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Annual Mayor’s Breakfast held on May 20

By Kymberly Franklin posted 06-02-2022 09:34

  


Annual Mayor’s Breakfast held May 20

May 26, 2022

PALM BAY - Hosted each year by the Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce, the 14th annual Mayor’s Breakfast was held on Friday, May 20, 2022 at the Space Coast Convention Center in Cocoa, bringing together all of the Mayors from the 14 municipalities across Brevard County. An event that’s part city and town updates and part Friar’s Club-style roast, the Mayor's Breakfast was emceed once again this year by Brevard County Sheriff and amateur stand-up comedian Wayne Ivey. Highlighting the accomplishments of the past year of each of Brevard’s towns and cities while simultaneously announcing upcoming or in-progress initiatives for each, the breakfast lasted nearly four hours. Between non-stop jokes about West Melbourne Mayor Hal Rose’s height and Sheriff Ivey’s weight, each of the city representatives were given five minutes to share all of the positive updates of their respective areas.


Cocoa Mayor Mike Blake shared that crime was reduced by 11% in the past year. Additionally, there have been major updates to his city’s business sector, with the launch of a $10,000 small business grant program, the first hotel opening up in Cocoa Village in 2023, and aggressive lobbying by Cocoa city officials to acquire Brevard County’s first Brightline train stop. Other highlights included the creation of an all-female veteran housing center, a $2 million parks upgrade (including installing public restrooms), and the launch of an online permitting system to make the process of applying for city permits much more accessible.

One of the more unique presentations came from Patrick Space Force Base’s de facto Mayor, Colonel Edward Marshall, who also spoke on behalf of the Cape canaveral Space Force Base. In 2021, the base had 35 launches last year (32 of which were visible in Brevard County), and there are currently 68 launches slated on the 2022 base schedule. Later this year the inaugural 10 Minus 10 Miler Race will be held at Kennedy Space Center, with over 5,000 registered runners participating. As Col. Marshall was never officially elected to his position, he will be replaced at the end of his tenure this year.

Rockledge Mayor Thomas Price also announced a drop in crime in 2021, with a drop of 30% city-wide. Mayor for 11 years, Price was proud to announce that three historically blighted properties in Rockledge, Sears Town, Village Green, and the old KMart location, will all be redeveloped by the end of 2022. Additional Rockledge highlights include new business and housing, with over 1,500 building permits to date in 2022 (a year to date increase for the 2,881 permits that were issued in 2021). A $1.76 million grant for the Fire Department will see a new fire truck in the area within the next 18 months; and two new senior living centers developed nearly 300 new units for the elderly population in Brevard’s oldest city.

The annual event seems to continue to grow in popularity, as it was sold out this year. To stay informed with all of the municipality’s updates, a video recording of the 2022 Mayors Breakfast will be available via the Palm Bay Chamber of Commerce in the coming weeks. To learn more, visit https://greaterpalmbaychamber.com/.


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Brevard County Mayors Breakfast group photo number two
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