Shows / The Palm Bayer
The Palm Bayer
Palm Bay’s trusted source for local news, analysis, and civic engagement. The Palm Bayer delivers in-depth stories, interviews, and community updates.
www.thepalmbayer.com
Episodes
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Sets Maximum Tax Cap, Restores Public Comment, and Sends Vacancy Referendum to Voters
Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay City Council set the maximum property tax cap for the upcoming fiscal year at the rolled-back rate, restored the second public…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | July 13 - 19, 2026
Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay City Council is scheduled to convene for its regular meeting on Thursday, July 16, to set the proposed maximum operating millage…
The Palm BayerTax TRIM Seeding, Charter Referendum, and $3.4 Million Water Projects Top Palm Bay Agenda
Palm Bay, FL – The July 16, 2026 Palm Bay City Council meeting centers on critical fiscal benchmarks, a major election-year governance proposal, and…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay's $15 Million Cut Target Survives the Revenue Test. Now Comes the Hard Part.
Palm Bay, FL – Two months ago, this publication ended its May 13 budget workshop coverage with three numbers to track. The first was whether the $15 million…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | July 6 - 12, 2026
Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay City Council is scheduled to hold a critical budget workshop on Tuesday, July 7, to begin formal discussions on the proposed Fiscal…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Council Approves Majors Golf Course Range, Everlands West PUD, and Board Reforms
Palm Bay, FL. The Palm Bay City Council advanced several long-debated municipal decisions during its meeting on July 2, 2026. From authorizing negotiations to…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay City Council Candidates Issued Governance Readiness Exam
Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bayer has issued a formal candidate readiness assessment to the six candidates running for City Council Seats 4 and 5. Rather than…
The Palm BayerDeSantis's State Budget Vetoes Cut $3.88 Million Across Five Palm Bay Projects
Palm Bay, FL – On Monday, June 29, 2026, Governor Ron DeSantis signed Florida’s state budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27 in Tampa, executing $1.7 billion in total…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | June 29 - July 5, 2026
Palm Bay, FL – The City of Palm Bay has announced the official schedule for its 2026 Independence Day Celebration on Saturday, July 4. Celebrating the 250th…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Water Report Reveals Unreported December E. Coli Violation and High PFAS Levels
Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay Utilities Department (PBUD) has released its annual 2026 Water Quality Report, covering testing performed throughout 2025. While…
The Palm BayerSewer Plant Recovery, Bayside Lakes Acquisition, and Parkway Expansion Dominate Palm Bay Agenda
Palm Bay, FL. The July 2, 2026 Palm Bay City Council meeting features a collision of major utility recovery efforts, land-use decisions, and administrative…
The Palm BayerUpcoming Palm Bay Planning Meeting to Address Treeland Townhome Rezoning and Emerald Lakes Expansion
Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay Planning and Zoning Board will consider two major residential developments at its July 1 meeting. Board members will evaluate a…
The Palm BayerQualifying Closes for 2026 Palm Bay City Council Seats 4 and 5 Races
Palm Bay, FL – The qualifying window for the 2026 Palm Bay municipal elections closed yesterday, June 12, 2026, finalizing the field of candidates who will…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Announces Aerial Shows, Sponsors, and Fireworks for Independence Day Celebration
Palm Bay, FL– The City of Palm Bay will host its Annual Independence Day Celebration on Saturday, July 4, 2026. This year’s event commemorates the 250th…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | June 22 - 29, 2026
Palm Bay, FL – The Palm Bay Utilities Department is implementing a series of billing changes starting June 22, 2026. Customers who pay their utilities bills…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | June 15 - 21, 2026
Palm Bay, FL – Palm Bay is facing a significant wave of federal civil rights and negligence litigation that could impact municipal policy, training range…
The Palm BayerQualifying Closes for 2026 Palm Bay City Council Seats 4 and 5 Races
Palm Bay, FL – The qualifying window for the 2026 Palm Bay municipal elections closed yesterday, June 12, 2026, finalizing the field of candidates who will…
The Palm BayerFormer Deputy Chief Sues Palm Bay, Alleging Discrimination and Whistleblower Retaliation
PALM BAY, FL — Former Palm Bay Deputy Police Chief Lance Fisher has filed a federal lawsuit against the City of Palm Bay, alleging disability discrimination…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Council Tackles Private Road Standoff and Wastewater Plant Default
Palm Bay, FL, June 9, 2026. A special council meeting on Tuesday highlighted the growing friction between private infrastructure neglect and public project…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | June 8 - 14, 2026
Palm Bay, FL – Palm Bay City Council has called a special meeting during its controversial June recess to address two severe infrastructure emergencies that…
The Palm BayerRoad Collapse Isolates Seniors, Reignites Palm Bay Infrastructure Dispute
Palm Bay, FL – A major road collapse inside the Palm Bay Estates 55+ mobile home co-op has isolated approximately 120 senior residents and cut off emergency…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | June 1 - 7, 2026
Palm Bay, FL – Palm Bay has been ranked the 13th most affordable city in the United States to buy a home, standing as the only Florida municipality to break…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | May 25 - 31, 2026
Palm Bay, FL – In observance of the Memorial Day holiday, all City of Palm Bay government offices will be closed on Monday, May 25. This holiday closure brings…
The Palm BayerSurveillance, Safety, and Special Interests: Inside Palm Bay's Five-Hour Policy Meltdown
Palm Bay, FL. A contentious five-hour municipal voting session on May 21 exposed deep structural friction between rapid commercial expansion, acute public…
The Palm BayerMalabar Annex Training Exercise Advisory
Palm Bay, FL -- The 45th Security Forces Squadron will conduct a Base Defense Field Training Exercise at the Malabar Annex on Friday, May 22, 2026. The…
The Palm BayerCouncil Asked to Overrule Unanimous P&Z Denial on Fuel Station; Dispensary Ban Heads to Final Vote
Palm Bay City Council Regular Meeting 2026-15Thursday, May 21, 2026, 6:00 PMCouncil Chambers, 120 Malabar Road SE, Palm Bay A 5:30 PM State of the City message…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | May 18 - 24, 2026
Palm Bay, FL -- Former U.S. Representative Bill Posey died Saturday, May 9, in Melbourne. He was 78. For the week of May 18, the courthouse delivered a…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Sets Sights on $15 Million Budget Cut, DOGE Drives FY27 Workshop
Palm Bay, FL -- Palm Bay’s fiscal year 2027 budget cycle opened Wednesday night with a single number on the board: $15 million. That is the size of the cut…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | May 11 - 17, 2026
Brevard Schools Disables Canvas After Cyberattack; Parents Told to Watch for Phishing Brevard Public Schools shut off student access to Canvas this week after…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Council Approves Cannabis Ban, Clears 1,200-Acre Everlands Development on Split Votes
Palm Bay, FL -- The City Council passed a citywide ban on new cannabis dispensaries, cleared the path for a 1,198-acre residential development on the city's…
The Palm BayerPlanning Board Kills NW Gas Station 7-0, Sends Cannabis Ban to Council on 5-2 Vote
Palm Bay, FL -- The Planning and Zoning Board on May 6 voted unanimously to recommend denial of a proposed gas station at the northwest corner of Emerson Drive…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Sets August 18 Primary for Council Seats 4 and 5
Palm Bay, FL -- The City of Palm Bay has formally noticed a municipal primary election for August 18, 2026. Two council seats are on the ballot. The qualifying…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | May 4 - 10, 2026
Palm Bay, FL -- Three consecutive days of brushfires inside The Compound forced six homes to evacuate by reverse 9-1-1 on April 30 and brought in mutual aid…
The Palm BayerCannabis Ban, Centerpointe Settlement, Everlands West, and a Lobbying Contract Land at Palm Bay Council May 7
Palm Bay, FL -- The May 7 Regular Council Meeting carries one of the heaviest agendas of the year. A citywide cannabis dispensary ban hits first reading. A…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Planning Board to Take Up Dispensary Ban, Gas Station CU, and Public Safety LOS Standards May 6
Palm Bay, FL -- The Planning and Zoning Board meets Wednesday, May 6 at 6:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers, 120 Malabar Road SE. The board has four items: a…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Man Charged With Defrauding a Dead Man While Under House Arrest
Palm Bay, FL -- A Palm Bay man is sitting in the Brevard County jail without bond after investigators say he spent months using a dead acquaintance's…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | April 27 - May 3, 2026
Palm Bay, FL -- Two parks close tomorrow for long-planned renovation work, utility billing shifts to monthly after years on a quarterly schedule, and Saturday…
The Palm BayerFortune 500 Takes Over Palm Bay's Harley-Davidson Dealership
Fortune 500 Takes Over Palm Bay’s Harley-Davidson Dealership Palm Bay, FL -- Space Coast Harley-Davidson, Palm Bay’s only Harley-Davidson dealership, changed…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Cuts Its Last Quarterly Utility Bill Today. Three Rounds of Change Are Coming.
Palm Bay, FL -- Today is the last day the city will mail a quarterly utility bill. The Utilities Department cut its final quarterly invoice on April 23, 2026…
The Palm BayerHealth First Files 120-Bed Palm Bay Hospital Expansion, Reimagined From 2023 Pullback
Editor’s note: Heads up for regular readers — I’m in surgery Monday morning for a reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (replacement) at Palm Bay Hospital. Yes…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay: April 20-26, 2026
Watch the newscast: YouTube (16:9) | Short Palm Bay, FL -- Two civic workstreams move forward this week, a new oversight body holds its organizational meeting…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Council Authorizes $2.4M Emergency Wastewater Procurement After Permit Violation Admission
Editor's note: Substack's email edition limits the length of our detailed reports. The complete article — including full documentation and all visuals — is…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | April 13-19, 2026
Here's what you need to know for the week of April 13. Council Meeting Thursday: Everlands West is Back Thursday is the big one. City Council meets at 6 PM for…
The Palm BayerThey Celebrate Biking to School on Roads They've Already Declared Too Dangerous to Walk
Palm Bay, FL -- On May 6, the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization will celebrate Bike & Roll to School Day. Schools across Brevard County are…
The Palm BayerSeven Years in the Making: FDOT Closes Malabar Road Medians to Test Permanent Changes
Palm Bay, FL -- Starting Sunday, April 12, the two median openings on Malabar Road between San Filippo Boulevard and I-95 will be closed. For the next 12…
The Palm BayerEverlands West Got the Votes. Now It Has to Meet the Conditions.
Palm Bay, FL -- The Planning and Zoning Board approved Everlands West 4-1 on April 1. Every news outlet that covered the vote treated it as a green light. It…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay's Recreation Board Is Tired of Waiting
Palm Bay, FL -- The city’s Recreation Advisory Board met Tuesday evening and spent the better part of two hours navigating a familiar tension: programs that…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay’s School Concurrency System Has Gaps. The Lotis Vote Showed How They Play Out.
Palm Bay, FL -- Two elementary schools serving southwest Palm Bay are already above 100% capacity. The middle school serving that same area lacks sufficient…
The Palm BayerThis Week in Palm Bay | April 6-12, 2026
Here’s what you need to know for the week of April 6. Recap The Jones compound case took a major turn last week. Prosecutors upgraded the charge to…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay’s Construction Boom Is Slowing Down. The Permit Data Proves It.
Palm Bay, FL -- The construction boom that reshaped Palm Bay’s neighborhoods, taxed its roads, and strained its water and sewer systems has been cooling off…
The Palm BayerYour Yard Waste Is Late. Here’s Why, and a Trash Tip You Probably Missed.
Palm Bay, FL -- If your yard waste pile has been sitting at the curb longer than usual, you’re not imagining it. The city posted a notice on April 3 explaining…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Restructures City Government, Cuts $2M Check to IRS at April 2 Council Meeting
Palm Bay, FL -- The City Council passed three ordinances Thursday night that restructure how Palm Bay’s government is organized, approved a $2,054,397.93…
The Palm BayerP&Z Sends Everlands West to Council, But Concurrency Is Now the Price of Admission
Palm Bay, FL -- The Planning and Zoning Board spent nearly two hours Wednesday night on a single question that now hangs over every large development in the…
The Palm BayerBrevard County Is Taking Your Old Tires for Free This April. Here’s What Palm Bay Residents Need to Know.
Palm Bay, FL -- Brevard County will hold three days of free tire disposal for residents April 16, 17, and 18, 2026. Each household can drop off up to 24 tires…
The Palm BayerLDC Workshop 3 Is April 8. Here Is What the Code Is Missing.
Palm Bay, FL -- The third of four public feedback workshops for the Phase 2 Land Development Code update is scheduled for April 8, 2026 at 4:00 PM at City…
The Palm BayerMan Found in Suitcases at The Compound Was a Convicted Sex Offender. The Suspect Was 12 When He Was Sentenced.
Palm Bay, FL -- Colie Lee Daniel, 28, of Indialantic was a registered sex offender under Florida law. His 2018 conviction was for lewd or lascivious battery on…
The Palm BayerThe City Can’t Fill 130 Jobs. The Math Explains Why.
Palm Bay, FL -- Palm Bay has 130 full-time positions sitting empty. That is not a staffing glitch. It is a symptom. And the symptom has a number attached to…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Cuts the Ribbon on Fire Station 7, Ending Years of Delayed Response Times in the Northeast
Palm Bay, FL -- The City of Palm Bay will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Fire Station 7 on April 14 at 10:00 AM at 2144 Palm Bay Road. Residents…
The Palm Bayer1,300 Acres, 2,000 Homes, and a Detour Through Tallahassee
Palm Bay, FL -- A Vero Beach ranch company has filed an environmental permit application to build roughly one mile of the St. Johns Heritage Parkway through…
The Palm BayerPalm Bay Council Set to Reshape City Departments, Approve $2M IRS Payment at April 2 Meeting
Listen to this article Palm Bay, FL -- Thursday’s Regular Council Meeting carries the most significant administrative restructuring City Manager Matthew Morton…