[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,86,98,110],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6085039,"mediaKeyId","2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb","parentId",2906338,"title","Votes at a glance: key council actions April 8, 2025","audioSeconds",6866,"startMs",64000,"endMs",6930000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb&start=64&end=6930","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb/thumbnail_64000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6085039/Cocoa/Brevard-County/Florida/Votes-at-a-glance-key-council-actions-April-8-2025","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085039-a3fa6727c8a0076bcb6ae0c2c6ed6e55/orig.mp4?Expires=1775471779&Signature=Ewt0Ath-EyyBs1LrVV3sHa5cMIosM7m4576o65v~Mt2H5IBAh5p-8ZX7oVWKDGb2TzKlhHQNtEBBh6IfNs5tZ1CTukMpJZiu5Bs5wn1Ri2irnt3qXwDSN5kufc~9qZHP8b49Q0zNQHYEt5-ZecGsVmUfauysK42Qfd2LCcHcpGtcLEkQqIvZTexYOPqismcopuecMs7twKUJhf3Y4LBYGbSmIPXfdutb6J~h~i6cHJX0-RtrmTazTMMbXuUMb5WLMoM1xeEHryGHn7rdkJq9UR5TYl80ASB8Z1QJq17X3H1XUhkE59izhzTFlyN57oW0mPJ0-2ooN~UCBRULLPUD~w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City Council of Cocoa, FL","date","2025-04-09T06:24:34.167Z","article","The Cocoa City Council took a number of formal actions on April 8. This roundup lists each recorded action, the outcome, and any immediate next steps. Where a specific tally or mover was not recorded in the public transcript, the roundup summarizes the council decision and the next staff step.

Items approved unanimously unless noted:

- Approval of the April 8, 2025 agenda (motion recorded; approved unanimously).
- Approval of the February 2025 regular and special meeting minutes (approved unanimously).
- Proclamations: National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week (April 13' 19, 2025); Fair Housing Month (April); support for tax-exempt municipal bonds (proclamation endorsing federal tax exemption). All proclamations were read and adopted by the council.
- Consent agenda: approved (unanimous).
- Diamond Square CRA requests: council authorized the city manager to ask Brevard County to (1) extend the Diamond Square CRA termination date and (2) remove the county's $150,000 annual TIF cap; both actions were approved and will be pursued with the county.
- City council rules/agenda timing change: council approved revised timing (agenda to council by close of business Thursday; public posting no later than Friday noon) and directed the city manager and city attorney to bring back additional rule changes for council consideration (unanimous).
- Beautification pilot: council authorized a one-year pilot modeled on the Diamond Square program and directed the city manager to identify funding and return with a budget recommendation; the motion passed with one dissenting council member (pilot details to be developed by staff).
- Traffic calming: council directed traffic engineers to evaluate and implement traffic-calming measures for a list of residential streets and approved using the paving fund balance to pay for initial installations (unanimous). Listed streets include Park Drive, North Carolina Ave, North Georgia Ave, Bristol Drive (curve), Talbot & Mycroft intersections, Barr Ave, Cambridge Drive intersections, Pineda & Westchester and others raised during public comment.
- Acceptance of FY2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) and auditor presentation (Forvis Mazars): council accepted the report; auditors issued an unmodified (clean) opinion (unanimous).

Code enforcement lien reduction items (selected action outcomes):

- 1208 Cambridge Drive (James Carrier): council considered staff and code board recommendations; the code board had recommended a reduced lien; council approved a reduced amount as recorded in the minutes.
- 1112 Myrtle Lane (Equifirst Properties): council approved a code-board-recommended reduction to $5,000.
- 1203 Alameda Lane (SAI Property Investments): council approved a compromise reduction amount (motion and recorded outcome in the minutes).
- 1043 Olive Street (Nicholas Critelli): council accepted the code board recommendation to reduce to the recommended amount.
- 1049 Olive Street (Glenday Barrios): council reduced the lien to staff-cost level.
- 312 Belmont Drive (James Yoder): council approved a reduced amount (code board recommended $100; council approved as recorded).
- 3645 Longbow Road (Realty Gems KC LLC / Kevin Martinez): council approved recovery of staff administrative costs for the file.

Each code enforcement item was considered on its own merits; some reductions aligned with the code enforcement board recommendation and some with staff cost recovery. The minutes record individual votes; where a specific roll-call is recorded in the transcript, the council's vote is noted in that item's record.

Staff follow-up: where council directed staff to return with funding, engineering recommendations, or intergovernmental requests, departments were given assignments and approximate timelines during the meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Meeting, April 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","A concise roundup of the Cocoa City Council's formal votes on April 8, including approvals of minutes, proclamations, consent agenda, CRA requests, rules changes, the beautification pilot, traffic-calming direction, the FY2024 CAFR acceptance, and multiple code enforcement lien reductions.","taxTitle","Cocoa, Brevard County, Florida","taxId",56163,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":46,"_47":80,"_49":81,"_51":82,"_53":83,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":84,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":85,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085044,"Council accepts FY2024 comprehensive financial report; auditors issue clean opinion",899,6031000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb&start=6031&end=6930","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb/thumbnail_6031000.jpg","/articles/6085044/Cocoa/Brevard-County/Florida/Council-accepts-FY2024-comprehensive-financial-report-auditors-issue-clean-opinion","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085044-ee25dfd069983e1c3584ed30d80c2f7c/orig.mp4?Expires=1775471779&Signature=kB7ssOEPi3EOxyk68AEuK4tXzmIqfN8CcwxuJvU1MU1PplBwxh4SVn-F5hBr1BFv3aYO541glTMlhByfxT1kEITRFvf2Nl35X7yD2P0VK~526f1L5ub-omcTeolYf5vB-AqYnPOI5gzTsQoSLukqFkP0TZW5uwF8KqZ8Lo99g7yFiVxuAgKGnSGbQ-ctlLLmgrDdKCt~A5zm-0JZTm68h~6oFocuZbh2RCocr~tFEc6trMtH5YkZpe6CmRBtTPC8kMvCDYlIVXfrQ8~KlRlhvJ7GU9q32f6MVN-Q8MtnHRmTgPNXObhq9~WY2o5MV1-mM~vUfJK73slpYfYE-2fPtg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cocoa City Council unanimously accepted the city's FY2024 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report on April 8 after auditors from Forvis Mazars presented a clean (unmodified) opinion.

Auditor Joel Knopp told the council there were no audit adjustments and no significant internal-control deficiencies identified. The audit firm also reported clean compliance findings on tested federal and state grant programs, including coronavirus state and local fiscal recovery funds and a hazard mitigation grant.

Key financial highlights the auditor noted included strong liquidity measures, a positive change in net position for both governmental and business-type activities, and a healthy General Fund with a large assigned and unassigned fund balance. The water and sewer enterprise fund also reported positive operating income.

Why it matters: An unmodified opinion indicates the auditors found Cocoa's year-end financial statements fairly presented under generally accepted accounting principles; clean compliance reports mean the city met the rules tested for major federal and state programs. Council praised city finance staff for consistent, clean audits.

The council voted to accept the report; staff and auditors will file required documentation with state agencies and make the CAFR available to the public.","External auditors Forvis Mazars gave the City of Cocoa an unmodified (clean) opinion on the FY2024 financial statements and compliance reports; council accepted the annual comprehensive financial report unanimously.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_47":92,"_49":93,"_51":94,"_53":95,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":96,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":97,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085048,"Council approves traffic-calming measures for multiple neighborhoods, funds from paving balance",853,5531000,6384000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb&start=5531&end=6384","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb/thumbnail_5531000.jpg","/articles/6085048/Cocoa/Brevard-County/Florida/Council-approves-traffic-calming-measures-for-multiple-neighborhoods-funds-from-paving-balance","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085048-f48f98a1fe7b88f8af107e5420f344f3/orig.mp4?Expires=1775471779&Signature=fRCXa8mqFpVRWNfxueSZ~mo-kCFmYW8PdWzyCUUNCaNr7h000~C7ZCxmKqifPuK5DOyxcit9sy5SfgQ6aZDLcXnjk1biS4pqmIB~HSuaMUGNwOvH-ADgrIP5yfXbrLgkSt07d4UsmUd4VwOVNQ9ZKPxnk-LCU3RDrBGunTjX5Tz4qhSVBw6SQDKWvdONW-hQRcJJcIjYi6clBu22zbtKkm--X2UereOQjJpzvNKi8ITLmEQtE~TIxMKNf4Nfym1iSKVADAVYOfX6KvksR-uPiYwhCrUgDvXkhI5y3lJcHWua8DyhGtziwn5DCz7-pVV~zHkd4dc5ZfAmAojByFtMmw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cocoa City Council approved a package of traffic-calming measures on April 8 and directed staff to evaluate and implement appropriate devices in a list of neighborhood locations.

Council members and residents cited repeated speeding and near-misses at several residential intersections. Locations discussed included Park Drive, North Carolina Avenue, North Georgia Avenue, Bristol Drive (including a dangerous curve), Cambridge Drive intersections, Talbot and Mycroft, Barr Avenue and connecting streets, Far Avenue (Home and Count streets), Pineda and Westchester, and others identified during public comment.

Council asked traffic engineers to recommend appropriate calming measures for each location (flashing stop signs, pedestrian signage, reflectors, or other devices) rather than prespecifying speed tables or speed humps. The council approved funding for the measures from the city's existing paving fund balance.

Why it matters: Council members and residents said recent crashes and frequent speeding endanger pedestrians and children in several neighborhoods. The city will now evaluate each location and propose specific installations based on traffic engineering guidance.

Staff follow-up: Transportation engineers will return with site-specific recommendations and cost estimates for each listed street; the council authorized using the paving fund balance for initial installations.","Cocoa approved staff review and implementation of traffic calming devices (flashing signs, pedestrian signs, reflectors) at specified neighborhood locations and authorized funding from existing paving dollars.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_47":104,"_49":105,"_51":106,"_53":107,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":108,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":109,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085052,"Cocoa council approves one-year citywide beautification pilot, directs manager to find funding",1086,3894000,4980000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb&start=3894&end=4980","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb/thumbnail_3894000.jpg","/articles/6085052/Cocoa/Brevard-County/Florida/Cocoa-council-approves-one-year-citywide-beautification-pilot-directs-manager-to-find-funding","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085052-8959e1fc5779ddd286d9350c49887e33/orig.mp4?Expires=1775471779&Signature=W3ovjv2HMX6Ob3wMaNqEBiJVQJdeMC~ptfjgkFoTBbvhbsJY-ETvljkw7QeDunwCY7C4j4L1a4xZbW3zwRmbsQCv6zgvbHykhNsoufjyrIPnNtEIC9~3jNcoVWUfa9jQ02iOKYzfmYlOHov3Q6s8hZQKCJ3Jeuc~wdQqu4zihhm6HKqIXQVLRegLr9QggdMfeKseKvcBPN2eIaR36Htj-j3QAI3xm-u6XLh4Sd39EDjCANR0xB3uJh9lgqoegamhs7nAjwjlB-kSYSZxl9TjwF9CuTFj0-QdWsmGqMMgdbJ19I~9hLs7L6DnPSYZPkjqxKf19A22fCi8updx~eiN7A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cocoa City Council on April 8 approved a one-year citywide beautification pilot modeled after the Diamond Square grant program and directed the city manager to identify funding and bring the item into the budget process.

Councilman Hearn proposed a pilot offering $10,000 for paint and $5,000 for landscaping supplies to cover multiple homeowners; the proposal excludes properties inside the Diamond Square CRA and prioritizes older homes (Hearn suggested homes built before 1980). Council members asked staff to design an application and verification process, and asked that staff ensure grants go to homeowners demonstrably in need.

The motion was amended on the floor to make the program a one-year pilot and to have the city manager present funding options as part of the FY2026 budget workshops. The council voted to approve the pilot; the meeting record shows the motion passed with one council member dissenting.

Why it matters: Council members said targeted exterior assistance can improve neighborhoods and spur neighboring homeowners to improve their properties, raising property values and neighborhood pride. Staff will return with eligibility, application, and verification procedures and a funding recommendation during the next budget cycle.

What council asked staff to do: design an application and review process, exclude properties that already receive CRA grants (Diamond Square), prioritize older homes built before 1980, and try to make the pilot cost-neutral by identifying one-year funding sources (staff suggested using available road/paving fund balances or other one-time sources). The motion did not appropriate funds tonight; it directed the manager to locate funding and return with a budget recommendation.","Council approved a one-year beautification grant pilot modeled on the Diamond Square program, allocating a proposed $15,000 (10,000 paint / 5,000 plants) to start and directing the city manager to identify funding; the program excludes Diamond Square and will target older homes.",{"_33":111,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":112,"_41":113,"_43":114,"_45":115,"_47":116,"_49":117,"_51":118,"_53":119,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":120,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":121,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085057,"Cocoa council asks county to extend Diamond Square CRA and lift $150,000 cap",345,2946000,3291000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb&start=2946&end=3291","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2906338-eb1c1eb65e715d7bf300b4e97430d0cb/thumbnail_2946000.jpg","/articles/6085057/Cocoa/Brevard-County/Florida/Cocoa-council-asks-county-to-extend-Diamond-Square-CRA-and-lift-150000-cap","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085057-a660b05ea27057b1bade4ad56290a89b/orig.mp4?Expires=1775471779&Signature=QsZQG-7yPNv5UVlO0ams-6s6RFLERlTcVrv59aeJc-FJYsJ68k0faVdFSVxntBPm4uvppAhGNb2KKxi1VHARh2~3DDD7F6uuPUDRmqV14nQ2ykLdsys5OqcfGYT4dhE7B0stxWKiBQvCBwiovDn-I1U9fo8shZBam6QnLRwUUfMBijfrjFKnPpvX1ZZ~8JLjZ8DZX89MtoB0XQkutMFtJWD~-Yp0mD5u6e8RoetgJt3Za3WtdjGPtqgpZLzt-AWUdTIZMugyah1jKJvWP4s7h6Dc~bOwTYSplfiDYV0NsNLVeEAl8wFSvsNW4~VN3mdqVG4kmIC-fifFqYZg80MeyQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Cocoa City Council authorized the city manager on April 8 to ask Brevard County to extend the Diamond Square Community Redevelopment Agency's termination date and to remove the county's $150,000 cap on annual tax-increment financing payments.

The council said the two requests come at the Diamond Square CRA's request. Staff told the council the interlocal agreement adopted in 2019 currently sets the CRA's termination as Sept. 30, 2032, and that the capped county payment reduced this year's budget for the CRA by $6,361.

Council discussion focused on the local importance of the CRA and a pair of bills pending in the state legislature the council said could limit or end CRAs statewide. The council voted to direct the city manager to engage the Brevard County manager and the county commission on both matters.

Why it matters: Diamond Square has been used for riverfront and neighborhood redevelopment projects. Extending the agency and removing the county cap would allow the CRA to keep using tax-increment revenues (TIF) to fund streetscape, housing and other projects the agency prioritized.

The council recorded the action as two separate requests: one asking the county to amend the termination date and the other asking the county to remove the $150,000 annual cap on TIF payments. Both requests were approved by council action and will be delivered to the county for consideration.

Council members and staff said they plan to ask residents and stakeholders to contact state representatives about the pending bills mentioned in the meeting record that could affect CRAs statewide. The council did not itself change the interlocal agreement; it authorized the city manager to pursue county approval for the two amendments.","The Cocoa City Council authorized the city manager to ask Brevard County to extend the Diamond Square Community Redevelopment Agency termination date and to remove the county's $150,000 annual tax-increment cap so the CRA can continue projects funded by TIF revenues.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Votes at a glance: key council actions April 8, 2025

Council accepts FY2024 comprehensive financial report; auditors issue clean opinion

Council approves traffic-calming measures for multiple neighborhoods, funds from paving balance

Cocoa council approves one-year citywide beautification pilot, directs manager to find funding

Cocoa council asks county to extend Diamond Square CRA and lift $150,000 cap