what can be done, and how it can respond; Orlando Health is a private company and the Board cannot mandate them; there are four public hospitals, not-for-profits; and he asked if there is something to that can be done as a community, because he does believe this hospital is important and very much a part of the who the community is. He added he knows there is a new facility being built on Merritt Island by Health First; the Board probably ought to hear from them as to what that will do in terms of first responders, emergency medicine, healthcare, emergency rooms, and what services are going to be provided there. Chairman Feltner advised that is still a couple of years away. Commissioner Altman inquired what can be done in the meantime; he noted those are the options that need to be looked at; he is all for it; and he is glad to be having this discussion if there is a need for a workshop or some presentations to have some technical input and respond in some way. He commented he wholeheartedly supports this Board engaging. Commissioner Goodson asked the Chief what Fire Rescue is doing to address this pending problem. Chief Voltaire advised he has the EMS Operations Chief, Orlando Dominguez, with him; and he knows the broad details, but Chief Dominguez can speak well to what he has been doing in meeting with the local stakeholders to work through the process. PUBLIC COMMENTS (Individuals may not speak under both the first and second public comment sections.) Chief Dominguez stated all of Fire Rescue echoes the Board’s concerns; they were given a little over 30 days to come up with a game plan; as the Board knows, April 7 is the day that Orlando Health has informed they will shut down as it pertains to EMS delivery service, and Fire Rescue will no longer be able to transport patients to that facility; they have had to move very quickly; with this challenge, they are extremely proud of their community partners, they have come together with some other stakeholders to formulate a plan and that is what they have done; and for example, the week of March 24 they will start trialing some additional units working with Coastal Health System, who have been one of their biggest partners, and have agreed to help mitigate some of the excess calls that they are expecting to receive. He continued by saying working with the Medical Director Group, they have agreed to give some latitude on which patients, and one of the things the first responders routinely encounter is having to respond to an incident and realizing that the caller does not really need an emergent transport and that is a significant amount of the calls they receive, from someone with a scratchy eye from a contact lens, or a bump in the knee, and so forth; if they could hone in on that, reach out to the community, and have a system in place that can address that specific sub group, then it will certainly be advantageous; the way they are going to do that is Coastal Health System has agreed to provide some assistance with those lower acuity calls; and that is what they are looking at. He noted if Coastal Health System can assist in transporting those lower acuity calls, it allows the advanced life support EMTs and Paramedics to respond to the more critical calls, then that is a win; they have also restarted working with the Health Department and Emergency Management; something else that takes place on a routine basis is having personnel respond to skilled nursing facilities or assisted living facilities when once Page 13 of 40 March 11, 2025 again, they do not need to be there; working with those partners and notifying the skilled nursing facility that now more than ever, they really need to contact the system that is in place, which is Coastal Health Systems, and that will free up his personnel; the greatest concern, working with the State as well, is that once Rockledge Regional, Orlando Health, is gone then not only is that area vacant as far as the emergency department, but the transport times are going to double; in addition to that, once they get to the facility there are chances that they will be overwhelmed, personnel will be holding the wall with these patients waiting to transfer them to the Emergency Department staff; and it is a trickle-down effect that really has hit them from left field and they are trying to do it as best as they possibly can. He noted in addition to that, they have been in contact with a variety of other stakeholders within the community that are also willing to pitch in and help; they have been in contact with the State since he received the call that they were closing and the State has also said if they are needed at any time to let them know and they can offer some additional units or what is called part of a disaster management team where they can come down; they have been having hospital meetings and he did ask some of the hospitals if they would, perhaps during mass casualty incidents, if they can set up tents in the emergency department which is really for the first responders; what really cripples them is responding to lower acuity calls because they are transporting somebody that does not need it, meanwhile, there could be a pediatric drowning or somebody having a heart attack, and the unit is committed, the travel time which will now double, then getting to the hospital and waiting anywhere between 20 to 40 minutes, sometimes over an hour, to offload these patients; therefore, these are units that are out of service and not available to respond to 9-1-1 calls; and the community partners and their medical partners have responded unbelievably so everybody is coming to the table, meeting on a regular basis to see who can do what, and how quickly this can be ramped up. Commissioner Goodson asked as far as unloading of patients, would that also occur now on a full moon or on the weekends. Chief Dominguez stated they experience that every day. Commissioner Goodson asked if they can deny transportation if they pull up and the patient has a scratch on his forehead and he is told to go to a walk-in; and he insisted on an ambulance. Chief Dominguez stated that is an excellent question; he explained one of the things, working with the Medical Director Group, they are trying to think a little outside of the box, they will be testing, along with their partners from Coastal Health Systems, is if Brevard County Fire Rescue arrives on a scene and they notice that the patient may just have bump on the head or a sliced finger, they do not need an emergent transport, they will talk to the victim/patient and if they are in agreement, Coastal will be on scene within maybe 20 or 30 minutes to pick them up and take them where they want to go; that will free up the ALS unit; they are working with some of the urgent care facilities in the area; the only thing is urgent care is not really considered a free-standing emergency department so it constrains where they can transport to; everybody understands this is an all-hands-on-deck, and everybody has come to the table; but the Commissioner is correct. Commissioner Goodson inquired if mid-April, or the last week of April, he could come back to the Board and let it know how this is going. Chief Dominguez replied absolutely. Commissioner Goodson stated he would like to hear that, and he asked Chief Dominguez to Page 14 of 40 March 11, 2025 please plan on that. Commissioner Delaney asked what the process is going to be as Chief Dominguez had mentioned before that Coastal is going to come for some of these emergency situations, will County employees be dispatched first and then Coastal will show up, or is Coastal going to show up first in some situations. Chief Dominguez advised right now this initial trial that will be taking place prior to April 7, is the units will be dispatched as normal, personnel will respond, once they get on scene and what they are planning is they will then make a determination if this is a critical patient or one that does not require an emergent transport; by the way, to inform the Board, this is a very similar plan that is used during hurricanes; it has been used over a year in the pandemic, which is basically a treat release, and is now being called a treat and transfer; their goal is not to leave anybody behind; if the patient does not require an emergency transport then, he met yesterday with Brevard County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) communications center and they will notify Coastal and Coastal will be dispatched; Coastal has agreed to dedicate units to these specific areas such as Merritt Island, Cocoa, and Rockledge to be readily available at the request of personnel. Commissioner Delaney asked about Port St. John and Canaveral Groves. Chief Dominguez stated the goal is to start expanding, but he feels that the epicenter, ground zero, is going to be that Cocoa, Rockledge area, and Merritt Island; the goal is to expand; they met with some of their municipal partners yesterday to enter into those conversations because it is a collaboration; and as the Board knows in the municipal areas, First Responders are basically city firefighters, so it would take a collaboration between them and the County on how to make this most efficient. Commissioner Delaney advised Port St. John and Canaveral Groves do not have municipal partners. Chief Dominguez stated he is referring to Melbourne, Palm Bay. Commissioner Delaney advised North Brevard is going to be affected by this and Titusville already goes to Parrish Medical Center; Port St. John, Canaveral Groves, North Cocoa would go to Rockledge; the north end of the County already has the lowest amount of transport units; and she asked what happens when the transport units are in Scottsmoor and there is somebody in North Cocoa who needs transport. Chief Dominguez stated fortunately for them there is an agreement with the City of Titusville and when the units are busy at a hospital or they have to transport from Titusville and it is a trauma alert, they have to ground transport, so that puts units from Titusville heading to Melbourne; working together with Titusville they have agreed that if the County’s units are committed, they will step up; and that is what he is hoping for. He reiterated at least in the north end if it comes to Titusville, they have a good partner up there that can certainly support this initiative as well. Commissioner Delaney asked if that includes Port St. John and Canaveral Groves; and she mentioned she hates being so specific but a lot of people love to skip over the Port St. John and Canaveral Groves area and jump right to Titusville. Chief Dominguez stated in Port St. John they have stations 26 and 29; eventually, the goal is to Page 15 of 40 March 11, 2025 expand, however, they are looking at areas that have a higher call volume; whatever goes on in Port St. John, those units will be readily available; and when talking about Cocoa, Rockledge, or Merritt island those are heavy volume areas that they anticipate will be out of pocket for a significant amount of time. Commissioner Delaney asked if station 29 gets dispatched to the Port sometimes. Chief Dominguez stated he is not 100 percent sure that they would go that far; that is one of the advantages; and as the Board knows, they have no boundaries, they go wherever they are told. Commissioner Delaney stated from what she understands, that happens on a relatively regular basis; she is really concerned about this; she does not want north Brevard to be forgotten or missed; and that is her biggest concern. Chief Voltaire stated to add to what Chief Dominguez has said, he thinks the addition of those Coastal units in the central area is to make a valiant effort to keep Rescue 26 and Rescue 29 in service; that is the goal; and with that said also the regional system, they see some crazy things some times. He shared that they might have a rescue from Melbourne, they have a rescue in Melbourne that is one of their biggest units, but if need be and it needs to go to the north end of the County they will send that; that is the advantage of the regional system here in Brevard County; it can flux up and down the County if need be; it is definitely going to take the Operations Chiefs to be on their tippy-toes watching the operation go down when this happens, but that is why they are there to make sure everything runs as efficiently and as safely as possible. Commissioner Delaney commented she really appreciates him; she understands how hard they all work, and they do an incredible job; but when someone is having a heart attack, an ambulance coming from Melbourne to Canaveral Groves or Port St. John is not going to work. Chief Voltaire stated he agrees, he is not advocating for that; those units are moved up well before the emergency; he did not say a rescue responding from Melbourne to Titusville; the dispatchers have warnings when there is a low volume in the area and they move units accordingly; that is part of the program that is built in that the Sheriff’s Office did to keep coverage in all areas of the County, with that regional system; he did not mean they are responding from Melbourne to a heart attack; that is not the goal; and they are all in this together just trying to maneuver and with the resources that they still have, and still do the very best they can for Brevard County. Chairman Feltner pointed out that Chief Dominguez and Chief Voltaire had no notice this was happening today; and he thanked them for helping the Board out. Commissioner Altman stated the County has the annual budget; the Board approves the budget with the first responders, fire, ambulance service, and rely on hospitals to provide emergency room access; the County’s whole safety net system is based on that; one could probably argue that there will be people who die as a result of closing this Emergency Room; and he asked the County Attorney, Morris Richardson, if the hospital has any legal right to give the Board proper notice prior to just shutting the doors. He noted April 7 is not much notice; and he asked is there any legal recourse to require them to at least provide the services that are so important for public safety and health, and if they are going to close them to give some sort of ample reasonable notice. Page 16 of 40 March 11, 2025 Attorney Richardson noted he thinks it is reasonable to request that, although he is not aware of any requirement that they provide a specific amount of notice in advance of that; as far as recourse, he thinks that the best and most effective options are in Tallahassee right now; he thinks they are contacting the legislators to try to get something done there; and that is probably the best avenue. He advised he will look into any alternative avenues he may have. Chairman Feltner stated they are working on it, they are trying to find something. J.1. Direction Re: County Property Located at 2605 Flake Road, Titusville and Termination of Lease Agreement with Furever Home Animal Rescue, Inc. - District 1 Marc Bernath, Public Works Director, stated this is a termination of a lease that the Board has with Furever Home Animal Rescue; due to unfortunate circumstances, the County received a Notice of Violation from the City of Titusville for how it was operating; it is in a pretty blighted condition at this point; what staff wants the Board to do is to accept the termination, but also provide staff direction on how to move forward with this property; and staff has provided five different options which he can go into as the Board requests. He added he understands there are two different organizations in attendance today that might wa