Melbourne Florida

Air conditioning in Melbourne Florida, AC and heat, ductwork

The City of Melbourne is located on east central Florida`s Space Coast. Melbourne is about an hour`s drive south of the Kennedy Space Center, and 1-1/2 hours due east of Disney World. The City is in the southern portion of Brevard County. Interstate-95 runs through the county from north-to-south. Access roads from the west include the Beachline Expressway (formerly the Beeline) and U.S. 192, which runs through Melbourne to the beaches.

While most of Melbourne is located on the Florida mainland, a small portion is located on a barrier island. The Indian River Lagoon separates the mainland from the island. Spanning the Indian River Lagoon to connect the mainland to the barrier island are a pair of four-lane, high-rise bridges -- the Melbourne Causeway and the Eau Gallie Causeway.

Nearby incorporated communities include Palm Bay, West Melbourne, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, and Satellite Beach. Viera and Suntree, unincorporated communities, are also nearby.

The contemporary City of Melbourne is the result of a merger of the separate communities of Melbourne and Eau Gallie, both dating to the 1880`s. An election allowed the consolidation under a common charter on July 15, 1969.
Eau Gallie Pier in Melbourne, Floirda

Today, the City is approximately 41 square miles in size, with about 75% of that land in use. The City of Melbourne population estimate was 77,101 as of April 1, 2012, according to the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research. The population of Melbourne continues to grow at a modest rate. Melbourne is located at the center of a much larger urban area.

Municipal government is responsible for providing vital services to City residents. In addition, drinking water services are provided to customers in a regional area that includes several other municipalities. To accomplish its mission, the City organization includes more than 800 employees. The City Code and Comprehensive Plan are available online, as is the Geographic Information System.
Local Government
Local Government: Melbourne`s charter provides for a Council-Manager form of government. Elected to office are a Mayor and six Council members. Although Council members are elected from districts, all of the elected officials are selected by city-wide vote. They serve four-year terms.

Council members are Mayor Kathy Meehan; District 1, Mike Nowlin; District 2, Betty Moore; District 3, Harry Goode; District 4, John Thomas; District 5, Vice Mayor Molly Tasker; and District 6, Greg Jones.

Correspondence to Mayor and Council should be addressed to them at City Hall, 900 East Strawbridge Avenue, Melbourne, Florida 32901. The Mayor and Council members are listed with their telephone numbers. The City of Melbourne accepts Internet e-mail for the Mayor and all City Council members at cityhall@melbourneflorida.org . Additional e-mail addresses are maintained by the elected officials for their own use and provide the option of direct contact with those individuals.
The City`s Budget
The City of Melbourne operates on a $165.3-million budget for the 2012-13 fiscal year that began on Oct. 1, 2012. After an extensive budget document is reviewed by City Council, public hearings to seek community comment on budget plans are held each September. (2012-2013 Budget Document)

The budget includes a $68.4-million General Fund to pay for day-to-day operations including emergency services, recreation and parks, and public works operations and projects. Income to the General Fund includes property taxes. The current property tax rate is 6.9 mills, or about $6.90 per $1,000 in taxable property valuation. Costs of municipal services for Melbourne residents are the lowest among full-service cities in Brevard County.

Property taxes represent about 33% of the revenue that goes into the General Fund, and about 14% of the City`s total revenue. Other revenue sources are varied, and include such things as permit fees, franchise fees, and a portion of gasoline taxes.

The City`s capital improvement fund for the 2012-13 fiscal year is $20.8-million. The City operates a stormwater program that is funded through annual assessments of $36 per residential unit. The stormwater program budget is $2.2-million.

Two other City funds pay their own way. These funds receive no money from property taxes, and instead rely on charges and fees for income. They are the $49.5-million Water and Sewer Fund, and the $3.2-million Recreation Systems Fund for the two municipal golf courses. In addition, the Melbourne International Airport operates with a $15-million budget. A seven-member Airport Authority has responsibility for the airport, which is a municipal agency.

Income to the City also includes state and federal grants that allow operation of the Community Development Program. About $1.6-million in grants are to fund housing and community improvement programs during the budget year.
The Spacecoast Economy

The Space Coast is known as a high-tech center of the Southeast. Major employers in the Melbourne vicinity include Brevard Community College, the Brevard County School Board, Florida Institute of Technology, Florida TODAY (Gannett) Newspaper, DRS Technologies, GE Transportation Systems, Harris Corporation, Holmes Regional Medical Center, MIMA, Northrop Grumman Corporation- Surveillance and Battle Management Systems, Nuance Dictaphone Training Center, Rockwell Collins, Rossi Electronics, and Wuesthoff Health System. Technical companies such as Data Flow Systems have provided services from the Melbourne area for decades, while others have relocated or are spin-offs from larger enterprises.

Several major employers are located in a `high-tech` industrial park at the Melbourne International Airport. Brazil-based Embraer has located a passenger aircraft assembly plant and customer center on airport property. AAR Corp. has announced plans to locate an aircraft maintenance facility there. Other companies located there include Harris Corporation, Northrop-Grumman, Rockwell International, and D.B.A. Systems. Melbourne is home to Grumman`s "Joint Stars" aircraft project.
Historic Downtown of Melbourne, Florida

Melbourne promotes economic development and is actively engaged in revitalization efforts in three areas of the city. Information and assistance is available from the Planning and Economic Development Department.

Demographic information is available in the Melbourne Community Data Summary prepared by the Economic Development Commission of Florida`s Space Coast.

Queries about the area can be directed to the Melbourne Regional Chamber of East Central Florida, which receives e-mail at: chamber@melpb-chamber.org. Information about bus services in Melbourne and other areas is available from the Space Coast Area Transit offices (321) 633-1878. Melbourne residents can use two bus routes for free -- route no. 21 and no. 29 -- due to a subsidy by the Melbourne City Council.
City of Melbourne Planning adn Economic Development Department


Melbourne International Airport
The Melbourne International Airport serves Florida`s Space and Treasure Coasts with domestic and international passenger and air freight service. The airport is served by carriers including Delta Airlines and US Airways. The Airport is part of Free Trade Zone #136. For additional information, telephone (321) 723-6227, or write to Melbourne International Airport, One Air Terminal Parkway, Suite #220, Melbourne, FL 32901-1888.