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Melbourne Beach weighs paid firefighters, county or neighboring takeover and a potential fire tax
Summary
At the May 14 budget workshop commissioners reviewed proposals for adding paid firefighters, a quote from a neighboring agency to provide service, and preliminary estimates for a local fire assessment (fire tax). Staff were asked to return with cost comparisons and options for selling or trading the town’s aging fire truck.
Melbourne Beach, Fla. — Commissioners spent a large portion of the May 14 budget workshop discussing whether to add paid firefighters, pursue an interlocal service agreement with a neighboring agency, or rely on Brevard County — and how to fund any choice with a dedicated fire assessment.
Town Manager Elizabeth Mascaro presented cost comparisons that the town has gathered so far. A staffing plan that adds six full‑time firefighters plus the fire chief produced a draft annual cost estimate in the town manager’s presentation of roughly $860,000. Mascaro said a neighboring municipality’s initial proposal for service — presented as a starting negotiation point — was about $904,000, and the county’s potential assessment numbers were still under review.
"They would add basically one additional firefighter per…
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