WEST MELBOURNE THE HEART OF THE SPACE COAST

CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS • FINANCE • RESEARCH HI-TECH • SIMULATION/SOFTWARE • SMALL BUSINESS

MAYOR’S WELCOME Welcome to our City

Mayor Hal J. Rose and the West Melbourne City Council thank you for your interest in the City of West Melbourne! West Melbourne has it all: a convenient location in one of the world’s top technology hotspots - Florida’s Space Coast, low taxes, an excellent quality of life, a top-tier educational system, and a pro-business government committed to responsible economic development. Take a look at West Melbourne and discover the opportunities that await your business. You’ll like what you see! The City’s economic development priorities are: -Creating value-added job opportunities for our residents; -Supporting our existing industries and recruiting compatible industries; Hal J. Rose -Diversifying our community’s economic base; Mayor -Enhancing the overall quality of life in our City. To address these priorities, the City of West Melbourne has established strong working partnerships with State and County agencies, such as Enterprise Florida and the Space Coast Economic Development Commission, as well as the premier educational resources, including the University of Central Florida and Eastern Florida State College. These partnerships and our shared commitment to regional economic development objectives enable the City of West Melbourne and our partners to realize our shared, sustainable, development vision. Barbara Smith Council Member West Melbourne is a young City maturing into a community driven by the development of technology-industry clusters and capitalizing on our proximity to, and established relationships with, our region’s educational and research leaders. West Melbourne’s ever-diversifying retail and entertainment opportunities, unsurpassed natural assets, and recreational facilities, make our City one of the best places to live, work and raise a family.

Pat Bentley Deputy Mayor

John Dittmore Adam Gaffney Andrea Young Daniel Batcheldor Council Member Council Member Council Member Council Member

WEST MELBOURNE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT BROCHURE | INTRODUCTION 3 THE HEART OF THE Jacksonville SPACE COAST

Miami

The City of West Melbourne is located in Brevard County, along central Florida’s “Space Coast”, approximately fifty miles south of the Kennedy Space Center.

4 LOCATION | WEST MELBOURNE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY GUIDE TOP "5" BENEFITS

West Melbourne is strategically-located on Central Florida’s East Coast in Brevard County. This location can provide your business with quick access to air, rail, sea, space and over-the-road transportation systems. West Melbourne is minutes away from Interstate Highway access, deep water ports and a space port. Easy access to the northern and southern hemispheres’ markets make West Melbourne the ideal logistical choice for your company. 1 LOCATION

West Melbourne combines the friendliness and accessibility of a small town with the excitement and vibrancy of the Florida Space Coast! Located minutes from some of the world’s most famous beaches, the City of West Melbourne is also minutes away from other local attractions such as the Kennedy Space Center, the Brevard Zoo, the King Performing Arts Center, Space Coast Stadium and the Brevard Country Club-Melbourne. 2 COMMUNITY West Melbourne offers educational resources from preschool to post graduate all within five miles of the city! Brevard County schools rank 6th among all school districts in Florida, with a graduation rate of 86.2%. Barry University, Eastern Florida State College, Columbia College, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Everest University, Florida Institute of Technology, Keiser University, the University of Central Florida (Southern Region) and Webster University provide readily accessible 3 higher education, research and development opportunities. SCHOOLS

West Melbourne is home to numerous technology and manufacturing firms including advanced wireless telecommunications, avionics and defense technologies, advanced metallurgy production and electronic circuit board manufacturing and assembly firms. Technically-skilled 4 workforce is readily available for your business in West Melbourne. TALENT

West Melbourne is a pro-business city government committed to planned growth and creating job opportunities. The City provides expedited permitting and application assistance, local tax abatement to qualifying companies, and access to brownfield incentives. You can couple these programs’ with additional State, regional, and local incentives, programs, and services to assist your business' relocation or expansion in West Melbourne. 5 BUSINESSES WEST MELBOURNE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY GUIDE | LOCATION 5 SKY ROCKETING ECONOMY

With one of the lowest tax rates in Brevard County, West Melbourne has taken great strides in improving the City’s business climate. Find out what these The City has established: an economic enhancement district (WAVE industry leaders already District) to allow access to state and federal job creation incentives, know and make West a tax abatement program to reduce overall operating expenses for Melbourne the launching companies, and redevelopment/capital improvement programs to focus public infrastructure improvements on its commercial pad for your company’s corridors and business parks. success! Capitalizing on the close proximity to an established technology and aerospace industry cluster, the City of West Melbourne is aggressively pursuing technology-oriented manufacturing, warehousing/distribution and professional service companies seeking a competitive advantage in the marketplace. West Melbourne is home to corporate headquarters, manufacturers and technology-oriented companies such as RELM Wireless, Lockheed Martin, Confluent RF Systems, and Mack Technologies. These companies represent a rage of specializations including advanced wireless telecommunication, avionics and defense technologies, advanced metallurgy production and electronic circuit board manufacturing and assembly.

6 ECONOMY | WEST MELBOURNE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY GUIDE THE WEST MELBOURNE ADVANTAGE

Highway Accessibility Availability of Skilled Labor Proximity to Major Markets Available Land & Utilities Tax Exemptions Fast-Track Permitting

West Melbourne stands out among other cities in its readiness to provide assistance to help existing businesses expand and to attract new businesses that bring additional jobs opportunities, investment and services to the community.

...and our local businesses agree:

We're happy to be in West Melbourne. We've been here 27 years, in this business friendly area. The Space Coast is a great place to find a highly technical workforce and our customers love to come visit us. DAVE CHRISTIANO President USSI Telecommunications KARL KETTNER Senior Program Manager Lockheed Martin We chose to expand in West Melbourne because of the economics and the broad talent base and technicians.

WEST MELBOURNE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY GUIDE | ECONOMY 7 CHECK OUT OUR TALENT

Fast Facts Demographics: Age 29% 21,375 23% 20% POPULATION 17%

2.4 11%

AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE 4,295 3,125 3,771 5,352 2,135 $53,401 0-19 20-34 35-49 50-75 75+

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME Demographics: Gender

Educational Attainment

NONo HighHIGH School SCHOOL Diploma DIPLOMA (6%) 52% 48% HIGHHigh School SCHOOL Graduate GRADUATE (29%)

SOMESome CollegeCOLLEGE (32%) BACHELOR’S/GRADUATE/ PROFESSIONAL DEGREE (34%) MALE FEMALE

8 QUALITY OF LIFE | WEST MELBOURNE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY GUIDE Employment Statistics

5.3% 13% 70% 18%

UNEMPLOYMENT RATE + + = 10,711 EMPLOYEES

SERVICES WHITE BLUE COLLAR COLLAR

Cost of Living Statistics

$173,900 68.8% $1,140

MEDIAN HOME PRICE HOME OWNERSHIP MEDIAN RENT

Quality of Life Index

WEATHER

WEST MELBOURNE RESTAURANTS UNITED STATES MEDICAL THE UNITED STATES REPRESENTS THE AVERAGE, EDUCATION AT 100 POINTS. ANY RESULTS EXCEEDING 100 AMUSEMENT MEANS WEST MELBOURNE IS "ABOVE AVERAGE" IN THAT CATEGORY. QUALITY OF LIFE

0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350

JANUARY JULY HIGH-LOW HIGH-LOW

131 234 40°F 50°F 60°F 70°F 80°F 90°F 100°F

WEST MELBOURNE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY GUIDE | QUALITY OF LIFE 9 BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

West Melbourne is a member of the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast and the Melbourne Regional Chamber of East Central Florida. Both of these organizations provide extensive guidance and assitance to new businesses or those looking to expand in South Brevard County. The City also has affiliations with the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Melbourne Brevard Community College and the “My Region” organization in Central Florida. The Small Business Development Center offers a wealth of information about starting a new business or expanding existing businesses.

The following pages provide a summary of business incentives offered at the local, regional, and state levels, for qualifying industries and companies that seek to relocate or expand within the City. The breadth of available local incentives make the relocation or expansion of your business in West Melbourne a profitable and business-savvy decision!

10 INCENTIVES | WEST MELBOURNE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY GUIDE