PalmBayFLORIDA PALM BAY, FLORIDA

CITY ON A ROLL

he City of Palm Bay is no stranger to reinvention. The history of the Florida city is varied and vibrant, rooted in PALM BAY Tthe lore of Native Florida and represent- ing the cutting edge of engineering and Florida technology today. It is the spirit of the city and residents that has allowed Palm Bay to adapt to the times and thrive, becom- ing Brevard’s largest community. Palm Bay’s early inhabitants are thought to have been the Timucua Indi- ans, who were originally attracted to the freshwater springs, fish, oysters, and wild- life at the mouth of Turkey Creek at the Indian River. In the 1850s the area, then known as Tillman, was host to European settlers who built homes along Turkey Creek and founded a lumbering opera- tion and orange groves. Between 1910 and 1914, Tillman became the center of a land company known as the Indian Riv- er Catholic Colony. The colony’s zealous farmers attempted to grow two crops a season, which quickly depleted the soil quality and the colony ultimately failed. In the 1920s the city was renamed Palm Bay, calling to mind the beautiful sable palm-lined bay anchoring the city’s east side at the mouth of Turkey Creek. A group of Tillman businessmen estab- PALM BAY, FLORIDA

Buchanan estimates that with all the new construction and job offerings, the city’s current population of about 111,000 will grow to 225,000 over the next twenty years. The Growth Management projections show that the city is ready for the influx of new residents.

success of the early 1920s was cut short when Bay in 1960. On the heels of the incorporation, a fire broke out amongst the dredges and a the city’s industrial base began to grow. One severe hurricane hit Palm Bay. By 1926, the pre- of the city’s first major industrial corporations, viously flourishing Melbourne-Tillman Drainage Radiation Inc., later evolved into the Harris District was bankrupt. Corporation, which still serves as the city’s ma- Palm Bay’s modern resurgence can be traced jor employer today. The 1970s saw increasing back to 1959, when the Mackle brothers of construction and expansion in the city and as a Miami purchased land for a local residential result Palm Bay experienced enormous growth project. Although the project had its share of in the ensuing two decades. stops and starts, it served as a catalyst for the For three consecutive years between 2003 growth of industry and population in the area, and 2005, the City of Palm Bay was a finalist for lished the Melbourne-Tillman leading to the incorporation of the City of Palm the All-America City Award. Growth was steady Drainage District, and issued $1.5 million worth of bonds. Starting in 1922, a 180-mile grid comprised of 80 canals was dug to drain 40,000 acres of swampy land west of Palm Bay. The canals made it pos- sible to control flooding and turn marsh lands to agricul- tural use. The area’s main industry was rooted in citrus AT A GLANCE groves which shipped winter PALM BAY, FLORIDA produce via the Florida East WHAT: A city of 111,000 Coast Railroad to northern markets. Farmers also sold WHERE: In Broward County, on Florida’s central-eastern coast timber and land to paper WEBSITE: www. palmbayflorida.org companies. The economic PALM BAY, FLORIDA

and the future looked bright for Palm Bay. Like mercial building permits,” says Buchanan, picking up where Anderson so many other American cities, the housing left off. “Last year, we issued $155 million in building permits – about crisis of 2008 dealt a blow to Palm Bay’s econo- 18 percent of those permits were commercial. This year, we’re on my. “The two main drivers of the economy were track to issue $185 million the Kennedy Space Center’s shuttle program worth of building permits and construction,” says Andy Anderson, Palm with about 30 percent com- Bay’s Director of Economic Development and mercial. We have a number External Affairs. “We were hit pretty hard during of regional builders that are the Recession. The shuttle program went out either building here or look- of business at the same time as the housing ing to purchase subdivisions bubble hit, so we had a double whammy and to build here.” we were hurting. Up until the bubble hit, our “The new builders are pri- economy was a successful residential develop- marily focused on two areas ment-based economy and the city had set aside of the city,” Anderson adds. very little in the way of commercial property. It “Our biggest area of interest is very difficult to sustain a city on residential taxes, alone.” That was particularly true in Palm Bay, which experienced one of the state’s high- est foreclosure rates. “About two years ago, there was a change in leadership, with a new City Council and a new City Manager,” says Anderson. “They brought me in along with other growth and development specialists to help repair the damage.” The team Anderson referred to is Bayfront Community Redevelopment Agency Administrator, James Marshal and Stuart Buchanan, Palm Bay’s Direc- tor of Growth Management. “We went to work right away, changing ordinances, getting some of our properties re-zoned and adjusted to make it easier to increase our commercial base. With those changes, we now have some very large projects in the works,” Anderson explains. “We have increased our percentage of com- PALM BAY, FLORIDA

is in the southern part of the city where a brand new interchange on I-95 is being built. That interchange Anderson continues. “Before the Recession, it will be located at the segment of I-95 that has the was developing quickly to the west. The old, longest stretch without an interchange on the entire original part of Palm Bay, which was built in the Your Neighborhood Title Company east coast route. The project will be a collaboration ‘50s, was really suffering. One of our major cor- between the State, the City, and developers. The porations, Harris Corporation, expanded in 2007 Florida Department of Transportation is building the and added a huge, high-tech research and devel- interchange and the city is building the connector road. opment center in the old part of Palm Bay, which Once the infrastructure is in place, developers will step was a huge step in the right direction. Moving in to build new subdivisions and all new commercial forward, the biggest problem that we’re going to Residential Titles n Commercial Titles properties. Another area developers are focusing on Our company has a cumulative 60 years of title experience and our run into now that we’ve solved the employment title examiners and real estate closers are all professionals. We are is on the west side of the city where we have the St. a full service independent title insurance company specializing in issues in this area is workforce retention and commercial, lender, residential and developer real estate transactions. John’s Heritage Parkway, a new road between Palm Bay recruitment. It’s a younger work force that desires Broad based expertise and Melbourne. Lennar is going to build that area out. more lifestyle options and amenities. The work Flexible closings on your schedule Between those two projects, that’s an additional 1.6 being carried out in our Bayfront Redevelopment million square feet of commercial space.” Se Habla Espanol District is aimed to target those issues. Developing “We’re a large city. We encompass 110 square miles 321.726.6414 n 4888 Babcock Street NE n Palm Bay, FL 32905 the Bayfront and connecting that area to Harris is www.peninsulatitleservices.com and only about 35 percent of it is developed out,” critical to adapting Palm Bay to suit the needs of PALM BAY, FLORIDA

our young, upcoming workforce.” tion and their employees and we found out the vironment that’s walkable and vibrant. All the their acquisition costs for talent. It’s going to “Harris has about 3,500 high-paying tech type of features their workforce is looking for. numbers and concepts look great and we are lower their turnover and their human resources jobs in a brand new building that does nearly Millennials represent about 22 percent of their really excited about the project. costs, which makes their contracts more com- a billion dollars a year in research and devel- workforce, today, and in ten years, it will be 75 “All of these efforts are about being able to petitive. It’s a win-win for our community and opment projects,” says Marshal. “So, if you’re percent. When we reviewed the data, we found entice a young and in-demand workforce to our commercial sector.” going to build out amenities for a targeted that they wanted a more modern ‘vibe’. They come here. We want Palm Bay to be their home. “Under Florida statute, we have a tool called workforce, you have to first find out what that want a downtown, so we are working to create If we can accomplish that goal, we will help a Business Development District,” says Ander- workforce wants. With that goal in mind, we set this urban ‘burb’ near their campus. It really gets our local high-tech employers to become more son. “It will have defined boundaries in the east up interviews and surveys with Harris Corpora- down to a ‘live here, play here, work here’ en- competitive in a global economy by lowering side of Palm Bay, including all of our high-tech PALM BAY, FLORIDA

that provides sanitary sewer and potable water,” he states. “We have several million gallons a day of re- employers. You can leverage up to two extra serve. We have 11 million gallons a day permitted to mills, on top of what you’re paying, and those PREFERRED us, and we currently use seven. So we’ve got plenty two extra mills will stay in the district and pay of room for expansion.” “And when developers come VENDORS for things like road reconstruction. As far as the online, they have to pay impact fees for expansion n property adjacent to the new boulevard we’re Wade Trim of the system, so the users of the system, now, don’t www.wadetrim.com putting in – those are all privately-owned and have to have their rates increase. The developers pay the investors are ready to go with multi-use Multi-disciplinary engineering and planning for the lines that go into their developments,” Ander- consultants, Wade Trim works with a wide range buildings along there. So, for the city, the big- of public agency and private sector clients. Its son explains. gest expense is redesigning that one mile. On disciplines include: civil engineering, planning, Once again, Palm Bay has lifted itself up, dusted surveying, operations, landscape architecture, and the other side, the Bayfront Redevelopment funding mechanisms set up for those.” itself off, and re-invented its future. “We’ve learned environmental science services. Wade Trim is con- District already exists – it’s a Tax Incremental Buchanan estimates that with all the new sistently ranked in the top 500 design firms and to diversify,” says Anderson. “We’re not just looking the top 200 environmental firms, and continues to Finance (TIF) entity. They’ve been collecting, for construction and job offerings, the city’s cur- at space programs. We’re not counting on residential be nationally recognized for innovative solutions. the last ten, fifteen years, the incremental in- rent population of about 111,000 will grow to development alone. We’ve learned from our mis- crease in property taxes and putting them into 225,000 over the next twenty years. The Growth n Peninsula Title Services takes of the past and we’re not putting our eggs in www.peninsulatitleservices.com that Bayfront Community Redevelopment Agen- Management projections show that the city one basket anymore. We’ve had an incredible recov- cy for land acquisition and improvements and is ready for the influx of new residents. “Palm ery and we’re open for business. We’re rolling, now.” things such as the boardwalk. So, we have the Bay has an in-house, full utilities department WWW. PALMBAYFLORIDA.ORG

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