Cocoa
Florida
City of Cocoa E-Newsletter - May 9, 2022
Government and Politics
May 10, 2022
From: City of CocoaAs we approach the beginning of hurricane season, we must be reminded of the many ways we can prepare ourselves, our families, our homes and our businesses from storm damage. Visit the City of Cocoa's hurricane preparedness website at www.CocoaFL.gov/ hurricane for more information on how you can be storm prepared and stay connected before, during, and after a storm.
The City of Cocoa will once again host a Build Your Hurricane Kit Preparedness Expo at City Hall on Tuesday, May 10, 2022 from 4-6pm. This event will feature tables for various City Department’s, Brevard County Emergency Management, and other local non-profit agencies that will be helping our residents be more prepared as we approach the start of hurricane season. Each table will be giving attendees a piece of a hurricane preparedness kit to make sure our residents are prepared this storm season. Kits will be available for the first 200 attendees of the event.
City Manager's Message
As always I am proud to serve our over 19,000 residents, our business owners, and our visitors to the great City of Cocoa along with over 450 dedicated city employees. There continues to be a lot of exciting things happening in our community and I want to take this opportunity to highlight just a few of those things I feel are extremely significant for the City:
Data submitted to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement for 2021, shows crime is down in the City of Cocoa. The annual Uniform Crime Report shows an 11.1% drop in the overall crime rate for the city in 2021, with 9.6% fewer crimes reported. Read more...
City employees surpassed our goal of $11,000 by donating over $15,000 to those in need throughout our community through donations to the United Way of Brevard. That is nearly $6,000 more than what was donated last year. This shows the commitment and dedication our employees show for the citizens they serve every day. I am so proud to serve alongside them for the residents of Cocoa.
There are two large Florida Department of Transportation projects happening in our community including safety improvements along Clearlake Rd from SR520 to Industry Rd. This project will evaluate various speed management techniques to make travel safer for all. Read more about this FDOT project. The Florida Department of Transportation is also currently in the design phase for two major projects on State Road 520 in Cocoa that will see the removal of the auxiliary lane east of US1 in the Cocoa Village area with added parking, increased medians and enhanced pedestrian safety components. Work on the first project is scheduled to being in the Fall of 2022. Read more about this FDOT project.
Cocoa City Council and members of staff are committed to continually working to enhance the quality of life for our residents, business owners and visitors every day. There are so many great things happening in our community and I hope you enjoy reading about all of the great news in this newsletter. Thank you for working with our Council and City Staff as we continue to make Cocoa a great place to live, work and play.
All of us together, are TEAM COCOA.
-Stockton Whitten, Cocoa City Manager
Temporary Change in Water Disinfection Method Scheduled to Start 5/21/22
To continue to maintain high water quality in the City of Cocoa's water distribution system, the Cocoa Utilities Department will temporarily modify the disinfection process used to treat our drinking water beginning May 21, 2022 for approximately four weeks.
Lee Wenner Park Boat Ramp Closure
The boat ramps, Captain Ed Lanni T-Dock, day slips and boat parking at Lee Wenner Park will be closed for 90 days beginning February 28th for the boat ramp dredging and restoration project that is funded through grants from the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND).
Sponsorships Available for Lifeguard Course
Cocoa City Council has approved to sponsor at least 4 residents to go through the Brevard County Parks and Recreation Lifeguard Course in hopes to get more Lifeguards at the Dr. Joe Lee Smith Community Center pool.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Chris Perr
System Administrator, Information Technology
20 years of service to the citizens of Cocoa
Christopher Perry, Senior System Administrator with the Information Technology Department has worked for the City of Cocoa for nearly 18 years. He started his career with the City of Cocoa as a meter reader with the Finance Department, then worked his way up to a Senior System Administrator with the Information Technology Department.
Purchase of Lots to Add 73 Parking Spaces in Cocoa Village
On Tuesday, April 12, 2022, Cocoa City Council authorized city staff to negotiate the purchase of two additional parcels of land along Oleander Street in Cocoa Village to bring 73 additional parking spaces to the Cocoa Village area.
#TeamCocoa Wins 2022 KBB Trash Bash
The City of Cocoa once again won the annual Keep Brevard Beautiful Trash Bash event with over 228 volunteers that picked up a total of 14,150 lbs of trash at the April 9th county-wide event. We are so thankful for our many, many volunteers and our Leisure Services and Public Works teams that helped launch Cocoa to the top once again. Congratulations!
MEMORIAL DAY TRIBUTE
May 30th
The City of Cocoa will once again be hosting in conjunction with St. Francis Reflections Lifestage Care, the 17th Annual Memorial Day Tribute event in Riverfront Park on Monday, May 30, 2022. Parade through Cocoa Village begins at 4pm, Static Display begins at 4:30pm and the formal stage presentation begins at 5pm with opening remarks from Cocoa Mayor Michael C. Blake. Guest speakers for this year's event will include Teri Jones, Army Retired and Sgt. William Stephenson, Army Veteran and Cocoa Police Sgt.
JUNETEENTH CELEBRATION
June 18th
The City of Cocoa in partnership with the NAACP Youth Council is hosting the 2nd Annual Juneteenth Celebration in Riverfront Park on Saturday, June 18, 2022 from 11am-3pm. The theme for this year's event is 'Celebrating Excellence, Freedom, and Legacy'. The event will include guest speakers, a variety of entertainment on the main stage, interactive art demonstrations for participants, literature readings, author meet and greets, a local legends spotlight, and more.
Revised Districts Approved
In February, a revised District Boundary map was approved by Cocoa City Council. A redrawing of district boundaries is required by Charter after every Census.
Radisson Announces New Cocoa Village Hotel
Radisson Hotels announced the signing of The Cocoa Village Hotel, a member of Radisson Individuals in the city of Cocoa. Located in the heart of Cocoa, guests will be able to explore the historic downtown and enjoy the new hotel and its many amenities.
Cocoa Citizens Academy Class 3 Graduates
Click below to find out more about the City of Cocoa Citizens Academy and how you can be a part of the next session.
Members of Class 3 of the Cocoa Citizens Academy were honored at the April 12, 2022 Cocoa City Council Meeting. About 15 citizens chose to take part in the third session of this great community engagement program. Participants got to visit various city departments including the Dyal Water Treatment Facility, Cocoa Fire Station 1, the Cocoa Police Department and more.
Goal Setting and Budget Workshops
The Cocoa City Council is embarking on goal setting and budget priorities for the upcoming year ahead. All citizens will have an opportunity to provide input to the City Council. Council will work on goal and budget priorities as we continue to address community challenges in order to deliver effective and efficient services for all of our residents and business owners. Next meeting scheduled for 5/26/22.
Click Here for Dates of All Upcoming Goal Setting and Budget Workshops
Parks Improvements
Cocoa City Council made it a priority this past year to improve the quality of our parks. A number of upgrades have been planned and are projected to be complete in the Fall of 2022. The first progress is the exercise equipment that will be installed at Bracco Pond Park bringing 9 different stations along the walking path surrounding the stormwater pond. For more information on parks upgrades click below.
America's Top Dog K9 Bear Retires After 8 Years of Service
Tails at the Barkery and Dirty Oar Brewing Company held a retirement party for Cocoa Police K9 Bear who retired after 8 years of service to the residents of Cocoa. Bear was also recognized as America's Top Dog after he and his K9 Handler Officer Rhoades finished in first place on the national TV series
Tree Photo Contest Helps Promote Value of Trees
The City of Cocoa hosted their 2nd Annual Tree Photo Contest in March and April 2022 to help promote the value trees play in our community. There were over 30 entries submitted for the contest featuring a variety of trees. A well maintained and healthy tree canopy provides beauty for our community. Trees also benefit us by improving air quality, reducing heat with shade, providing wildlife habitat, absorbing stormwater and protecting us during storms by dampening winds. The winners for this years photo contest were recognized at the April 26th Cocoa City Meeting and their winning photos will be displayed at Cocoa City Hall. The winning entries were:
Category: Anyone Home? Things that live in trees. Trees provide habitat for wildlife. Let's see some shots of the creatures living in our trees.
Winner: Jacqueline Lind
Tree: Oak with Spanish Moss
Category: Parts of a Tree: Leaves, Bark, Limbs. Get creative. Let's see the many beneficial parts to our community trees.
Winner: Douglas Sphar
Tree: Pine Bark
Category: What do trees do for us? Show us the benefit you see in your favorite tree. Do you use it to hang a swing or as a home for your favorite birds?
Winner: Susan Fricker
Tree: Tabebuia
Category: Close-ups: Here is another opportunity to be creative with your photo. Show us a wonderful close-up of a Cocoa tree.
Winner: Shari Yeomans
Tree: Tabebuia
Category: Canopy of Trees: A great canopy of trees can provide a number of great benefits including shade and protection. Show us a great tree canopy.
Winner: Douglas Sphar
Tree: Longleaf Pine
Category: People's Choice as voted on by the people.
Winner: Kelly Stallone
Tree: Oak
Category: Photographer's Choice, voted on by our volunteer committee photo-grapher, John Maryland.
Winner: Richard Fuller
Tree: Cabbage Palms
Category: Judges Choice, voted on by our volunteer tree committee (visit our website for info on our judges.)
Winner: Lisa Haberlan
Tree: Bald Cypress
New Utility Payment Kiosk Now Available at City Hall
The City of Cocoa now has a new digital utility payment kiosk located on the south side (Orange Street) of City Hall. This payment kiosk allows customers to make payments and get a receipt for their utility payment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without having to come inside City Hall.
Survey
Each month we will ask residents to answer a question to give feedback on important topics in our community. Your feedback is important to us. Please take a moment to answer our survey.
May Question
Which of the five priority focus areas developed to help Cocoa achieve its vision for the future and provide an enhanced quality of life for our community, do you feel is most important?