Minutes - Brevard County Board of County Commissioners

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:

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Katie Delaney, District 1

Commissioner Delaney led the assembly in the Pledge of Allegiance.

Chair Altman called for a motion to approve Commissioner Goodson appear by phone.

The Board granted approval for Commissioner Goodson to participate telephonically.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Katie Delaney

Seconder: Rob Feltner

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

D.1. Minutes for Approval: January 12, 2026 SOIRL Workshop #2, January 13, 2026

Regular Board Meeting and January 27, 2026 Regular Board Meeting

The Board approved the January 12, 2026, SOIRL Workshop, and the January 13 and January

27, 2026, Regular meeting minutes.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Katie Delaney

Seconder: Rob Feltner

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

E.2. Resolution recognizing April 2026 as Child Abuse Prevention Month - District 5

A representative of the Child Abuse Prevention Task Force stated they are very grateful for the

Board’s support because with thinking of April and being able to declare it Child Abuse

Prevention Month, this is a mission and a vision that people can stand behind; the Task Force

is made up of representatives of various agencies and organizations across the County, united

in that mission and vision of being able to prevent child abuse and be able to increase

awareness; and they are very appreciative of the support that has been received from the

Commission offices just showing solidarity of the mission, and that this is something that

everyone can get behind from the greater ones to the lesser ones. She commented just having

that unification of this mission across the County shows how important it is.

Chair Altman read aloud, and the Board adopted Resolution No. 26-021, recognizing April 2026

as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

Result: ADOPTED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Kim Adkinson

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

E.3. Resolution recognizing April 6-12, 2026, as Florida Public Health Week - District 5

Kristine Zonka, Florida Department of Health Brevard County Administrator, expressed her

appreciation to the Board for the recognition of the Department of Health (DOH); she stated

she thinks the DOH is that agency that is unseen in the community, even though it does a lot;

she brought some statistics to better amplify what it has done; in 2025, they saw over 1,500

unique maternity clients in their clinics, over 12,000 visits, over 4,000 healthy prenatal visits,

over a million school health services, touching 417,000 students, nearly 25,000 EP inspections

which are for environmental public health, they do septic and well, and 3,350 construction

permits, which is a 13 percent increase from the year prior, and that number goes up every

year; they have performed over 20,000 program services, gave over 9,000 pediatric and adult

immunizations, served over 10,000 WIC clients and helped them with their nutrition; at DOH

they have issued over 12,000 birth certificates and over 52,000 death certificates, 5,500 births,

and 8,100 deaths; the EPI Department had 1,175 reportable diseases, and they have

conducted numerous outbreak investigations, including the local health Department led one of

the largest Hepatitis C (HEP C) investigations that the nation has ever seen, and it was quite

remarkable; and they also operate special needs shelters whether it be a hurricane or any other

emergency. She went on to say a new service they will e providing, and this is why she is really

excited to be here today, is they will offer EKG screenings for all students from seventh grade

to twelfth grade; it is now in legislation that all students that are involved in sports in school

have to have this done; they will be starting in Viera and then doing it in the Melbourne Clinic in

the suture; they are excited to offer school physicals and sports physicals at the facility; and

she brought some of her team who are pretty amazing and keep things running, so she is

pretty proud of the work they do at DOH.

Chair Altman read aloud, and the Board adopted Resolution No. 26-022, recognizing April 6 –

12, 2026, as Florida Public Heath Week.

Result: ADOPTED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Katie Delaney

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

E.4. Resolution Designating April 10th, 2026 as Gopher Tortoise Day and the Month of

April as Gopher Tortoise Month - District 4

Commissioner Feltner read aloud, and the Board adopted Resolution No. 26-023, designating

April 10, 2026, as Gopher Tortoise Day and April as Gopher Tortoise Month.

Tom Unrath stated since there are not many Gopher Tortoises that could come speak, he will

vocalize on their behalf; he thanked the Board for the Resolution and the recognition; as a

member of the Board for Hundred Acre Hollows he appreciates the County’s action a couple

months ago to set aside Hundred Acre Hollows in part of the Environmentally Endangered

Lands (EEL) program; the Parks and Recreation people and the EELs folks have been

extremely helpful and cooperative; and he would like to acknowledge and thank them as well.

He added he appreciates it, and they will continue to do their best in trying to keep the Gopher

Tortoises happy; and they planted a bunch of plants and they are going away, not as they

exactly planned it.

Anita Unrath interjected by saying it is kind of a smorgasbord for the Gopher Tortoises and the

rabbits.

Result: ADOPTED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Kim Adkinson

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

E.1. Resolution acknowledging Brevard County as a Purple Heart County. - District 4

Commissioner Feltner read aloud, and the Board adopted Resolution No. 26-024, recognizing

Brevard County as a Purple Heart County.

Keith VanBuren expressed his appreciation to the Board, staff, and the people of Brevard

County for always being supportive; he stated currently the Chapter has just over 140 members

who call Brevard County home, they know there are many more out there that are not yet part

of the Chapter; he wants them to know that they are here and welcome them to join their ranks

and in their fellowship; as of today 40 of the 67 counties in Florida are designated as Purple

Heart Counties; and tonight, Brevard County proudly joins those ranks as the 41st County in

Florida. He continued by saying the purpose of the Purple Heart trail is to bring visibility and

recognition to recipients and their families; while they honor many living recipients among them,

they also never forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice and the gold star families; a fact

that may not widely be known is that Commissioner Feltner’s father was a Purple Heart

recipient; he has read the citation for the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart and he wanted to

share a little bit there; a hospital man third class, also known as a Corpsman or affectionately

called docs, there is a doc over here, Robert A. Feltner of the United States Navy served with

Delta Company, First Battalion, 26 Marines, Ninth Marine Amphibious Brigade, from February

to June of 1969; on June 27, 1969 during operation Daring Rebel in Kuang Nam Province, his

unit came under intense enemy fire and several Marines were wounded; when he saw one of

the injured Marines lying exposed under fire, Petty Officer Feltner did not hesitate and left his

covered position, ran across fire swept terrain to reach him; during that effort he was shot in the

leg, shattering bone and leaving him unable to run or walk; despite his severe injury, he

crawled the remaining distance and began administering first aid to his fellow Marine; he later

lost his leg after these actions; for his bravery that day, he was awarded both the Purple Heart

and the Bronze Star; and that is just one story of a recipient who calls Brevard County home.

He noted there are many more stories that deserve to be heard and honored; all of the men

here today have incredible stories of perseverance and facing unknown odds; while many

things in the world are beyond ones control, one can control what he or she builds at home;

one can choose unity and fellowship; the men standing with him today, and Purple Heart

recipients across the nation, are living proof that even after experiencing trauma, a life of

service can continue; they inspire many to keep moving forward, to not let the difficult days win;

and to remember that there are people who still care. He commented even in 2026, they

continue to add new Purple Heart recipients and Gold Star families as the result on ongoing

conflicts in the Middle East; they must remain ready to support the wounded service members

when they return home; people must never turn their backs on them; and they thank the Board

for its support and helping to carryout the mission to never forget their sacrifice and continue

serving in their honor.

A Purple Heart Recipient stated this County supports veterans like no other; on April 23, 2026,

at 4:30 p.m. they will dedicate the $8.2 million Veterans Memorial Center Amphitheater and

park improvement that it, Tourist Development and the State, made possible; the veterans here

appreciate that they get to live in Brevard County; and they do the best they can because of

Brevard County.

Result: ADOPTED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Katie Delaney

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

F.1. Legislative Intent and Permission to Advertise Amendments to Chapter 62,

Brevard County Code of Ordinances, Re: Recovery Residences

The Board granted legislative intent and permission to advertise amending Chapter 62 Brevard

County Code of Ordinances, specifically amending Sections 62-1102 and 62-305, as well as

creating a new section of Brevard County Code, Section 62-305.1, entitled “Certified Recovery

Residences”, in order to comply with amendments to Section 397.487, Florida Statutes,

regarding reasonable accommodation standards and procedures for applicability of Certified

Recovery Residences.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Katie Delaney

F.2. Approval, Re: Delegation of Authority to the County Manager, to Utilize Any and

All Available Options to Protect the Interests of the County and to Complete the

Wickham Road at Pineda Causeway Intersection Improvements Project - District

The Board approved and authorized the County Manager to exercise any and all options

provided for under the Contract as a result of Termination for Cause; authorized the County

Manager, to execute any necessary documents to effectuate such options, including, but not

limited to, filing of any necessary legal action(s) against M&M Asphalt Maintenance, Inc. d/b/a

All County Paving and/or the Surety (Gray Casualty & Surety Company), as appropriate,

contingent upon approval by the County Attorney’s Office, Risk Management, and Purchasing

Services, with any settlement agreements resolving the matter to be brought back to the Board

for final approval; pursuant to Section 255.20(1)(c)8., Florida Statutes, find that it would be in

the County’s best interest if the remaining work associated with the Project was completed by

County forces; and authorized the County Manager to execute all necessary Budget

Amendments (BCRs).

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Katie Delaney

F.3. Approval, Re: Dedication of Utility Easement from Homeowners Association of

River Grove on the Trail, Inc. - District 2.

The Board approved and accepted the Dedication of Utility Easement from the HOA of River

Grove on the Trail, Inc.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Katie Delaney

F.4. Approval, Re: Release of Reservation of Right of Entry for the Purpose of

Exploration for Phosphate, Minerals, Metals, and Petroleum reserved in County

Deed recorded in Official Records Book 6017, Page 656 and Corrective County

Deed recorded in Official Records Book 6464, Page 1233 - District 1.

The Board approved and authorized the Chair to execute the Release of Reservation of Right

of Entry for the purpose of Exploration for Phosphate, Minerals, Metals, and Petroleum.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Katie Delaney

F.6. Approval; RE: Appointment of the Tourist Development Council Representative

to the Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Selection and Management

Committee (SMC) - All Districts.

The Board acknowledged the reappointment of Curt Smith to the Environmentally Endangered

Lands Selection and Management Committee. Said term of appointment expires April 9, 2028.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Katie Delaney

F.8. Appointment(s) / Reappointment(s)

The Board appointed/reappointed Rick Heffelfinger and Marisa Khan to the CItizen Budget

Review Committee, with Mr. Heffelfinger's term to expire on December 31, 2026 and Ms.

Kahn's term to expire on April 6, 2028; and Todd Anderson, to the Historical Commission with

said term to expire on December 31, 2027.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Katie Delaney

F.9. Permission, Re: Advertise Public Hearing to consider the Edward Byrne Memorial

Justice Assistance Grant - Local Solicitation a grant application for Brevard

County - Brevard County Sheriff’s Office.

The Board granted permission to advertise for a public hearing at the April 21, 2026, Board

meeting to consider the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Application.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Katie Delaney

F.10. Bill Folder

The Board acknowledged receipt of the Bill Folder.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Katie Delaney

F.5. Reallocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to Countywide Sewer

and Manhole Lining Installation

Chair Altman stated reallocation of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, to County-wide

sewer and manhole lining installations.

Eddie Fontanin, Utility Services Director, stated this Item is related to the ARPA funds; as the

Board knows, when the fund were getting distributed there was the expectation for the funds to

be spent by December 2026; with the projects that were allocated over two years ago, the

Department has done an assessment to see how staff was doing and trending on achieving

that; with that being said, the Board has made some decisions to reallocate some of the

funding for sewer and manhole lining; with that being said, for the projects that they are

removing ARPA funds, they are backfilling it with utility projects; none of the projects are going

away, or going to be underfunded; they are going to continue through; and this would be a

mechanism not only to continue what has been done with ARPA funds through the manhole

and sewer lining, but also it is a continued commitment with regard to the fortification of the

sewer system.

Jim Liesenfelt, County Manager, stated this is County-wide exercise they do with all the

Departments that received ARPA funds to make sure they are spent by December 30 of this

year, which is the deadline; and this is an effort that had to be brought back to the Board, not

just Utilities, it is County-wide to make sure that none of the ARPA dollars are left on the table.

Commissioner Delaney asked Mr. Fontanin to share where these projects will be happening,

the lining projects.

Mr. Fontanin stated as it is articulated in the Agenda Item, there is a table that shows what

projects will be taken from and also keeping those projects within the same District.

Commissioner Delaney asked again if he would share for the public.

Mr. Fontanin stated with regard to that, all five Districts will have a project; the sewer/manhole

lining will be utilized in all five; there are projects specific for all five districts; and he asked if

she wants him to articulate what projects.

Commissioner Delaney stated she just figured the public would be interested in knowing where

these projects are going on, that is all.

Mr. Fontanin noted Barefoot Bay, North Brevard, South Beaches, Viera/Suntree area, and also

more added in the South Beaches.

Rick Heffelfinger stated one of the questions he had was answered nicely, and that was the

ARPA money goes poof; he was wondering, the first project says there would be no

requirement to backfill, is the Mims water replacement; and he is wondering if that got done or

if it is being pushed off to a future date.

Mr. Fontanin stated that project was completed and those are funds in excess.

Mr. Hefflefinger commented, so those guys went bankrupt and did not ask for any more money,

or they did it for less, is that what happened, the Contractor went bankrupt.

Mr. Fontanin stated leave that to the Chair.

Mr. Heffelfinger asked if all the ARPA funds that are moving, are they new projects that they

are being moved to so it is use it or lose it, or were they already planned in the back previously.

Chair Altman asked Mr. Heffelfinger to direct the questions to him.

Mr. Fontanin stated this is a continuation of the already existing ARPA projects, staff is just

expanding the purchase order to achieve the goals of the transfer of funds.

Mr. Heffelfinger stated so it is true that at the end, of by December 2026, those projects do not

expend it then the County has to refund it to the State.

Mr. Fontanin replied that is correct.

Mr. Heffelfinger stated he guesses Mr. Fontanin has high confidence that these dollars are

going to get burned through then, they are short-term, getting close, projects. He asked if there

is any rollover that would basically be forfeited if they get done; he stated he thinks he

understands that, because there is some other ARPA stuff in the Agenda later; that kind of

answered his questions; and he just hopes those ARPA funds to make sure there are projects

that can actually get done and maybe pull some stuff that was in backlog, or maybe some stuff

that maybe was being looked at for next year that was going to cost a lot of money to

accelerate; and he appreciates the efforts.

The Board approved reallocation of $1,683,312 ARPA funds for additional Inflow and Infiltration

Prevention manhole lining installation; approved Change Order No. 1, not to exceed

$1,683,312, for B-7-24-06A Port Saint John and North Brevard Sewer and Manhole Lining

Installation; authorized the County Manager to execute all necessary budget amendments

(BCRs) for ARPA funded expenditures approved by the Board; and authorized the County

Manager to execute all contracts, contract amendments, task orders and work orders, and any

necessary extensions, upon review and approval by the County Attorney’s Office, Risk

Management, and Purchasing Services.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Kim Adkinson

F.7. Resolution approving the issuance by Brevard County Health Facilities Authority

of Hospital Revenue Bonds (Health First Obligated Group), in one or more series

in an aggregate principal amount not exceeding $475,000,000

Chair Altman stated this is a resolution approving the issuance of Brevard County Health

Facilities Authority of Hospital Revenue Bonds.

Morris Richardson, County Attorney, stated this is a request from the Brevard County Health

Facilities Authority; he believes their attorney, Angela Abbott, is in the audience and would

probably be available if there are any questions; this represents a request by authority for the

issuance of bonds in an aggregate amount not exceeding $475 million; the primary purpose for

the bond revenue issuance is to finance new capital improvements, primarily expansion of the

Viera and Palm Bay Hospitals for Health First; and also to refund all or a portion of the

outstanding bond debt that was issued in 2014, currently in an amount of $62,700,000. He went

on to say the County’s outside bond council has reviewed the proposed issue and provided the

following statement; and he read, “The resolution proposed to be adopted by the Board of

County Commissioners satisfies the pertinent Federal and State law requirements and provides

that neither the County nor any of the elected officials, or staff of the County, will have any

obligations or liability, financial or otherwise, with respect to the project or the bonds because

these are tax exempt private activity bonds under Federal law, TEFRA, an elected body, is

required to give final approval of the bond issue once public hearing was held by the Health

Facilities Authority, but they are appointed not elected.”

Rick Heffelfinger stated it says that the County has no Fiscal Impact on the Agenda Item text;

he asked why the County has to even approve this because this is not any tax dollars; he

asked if this is coming from the hospitals; and he noted he does not quite understand why the

Board has to approve or why it would reject, for example, because that is a lot of money.

Attorney Richardson stated he will repeat what he said earlier, that under TEFRA, the Federal

law, that an elected body is required to issue an approval over the issuance of these bonds; the

public hearing was held by the Brevard County Health Facilities Authority; and this is in order

for them to meet Federal tax regulations that require an elected body to approve of tax exempt

private activity bond issuances.

Mr. Hellflefinger stated he thinks that answers that, as long as the County does not get the

hook later.

Chair Altman stated probably, too, transparency and probably somewhere, down the line, some

place, they abused this, so this is the way of having public oversight; and good citizen

advocates like Mr. Heffelfinger, to keep an eye on it as well. He noted a motion would be in

order.

The Board approved and adopted Resolution No. 26-025, allowing the issuance by the Brevard

County Health Facilities Authority of tax-exempt revenue and refunding bonds (Health First

Obligated Group), in one or more series to fund new capital projects and to refund outstanding

bonds.

Result: ADOPTED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Katie Delaney

PUBLIC COMMENTS (Individuals may not speak under both the first and second

public comment sections.)

Robert Pickert stated while they are handing those out maybe he will make best use of his time

and start; he proposed a soil health moonshot to transform Brevard sandy landscape soils into

a sustainable living filter for the Lagoon; biochar is similar to activated carbon but made from

moist wood; as a soil amendment, it absorbs and conserves soil moisture, absorbs and retains

nutrients and contaminants to make nutrients bioavailable to plants, but not leech to

groundwater in the Lagoon; it provides the perfect habitat for beneficial soil microbes, the

magic of biochar; and the intent is to create a healthy soil biome in landscape soils around the

Indian River Lagoon (IRL) to protect the County’s investment in the Lagoon. He went on to say

in the past decade the County has made great progress, but even if it continues to make

progress through the Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) program, of course depending on

public funding, and implement new programs such as the Low Impact Development (LID), the

relative contribution of lawn maintenance, miscellaneous base flow, and atmospheric nitrogen

deposition alone will grow from 25 percent to a majority of nutrients in excess of a sustainable

balance; the soil health moonshot would help create a third pillar to complement what SOIRL is

already doing in source control and legacy load removal; the idea is to reduce the use of

Polymer-Coated Urea (PCU) and non-conforming fertilizers that continue to release nutrients to

the sandy soils around the Lagoon and replace them with a mix of biochar, worm casting,

seaweed extract, and other local natural ingredients to transform our landscape soils into a

living filter instead of a nutrient pathway; there is no O and M required, soil microbes do the

work; and that is the magic of biochar. He continued by saying he proposes additional testing of

muck to identify the highest quality muck and identify and quantify nutrient loading and leeching

from a biochar-based fertilizer and assembling a group of soil health experts and stakeholders

to establish a consensus around soil health objectives; the IRL muck would serve as a source

of minerals, a binding agent for making pellets and a galvanizing agent to inspire public

participation; and the result would create a soil health industry that would not only flourish here,

but could be exported to other algae-plagued geographies. He explained the circularity of IRL

muck was intended as an idea to “get a feel” for how this could finance SOIRL program, rather

than a fully-developed shovel-ready project proposal; the SOIRL Citizen Oversight Committee

(COC) responded by producing a self-described white paper that is more of a myopic

whitewash to dismiss the idea, than a white paper on the potential for biochar to help restore

the Lagoon; and it is full of incomplete, inaccurate, and misleading statements, omits important

biochar characteristics and SOIRL applications, and does a disservice to Brevard residents. He

mentioned he has provided an edited version to begin setting the record straight and will reach

out to the COC to get this straight; he is not asking for a large new program today; his CEER

recommendation proposes a road map beginning with additional muck testing that should be

occurring anyway, and a logical path forward; today he is proposing a pilot scale soil health

project during the Indian Harbor/satellite Beach dredging to demonstrate the potential to reduce

the flux of nutrients that will otherwise refertilize the canals, to be paid for with savings from

using biochar as a treatment media for interstitial water treatment; and the CEO of Gator

Dredging has indicated he is interested. He asked for 20 more seconds and stated his CEER

recommendation included a couple of other recommendations, reduce garbage pickup to one

day per week, he does not know why it is still twice per week when it is not necessary with all

other pickups; another comment is to discontinue the practice of excluding private companies

from speaking to the COC and receiving SOIRL grants; SOIRL is supposed to “foster tools and

techniques for restoration”; the SOIRL mission belongs to everyone and should be a all hands

on mission; and he asked why limit the potential for public/private partnerships.

Chair Altman stated if any of the Commissioners have any questions, which he may follow up

with some questions about biochar; he could probably provide some insight when they pick-up

as well; when he was on the Commission the first time, they did that; and he will share the

stories. He commented one recommends to do a pilot for that do not do it in the heat of

summer, but he understands where Mr. Pickert is coming from.

Tom Erdman stated he lives at 4791 Squires Drive, Titusville; he is here to ask the Board to

help; he lives in the Sherwood Golf Course community and there are a lot of Oak trees there;

these Oak trees are why a lof of people live there; this just happened yesterday and he

happened to be home; he saw a guy looking at the Oak tree on Squires Drive; if one is familiar

with it, there are two Oak trees right in the middle of the roadway, and the guy was measuring

it; he starts talking to him and he says that one Oak tree is between 90 and 110 years old; he

asked him what he was doing there; the guy says he is going to give a bid on taking down

these two Oak trees in the middle of the road; that would be devastating to the community;

people have multiple times per year get under the Oak trees and have potluck dinners; and he

thinks even Commissioner Delaney has been there before when they have done it. He went on

to say, not only talking about removing these Oak trees, there is about 25 to 30 Oak trees

across the golf course that the County is talking about removing; he keeps going back to a

study of what they did in Columbia, Medillin, where the city was about three to four degrees

higher than outside the city, Celsius degrees; what they did was planted green pathways

through the city and planted trees; they lowered the temperature of the city by a little bit over

two degrees Celsius; and he asked why would the County go a different route and remove all

these beautiful Oak trees that, again, a lot of people moved to Sherwood for, to stay; and he is

asking this Board, before anything gets done he thinks those that live in Sherwood have the

right to have the County, or whoever is planning on doing it, come and talk to them and see

what the rationale is. He noted he has talked to arborists and there are ways, he understands

they are worried about the sidewalks, but the tree could be trimmed and root trimming done

with barriers put up; it would be more expensive than wiping out the tree but some of these

trees like this one, is that big in diameter, so it is expensive to remove that bad boy; and he is

just asking for help that they not let them go hog wild and cut down the trees.

Commissioner Delaney stated she just wants to share some insight as this has been something

that she has been battling, going back and forth with staff and whatnot, since she was elected,

even before in some different areas, but this discussion is getting bigger than just a District 1

discussion just because she is not necessarily on the same page as staff, so she would need

some support from the Board to help redirect funds away from these projects; there are limited

funds in District 1 for maintenance, and when there are dirt roads that are in a whole situation

and what not, it is really difficult for her to rationalize tearing up and changing the dynamic of a

whole community; and for those who have not driven in Sherwood, she would encourage he or

she to take a drive, it is one of the most sought after, beautiful communities in District 1. She

added and the biggest thing is everybody loves these trees. She noted any support or help that

she could get from the Board, she would really appreciate it; and she knows that the residents

of that area would as well.

Commissioner Feltner stated he appreciates Commissioner Delaney’s comments; it is not just

District 1; there are certainly Oak trees here to deal with; he worked in the north County for a

while and knows Sherwood a little bit; and he asked if the people are citing that the road is

being torn up, sewer underneath, or sidewalks are being lifted, as there is a whole host of

reasons.

Mr. Erdman stated it is a combination; the arborist who was there giving the quote, he asked

him point blank if he would remove that tree, and his recommendation was going to be no that

it is not tearing up the road, and the other tree is not tearing up the road; but then he asked him

if the County is going to listen to him and he stated probably not, it will do what it wants to do;

the residents are looking at hiring their own arborist so there can be an independent study

done; when there are 30 trees or so that one wants to remove, and people have seen them do

this before, they just want to remove them all; when they are forced to come talk to people,

they say okay they will only remove half or a third of them; and that is what they are trying to

force. He commented to do what makes sense, not just wipe them all down so there is no worry

about them 10 years from now; he keeps saying, “what do people want to leave their kids, and

grandkids”; he has raised his kids in Sherwood with these trees and a lot of these kids are

coming back and they like the trees; they like the atmosphere; and that is what they want to

leave the future generations.

Commissioner Feltner stated he appreciates where Mr. Erdman is coming from; he has this in

his District also; if there is a way around it he thinks the Board will figure it out; and he

appreciates Mr. Erdman’s comments.

Traci Robinson stated she lives at 3542 Angelica Street; imagine buying a dream property,

building a dream house, imagine living there and raising children; it may be the only home they

have ever known; imagine paying off that mortgage; now imagine 30, 40, maybe 50 years later,

after building this dream home in that perfect neighborhood, a City that he or she does not

even live in, annexes a property next door and they decide to build a community that does not

match it at all; now imagine a decision to use the street he or she lives on as the corridor for a

new mega community; this fundamentally and adversely changes that neighborhood; decisions

are being made that affect people, but they know nothing about it; and she wishes she could

say this is a fictional story but it is not, it is what is happening in her community right now. She

continued by saying her suggestion is about the Board partnering with its constituents; when

proposals come that affect residents of particular areas or neighborhoods, she would propose

that the County directly notify those residents and seek their feedback; this could be done

easily via letters or emails sent directly to residents, reverse 9-1-1 type phone calls, or signs

posted in neighborhoods with QR codes linking to the County website; she knows that Agenda

Items are already posted on the County page and public notices in the paper and on social

media, but residents are not seeing them; and while it is following the letter of the law, it is not

matching the spirit. She noted residents are busy leading their lives and they do not check the

County’s webpage; if they are reading the newspaper, it is normally online and it is just articles,

not ads or public notices; most residents are not following County government on social media;

to truly reach residents, the County needs to reach out to those affected by the Agenda Items;

and this would allow true partnership where the Board hears from constituents and constituents

know that the Board Members represent them. She went on to say, cost-wise, this will add to

staff’s tasks, but by utilizing existing systems like the Property Appraiser’s data, reverse 9-1-1,

and County email costs can be minimized; this outreach could be delegated to neighborhood

HOAs and HOIs to help; there just needs to be some way to reach out to impacted residents

while Items are being discussed and before decisions are made; she knows that currently

residents within 200 feet are notified for zoning purposes and such, but that is not enough; in

her situation, that meant only two out of 50 homes were notified; if residents do not know, then

the Board does not hear from them and are forced to make decisions in a vacuum; simple

notifications via already existing systems can bridge that gap; and she asked if the Board wants

their job to be easier, resident feedback would help with that. She added imagine an engaged

populace helping, image a true partnership where the Commission and its residents are

working together; and she thanked the Board for its time and consideration.

Chair Altman stated he noticed on the card she put Speak Up Brevard, and he asked if this is a

Speak Up Brevard request that she is making.

Ms. Robinson responded affirmatively.

Chair Altman commented he thinks it is a very good one; he thinks this could even be taken

further; he thinks there would be a lot of people on this Board and staff that would agree with

her; it is even worse, a city will come in and they will annex property next to a neighborhood,

and he does not know if they still do this, but he knows in recent times they would not even

allow people to speak because the people do not live in that city…

Ms. Robinson agreed.

Chair Altman continued by saying so the people have no voice; and secondly, he thinks the

County staff would agree, A lot of times these neighborhoods are far too dense and they dump

a lot of traffic on County roads, that the County pays for, yet has no control over the land use

decisions; thinks it is still sometimes that they use water and sewer as a hammer to make them

go into the city before they get the infrastructure; it used to be some of those actions were

illegal; when he was elected in the 80s, they had a problem exactly what Ms. Robinson is

talking about, the City coming in, annexing, destroying the rural nature of a community; it used

to be that the County had a voice, and had to approve it; and it may be something where the

County should take a step further, either through a Charter amendment, a local bill, or

legislation, but somehow prevent it from happening because it is preventing this County, as it

may do wonderful things in terms of land use planning, wetland preservations, levels of service

and roads, only to see these properties annexed and the people affected not even have a

voice. He commented he appreciates what Ms. Robinson is saying and it is really a problem

where something needs to be done.

Rick Heffelfinger stated first of all, he would like to do a shout out to Tim Bobanic and company

for answering a Supervisor of Elections (SOE) question that he had; he replied very rapidly, did

some research that he himself did not do, and basically answered his question; also Don

Walker, Space Coast Government Television (SCGTV) Director, because he was told that he

did not have to put in a (CEER) and that he could just make a recommendation on the website,

so he did that with regards to the upcoming garbage contracts, some things he thinks might

help; Mr. Walker sent him an acknowledgement, and he does not know if it goes into the Ether,

but he watches the garbage contract, and will make sure the Board does not forget about that;

what he really wants to talk about is what is happening at the next budget workshop because

the last budget workshop, Commissioner Adkinson had submitted this wonderful letter of where

can the County find some money so that the people are not hosed down on their taxes next

year; and he likes that idea. He commented it spurred him to look at some of those and think,

“wow that is not a bad idea”; one of the ones that he actually notated with ‘holy crap’ was not

crap, but it was one that said, “eliminate funded vacant positions at $14 million; that is not

chump change, and that could go towards some nice stuff; what would really be nice to do is to

go towards some of the deficits the County has in infrastructure, water plants, roads and

bridge; and he would like to see this, and can ask, but the Board will not make a decision on a

public comment, but the Board can recommend the matter to a meeting Agenda or request a

staff report, and he would like to recommend a particular topic to discuss just these, happens

during a workshop because the Board does not have an airing of this and give direction to staff

that every department needs to come back and zero out the unfilled billets. He noted he does

not know if that is the right answer, but at least take a chunk because if they have been rolling

with the same billet, that money just sits there, it’s allocated; he is sure the County is earning

interest on it, somebody has it in a fund he would hope, but that is money that was allocated;

but if it is being unused, why not, it is like a rainy day fund; actually, at the Citizen’s Budget

Review he had made a recommendation about Parks and Recreation doing something with

their unused money, that was a while ago, but he would guess no one heard that; but, he would

like to see these pushed to that because there is some really good stuff there. He continued by

saying there is some stuff about eliminating these Boards that everybody bitches about the use

of staff and $5,000 or $3,000 of staff time for each of those boards per year; believe it or not

there are 48 of these little committees and things and that is a big number; he thinks the Board

could go through and based on the performance of some of those, he does not mind seeing

some of them go away, particularly ones that have not submitted any minutes for over a year or

two; he would guess it saves staff money because nobody wrote any minutes; and if one is not

getting any minutes, and those committees are supposed to help the Board, get rid of them

because it is not reading anything it is not receiving.

Michael Myjak stated it was not too long ago when people would come running just to get a

glimpse of that new-fangled contraption called the automobile; Henry Ford, R. E. Olds,

Chrysler, and the Dodge Brothers, among others, were literally transforming the economy, the

society, and the way of life; no one at that time could have envisioned the outcome six score

and three years later, paved roads, stoplights, national highway traffic safety board, and air

fresheners; today, four and one-half of all jobs worldwide are now directly automotive related,

manufacturing, wholesale and retail, accessories, repairs, maintenance, salvage, and it goes

on and on; it all started with Henry Ford’s assembly line back in 1903; and like Henry Ford,

Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, their contemporaries, are embarking on just such a seismic

transition of society, only this time the rules are different, because there are not many rules;

regulations have been relaxed hand-over-fist, especially where commercial space flight is

concerned; that is right, the government has relaxed its national Environmental Protection Act

Policy for space flight; and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has abdicated it

responsibility for protected species over to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection

(FDEP) which is to say it is now controlled by Florida’s Executive Branch. He went on to say

people saw how well the FDEP listened to the people at the Blue Origin wastewater dumping

permit poster session; the pollution continues, and that brings him to his point; there is no

coordinating, planning, and allocating body; no spaceport authority that ensures combines,

limited, and finite resources are shared equally across the spaceport and that is bad for the

region; that is why he is advocating for a spaceport authority with full land use, planning and

zoning capability, spaceport-wide; he is not talking about efficiency standards, air pollution

metrics, or the latest consumer report on first stage reliability, those will all come to pass;

however, this will be life-altering, make no mistake, when the full brunt force of the industrial

space complex tsunami lands on Brevard, there will be no going back; Brevard County must

tackle this now before the Space Coast becomes a sacrifice coast; and he is Michael Myjak

speaking on behalf of the Indian River Lagoon Roundtable in support of a spaceport authority

to save them all.

Commissioner Delaney asked Mr. Myjak to share a little bit about what this spaceport authority

would do and a little more of what he is worried about.

Mr. Myjak responded by saying the simple thing is that he thinks something like this slide is the

starting point; he believes that the Board, as the people’s local government, have standing

where the people do not; the people cannot stand up against the Federal government or the

State government, but there are a whole bunch of people that are certainly interested, and he

displayed a list of people that he believes should be a part of this task force; what he is

proposing is the Board initially stand up a task force that is made up of all the peers out at the

Space Center, all of the people that are being impacted will have an input into what happens

here; and for a simple example, talking about raw water resources, with what is coming down,

there is not a big enough pipe into Orange County to feed the Space Center. He noted he has

some updated data; he showed Commissioner Delaney this information earlier; he explained

that being shown is water consumption permits already granted, not necessarily this year, but

already permitted by FDEP and the St. Johns River Water Management District (SJRWMD);

that is millions of gallons in just the deluge water from the launches; the interesting thing is that

the 227 million gallons does not need to be potable water, they actually do not want the

chlorine in the water; they need it improved but not to potable water standards, to industrial

water standards; they need, without a doubt to be reusing every drop of water that they have;

doing so, otherwise, is going to put everyone into jeopardy; and right now, the SJRWMD says

Orange County is at capacity. He continued by saying by 2044 the estimate is there will be 96

million gallons per day overdrafting; when someone is running water into the Lagoon as

stormwater, which does no good, that is a raw water resource; the black water, the sanitary

sewer can become part of that solution, particularly out there; they have huge ponds that they

can reallocate into a common system that will allow them to manage the water for all of the

players; as it is right now, each one has to make their own; SpaceX is already going and

building their own wastewater treatment facility out there on Roberts Road; great, so Blue

Origin will build one, and then some other space company will build one, and how many will

they have; there is no coordination; the County has a Comp Plan that all municipalities and the

County follows, but they do not; there is no cohesive plan when someone crosses the border

between one property to another; Space Florida is not managing this, they are just a property

manager; and nobody is overseeing how these are going to coordinate and how it is going to

grow. He advised if it is not coordinated and planned, the people of the County will be overrun;

this County needs a spaceport authority; this Board is the one to stand up for that; it is

spending one-half of a billion dollars to save the Lagoon, and yet there is DEP allowing Blue

Origin and SpaceX to dump a half a million each per day, permitted, in the very place people

are trying to save; the County is spending its money and the State is not acting in the County’s

best interest; he asked who is going to stand up for the people if the Board does not; he

commented this is what the is needed to hold the line to; resources are finite, they are limited;

there are not many going forward, so it has to be figured out how to use and reuse what is

there; and he would beg this Board to please take this forward.

H.1. Public Hearing, re: Approval of Resolution for Adoption of State Revolving Fund

(SRF) Wastewater Facility Plans for the following South Beaches Projects: (1)

Deep Injection Well Improvements (District 3), (2) Wastewater Treatment Facility

to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT) Conversion-6 MGD Treatment Train

(District 3), and (3) Riverside Drive Force Main Improvements-Riverside Drive

30-inch Parallel Force Main (Districts 4 & 5) as required by the Florida

Department of Environmental Protection.

Chair Altman called for a public hearing for approval of resolution for adoption of State

Revolving Fund (SRF) wastewater facility plans for the south beaches projects, 1.) deep

injection well improvements in District three, 2.) wastewater treatment facility to Advanced

Wastewater Treatment (AWT) conversion-6 MGD treatment train in District 3, and 3.) Riverside

Drive force main improvements-Riverside Drive 30-inch parallel force main in Districts 4 and 5,

as required by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).

Edward Fontanin, Utility Services Director, stated this Item is the public hearing component of

the Departments submittal to the SRF; to recap, on January 13, 2026, he came to the Board

seeking permission to pursue SRF for three specific Utility Service projects; upon that, staff has

completed the due diligence needed for it; the last step is a public hearing as required by SRF;

and based on this approval, staff will be able to forward that package on.

Chair Altman stated the Board will have this public hearing and there are a couple of speakers.

Rick Heffelfinger stated it says the County is going to have this public hearing so the Board

could discuss with it with the people; he read, “required to be held to explain the proposed

projects”; he stated he thinks there are three of them; he continued reading, “capital costs, the

long-term financial impact on the customers”; he asked if he is a customer, he thinks he is as

he is paying for stuff; he continued reading, “and give the public a participate and evaluate in

the project alternatives”; he mentioned this looks like the County has taken all of these water

plant projects that have to be done, and he thinks to be compliant with treated water to a

different standard, and the County is going to sell bonds; and that is his understanding. He

went on to say so the County is selling bonds, people are going to buy these bonds, they are

going to use the money, then County will have to pay the bonds back, that is part of the deal he

thinks, and there is a low interest rate at two percent; he questioned over what period all of that

is going happen; he mentioned he thought it was talked about that some of these projects

could possibly receive some Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) money to off-set the cost;

he would love to see SOIRL money go to something instead of borrowing for it; the SOIRL

money is already there; the reprioritization of SORIL was something being kicked around as a

possible cost savings so this stuff does not all fall on the people; the County is going to have to

pay it back, but he does not know what the plan is; the Board is supposed to tell him if this is a

four-year payback, five or 10-year bond; he does not know, maybe it is in there, but there is a

lot of paper in there; and these are huge, $23 million, $22 million, and $19 million, that is a

crap-load of bonds. He commented he does not know what the interest calculation would be,

but he would not mind receiving that; he does not know if it is pay interest only for a while; he

asked what that would do to his taxes in the five or 10 years out; he does not know but the

Board just said it is going to sell bonds and he has no other ideas; he would like to get that idea

and ask what about SOIRL as there are a few instances in here that there are some State

grants; that is great, throw that at it as well; he asked if they cannot throw American Rescue

Plan Act (ARPA) because it is too long term; too bad because there is some ARPA money and

he hopes that is used smartly; maybe some ARPA money can be used on some projects now

and take them off the budget for next year, and throw them toward this; he does not know, but

he is thinking outside the box; and all he is trying to say is he thought there was a bunch of talk

and people are getting concerned about this term, busting the cap. He stated if the Board is

going to bust the cap, will it be busting the cap because the Board has written all these bonds

and it is interest, or is this the ultimate solution, because he thought there was talk about some

other solutions for this; sounds like on gentleman had an idea and said maybe the County does

not need to treat all that water being sent over to the Space Center, and maybe give them

some crappy water and they could use that; he asked if that would cause the County to reduce

how much water it has to generate with these plants; he commented he does not even know if

these plants are even factoring in what some of the space people are asking for; he sure would

like to have a more robust discussion before voting for $60 million worth of bonds; he asked if

that decision is going to be made right now or if this is just a public hearing and it will be talked

about later; and he stated he is just concerned there is not enough talk about it.

Sandra Sullivan stated she runs a group called Wavesaction on Facebook; she has some

issues about this; the Board talked about busting the cap; four of the Board Members, except

for Commissioner Delaney, voted to direct staff to prepare a budget to bust the cap, and

increase people’s taxes; she has been coming up here for years talking about AWT and other

subjects; for the people listening, this is because the affluent coming out of the sewage plants

is high in nutrient loading; some of it gets used for reuse and some of it goes into the wetlands,

and some of it goes into deep injection, so it is important to clean it up; when the Lagoon tax

was sold to the people 10 years ago, they were promised AWT upgrades to the sewage plants;

now just to bring this up here as a reminder, Commissioner Feltner said when he ran that he

will not vote to bust the cap; and let her talk about the Lagoon tax. She continued on by saying

on South Beaches, to upgrade the AWT, it is $50 million, for the deep injection well it is $25

million; she has been talking about what is in the Lagoon tax to go towards $50 million for

AWT, $2.4 million; when the people were promised the Lagoon tax to pay for AWT, they were

also promised that they would match State funds; there is a $12 million grant from 2023 for

AWT at South Beaches, and in appropriations right now, there is another $10 million, so that is

$22 million and if the County matches $22 million from the Lagoon tax, it is almost the $50

million which would really close that spread; for these projects she would vote no; and this

Board needs to do is go back and tell Virginia Barker, Natural Resources Management

Director, and the Lagoon Board to redirect that money because it is about two percent of the

Lagoon tax that is going to AWT. She went on to say the County is under a Consent Order

because as of last year in July 2025, the County cannot discharge any affluent that is not AWT;

then it gets a little more into the some of the AWT projects that are being funded that are going

to bust the cap; and her ask right now, is to ask this Board to direct staff to reprioritize the

Lagoon tax, there is like $160 million that is not even allocated, and bring that back before this

Board starts talking about taxing and raising taxes on the people.

Commissioner Delaney asked the County Attorney, Morris Richardson, to talk a little bit about if

that is possible to ask staff to bring the Board back another option to spend SOIRL dollars on

these projects.

Attorney Richardson stated he had that discussion several times with the Board and that is

inconsistent with the prior Board direction; the direction staff has right now is to bring back a

renewal of the existing SOIRL tax…

Commissioner Delaney interjected by saying she apologizes for interrupting, she meant with

the monies that the County has right now with the existing SOIRL Plan; and she asked if the

Board could ask staff to reallocate the funds that are already in the current SOIRL Plan for this

project.

Attorney Richardson advised to the extent that projects are consistent with the SOIRL Plan and

that one can use SOIRL dollars for them to some extent; there are some limitations because

the County has Interlocal Agreements with the municipalities who would otherwise receive the

funds; the County cannot arbitrarily do that; those are questions that can be worked through

with staff; and usually during the Project Plan update process, is when the Board considers the

plans that are approved and processed for SOIRL dollars.

Commissioner Delaney stated every time this has been brought up in the past, she keeps being

told that at any time the Commissioners could redirect and direct staff to change things; and

that is something she would definitely be interested in looking into.

Commissioner Feltner stated he certainly talks to the staff around here a lot about these issues;

he thinks being able to get to the AWT standard quicker, is something potentially from SOIRL

that could be done, but not in place of sewer fees and the other things; and he thinks that is

legal challenge with SOIRL.

Chair Altman stated he would like to point out in this Agenda Item that there are six extensive

reports as attachments to the Item; it is very involved; this is not a willy-nilly public hearing and

a willy-nilly vote to do these projects; there is significant engineering, economic, financial

analysis and study biologics; a lot of these projects are required as a very significant and

complex set of Federal and State laws; there has been a tremendous amount of thought,

research, and work into bringing it to this point; all these reports are public knowledge that any

member of the public can read, if they have any specific questions; that is why there is a public

hearing; and it is not willy-nilly, it is part of a very complex sophisticated approach. He

mentioned as far as using SOIRL money, he is vehemently opposed to that, using taxpayers

dollars to fund capital projects that are funded through user fees; part of the analysis of these

projects are economic analysis; basic theory is individuals using this service, say a sewer

treatment plant, it is what is fair and just is that they pay for the use of the service; that is why

so many of the County’s rates are based on consumption, the more water one uses, the more

he or she pays, the more one preserves, the less he or she pays; by moving into a big

government tax, liberal view, is where there is general taxes where people are taxed in general

to supplement these individual projects; and this is a much more conservative and fiscally

responsible way of providing service to the public. He continued by saying he thinks the idea of

using SOIRL money is a big government, liberal tax and spend, and less accountable way of

addressing the problem; he would oppose that; he thinks it is a good request; Brevard County

has done a remarkable job in providing very, very difficult services, water and sewer services,

and it is incredibly important for public health; and he strongly supports it. He added he just

wanted to dispel any view that this is willy-nilly and not well thought out. He commented some

of the engineering firms that wrote these reports are some of the smartest people on the planet

when it comes to environmental engineering, civil engineering, and economics.

Commissioner Delaney stated she does not know who can answer this; and she asked what

happens if the County does not meet the 2030 deadline.

Mr. Fontanin inquired 2030 in regards to what.

Commissioner Delaney replied the AWT and the whole thing that the Board is talking about

right now.

Mr. Fontanin stated the County would get a Consent Order.

Commissioner Delaney asked what happens when that happens.

Mr. Fontanin responded by saying with a Consent Order, they would send it and staff would

meet with them; they would look at where they are in the progress of the project; and it would

be the discretion of FDEP based on that as to what action they take.

Commissioner Delaney asked if it is possible that County could get fines.

Mr. Fontanin responded affirmatively.

Commissioner Delaney asked who would pay those fines.

Mr. Fontanin replied the Department.

Commissioner Delaney asked if that would be spread across all taxpayers, not just the users of

that individual sewage plant.

Mr. Fontanin answered by saying using the word taxpayer…

Commissioner Delaney interjected by saying ratepayer, whatever word he wants to use, she is

not wordsmithing with him.

Mr. Fontanin noted ratepayer is the correct phrase, yes.

Commissioner Delaney stated she disagrees that this is a liberal, big government discussion,

especially when the County implemented this tax promising the people the County would be

making these upgrades; the people of this County already said yes they want this money to go

to these projects as fast as they can so that they are not getting fined; she takes offense to

that; and she thinks it was a shot under the belt.

Chair Altman replied no, that is a very healthy economic debate. He asked how does one raise

revenue for government; he noted he would present and he thinks most economists and

political scientists would say user fees are more conservative than across the Board taxes; that

was his point; he understands Commissioner Delaney’s point; there are probably some times

where the Board has to do what she is talking about doing, especially when there are deadlines

and broad challenges; and he just wanted to make that point he was not addressing that to her

in general.

Commissioner Delaney responded by saying thanks and that she appreciates that.

An audience member asked if he heard the deadline was 2031 to get this all done.

An audience member stated it was last year for not discharging to the Lagoon.

Chair Altman stated to have staff respond to that.

Mr. Fontanin responded the discharge rule started in July 2025; with regard to the AWT, he

believes it is 2032 or 2034, with regard to the completion; he stated to add some clarity, the

SRF has changed the rules so they are not going to get $60 million or the summation of this;

the way the committee works is they have now capped it at $25 million per entity not per

project; one never knows what project they will deem, they could pick one or all of these

projects; but regardless of it, the summation would be for $25 million; and with regard to the

payback period, it is a 30-year payback period.

Commissioner Adkinson stated she would like to make a motion to conduct the public hearing,

and approval...

Outburst from the audience.

Chair Altman stated he is sorry the Board has completed…

An audience member stated he thought this was the opportunity to ask questions and the

Board was going to be compliant, the reason of a public hearing is to get questions answered;

he does not…

Chair Altman asked what is his question, and if he would come to the podium.

Mr. Heffelfinger stated he had read underneath this Item that the staff was going to be able to

answer questions about the program; so there is only $25 million, that is good; if they only gave

the County $25 and the County matched it, because staff had asked for $60 and the County is

not getting $60 million, it is getting $25; and he asked if the County is only writing bonds for $25

million, maybe.

Commissioner Delaney commented up to.

Mr. Heffelfinger asked if this is a match thing, he does know; and that will allow $25 million of

bonds to issue.

Mr. Fontanin replied for whatever the County is going to match, the funding is in place in order

to do that; he would have to check; from SRF the County would only receive a maximum of $25

million per year; obviously, if staff wants to pursue next year, the facility plans that are attached

would be redone, or as one saw in the budget hearing, there were multiple projects; and staff

could pursue those as well.

Mr. Heffelfinger asked if they are talking about maybe maxing out at $25 million, writing $25

million of bonds per year; with a three-year plan the County could get $25 for one, the next year

$25 for one of the ones that was not funded, and then $25 for the next one, to write bonds; and

this would be a multi-year writing of bonds.

Jim Liesenfelt, County Manager, stated as it is written in the Agenda Item, the advantage of the

SRF is in a low interest loan through the State via the EPA; typically, the interest rate is two to

three percent less than the bond market; the County will not be issuing bonds; as Mr. Fontanin

presented at the last budget meeting, workshop, there are about over $800 million in needs;

and they will be funding that, potential sources would be grants, debt issuance, connection fee

adjustments, and user fee adjustments. He advised staff will be going through everything that it

can do on this; and he hates to be this way, but it has nothing to do with General Fund, they

use the Enterprise Fund.

Mr. Heffelfinger asked so the County is going to get maybe a maximum of $60 million here

through this program, and is he saying there is $80 million that they need to come up with,

$800 million; how are they going to come up with that, or is the staff still studying that; and he

asked if the Board can give him any idea of what the financial impact will be over the next five

years as a taxpayer, with that $800 million sitting out there; he commented and there is a

deadline that has already been missed; this is looking really bad to him; he is scared now and

there needs to be some really serious conversations at that budget workshop; and that needs

to be an engagement so he can ask questions.

Chair Altman stated he does not know if Mr. Hefflefinger was there, but there was a very

lengthy conversation at the last budget workshop about this.

Mr. Heffelfinger noted he could not make that one, but he was surprised to see public

comment.

Chair Altman stated they did.

Mr. Heffelfinger commented how about engagement like it is doing now, he likes this.

Chair Altman stated the Board had lengthy conversations at the budget workshop about this,

lengthy.

Mr. Liesenfelt stated as he explained a minute ago to the public, potential funding sources are

grants, debt issuance, connection fee adjustments, and user fee adjustments, he already

answered the question.

Chair Altman commented he thinks there was a motion.

Commissioner Adkinson stated she started to say a motion, yes; and she would like to make a

motion to conduct a public hearing for the approval of a resolution adopting the facility plans for

the following South Beach projects one, two, and three, as written.

There being no further comments or objections, the Board conducted the public hearing;

adopted Resolution No. 26-026, for Deep Injection Well improvements; adopted Resolution No.

26-027, for Wastewater Treatment Facility to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT)

Conversion-6 MGD Treatment Train; and adopted Resolution No. 26-028, for Riverside Drive

Force Main Improvements - Riverside Drive 30-inch Parallel Force Main.

Result: ADOPTED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Rob Feltner

Ayes: Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

Nay: Delaney

H.2. Petition to Vacate, Re: A portion of a public drainage easement - Plat of “Suntree

P.U.D. Stage 1, Tract E”, Plat Book 24, Page 120 - Melbourne - Walter E. and Mary

A. Henker - District 4

Chair Altman called for a public hearing on a petition to vacate a portion of a public drainage

easement, Plat of Suntree P.U.D. Stage 1, Tract E, Plat Book 24, Page 120, located in

Melbourne.

Rachel Gerena, Deputy Director of Public Works, stated this it a petition to vacate a portion of a

public drainage easement in the Plat of Suntree P.U.D, stage 1 Tract E, Plat Book 24, Page

120; this is located in Melbourne; and the petitioners are Walter and Mary Henker in District 4;

and there were no objections.

There being no comments or objections, the Board adopted Resolution No. 26-029 vacating a

portion of a public drainage easement, Plat of “Suntree P.U.D. Stage 1, Tract E”, Melbourne,

Florida, lying in Section 13, Township 26 South, Range 36 East, as petitioned by Walter E. and

Mary A. Henker.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Kim Adkinson

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

H.3. Approval of Third Quarter Supplemental Budget for Fiscal Year 2025-2026

Chair Altman called for a public hearing for approval of third quarter supplemental budget for

Fiscal Year 2025-2026.

Keith Neterer, Interim Budget Director, stated this Agenda Item requests approval of the

mid-year budget supplement and amends the projected balance forward budgets that were

developed before the close out of Fiscal Year 2025; the 2026 adopted budget includes

estimated balance forward based on revenues and expenses from the previous year; with that

year closed out, this request reconciles those balance forwards and presents requests for

allocation; this supplement increases the current budget by $5.7 million or 0.23 percent; notably

in here, the General Fund is requesting to allocate $1.85 million to the North Government

Center infrastructure, $500,000 to the Ag center roof, and $50,000 to the Medical Examiner’s

Office; and the Agenda and supporting documents summarize each change, as well as include

a list of each change included in this request.

Rick Heffelfinger stated wow, H.3., there was a discussion he thinks at the last meeting about

putting the fiscal impact on these; holy crap, this is a $5,764,000 budget increase; he knows it

can be explained because some of this roll forward was not anticipated to be this big; he asked

can it take some of that roll forward that was not anticipated, does it have to be spent this year

or can it be placed in a rainy day fund, because to him those are, the departments went back

last year and fact found with the Board on what they anticipated the needs were; he noted they

anticipated a certain amount of carry forward, and they said they were only getting $5 million

balance forward so they can only do these projects, and the County only gave them an

allocation of $5 million; maybe they are short, maybe not, but then all of a sudden they receive

a windfall; these look like windfalls to him because looking back at the 25-year and…he can tell

them one thing that is really shocking and he does not know if anyone noticed but him, the

Sheriff blew his estimate of his fund by the amount of, he is getting a forward of $4.7 million

more than he thought because this fund performed better than he thought; he is pretty sure the

Board fact-found with him for this year and said he was short, so he got money somewhere

else; he was not as short as he thought, so should he not be giving that money back somehow;

and he asked is the County just going to let him spend it on whatever he wants as a budget

increase. He added it says it right here, he is going to replace a bunch of stuff that was

personal protective equipment like much needed public safety equipment; and he asked if that

was on his request last year, or is he just making up stuff to burn money on, that came as a

windfall to him. He commented he thinks that windfall could go other places; he does not know

if these things are fenced; it concerns him that there is a huge amount and a growth of the

budget that the Board did not really approve for this year; all of a sudden these windfalls are

growing the budget bigger than it needs to be; the County is not conserving any of the money

and placing it in a fund; he would like to see a rainy day fund just like when carrying over from

employees that were not hired; this is a windfall; that fund is huge; and he would like to know

who is investing for the Sheriff because that windfall is big, and he had not anticipated it at all.

He questioned when the Sheriff gets that money, is the Board going to give him any guidance

about what he can spend it on; he mentioned the Board approved his budget and now is it

going to just let him have that to spend willy-nilly; and he sees some willy-nilly things that he

hopes are the right priority, they were not discussed under the original fact finding; therefore,

this is an unapproved decision to spend and the Board is approving it; he hopes the Board took

a hard look at some of this because this is a lot of money; and again, there was talk about $800

million, throw a million here and there and maybe come up with the $800 million sometime. He

commented he thought that needed a little more attention.

Commissioner Delaney asked the County Manager to go into how the priorities were set with

this budget reallocation.

Jim Liesenfelt, County Manager, stated the one he would focus on is the $1.8 and some

change million that was put towards the North Brevard Government Center; there is $500,000

for the Ag center roof, and he forgot the other number, but that was on the General Fund;

those were brought to the Board showing this is critical needs for infrastructure; and this money

is available at this point and that is why they are highlighting it and made it a top priority.

Commissioner Feltner asked if part of this was what was discussed at a prior meeting with

Parks versus…

was that part of the same amount.

Mr. Neterer asked if Commissioner Feltner was talking about the reallocation of ad valorem.

Commissioner Feltner replied affirmatively.

Mr. Neterer responded by saying no, that was done at the last meeting separate from this; he

will note that a lot of these adjustments are within special revenue funds so they can only be

used for specific purposes, other than what Mr. Liesenfelt mentioned is General Government,

which is more flexible and discretionary.

Chair Altman stated he appreciates staff; this could be a shortfall in the budget; this is revenue

that was over and above what was anticipated, which means they were being conservative in

the budgeting process; to him this is good news; he thinks the decisions being made as far as

using these funds are really well thought out; he toured the North Brevard facility yesterday;

these are things that need to be done or they are going to cost a heck of a lot more in the

future; staff is on it and this live this stuff; and he thinks they have come up with a good list. He

went on to say he knows they conferred a lot with the governing body; he thinks it is a good set

of projects that needs to be addressed; and he is thankful the Board is able to do that.

There being no further comments or objections, the Board approved the Supplemental Budget

for the Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025-2026; executed and adopted Resolution No. 26-030;

and approved the budget changes and such actions as are necessary to implement the

adopted changes.

Result: ADOPTED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Katie Delaney

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

I.1.

Resolution Modifying the Delegated Authority to the City of Melbourne and the

Olde Eau Gallie Riverfront Community Redevelopment Agency.

Kathy Wall, Central Services Director, stated this is request that the Board adopt a resolution to

amend the County’s delegation of authority to the City of Melbourne and the Olde Eau Gallie

Riverfront Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to conform with the 2025 Interlocal

Agreement adopted by the Board on December 16, and recorded in public record; and this is

just to approve the Interlocal Agreement that was approved on December 16, 2025.

Sandra Sullivan stated this is a resolution modifying the delegated authority to the City of

Melbourne and Eau Gallie, for the Eau Gallie CRA; she had objections on this before because

the Board does not have the final plans of even what they are doing; one of the plans was

putting the hotel on top of the parking garage, which is not necessarily the city’s property being

its own; it just seems like this should wait; she also wants to bring up that during that vote when

it was made, Commissioner Feltner made a promise to get funding to District 1 to address

flooding and in return Commissioner Delaney supported this where she was not supporting it

before, was her experience of that vote, and that was supposed to be discussed at the Save

Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) workshops, but did not happen; and that is still a very big

outstanding item. She noted she just wants to recap also and say, kudos to Commissioner

Adkinson for putting in there for cutting the budget to cut CRAs; there are three that had no

debt, that could be sunset and save a lot of money back to the General Fund, because that is

where it is coming out of; the County is giving $12.1 million to a CRA, and this is her warning

that there is an infrastructure crisis and the roof is falling down and that money is going to go

there, warning, the Board is going to bust the cap; and she asked what does it ask for at the

last budget workshop after it gives a developer, she will call it developer interest, a $12.1 million

of taxpayer money that could go to critical infrastructure needs; then four of the Board

members vote to direct staff to go prepare a budget to bust the cap to raise the people’s taxes,

when it should have done the responsible fiscally conservative thing to close the three CRAs

that had no debt, and return that money back to the General Fund; but the Board did not.

The Board adopted Resolution No. 26-031, amending the County’s delegation of authority to

the City of Melbourne and the Olde Eau Gallie Riverfront CRA to conform with the 2025

Interlocal Agreement adopted by the Board on December 16, 2025, and recorded in the

County’s Official Public Records.

Result: ADOPTED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Kim Adkinson

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

J.1. Emergency Rental of Temporary Deep Injection Well Pumps and the Purchase of

Four Deep Well Injection Well Pumps.

Rick Heffelfinger stated if he was going to come out in the rain, he was going to fill out some

cards, and he apologizes for that but he got wet and suffered; the question with this one is

similar to the others, this looks like a short-term pump rental to compensate while waiting to get

pumps that have already been bought, installed; this is a short- term expense and looks like a

good place that the Board could have rolled American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) money to

because use it or lose it; he does not know if the County bought the $1.4 million pumps with

money that has already been expended, but it is renting these; and how about using ARPA

money before it goes away to rent the pumps until the new pumps come in so it is not using

operating and maintenance funds. He added that is his only concern, there may be ARPA

money to burn, but it is burning maintenance and operating costs.

Chair Altman replied let staff respond to that question.

Edward Fontanin stated this Item is related to the South Beaches Wastewater Plant; it is

specific to a Consent Order; staff received the Consent Order with regard to the potential to

discharge to the Indian River Lagoon; as staff worked with the Department of Environmental

Protection (DEP), it was deemed the bottleneck in the situation was not necessarily the deep

injection well capacity, it was the pumping capacity; with that being said, staff took action on

implementing rental pumps at a larger capacity to appease what the DEP has; and with this

Agenda Item, it is basically the Board giving permission to continue with the rental and in

addition to actually purchase the permanent pumps, all of which these actions will appease the

DEP with regard to the Consent Order.

Chair Altman asked, specific to the question why staff did not use ARPA, is it because there

was not enough time.

Mr. Fontanin replied it was a question of time because if the lead time for the pumps came

close to December, staff felt that was uncomfortable; the investment being done with ARPA

funds is absolutely necessary; there is a multitude of good purposes; and that was the

rationale.

Jill Hayes, Assistant County Manager, stated all of the ARPA funds have been obligated; as the

County Manager mentioned earlier, there was a County-wide review of the ARPA projects that

are under contract and worked with the Departments to ensure what is obligated is going to be

spent by December; and that is why the Board saw those other projects come in earlier that Mr.

Fontanin was reallocating within the Utilities Department.

Mr. Heffelfinger commented he figured if it was ongoing rent ARPA could have gone there fast

too.

The Board authorized the Utility Services Department to continue emergency rental of four (4)

temporary deep injection well pumps for the South Beaches Wastewater Treatment Plant, not

to exceed $84,455 per month until the permanent pumps can be delivered and installed;

approved the purchase of four (4) new deep injection well pumps utilizing the current approved

sole source supplier, Xylem Dewatering Solutions, Inc., not to exceed $1,433,428; and

authorized the County Manager to make any necessary budget adjustments (BCRs) for the

purchase of the new pumps.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Kim Adkinson

Seconder: Rob Feltner

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

J.2. Appeal Request Re: Appeal to Denied Sidewalk Waiver for the Green Leaf

residential subdivision in West Melbourne (26WV00001) (21RW01206) (District 5)

Billy Prasad, Planning and Development Director, stated this is an appeal to denied sidewalk

waiver for the Green Leaf Subdivision in West Melbourne, under application 26WV00001,

located in District 5.

Jim Swann stated it has been a long time since he has been in front of the Board and it is

different; he was the manager of this project, Green Leaf Subdivision which has been sold,

houses built on, completed long ago; they had to have a driveway permit from the County to

connect this West Melbourne Subdivision, developed under the West Melbourne Subdivision

Development Ordinances; they never request for them to build a sidewalk; the driveway permit

was issued with the plans specifically saying that the sidewalk conceptually shown was not part

of this permit; they had no idea that anyone wanted them to build a sidewalk; and therefore

they did not build a sidewalk. He went on to say that is how they ended up in this box; it came

up when they turned in their asbuilts for the driveway; all of the sudden they received a letter

back saying they need to build a sidewalk; this has kind of unfolded, and it was a surprise; he

asked do they need a sidewalk; he continued to say the proposed sidewalk ends on the north

end, next to the Carriage Gate Subdivision which has no sidewalks, and on the south side it

ends in a commercial already developed property that has no sidewalks; there is nothing to

connect the sidewalk to, as shown on the plan; one may think who is going to walk on a

sidewalk that does not go anywhere; of course, inside the subdivision they have sidewalks

connecting everything, so anybody that wants to go for a nice evening walk, can; the other kind

of difficulty, it was looked at thinking maybe they could build a sidewalk since that is what the

County wants, unfortunately, there is a pretty substantial ditch; since the subdivision did not

allow for any more expansion of the right-of-way and it has already been built, they cannot build

a sidewalk in a ditch; therefore, if someone wants a sidewalk, somebody has to change the

drainage structure and build drainage structures and do-away with the ditch. He noted that

would be frightfully expensive; that is kind of how he got there; and he apologized saying he

has only been doing this for 50 years, and he does not come in front of anybody very often

because they usually have their plans, get them approved, built it to the way it was approved,

and they go onto the next project.

Cynthia Snay stated she is with the City of West Melbourne and she was requested to read this

into the record; she read, "On March 5, and March 30, the City of West Melbourne

communicated the following messages to Marc Bernath, the County Public Work’s Director: As

part of the City’s subdivision approval of the project, a sidewalk along Carriage Gate Road was

included in the approved plans and is consistent with the City’s requirement for sidewalks

adjacent to a new subdivision. While we recognize that the County may have a different

perspective on the installation of the sidewalk, it was an element of the plan approved by the

City and is considered an important component of the project. If the right-of-way for Carriage

Gate were in the city limits, the developers would have no choice but to pipe the drainage swell

and build the sidewalk. Green Leaf Stanly Martin states there is not adequate space for both

the sidewalk and an open swell drainage system. While it is true that the construction drawings

do not show engineering of a piped drainage system with the sidewalk on top, it is staff’s

determination that by showing the sidewalk along Carriage Gate Boulevard, MBV Engineering

made an initial determination the sidewalk could fit at the edge of the existing open swell

drainage system or that they had plans to pipe it. In particular, the City views the sidewalk as

beneficial given the proximity of the Seventh Day Adventist School located continuous to the

south of the development. It is consistent with our transportation policy 3.4 which states,

promote an enhanced pedestrian biking environment that allows for the safe use of the

community roadways for pedestrians and bikers by working with private developers to ensure

all private and public roadway projects consider the pedestrian biking environment safety. If the

applicant desires to deviate from the City of West Melbourne’s Code, Section 6855 for

sidewalks, they need to revise their February 18, 2022 construction drawings to indicate how

they are going to meet the city sidewalk requirements."

Chair Altman asked if Mr. Swann wanted to respond to that since he is the applicant.

Mr. Swann stated correction to what Ms. Snay said, the plans that they approved say the

sidewalk is by others, it does not say sidewalk is part of those approved plans; just to be fair

and kind to the City of West Melbourne, there is confusion here; and he does not know where

the mistake came, but he did not know about it.

Chair Altman stated he met with staff about this in the briefing and there’s nobody who has

been an advocate more for sidewalks than he has; he certainly believes they are necessary;

although that being said, he thinks if there ever was a situation that really met the criteria of a

waiver, this is it; one, the developer did not know they had to build the sidewalk; they did not

plan on building the sidewalk; they built sidewalks internal to the development; the relatively

large development, relative to this project, to the west has no sidewalks even interior to the

development; and the sidewalk does end prior to any other use, there is a church further down.

He went on to say he thinks in lieu of the corridor and the fact there is no other sidewalks for

use to connect to, and the fact that the project is already approved, it is not a condition to the

project, he would support the waiver; and he thinks a motion would be in order to approve.

Commissioner Adkinson asked if Mr. Prasad can comment on the surprise realization that the

sidewalk was needed.

Mr. Prasad replied as the City of West Melbourne representative stated, and he did look at the

plans and he did see the sidewalk on the approved plans, he did not look as this was permitted

within the City of West Melbourne, so he did not look to see whose responsibility it was to

construct those sidewalks per those plans; he knows that was being questioned by the

applicant; and this is the first he has heard of that, today.

Chair Altman stated he thinks staff was doing their job under the County’s Code; it can be

required or the Board can give a waiver; it is up to this Board; he thinks staff did the right thing

bringing it before the Board; and he was surprised when he later found out that it was a

condition that was not predicated on the approval or even aware of the land owner.

Commissioner Delaney asked Mr. Prasad to talk more about the other construction sites on

that road, when they were built, and when the County’s Policy changed to require this.

Mr. Prasad stated that is a good question; the parochial school, about 35-feet to the south was

built in 1988, therefore, it would have predated the Code; he thinks the sidewalk requirement in

the Code was instituted somewhere around, at least in the original version it might have

differed from what is today, somewhere around 1995; the Carriage Gate Subdivision to the

west was platted in 1988; and a lot of the development there, in fact most of it that he can see,

predates the current sidewalk requirement.

Commissioner Delaney inquired if what Mr. Prasad is saying is that it predated the County

Ordinance, but the Ordinance now has been in place for quite a long time.

Mr. Prasad responded affirmatively.

Commissioner Adkinson asked if this sidewalk is going to be necessary, Mr. Prasad said there

is a school 500 feet down the road, who pays for the sidewalk eventually when it gets put in.

Mr. Prasad stated that is an open question; it is a County-maintained road, Carriage Gate

Drive; on the other hand, it is a subdivision that is within the City of West Melbourne, used by

the City of West Melbourne residents; there are multiple parties with different interests involved;

and he thinks that would be a questioned to be reserved for the future on who would pay for it.

Chair Altman stated he thinks Municipal Service Taxing Units (MSTUs) is an example; if the

community wanted a sidewalk, they would all participate into that; he might add one other thing,

he thinks the developer, had they known a sidewalk had to be provided, they probably would

not have forced the kids out to Carriage Gate Road, they would have planned the internal

development so that the sidewalk could have exited out of the south end of the project, that

would have brought it right out near the school; and it would have been a better solution.

Mr. Prasad stated he just wants to supplement what he said to Commissioner Atkinson a

second ago; there is normally a sidewalk assessment agreement that goes with these waivers

should the Board approve them; that agreement would require the developer to be assessed at

a future date, when the County feels that there is a need for the sidewalk; and it would be

required to contribute the value of that sidewalk, towards it. He noted that is something the

Board may want to consider as part of the waiver, whether they are still seeking that agreement

or they are looking for something different.

Commissioner Feltner asked if the City signed off on the final plan; and he inquired fi there was

a bond.

Ms. Snay asked performance bond and he answered yes.

Commissioner Feltner asked if that was released.

Ms. Snay replied she does not know, that was engineering.

Commissioner Feltner stated they have the applicant.

Morris Richardson, County Attorney, stated the City’s performance bond, the City’s bond

requirement would have been for internal subdivision improvements because this is a case

where subdivision is within the City, but the County is right-of-way, therefore the City would not

have required bonding of the County improvements; he is hearing from the City on the one

hand that City plans show that the sidewalk is required; he can tell the Board, being in a

somewhat unique position having been the City Attorney for West Melbourne and County

Attorney for Brevard, both entities require sidewalks in circumstances like this, pretty clearly

both entities have for a very long time; folks are generally aware of that; but he cannot speak

because it was not part of this permit application to what the plans say as to the requirement for

who was going to build that; and he is assuming the City reviewed that and saw that there was

sidewalk indicated and believed that they were getting a sidewalk. He continued by saying

there is a question that the developers attorney, Cole Oliver, raised with him about two minutes

prior to this meeting as to whether the County’s Land Development Regulations in Chapter 62,

even apply within the corporate boundaries of the City of West Melbourne; that is an issue that

staff could perhaps address with them; and may be even a cause for tabling of consideration of

this Item if the Board so desires; but if the applicant wishes to proceed tonight he would

suppose the Board has enough information to consider it; and the waiver request itself was just

based on the representation of the constrained limits of right-of-way and fitting in the sidewalk

adjacent to the existing open drainage.

Commissioner Feltner stated he would not mind tabling that if that is what the Chair decides to

do so that Attorney Richardson can answer that question for the applicant, or if there is

something else that he chooses tonight, but he thinks that is a fair question.

Chair Altman commented it would be the Board’s decision, but he feels comfortable with the

waiver; he thinks that for whatever reason the requirements were not made clear to the

landowner, they did not factor that in; they would have probably done something significantly

different; they are building sidewalks internal to their project; the neighbors to the north and to

the west have none; if there ever was a need for a sidewalk, he thinks a larger public benefit,

the cost should be more equally spread and fairly distributed; and that is his opinion.

Commissioner Delaney asked if she heard MBV Engineering was who did this project.

Attorney Richardson stated he heard MBV, he does not know that personally, but someone

said that.

Commissioner Delaney asked if that is true.

Mr. Prasad responded affirmatively.

Commissioner Delaney stated she just finds it very hard to believe that Bruce Moia does not

know this; and this is unfortunately the name of the game when someone is a developing

neighborhoods, to put the infrastructure in place and this is part of that.

Commissioner Feltner stated he thinks if the Board were to table so the applicant can get that

question answered with the County Attorney that he would be more comfortable tonight.

Chair Altman asked if that is a motion.

Commissioner Feltner stated he will make that motion.

The Board denied the request to table the request for a waiver.

Result: DENIED

Mover: Rob Feltner

Seconder: Kim Adkinson

Ayes: Adkinson, and Feltner

Nay: Delaney, Goodson, and Altman

Commissioner Goodson asked if he can ask the City of Melbourne a question.

Chair Altman replied absolutely.

Commissioner Goodson asked what is the right-of-way the developer had to work with.

Attorney Richardson clarified it is the City of West Melbourne and advised Commissioner

Goodson not to get them confused, they will get upset.

Commissioner Goodson asked again what is the right-of-way they had.

Ms. Snay responded saying Carriage Gate Drive was a 66-foot public right-of-way.

Commissioner Goodson stated with that being said and one has a five-foot sidewalk and a

stabilized slope at eight foot, then eight foot up to the asphalt, and the road is 24, then there is

eight on the other side and eight on the other side, but there were no drawings on the plans;

there is not even the right-of-way dimensions; and he asked why the engineer did not do that.

Chair Altman asked who that question was directed to.

Commissioner Goodson replied the City of West Melbourne.

Ms. Snay stated the City of West Melbourne did not design the sidewalks in there, the

developer designed that.

Commissioner Goodson stated but the City approved the plan.

Ms. Snay stated the City approved plans that depicted a sidewalk on them, yes.

Commissioner Goodson stated therefore the contractor could put the two-foot wide sidewalk in

and the City would have been happy.

Chair Altman asked if the Board has a copy of those plans.

Attorney Richardson noted he got a message from the attorney; he just has a portion of the

plans that he can barely make out, but it does show, it says a five-foot sidewalk was not part of

the submittal that he was sent but it was part of submittals that were submitted to Brevard

County, and parts of other exhibits; that is something; it is hard to answer without having all the

plans; and certainly, something that went to the City of West Melbourne indicated a future

five-foot sidewalk.

Commissioner Goodson reiterated he does not want to table this.

Ms. Snay stated sidewalk all the way up on the northern portion and all the way down to the

southern corner.

Commissioner Delaney asked if she can ask a question.

Chair Altman stated he is looking and he does not see a sidewalk that is a part of the approved

plat.

Ms. Snay pointed out it is right here, they did it with the shading on it all the way around; and

they highlighted it to show where that shading is.

Chair Altman asked if he can look at that up close, it is hard to see.

Commissioner Delaney asked if that is what was approved.

Ms. Snay responded affirmatively.

Chair Altman asked if there is an annotation saying that is a sidewalk, he does not see the text.

Ms. Snay pointed out the notation is right here.

Chair Altman stated to let him look.

Ms. Snay stated she can also show pictures that were taken today of the entrance showing

where their sidewalks currently end; and they do not even go out to here, which shows where

the sidewalk would connect to another sidewalk going up, consistent with that plan.

Chair Altman asked if Mr. Swann wanted to see that or comment on it.

Mr. Swann stated the issue is there is a sidewalk shown, but there are notes in two places that

say not part of this submittal, not part of these plans; and there is no cross-section, no topo, no

indication anywhere that, that sidewalk is to be built by this development, which they would

have done, as they always do if they thought they were supposed to.

Chair Altman stated he thinks the annotation says the sidewalk built by the contractor.

Ms. Snay responded affirmatively.

Mr. Swann replied, no.

Chair Altman reiterated by the contractor; he asked by which contractor; he noted he assumes

the sidewalk is in the interior part of the development would be built by the home contractor; but

the sidewalk, it does not…

Ms. Snay stated one says by homebuilder, one says by contractor.

Chair Altman replied yeah right.

Ms. Snay commented so they are both by the developer.

Chair Altman replied not necessarily, it say the home builder.

Ms. Snay stated the home builder was the interior portion and the exterior portion said by

contractor.

Chair Altman noted that is what is says on the plans, a little bit confusing he thinks.

Ms. Snay stated that is a little before her time, yes.

Commissioner Delaney asked if she may make a motion.

Chair Altman responded affirmatively.

Commissioner Delaney made a motion to deny the waiver.

Motion dies for lack of second.

Commissioner Feltner stated he thinks if the Board tables it for tonight it would allow the parties

to get together with the County Attorney and get it potentially figures out; and that seems like

the best way forward tonight.

Commissioner Goodson stated he would like to make a motion to accept the waiver.

Chair Altman passed the gavel and seconded the motion.

The Board approved the sidewalk waiver (26WV00001) for Green Leaf Residential Subdivision

in West Melbourne waiving the installation of a sidewalk along the frontage of the Green Leaf

Subdivision, adjacent to Carriage Gate Drive.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Tom Goodson

Seconder: Thad Altman

Ayes: Goodson, Feltner, and Altman

Nay: Delaney, and Adkinson

Commissioner Adkinson passed the gavel to the Chair.

Mr. Swann state he apologizes for putting the Board through this and he will not do it again for

the next 20 to 30 years while doing this work.

Attorney Richardson stated Mr. Prasad has a follow up.

Mr. Prasad asked for clarification on whether the Board contemplated the assessment

agreement as part of the requirement for that waiver; he mentioned the Code normally requires

that for administratively approved waivers, but for Board-approved waivers that is at the

discretion of the Board; and if it is not something the Board is looking for staff will not seek it.

Commissioner Goodson stated he is not looking for that.

Chair Altman stated he thinks the intent was to offer the waiver given the confusion that was

taking place.

Commissioner Feltner asked for a quick break and stated he thinks Item J.4. can be really

quick if it is taken up after the break

Chair Altman asked to do it now.

Commissioner Feltner agreed.

J.4. Legislative Intent and Permission to Advertise an Ordinance Amend Amending

Chapter 102, Article IV, Division 3 of the Brevard County Code of Ordinances to

Exclude Data Centers from Economic Development Ad Valorem Tax

Exemption/Abatement Eligibility

Chair Altman stated Item J.4. is legislation intent and permission to advertise an Ordinance to

amend amending Chapter 102.

Commissioner Delaney stated that is her Item; she asked for slide eight to be brought up,

about the data centers; she brought this Item forward due to the heightening concern being

seen around data centers and their significant local impacts on public infrastructure; these

include substantial and continuous power demands, high water usage for cooling, large land

requirements, and relatively limited long-term creation of these facilities; and she asked if that

could be said into the microphone.

Commissioner Feltner stated he is sorry, he did not realize there were slides tonight.

Chair Altman stated the Board needs a break and they can come back in 10 minutes.

Commissioner Delaney replied, sure.

*The Board recessed at 7:09 p.m. and reconvened at 7:23 p.m.

Commissioner Delaney stated she will start over again so that it is cohesive; she brought this

Item forward due to the heightening concern that is being seen around data centers and their

significant local impacts on public infrastructure; these include substantial and continuous

power demand, high water usage for cooling, large land requirements, and relatively limited

long-term job creation once these facilities are operational; as interest in these projects grow, it

raises an important policy question for the Board as to whether data centers align with the

intent of the economic development incentive program; that program is designed to attract and

retain industries that provide strong community benefit, particularly through high wage job

creation, workforce participation, and long-term return on public investment; and while data

centers can represent significant capital investment, they typically generate a relatively small

number of permanent jobs. She went on to say when one considers that alongside the

infrastructure demands, the cost per job can be significantly higher than the industries that the

County traditionally targets; there are also broader considerations; these facilities can place

strain on electrical infrastructure, affect long-term utility planning, and occupy large parcels of

land while producing limited secondary economic activity; Brevard County is not alone in

evaluating this or reevaluating this; across the country jurisdictions are taking a closer look at

how data centers fit into their economic development strategies; and she has included several

references in the Agenda packet that are available online for anyone who would like to review

this issue in more detail. She continued in Northern Virginia, local governments have begun

reviewing land use impacts, infrastructure strain, and incentive policies due to the scale and

concentration of these facilities; states like Georgia and Arizona have also revisited their

approaches with some communities pausing or applying stricter standards as they evaluate

long-term impacts; what this Item does is initiate the same conversation here in Brevard

County; specifically, she is seeking Board support for legislative intent to exclude data centers

from eligibility for economic development tax incentives so that the program remains focused

on industries that deliver the greatest overall return for the community; and she would also like

to state when this Board voted to put this in the policy and specifically put data centers, it is

something she personally missed; it was one of the first, if not the first Board meeting after

being elected; she dropped the ball on this; and she is now trying to rectify. She added she

feels very passionate about it and would like to hear Board discussion on how the others are

feeling about it, in addition to the public.

Sandra Sullivan stated Commissioner Delaney has done a lot of good research here, and if

anyone is following the videos, there are many out there about data centers across the country,

there is quite an outrage nationally of the data centers going in communities and how intensive

they are on water resources; of course, the conversation in Florida is there is not enough water

to meet future needs for growth; there is a really big, organic conversation here that needs to

happen; he was talking to somebody today and they had told her that they saw two men

dressed in suits who stopped to talk with them and asked them what they were doing, up in

Mims, on Irwin Avenue; the men said they were putting a data center up there; and so this is at

the County’s feet. She went on to say when got Commissioner Delaney got elected, the very

first meeting that she was County Commissioner, there was an Item on the Agenda to change

the Economic Development Council (EDC) abatement for giving data centers 20 years of tax

abatement; she had brought this up at this meeting a few times because when one looks, since

1994, the tax abatement, is basically welfare for corporations; the people do not get the tax

breaks, those taxes keep going up while theirs goes down, being honest about that; and 71

percent of voters in Brevard voted for the tax abatement which was a continuation of providing

10-year tax abatements, tax exemptions for certain companies because they were creating

jobs. She mentioned data centers do not create jobs, that is one of the facts with them, they

should not be on that list; Commissioner Feltner placed an Item on the Agenda and the change

in text read, an exemption may be granted for up to 10 years from the date of adoption of the

Ordinance giving the exemption, and then added, “or may be granted for a period of 20 years

from the date of adoption of an ordinance granting exemptions for data centers; the County is

specifically giving greater incentives to data centers when they do not create jobs; when the

very Ordinance, the very program for these tax exemptions for corporations bringing a lot of

jobs, had been in place for 10 years; she thinks legal needs to weigh in on this one because it

is not consistent with what the tax exemption has been since 1994, and its renewal every 10

years; and she is very appreciative of this conversation because data centers do not create

many jobs. She added they are very water intensive, they are not paying taxes, they are very

electricity intensive, and they typically result in rate increases to the local residents across the

country.

Rick Heffelfinger stated he has seen the YouTube videos and all the stuff about the data

centers going in; there is a high frequency hum; they are getting zoning to put them next to

houses; they are destroying people’s lives; then one finds out they have this power

requirement, but the power plant is not big enough so it has to build a bigger one for the data

center; there is not enough water, so someone better put in some water; people are seeing rate

increases because the more demand, the higher they can get; and people are seeing their

utility bills go crazy only because these data centers move in and suck up all the resources. He

mentioned there has got to be a way, and this is only one way to say the County is not going to

incentivize them to come here, but maybe they need another one, a special condition of when

looking at the water and electricity use they say they will be using, maybe they ought to come

with a plan that says they are bringing a small nuclear generator and going to pump water from

the ocean or something and dump it right back in for cooling, because Brevard County cannot

afford to be using its water for that, and it cannot afford rebuilding the power plants for that. He

noted he 100 percent supports not making it so easy for these guys to bulldoze the community.

Commissioner Delaney stated she would like to add that she read some articles where some

cities are finding that the land temperature around these data centers is increasing as much as

16 degrees surrounding these data centers; she thinks that there are a lot of effects that the

Board members do not even know of yet because all of this is so new; the other thing, in which

one knows, God works in weird ways, when she was thinking about bringing this forward and

she had herself and her staff working on it before it had published to the public, she had gotten

a call from a lobbyist whose new client was a data center; they are coming, but she really feels

like the County has to be prepared as it is already having issues with not having enough water

and things like that; and she thinks this would be a great first step. She went on to say you also

agrees that if these data centers do come, the Board should take it a step further and maybe

provide them a special reader or something on their water usage, and if it goes more than what

they said, then they are the ones who have to make the improvements to the water facilities

and whatnot; she is just throwing these ideas out there; but she thinks it is definitely something

that the County does not want to be chasing from behind, it should get in front of this and make

sure that the Board is protecting its communities.

Commissioner Feltner stated he will second her motion.

Chair ALtman inquired if that was a motion.

Commissioner Delaney responded affirmatively.

Morris Richardson, County Attorney, stated there was a question for legal earlier about the

20-year provision for data centers; that was a result of State Legislation that passed; when the

County’s program was renewed, it just incorporated the new State law; it is absolutely fine to

list data centers and add them to the ineligible list; the Board has the authority to do that; and

that Item was brought by the Economic Development Commission (EDC) and the County

Manager’s Office as a result of a referendum to renew the program back in 2024, it was not

brought up by Commissioner Feltner.

Chair Altman stated that is good to know.

Commissioner Feltner stated for the record he shares a lot of Commissioner Delaney’s same

concerns; he has said many times on this Board, he has concerns with noise and such; he also

watches YouTube videos and he thinks everyone sees this now, and what future things may be

coming; and he echoes Commissioner Delaney’s same concerns so he is happy to second that

Item.

Chair Altman stated every community is different; he does not doubt there are probably

communities, and he has personally witnessed communities, that benefited greatly from a data

center, but they are totally different than Brevard; they may have the proper land, energy

source, and may benefit because they are so economically depressed; obviously, Brevard

County is probably not the most ideal place for a data center, hurricane prone, energy costs are

not necessarily cheap; Brevard has a very fragile energy grid that could go down, and he is not

so sure it would even be a desirable spot; and he likes Elon Musk’s solution of putting data

centers in space. He commented he understands where Commissioner Delaney is coming

from.

The Board approved statement of legislative intent and permission to advertise an ordinance

amendment; directed staff to prepare an ordinance amending Chapter 102, Article IV, Division

3 of the Brevard County Code of Ordinances to add data centers to the list of businesses which

are ineligible for economic development ad valorem tax exemption or abatement; and

authorized for scheduling and advertising the ordinance for a public hearing.

Result: APPROVED

Mover: Katie Delaney

Seconder: Rob Feltner

Ayes: Delaney, Goodson, Adkinson, Feltner, and Altman

J.3. Speak Up Brevard - 2026 Program Update and Public Participation Process

Commissioner Delaney stated she is bringing this Item forward as a follow-up to the March 17,

meeting to keep the Board and the public informed on the progress for this year’s Speak Up

Brevard cycle; based on feedback from that meeting, participants who wish to provide oral

presentations ahead of the May Agenda have been directed to speak during the Agenda Public

Comment; and she asked if Don Walker, Space Coast Government Television (SCGTV)

Director, would mind giving an update on the submissions, how the progress is going, and

when the Commissioners can expect to receive the staff recommendations.

Mr. Walker stated for this year’s Citizens Effective and Efficiency Recommendations (CEER)

program received 61 CEERs from 44 individual citizens; the submission period ran from

January 1 to January 31; under the Home Rule Charter, staff has 90 days to analyze those

CEER recommendations and then to provide recommendations to the Board; and staff will

meet that deadline.

Commissioner Delaney asked if there is an “about” date of when the Board will have those

books.

Mr. Walker replied it will be in front of the May 5 meeting, but somewhere towards the end of

April.

Commissioner Delaney stated okay, because typically, she knows that two years ago the Board

got 30 days, last year the Board got two weeks, and she is just hopeful that it is not going to be,

and rumor has it as, five days.

Mr. Walker noted staff’s goal is to get them to the Board in time to review before the meeting

on May 5.

Commissioner Delaney asked if it would be more than five days.

Mr. Walker stated he cannot make promises.

Commissioner Delaney stated based on what Mr. Walker is seeing so far, as he is heading the

recommendations, she asked what he is seeing in recommendations being supported this year

compared to last year; and she asked if he is seeing more yes’s and if he could provide a

sneak peek.

Mr. Walker replied he can say just from a quick glance standpoint, he thinks there are more

accepting with revisions than have been seen in past years; and staff knows the will of the

Board and it is working to make sure that it thoroughly analyzes the recommendations and

seeing what it can do to come up with wins, so-to-speak.

Commissioner Delaney stated she just wanted to transition before moving on she wants to

revisit a related discussion that the Board had at the last meeting in connection with the CEER

program; at the March meeting there was discussion about reading Consent Agenda Items

aloud, which was deferred to the May 5, CEER meeting as part of the cycle; as of now there

are no CEER submissions this year that addressed that topic; she just wanted to get

clarification; and she asked if Commissioner Feltner is going to be bringing that Item forward on

a future Agenda or should she bring it forward next Agenda.

Commissioner Feltner asked her to repeat that one more time, he was reading he handout.

Commissioner Delaney stated at the last meeting the Board was talking about reading the

Consent Agenda out loud and Commissioner Feltner had mentioned that it could talk about it

during May 5.

Commissioner Feltner stated he appreciates that; he would offer this to the Board; he has

resolutions that take four or five minutes; it is his opinion that he can read the whole Consent

Agenda in less than three minutes; if the Board decides collectively to do that in the future, he

will volunteer to read the Consent Agenda for the remainder of his time on the Board of County

Commissioners; he has no problem with that; and again, he thinks that is three to four minutes

maximum, just looking at each of the Consent Agendas that the Board typically has.

Commissioner Delaney replied okay; she stated she just wants to show the Board she did

some more research, and she found these Agenda from Volusia County; if the Board would not

mind looking on page four with her, she felt this was really cool; it is an example of how Volusia

County does it; she thought it was really cool that they put, not only the dollar amount, they put

the match, the revenue, how it ties to their strategic goals, and they also put contacts; this is a

whole lot of information that just really informs the public and gives them a quick easy access

to how to get informed; these items bring them directly to the people that are behind the Items;

there are just so many creative ways; she is not saying that Brevard has to do it this way, but

she hopes it is something is going to be looked into in the future to see maybe if there is

something that the Board can do to just make the Agenda a little more robust; and to give the

ability to residents who pick up the paper to actually be informed about something. She went on

to say she just wanted to show that; and she can give her copy to the Clerk so it can be in the

meeting minutes.

Commissioner Feltner asked how the Agenda is generated, if they use something different;

Brevard starts as a word document and turns it into a PDF; he does not know; and he does not

pretend to know.

Commissioner Delaney stated she is not sure; like she said, it does not have to be this exact

thing; she just wanted to show another example of what some other places are doing; and

maybe there is a way of making it a little better user-friendly, not that it has to copy this exact

thing; and with that she will turn it back over to any additional comments or discussion by the

Board. She added she appreciates the Board listening.

Chair Altman stated there are comment cards, and he will pull up in the very simple and

straightforward and pithy Agenda that he likes.

Niyati Shah stated she is the headwaters watershed specialist at the St. John’s Riverkeeper;

she thanked the Board for the opportunity allowing her to speak about the St. Johns River in

the public forum; she stated she was invited to speak by Commissioner Delaney and they plan

to have a representative come to speak during the May meetings as well; they have three

propositions, they want to implement a storm drain stenciling program and a door-hanger

program to reduce pollution; they want to install river access signage throughout the upper

basin to inform the public; they also want to install a fishing line recycling tube to reduce

aplastic pollution and protect wildlife; she will start with the first one, proposing a storm drain

program in western parts of the County, West Melbourne and Viera; they want to mark drains

with sort of bilingual messages that say dump no waste; drains to river that reminds residents

that runoff flows directly to the St. John’s River; and this is a simple, volunteer-driven pilot

program with maybe about 100 drains, that can increase public awareness and reduce

improper dumping at a relatively low cost. She added studies have shown that 75 percent of

people who have seen these sort of stenciled drains have more public awareness and they

know where their water went compared to about a third who did not see these drains. She went

on to say they will meet with Brevard County staff and the Parks and Recreation Department to

really figure out where the most optimal locations will be; in addition they propose a

volunteer-led door hanger campaign explaining the risk of storm water dumping and ways to

prevent pollution; they will design that and work with Parks and Recreation for that; the next

proposal was river signage and advisory campaign; currently, important information like a map

of the upper basin of the St. Johns River, along with the whole watershed and ongoing issues it

is facing arranging from biosolid dumping to flooding; it is not consistently available at popular

access points; people want to put signs that include a watch tool that her team has developed

where folks can include a location and the details of the issues they are seeing on the river;

with guidance from the Parks and Recreation Department, they will install about 10 durable

aluminum signs throughout the upper basin, including Lake Washington, Lake Winder, Lake

Helen Blazes, Sawgrass Lake, as these are major access points, along with some of the fish

camps that are really popular like Camp Holly and Middleton, that people love; and the last

recommendation is they want to install fishing line recycling tubes at popular fishing locations,

in the Three Forks Marsh Conservation Area and the River Lakes Conservation Area. She

continued by saying these tubes are pretty low costs; they can be built using simple materials,

PVC pipes, hardware, and end caps; they would work with Parks and Recreation to determine

the best locations; they want to recruit volunteers, host workshops, and even for maintenance

they were thinking of having them come frequently, every month or so; this is a solution that

helps prevent harmful monofilament lines from entering the environment and helps protect

wildlife; and together these proposals are a pretty proactive solution to protect the St. Johns

River. She mentioned an ounce of prevention helps prevent costs and water quality issues

down the road.

Rick Heffelfinger stated he was not sure exactly what, when this Item came up, to keep the

visibility and he likes that; he likes that Commissioner Delaney brought up that an Item was

deferred that she had on the previous Agenda, to add the costs to the Items on the Consent

and then possibly have them read in; he asked if the Board approved last time to get the cost of

the Items on the Consent; and he noted no, so that is still up for discussion. He commented he

wants to make sure that comes back because for example, there was an Item on here, he

thinks Item H.3. and that was actually a .23 percent increase in the budget and not

understanding what that was, he almost missed that one; he thinks that is an important one

because that is the one he cried about where the County was allocating this money and if the

County was going back to the original budget and saying this is a windfall; the fact that the

Board is growing the budget when it is also talking about busting a cap seems counterintuitive;

and he appreciated Commissioner Delaney keeping the visibility.

Sandra Sullivan stated she is very appreciative because this is something she has brought up

in the past about have fiscal impact, even if it has to be placed in the title to work with the

current software; that should be on every Item; she wanted to bring up, there is list of Speak Up

Brevard, which is essentially Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), some of them are

more heavily focused on budgetary Items; her request is that the Board work with staff and

prioritize the ones that are about budget; and for example, she put one in and it mirrors what

Commissioner Adkinson has on her list of items to be addressed, and that was she identified

there were seven tourist parks that the Tourist Development Tax (TDT) be used to pay for the

maintenance on those parks, which is fair and reasonable, after all they are there for tourism

and largely used by tourism. She continued by saying there is talk about user fees, so maybe

the Tourist Development Council (TDC) should be paying; her item that is related to that, also

said that she felt the TDC should be also be paying for the capital expenses for those seven

parks; their budget should pay to Brevard County for those seven parks and the Board work

with the TDC to ensure that that is funded; she is just recapping, the recommendation she is

asking is that the Board look through the Speak Up Brevard on the ones that have the most

budgetary impact, consider it, and bring those ones back first since the Board will be talking

about the budget and it is potentially trying to bust the cap; and maybe it would even want to

talk about user fees. She noted she is not saying that is her idea or not her idea, she is just

saying it might be something to consider; looking at parks, the ones that are most heavily used

by the tourist, does the Board want to put paid parking at them like the cities do, and if it is a

user fee, because the County does not have any more of the tax revenues being generated so

much with those bonds, as the County taxes itself; this is the last year and those have sunset;

the Board needs park revenue; maybe it can increase the people’s taxes or Tourism can pay

their share; and that is just a few thoughts, so please prioritize budgetary items.

Commissioner Adkinson asked if there was a vote on this Item.

Commissioner Delaney advised there is no action Item, just a discussion.

Chair Altman stated it is just an update on the status.

Commissioner Adkinson stated it says it is requested that the Board of County Commissioners

receive an update on the CEER, as part of the 2026 Speak Up Brevard cycle; and she inquired

if the Board receives an update without actually voting on receiving an update.

Chair Altman stated he thinks the staff just gave an update; he does have a question;

Commissioner Delaney had mentioned about trying to get the report sooner, but there is

nothing that prevents the Board members from looking at those requests ahead of time, it is

public meeting, and public record; and if the Board wanted to get a peak preview and study up,

he or she could do that sooner.

Commissioner Delaney commented there just is not the staff recommendations.

Chair Altman stated that leads him to another question; and he asked when staff does the

recommendations, is it chronological, can the Board members look at those recommendations

or are they bundled all altogether and he or she can only see them after they are bundled.

Mr. Walker explained once the staff makes its recommendations, they are then reviewed by

senior staff; those reviews are just starting to begin; staff has to review all 61 of those; staff has

not received them all in yet; once those are done then they are compiled into the books; and

they are placed in there chronologically and submitted to the Board.

Chair Altman reiterated his question is can the Board see them as they are done, maybe have

them trickle in or do they have to wait until they are all done.

Mr. Walker replied they are all analyzed together.

Chair Altman commented the Board appreciates all the hard work the staff has done on that.

PUBLIC COMMENTS (Individuals may not speak under both the first and second

public comment sections.)

Lisa Rinaman stated she is the St. Johns River Keeper out of Jacksonville, Florida; she is very

excited to be there; they are a 26-year old non-profit organization with a mission to protect and

restore the St. Johns River; she wants to quickly celebrate two things; one, they have been

working on better biosolids, or sewage sledge policies since 2018; they have been very

concerned about South Florida sending their sewage sledge to the headwaters of the St. Johns

in Indian River County, Brevard County, and Osceola County; this year the legislature passed

the most beneficial sewage sledge reform that has been seen in 20 years; and they are very

excited about working with the County to make sure that is now implemented properly; and as

part of the Farm Bill they passed a ban on class B biosolids, which South Florida is sending up

here by 2028, as well as protective regulations on class double A biosolids, which is a little

cleaner but it still has the nutrient pollution issue. She went on to say the second thing she

wants to celebrate is for the first time in 26 years, there is a headwaters specialist who the

Board just met, Niyati Shaw, who will be working with them to make sure there is a fulltime

focus on the headwaters, so they can work on the issues together, work with Brevard County,

and the other headwater counties to leverage opportunity to protect the waters together; she

thanked the Board for its time and the ability to speak tonight; and she looks forward to working

with them.

Chair Altman stated thanks for being there; the Board appreciates her coming here, as well as

Ms. Shah; he met them earlier; having been in Tallahassee, he can attest to the incredible work

that the riverkeepers do; and it is wonderful that there is a headwater specialist. He added

Brevard has had so many exciting headwater projects in the past, and it has sort of slowed

down a little bit; he would encourage staff to work as much as they can, he knows they already

do and that they are committed; and thanked Ms. Rinaman for coming once again, all the way

from Jacksonville.

Sandra Sullivan stated she wants to first address Chair Altman’s comments about user fees

pertaining to Advanced Wastewater Treatment (AWT); the issue is the people were promised

by the Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) tax, and it is even in the current Lagoon Plan,

wastewater treatment facility upgrades for reclaimed water financial table; it is about two

percent of the plan right now; the people were promised because they knew that legislatively

there were deadlines, and including last year 2025, and that the County is under Consent

Orders because it cannot dump any wastewater that is not to AWT standard; and she wants to

talk specifically as it pertains to busting the cap because to her this is very offensive to not do

everything the Board can. She continued by saying for that reason the request is to revisit and

she would like for the Board to really think about this and talk to staff about the documents that

say the people were promised AWT; it is double taxation; promise the people if they approve

this tax it will go to AWT; once the tax gets approved, and 10 years goes by, then it says it is

going to raise people taxes to pay for this, that is double taxation; she also wants to address

the promise that was made Tuesday, December 3, 2024, and the motion made by Chair Altman

for County staff to meet with Space Florida to review all the letters that vet all the issues and

come back and provide the Board with a report; it was stated at the Titusville meeting that there

is a short-term agreement with Space Florida and when looking at the budget report, $130

million for AWT upgrade was the number used in December to upgrade Sykes Creek for Space

Florida; the Board put another label on it; now, looking at Space Florida’s budget, they do not

have any money for infrastructure; the appearance is that the Board is going to tax the people

to pay for Space Florida; as the Board knows legislatively, it just passed legislation that they

are now tax-exempt on sales tax, so they are not even paying towards the Lagoon; and to put

the burden on the people to pay for Space Florida’s wastewater is very inequitable. She went

on to say that plant has got a lot of problems as was stated in the budget workshop; that is

used to put reclaimed water that is high in nutrients, to the wetlands; she asked where was the

bloom that occurred recently after the rain even when Meeks truck was driving all the sewage

up to that place; that plant has more dumps, along with South Beaches, it has a lot of problems

because of I&I; and she hopes some of that I&I money where the County is lining pipes, is

going there. She noted the bottom line is Space Florida needs to pay for their share of

infrastructure and it cannot be placed on the people, the tax payers of Brevard County,

especially for things that the people have already been taxed for, AWT; and she hopes the

Board will come back to visit and fix those two things before deciding to bust the cap and

increasing the taxes.

Kevin Jeffrey stated at the top of the flow chart for the Commission is the citizens and then the

rest of the offices; when coming to the Commission meetings, that does not line up; his

problem is and one of the things he wanted to offer in Speak Up Brevard is that the dais is

lowered and the podium for the speakers is raised, in keeping with what the Constitution says,

that it is the people who are actually in control; why he does that, if one were to go back to the

history of lecterns and dais’, in the middle ages, in the churches, he asked if the Board knows

why the lectern was elevated; he answered by saying they elevated the lectern because it was

seen that when the Priest went up the stairs, he was going up to the mountain to talk to God;

and the people were then looked down on. He continued by saying when the people looked up

at the Priest, there was this superstition about the Priest; later one, in medieval times, the lords

came up with the dais; they spoke from the dais and the peasentry was out below; he asked

what this does and answered it creates a psychological disadvantage for the citizens when they

come to speak; he knows this Board is humble and does not think this way, but the people are

thinking that this Board is Mount Sinai and that they are speaking to some Godly people;

psychologically for people who are not used to public speaking, this is intimidating to them;

there is a psychological disadvantage in the way that the dais is set up; and any normal person

who came here without any public speaking background, would be severely intimidated. He

noted no one knows how many people have not even come to the Board meetings because of

the intimidation factor in speaking before this dais; the cost is about $500,000 to change it; this

on the screen is his rendition; Brevard County, and the speaker is in the middle; the

Commissioners are around; the seats are back behind it; he thinks it is worth it in order to

increase public trust, it is a subtle but strong message to the public that they indeed are in

control; and one last thing, the Lord said when he told his disciples, “Those are the Gentiles,

they lorded over their subjects. But whoever would be a leader, you should be servant of all.”

L.1. Jim Liesenfelt, County Manager

Jim Liesenfelt stated based on the weather, there is a burn ban, underneath the County’s

procedure, the burn ban will be lifted as of tomorrow.

Chair Altman responded, good.

L.3. Katie Delaney, Commissioner District 1

Commissioner Delaney stated recently a resident reached out to her and asked that she host a

citizen engagement event at the County and she was happy to accept; that event is scheduled

for April 17, at 10:00 a.m., right here in the Space Coast Room, in this building; it is open to

everyone and she will share the information on how residents can become more informed and

engaged in the government; there is a registration link that the resident has provide, but

registration is no necessary to participate in the event; and she hopes to see everyone there.

She went on to say she also wanted to highlight the 2026 Citizen’s Academy; the photo on the

screen was taken on the last day of this year’s cycle, March 26; one can see Angelica Keene,

the coordinator in the fairground, and John Scott, Emergency Management Director, in the

background; she wanted to shout out to all of County staff that put together the special

presentations that helped make this seven-week series so informative; and of course a big

thank you to the citizens who participated, their curiosity and engagement is exactly what this

program is all about and she hopes some of these participants will consider joining one of the

many advisory boards and participate in the April 17, citizen engagement event; and the

Citizen’s Academy is a great example of how to bring citizens closer to understanding how their

County operates. She commented she spoke at the Zoning meeting, but she did not do it

justice so she wanted to make sure to bring this back; last week she had a chance to visit the

Brevard Zoo and see their amazing illuminated nature exhibit; she had the pleasure of meeting

with the Zoo Executive Director, Keith Winston, during the visit; and she would like to

encourage all of Brevard County residents to come out and experience this exciting exhibit and

of course to support the local Zoo while doing so, it is a wonderful way to enjoy a family-friendly

outing and also support one of the community’s treasures. She continued by asking the Board

to give her some grace here; she has one more thing and it might take a moment as she has

some important news to share with the community; her family has been presented with a

life-changing opportunity out-of-State, one that after much prayer and deep consideration, it is

called to pursue; As of May 2, 2026, she will be resigning from her position as County

Commissioner for District 1; serving this community has been one of the greatest honors of her

life; she is profoundly grateful to the people of District 1 for the trust that it has placed in her, for

the voices, for allowing her to stand in the gap and fight for what matters most, the people have

done something remarkable by standing up to the status quo and choosing to be represented,

not ruled, elected someone who would listen, show up, and who would fight for you, and she

wants the people to know, they can do it again; what she will carry with her most is them, the

moments that do not make the headlines, the ones that happen far, far away from the dais, that

have meant the most to her; sitting at people’s kitchen tables, listening to stories, walking the

ditch lines and dirt, taking buggy rides through some communities, as she was shown piece by

piece the life that each of you has built and the values each person holds dear; it is the long

conversations, the shared history, and the trust that people have extended to her, not just as an

elected official, but as a person and that has changed her; this community is made up of

strong, faithful, resilient families who care deeply, stand firm in their values, and who look out

for one another; and it has been one of the greatest privileges of her life. She continued by

saying not just to represent the people, but to truly know them; that is something she will carry

with her forever; to be very clear, this does not end with her; what they have started together

was never about one person or one seat, it was about changing the standard; it was about

opening doors that had been long closed demanding transparency and accountability and

ensuring that the people, not bureaucracy or special interest are at the center of every decision;

the people did not just show up, they shifted the culture and together proved that bold servant

leadership still has a place in Brevard County; and because of that, what was built cannot and

will not end with her, District 1 this is now the people’s legacy. She added the people have seen

what is possible when a voice is heard and have seen what it looks like to have a

representative who answer to the people; do not settle for anything less; expect more, demand

more and hold the line; there will be others who will step forward and they will have big shoes to

fill, but the standard has already been set by the people; and the expectation has already been

raised, and that is something that cannot be undone. She stated she wants to take a moment

and speak directly to her team, Kristen, Ruth, and Meghan; and she read, “There are no words

strong enough to fully capture what you have meant to me. You weren’t just staff, you were my

steady ground on the hardest days, my sounding board in the critical moments, and the

cheering section in the many victories; you gave your time, your energy, and your hearts to this

community in ways that most people will never fully see. And I have had the privilege of seeing

it up close every single day. You made me better, you made this office better, and you made a

real difference in the lives of the people we serve. I am so deeply grateful for each of you, not

just for what you have done, but for who you are. Thank you for standing beside me through it

all. I will carry this with me, long after this chapter closes. District 1, my mission has always

been to inform, to communicate, and to empower. That mission does not end today and it does

not end with this role. I will continue to advocate for a strong communities and informed citizens

and for leadership that serves, not rules. And if there is one thing I hope you carry with you, it is

this. The power has never been in this seat, it has always been with you, the people. And as

long as you remember that, this moment, this movement, this momentum, this change, it will

continue. God bless and thank you.”

Chair Altman thanked Commissioner Delaney for her commitment and willingness to serve, the

courage to run and get elected, and to serve her people; he stated it caught him by surprise, he

had no idea; he certainly respects her and the service she has provided; and it is always hard

to watch one of the members have to leave especially early.

Commissioner Adkinson stated she knows how important it is to put family before things that

are so important to one’s self; and she commends Commissioner Delaney for putting family

first, it is not always easy.

Commissioner Feltner stated he has to imagine that it is an amazing opportunity and he is sure

the Board members will hear about it soon, because this could not be an easy decision; he is

sure it is one of the harder ones that she has ever had to make; but there is something

amazing that is waiting out there for her; and he looks forward to hearing what is ahead for her,

her husband, and her children.

Jim Liesenfelt, County Manager, stated Commissioner Goodson lost connection and that was

him calling to say that; and on behalf of the County staff they wish Commissioner Delaney and

her family all the best.

L.5. Kim Adkinson, Commissioner District 3, Vice-Chair

Commissioner Adkinson stated she had the pleasure and the honor of attending the first ever

Palm Bay Police Department Change of Command Ceremony last week; the retiring Chief

served the City of Palm Bay with distinction, dedication, and integrity; a true role model for all

future leaders; the respect that he has from his department was obvious; and she wants to

congratulate newly appointed Chief Jeff Spears, who will continue to protect the citizens of

Palm Bay and continue to lead the department successfully, no doubt, in the promotion of

Commander Nick Sapanski is another exciting development at the Palm Bay Police

Department; and it speaks to the great future of the organization. She would offer her gratitude

to the retiring Chief on his retirement and congratulations to Chief Spears and Deputy Chief

Sapanski on their promotions. She went on to say the second thing is Brevard County Fire

Rescue is featured on the cover of the Florida Fire Service Magazine; as one would recall, the

trapped Manatee was rescued by Public Works and Brevard County fire fighters; Austin from

Public Works was instrumental in rescuing the Manatee; Melby was placed in the care of Sea

World’s Manatee rehabilitation team and was nursed back to health; he was released today

back in to the Indian River Lagoon, at Ballard Park in Eau Gallie; and she want to take the

opportunity to thank everyone involved in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of Melby, the

Manatee.

L.6. Rob Feltner, Commissioner District 4

Commissioner Feltner stated good job Brevard County; thank God the airman was rescued in

Iran; he knows everyone was watching; it is a proud thing this week when he heard that the

Colonel was rescued; God speed to everybody; it was inspiring; and he should remind

everyone why the fighting men and women are the finest the world has ever seen.

Adjourn

Upon Consensus of the Board, the meeting adjourned at 8:17 p.m.

ATTEST:

_________________________

RACHEL M. SADOFF, CLERK

______________________________

THAD ALTMAN, CHAIRMAN

BOARD OF COUNTY

COMMISSIONERS

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA