Chair Steele stated as each person probably knows he is the person who called this whole
question to a head and he wants to share why; there is a 60 percent decrease in the budget for
lifeguards; first, Cocoa Beach and its beach area is the number one surfing beach on the entire
east coast of the United States which is incredible; second, Brevard County is the fifth most
dangerous beach in the United States; why, because over 300 people were pulled from the
ocean last year and there were 14 drownings, but there is a tremendous amounts of shark
bites; the County has a Tourist Development Council (TDC) that is being funded by a tourist tax
and he could assure, that with being the fifth most dangerous place in the United States for a
beach, and that if there are many drownings next year he will tell them all right now that the
tourist tax is going to plummet; and there has already been articles of beaches not to go to and
he assured that, that would absolutely ruin what they are doing, as far as tourism goes. He
advised he is not present tonight to pick on their budgets or how they spend their money; he
thinks that is what they need to do; he understands Commissioner Tobia’s point about them
being able to afford it, and here is why, which he does appreciate, but what he really
appreciates more than anything is that they do the most important thing for the general public
and that is the safety on the beach; this budget only included unincorporated areas; he does
not care what anybody has to say in the room, unincorporated areas are being paid for fully by
the County taxes; why in the world would cities not be afforded the same luxury, because they
pay County taxes also; and the reason the beaches are so overwhelmed with invasion from the
general public and from the visitors is very simple, they are driving all of them to the beach, and
is that the cities responsibility that all of these tourists are going there and messing up their
beach, they have to have more beach control, garbage pickup, or is it a responsibility of the
TDC, the County, and potentially some of the seasonal lifeguard monies that the cities give.
He mentioned being flabbergasted that they are at this point right now, last year when he first
came on the Commission, Commissioner Pritchett was the Chair, and the first thing they did
was to have the TDC come in and fund some of the money; they fully-vetted it through the
County Attorney that the TDC or Tourist Development Tax (TDT) are useable for lifeguards; in
the past, interestingly enough, he will share what has happened over the last few years; in
2023, there was a total of 119 people staffed during the season with a $3,143,000 budget,
Cocoa Beach gave the County $83,000, Indialantic gave the County $41,000, and Melbourne
Beach gave the County $20,000; in 2024, there was still a total of 119 people with 29 full-time
and seasonal 90, out of the County General Fund came $2,881,000, and out of the TDC came
$934,654; and they need to participate in this funding, they absolutely do, and they are the
ones who are having the invasions coming to the beaches. He continued to say he is leaving
the Commission at the end of his term and he does not want to be responsible for having
people pointing at him when he goes to Publix and them say to him why did he not do
something about lifeguards on the beach, and why did he not protect the general public; tonight
he is present to tell everyone that he met with every one of those City Managers; he went
through all of their budgets with them and then he figured out while going through their
budgets, that him going through their budgets is none of his business; and he reiterated none
of his business. He stated what is his business is whose responsibility is it for all of these
people coming and invading the beaches and being tourists; he likes tourism and he wants it to
stay, but he could guarantee them that with a budget like this, with what they have right now, a
couple more drownings, and a couple more shark bites, they need these lifeguards on the
beach to pull the people out of the ocean; they need those lifeguards on the beach to start
blowing whistles when the sharks are out; and they need to protect the general public. He
concluded by saying he is begging of all the votes the Board has taken since he first got on the
Board, he is begging this County Commission to vote with him tonight; and he would like to
make a motion to accept option one, as a potential funding source for the lifeguard issue.
D.4. Continued Discussion on Funding for Lifeguards at County and Municipal Beaches
Commissioner Tobia stated option one has roughly $1.9 million for tourism.
