Titusville council hears plan to re-establish local economic development organization, votes to add item to next agenda

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — City staff presented a plan on Nov. 13 for restoring a local economic development organization after the North Brevard Economic Development Zone was dissolved, outlining governance, program pillars and funding options and winning unanimous council approval to place the proposal on the next meeting’s agenda.

Nick, the city’s economic development director, told the council the recommended, phased approach emphasizes recruitment, workforce training, site readiness grants, small-business support and catalytic redevelopment. “When Titusville leads its own economic development efforts. We prosper,” he said, urging a governance structure that maintains council oversight while allowing the organization to act with businesslike responsiveness.

Staff proposed a seven-member oversight board, with each council member appointing one director and the council selecting two at-large members from chamber-submitted nominees; the city manager would appoint the executive director and the organization would be supported administratively by city staff. Nick told council that accountability would be codified through quarterly reports, conflict-of-interest policies and independent audits.

On funding, staff recommended a diversified mix rather than a single source. Proposals included a one-time seed fund of $500,000 to capitalize early projects and a restricted annual appropriation in the $300,000–$700,000 range to fund staff and operations; staff also proposed evaluating a 20-year tax increment financing district “consistent with Florida statutes” and earmarking incremental FPL franchise fees from new development to grow the funding stream over time. Nick said objective performance metrics would track jobs created, capital investment secured, site readiness milestones, permitting velocity and loan/grant deployment and repayment.

Members of the public spoke in support. Bart Gechens, a former SEDC and county EDC chair, said incentives and organized EDO work produce large returns and encouraged the council to invest. “Funding economic development is a sound investment in our community,” he said. Robert Jordan, a Titusville resident, called the proposed seed money a necessary step to secure future investment and jobs. Stan Retz, a former zone board member and CPA, cited prior redevelopment success under the zone as evidence that targeted grants can yield significant tax-base growth.

Council members probed the proposal’s details. One member raised concerns about appointments and suggested a vetted candidate pool or minimum qualifications to avoid unqualified or nepotistic picks. Council also asked how the new programs differed from prior regional efforts; staff said the approach emphasizes full site readiness and expanded small-business incubator and workforce-linkage efforts, areas where previous models provided less support.

On funding mechanics, council discussed earmarking a portion of franchise fees from new development rather than diverting existing revenue. One council member noted the city currently receives about $3.6 million in FPL franchise fees overall and asked that any earmark be limited to the delta produced by new projects. The city manager said $500,000 in seed money already exists and has discussed a transfer of roughly $1,600,000 from the county (administrative steps and program-management conditions apply) to help capitalize the effort.

By professional courtesy the council agreed to wait for Member Sarah Stockel before taking final action. Mayor (speaker 1) asked how the council wished to proceed; Member Nelson moved to add the staff presentation to the special presentation slot and to put a formal action item on the next council meeting agenda so Stockel could participate. A council member seconded the motion and the mayor called for ayes; the motion carried unanimously.

The next steps: staff will prepare the necessary resolutions and budget amendments for council consideration at the upcoming meetings, and staff will return with the governing documents, candidate nomination criteria and funding details for a final council vote.