Cocoa Beach commission reviews stormwater vulnerabilities, approves contracts and a trash-fee increase

The Cocoa Beach City Commission on Oct. 16, 2025, received a city manager report on recent localized flooding and the city’s multi-decade stormwater vulnerability assessment and approved several contracts and a garbage fee adjustment tied to the existing solid-waste contract.

City Manager A.J. Hudson told commissioners the city experienced a heavy rainfall event that produced about "5 and a half inches of rain," high groundwater during a King Tide and localized flooding in neighborhoods including Woodland, Cedar, parts of Ocean Beach Boulevard and around State Road 520. Hudson said the flooding contributed to infiltration into sewer lines and left the treatment plant near capacity, and that the city asked residents to cut back on water use while staff worked to reduce plant volume.

Hudson also briefed commissioners on a citywide stormwater vulnerability assessment being conducted by Geosyntech engineers that he described as state-required; the target completion is June 2026, with an update planned for the commission’s Dec. 4 meeting. "There are no quick fixes to the flooding," Hudson said, adding that proposed solutions include larger pipes, additional outfalls and backflow preventers. He also stressed that the stormwater fund is an enterprise fund paid through the utility bill rather than property taxes.

Commissioners reviewed several capital projects and timelines. City staff said Ramp Road Park will break ground Oct. 27 and be closed for an estimated three to six months; Bicentennial Park is scheduled for completion Dec. 31; the downtown garage elevator cab replacement will begin Nov. 10 and run into December; the Dolphin 9 golf hole irrigation replacement will close Nov. 7 for about six weeks; and the Holiday Lane boat ramp survey is complete, with work awaiting lower water. Staff also reported tennis-court milling and other park improvements are under way.

Separately, the commission recognized Cocoa Beach Police Department personnel and community partners for assisting a recently homeless mother and infant. Assistant City Manager Wes Mullins, speaking about the officers and partners who helped secure shelter and supplies, said, "This is what we do here. This is what we're about." The recognition was ceremonial and not tied to formal policy action.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda: approved. Included was Resolution No. 2025-31, which implements a 5.39% increase to garbage/waste/trash fees effective in January 2026 (reflected in the February 2026 utility bill). Staff said the increase stems from escalation terms in the existing solid-waste contract.

- Contract award — Port Canaveral force-main air release valve replacement: accepted engineer's recommendation and authorized a contract with R and M Service Solutions LLC for $702,042 (budgeted capital project; eligible for state revolving funds): approved.

- Task order — Lift station rehabilitation: approved Task Order No. 6 with Kim Lehorn and Associates Inc. for construction-phase services for lift stations 3, 6 and 15 in the amount of $104,390 (budgeted capital project): approved.

- Purchase — Pool liner: approved purchase of a new pool liner from Reno Sys for $181,965 (budgeted capital item): approved.

- Meeting schedule: commissioners approved canceling the Nov. 20 and Dec. 18 regular meetings and the Jan. 1, 2026 city hall closure day, while ensuring at least one regular meeting during the period: approved.

- Ordinance 17-06 on first reading: the commission approved on first reading revisions to civil citation appeal procedures to route appeals to a special magistrate rather than county court and to update references to the city’s code enforcement process. The first reading passed; the item will return for a subsequent reading: approved on first reading.

What the votes mean and funding notes

Commissioners and staff noted the trash-fee increase is tied to escalation language in the city's current solid-waste contract, which runs from 2021 through 2026. City staff said the intent is to put the service out to bid when the contract expires (the manager noted the contract expires Dec. 31, 2026) unless the commission directs otherwise. Hudson said funds for the stormwater study come from a Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) grant and ARPA funds. Commissioners stressed there are no short-term technical fixes to the broader flooding vulnerabilities and that projects will require multi-year investments.

Discussion vs. formal action

Staff presented information and recommendations on flooding response, capital projects and procurement; those were discussion items. Formal actions approved by the commission at the meeting are listed above under "Votes at a glance." Several approvals were routine procurement or schedule decisions and carried on voice votes; the meeting transcript records the outcomes but does not include roll-call tallies for each vote.

Looking ahead

Staff said the stormwater vulnerability assessment will return to the commission with a status update on Dec. 4, 2025, and that multiple capital projects will begin construction in the coming weeks. The city also signaled plans to issue an RFP for solid-waste collection services when the existing contract ends in 2026.