About The Palm Bayer
Independent hyperlocal journalism for Palm Bay, Florida. Founded March 2023.
Our Mission
The Palm Bayer covers Palm Bay, Florida with the same rigor applied to any major city. City council decisions, development approvals, utility rates, infrastructure spending, public safety, and the legal actions that shape the community. We read the agendas. We attend the meetings. We dig into the documents.
Palm Bay is the largest city in Brevard County by population. It deserves serious local journalism. The Palm Bayer exists to provide it.
Everything we publish is free. No paywall. No subscriptions required to read. We believe local news should be accessible to every resident, not just those who can afford it.
What We Cover
- City Council - votes, decisions, agendas, and what they mean for residents
- Development - new projects, land use applications, zoning decisions
- Infrastructure - roads, drainage, utilities, and long-term capital planning
- Public Safety - police, fire, and emergency services
- Municipal Finance - budgets, bonds, fee increases, and how the city spends money
- Charter and Legal - charter review, litigation, ordinances, and government accountability
- Community - events, parks, library, schools, and local happenings
- Data - cost of living tracker, lawsuit tracker, interactive tools and datasets
Editorial Standards
We quote documents verbatim and cite section numbers. We verify names against official rosters before publication. We do not publish rumors or speculation as fact.
We do not editorialize within news coverage. Opinion and analysis are labeled as such. Sources are documented at the end of every article.
We do not accept advertising. We are not affiliated with any political campaign, party, or candidate. We accept no money from the city, county, or any government entity.
Corrections Policy
Accuracy is our primary commitment. When factual errors or significant inaccuracies are identified in our stories, we correct them promptly. A clear note explaining the correction is added to the bottom of the article to maintain transparency.
To report a potential factual error or request a correction, please contact us directly at thomas@thepalmbayer.com with the story headline, the specific passage in question, and any supporting documentation or reference materials.
AI & Editorial Integrity Disclosure
We utilize automated systems and advanced language tools to assist in parsing massive municipal documents, summarizing public agendas, and analyzing civic datasets.
However, we maintain a strict policy of human editorial oversight: every single article is thoroughly researched, fact-checked, written, and published exclusively by a human editor (Thomas Gaume). We do not publish fully automated, unverified, or unchecked content.
Data Journalism
The Palm Bayer publishes data-forward articles: stat cards, vote breakdowns, interactive charts, and structured tables embedded directly in the article body. These are not decorations. They are the reporting. Where a number matters, we show it clearly. Where a vote happened, we show who voted and how.
About the Author
Publication History
The Palm Bayer launched in March 2023 on Substack. Since then, the publication has grown to cover more than 700 articles across city council, infrastructure, public safety, and community topics. In 2026, the publication moved to its own news site at news.thepalmbayer.com to enable richer article formats, including interactive data tables, video, and inline charts that newsletter email delivery cannot support.
Substack remains the email delivery platform. Every story publishes first at news.thepalmbayer.com. Subscribers receive full articles in their inbox.
Contact
For story tips, corrections, public records requests, and press inquiries, see the contact page.