The Melbourne Beach Town Commission voted 3-2 to direct the town attorney to notify the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the town affirms its submission of a SAFER grant application and is not withdrawing the request.

The motion, made and seconded during the May meeting, followed extended public comment that included concerns about internal disputes, questions about whether town leadership contacted FEMA, and public praise for department staff and long-serving volunteers. Fire Chief Gavin Brown told the commission that the copy of the grant provided to the town “does not show on there that they’ve signed the grant as the authorized organization representative,” and he confirmed FEMA would not disclose who had requested withdrawal of the application to him.

Why it matters: The SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant is a federal FEMA award commonly used to fund firefighter recruitment and retention. Commissioners said confirming the town’s submission is intended to preserve the town’s chance for federal funding while questions remain about outside or internal communications that may have complicated the application process.

Public comments at the start of the meeting sharply focused on the town’s volunteer fire department and the stress around the SAFER application. Brian Troy, a resident, told the commission, “Don’t give up, man,” in a show of support for department leadership. Other speakers argued the town depends heavily on volunteers and expressed concern about how the grant controversy — and subsequent scrutiny of the chief — could affect staffing and service levels.

Several residents asked whether mutual aid agreements with neighboring jurisdictions mean those agencies would automatically respond if the volunteer department left. “We do have a mutual aid — all fire departments in Brevard County have a mutual aid agreement with each other,” Fire Chief Gavin Brown said, clarifying that mutual aid requires a request for assistance rather than automatic response: “It does not mean you can call them to come take care of it by themselves for free.”

Commission discussion before the vote mixed procedural and staffing concerns. One commissioner said the town should not proceed if repeated public questioning of the chief would continue to undermine departmental morale; another commissioner said the communication to FEMA was a discrete step to preserve the application. No commissioner named in the record was identified as the mover or seconder of the motion. The vote passed 3-2.

The commission did not provide additional details in the meeting about any specific email or request that FEMA might have received asking that the town withdraw the SAFER application; Town Attorney Ryan Knight said he had asked FEMA for that information and FEMA would not disclose it to him.

The commission adjourned after the vote. The commission and staff did not announce a follow-up timeline or reporting requirement for FEMA’s response during the meeting.