Palm Bay Sets Maximum Tax Cap, Restores Public Comment, and Sends Vacancy Referendum to Voters

Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay City Council set the maximum property tax cap for the upcoming fiscal year at the rolled-back rate, restored the second public comment session at the end of meetings, and placed a vacancy-filling charter amendment on the November ballot during its regular meeting on July 16, 2026. The council also approved a $3.19 million contract to drill four new Floridan Aquifer production wells at the North Regional Water Treatment Plant.

Tax Cap Set at Rollback Rate in 4-1 Vote

The council voted 4-1 to set the proposed maximum operating millage rate for Fiscal Year 2027 at the rolled-back rate of 6.6015 mills. This rate represents the tax levy that would generate the same amount of property tax revenue as the current year, excluding new construction. Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe made the motion to approve the rollback rate, seconded by Councilman Kenny Johnson.

Councilmembers Mike Jaffe, Kenny Johnson, Mike Hammer, and Chandler Langevin voted in favor. Mayor Rob Medina cast the dissenting vote. Mayor Medina argued that setting the cap at the rollback rate limits the city’s financial flexibility during the upcoming budget workshops, whereas the majority contended that locking in the rollback rate is a necessary measure to provide tax relief to residents. The set rate serves as a ceiling; the council can lower the millage rate during final budget hearings in September but cannot raise it.

Vacancy Charter Referendum Approved for Ballot

The council voted unanimously 5-0 to approve Ordinance 2026-20 on first reading. The ordinance places a charter amendment on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot.

If approved by voters, the amendment will strip the council of its power to appoint replacements to vacant council seats when more than one year remains on the unexpired term. A special election will be required to fill the vacancy instead.

Resident Bill Battin spoke in support of the ordinance, calling it a step in the right direction. Battin noted that while he would have preferred a six-month threshold or mandatory elections for all vacancies, the amendment is a significant improvement over allowing council appointees to serve multi-year terms without voter input. The ordinance must pass a second reading at a subsequent meeting to finalize its placement on the ballot.

Water Plant Well Drilling Contract Approved

Consent Agenda Item 8, a proposal to award a $3,192,060 contract to All Webbs Enterprises to drill four new production wells at the North Regional Water Treatment Plant, was pulled by Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe for separate discussion. Jaffe questioned Interim Chief Procurement Officer David Gragan about the procurement delivery method, specifically asking why the city selected a standard Request for Proposals (RFP) process over a Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) delivery method.

Gragan explained that while CMAR is useful for compressing timelines and shifting risk on complex, design-heavy municipal projects, well drilling is a straightforward scope of work that does not require complex design integration. The standard RFP method allowed the city to secure competitive pricing for a simple construction scope. Following the discussion, the council voted 5-0 to approve the contract.

Second Public Comment Session Restored

The council voted 4-1 to restore the second public comment session at the end of council meetings, reversing a previous decision that had eliminated it.

Councilman Kenny Johnson moved to bring the comment session back, and Mayor Rob Medina seconded the motion.

Mayor Medina noted that Councilman Johnson had previously been the deciding vote to remove the end-of-meeting public comment session. Johnson acknowledged his past vote but stated that restoring the session is necessary to allow residents to comment on decisions made during the meeting without waiting two weeks for the next agenda. Councilmember Mike Jaffe cast the lone dissenting vote against the change.

Public Criticism of Flock Safety Cameras

Two residents spoke during public comment to oppose the city’s use of Flock Safety automated license plate readers (ALPR). Sheena Wallace argued that the cameras track citizen movements without warrants in violation of the Fourth Amendment, creating a significant legal liability for the city.

City Attorney Patricia Smith clarified that neither the U.S. Supreme Court nor the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled license plate readers unconstitutional. Smith stated that cases cited by critics, such as Shatry, deal with geo-fence warrants rather than license plate readers. However, Smith noted that the city’s legal analysis of active surveillance rulings is ongoing, indicating that staff is continuing to monitor developments in location-tracking case law. This represents a softening of the city attorney’s stance from the July 2 meeting, where she had more flatly dismissed the relevance of such rulings to the ALPR program.

Councilman Kenny Johnson added that the council is actively looking into Flock Safety cameras. Johnson noted that councilmembers are having ongoing conversations with the chief of police in regards to policies and operational boundaries.

Resident Parker Allen raised physical safety concerns regarding the installation of the camera poles. Allen stated that Flock Safety’s installation drawings call for crashworthy slip-base hardware (referencing Federal Highway Administration acceptance letters SS 134 and 134A) to prevent poles from shearing through vehicles during a collision.

Allen contended that none of the Flock poles in Palm Bay are installed with this hardware, and that placing solid metal poles behind guardrails compromises roadway safety.

Indian River Lagoon and Sustainability Updates

Terry Bredan, Program Manager for Brevard County’s Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) program, presented the annual update on lagoon restoration projects. Director Virginia Barker of the Brevard County Natural Resources Department accompanied Bredan.

Bredan shared that a 2025 economic evaluation by the National Estuary Program estimates the Indian River Lagoon generates $28 billion in annual spending, $14 billion in local GDP, and supports nearly 130,000 jobs.

Recent monitoring data from the St. John’s River Water Management District indicates that seagrass beds in the lagoon covered just over 17,000 hectares in 2025, which represents a 7,000-hectare increase since the 2023 survey. In Palm Bay, SOIRL funds have completed upgrades to the water reclamation facility, 426 sewer connections, and 43 septic-to-sewer upgrades. The project portal is open through September to receive municipal project submissions for the 2027 plan update.

Sustainability Advisory Board Chairman Doug Hook also updated the council on recent board activities. Hook reported that volunteers removed between 10 and 15 invasive Brazilian pepper trees at Nemo Gardens last weekend. Hook also stated that the board is working with Republic Services to develop a municipal glass recycling program.

This story is also published at news.thepalmbayer.com/news/palm-bay-council-recap-july-16-2026/ with additional inline visuals, related coverage links, and a video embed where available.