Mayor Rob Medina touts growth, $150 million paving plan and major water projects in Palm Bay address

Mayor Rob Medina used Palm Bay’s 2025 State of the City address to emphasize rapid growth and large infrastructure investments, announcing a $150 million multiyear “Go Roads” paving initiative, water‑and‑wastewater expansions, new and temporary fire stations, and a memorial funded for fallen first responders.

“I’m mayor Rob Medina, and I’m honored to present Palm Bay’s annual state of the city address reflecting on the achievements of last year,” Medina said, opening the speech with a focus on civic values of “commitment, integrity, service before self, transparency, and trust.” He framed the address around continued economic growth, public safety and infrastructure investment.

On development, Medina said the city issued nearly 14,000 building permits in 2024 and cited roughly $1.4 billion in project value, including a $144 million increase in commercial valuation; he added the city held 129 public hearings and processed approximately 8,000 development reviews. “Palm Bay continues to be ranked amongst the top for growth, affordability, performance, and quality of life,” he said.

Medina announced that Palm Bay joined what he called the “resilient quarters coalition,” which was awarded a $1,500,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for environmental testing of key parcels. He also said the city nominated a site referred to in the speech as “the compound” for land‑use revitalization technical assistance that will produce a next‑steps action plan.

Transportation and roads were a central focus. Medina described the Public Works Department’s multiyear Go Roads paving program as a $150,000,000 initiative and said the city had completed more than 418 miles of road improvements as of February 2025. He cited the July 2024 repaving of Minton Road (between Malabar and Jupiter Boulevard), saying contractor Ranger Construction performed full‑depth reclamation to rebuild the road base and place new asphalt on top.

On utilities, Medina said the new South Regional Water Reclamation Facility in Bayside Lakes is nearing completion and will initially process about 1,000,000 gallons of wastewater per day with plans to double capacity after the plant comes online. He said work is under way at the south regional water treatment plant to increase capacity from 6,000,000 to 8,000,000 gallons per day, with design to reach 10,000,000 gpd. He also announced the first phase of a North Regional reverse‑osmosis plant that will begin at 3,000,000 gpd with room to expand toward 10,000,000 gpd.

Public safety investments included a groundbreaking for Fire Station 7 in August 2024 and early‑stage planning for Fire Station 8 near Saint John’s Heritage Parkway and Malabar Road. Medina said the council approved purchase of a modular temporary Fire Station 9 to serve Southeast Palm Bay; the temporary facility will house seven firefighters, be equipped with a fire engine and a high‑water brush rescue vehicle, be built to withstand 175 mph winds and include a three‑year warranty.

Medina also reported the reestablishment of a Palm Bay Police Department general crimes unit in 2024 — staffed by a sergeant and three detectives — and said the unit managed roughly 375 cases with more than 160 active investigations and about 60 cases that resulted in warrants, arrests or charges.

On community amenities, Medina said the recreation department served over 304,000 participants across programs ranging from swim lessons to senior fitness; he listed parks and facility upgrades including work at Castaways Point and Stearns shoreline, a new court at Liberty Park, a playground at West Pines Estate Park, a new disc‑golf park, and renovations at Fred Poppy Regional Park featuring the city’s largest all‑inclusive play area.

The city also launched a website chatbot, “Ask Palm Bay,” described as available 24/7 and able to respond in 71 languages using Amazon Translate, and broke ground on Building E at the City Hall Campus — a three‑story, 39,142‑square‑foot facility to house utilities customer service, the building department, and IT while strengthening the city’s emergency operations capability.

Medina closed by recounting fundraising for a Sacrifice Park memorial to honor fallen first responders, saying Brevard County Commission approved $250,000 and the city secured additional funds including $150,000 in state appropriations and $100,000 in private donations. He also welcomed Matthew Morton as the city manager, calling him a leader with municipal finance and infrastructure experience.

The address contained primarily announcements and status reports; no formal votes or motions were recorded during the speech.