Commissioners Corner: Mike Miller

The New Year was an appropriate time for recall and reflection. I have been recalling the events of 2014 and reflecting on the accomplishments of Cocoa Beach. My thoughts keep returning to Gus Edwards, Henry Flagler, and Walt Disney. Gus Edwards founded Cocoa Beach with a wooden bridge and casino to draw visitors to the beach. Henry Flagler brought vacationers to the east coast of Florida with a railroad and luxury hotels. Decades later, Walt Disney attracted tourists to the interior of Florida with air travel and theme parks. These visionaries offered visitors three things: a way to arrive, a place to stay, and something to do. Cocoa Beach advanced the something to do chapter of this trilogy during 2014.

The Space Coast Art Festival found elbow room and adequate parking at Port Canaveral to celebrate their 50th anniversary over Thanksgiving weekend. The festival was replaced by the Cocoa Beach Arts Show featuring local artists and musicians. Both events were highly successful, which was living testimony of the demand for something to do. Artists at the Cocoa Beach Arts Show found an appropriate price point for holiday shoppers. The age and experience of the musicians ran the gamut. Audiences enjoyed the frequency of oldies performed by “Bandwidth”, a group which only improves with age, coupled with the colorful performance of “Blue”, featuring the emerging talent of Cocoa Beach teens. The Friday night party has been named “Minutemen Mingle”. Patrons who purchased tickets in advance could do just that, mingle among local bars and restaurants offering admissions, discounts, and prizes. It served as a prime example of how local merchants benefit by working together.

The Cocoa Beach Surfing Santa event began as in informal gathering of friends and family five years ago. The traditional Christmas Eve event has gained popularity and outgrown the 16th Street location. In 2014 it became officially sanctioned by the City of Cocoa Beach and relocated to a more appropriate location at the end of Minutemen Causeway. The event drew over 300 participants and 4,000 spectators. Surfing Santa’s became a holiday news sensation, attracting local TV and media coverage nationwide. A promotional video went viral on YouTube, highlighting the communications power of the internet.

I see the vision of Gus Edwards smiling down on Cocoa Beach.

NAME THAT CHANNEL

In an effort to aid boaters, Cocoa Beach has started to install lighted markers at the west end of the city’s channel where they meet the Banana River main channel. In the many years that have passed since the city channels were first established the US Coast Guard rules have changed. As part of the permitting process for the channel marker lights, the US Coast Guard has requested that each channel be named. The 200 channel has been referred to as Houseboat Cut for many years and the 0-99 channel has been submitted as Hospital Cut. The residents of the city are encouraged to submit names for the remaining channels. The city’s Waterways and Wildlife Advisory Board will select the best names submitted for the 100, 300, 400, 500 and 600 channels. Please submit recommendations to the city clerk’s office no later than February 27, 2015.

BRIGHT HOUSE TO CHANGE CHANNEL

Effective March 3, 2015 Cocoa Beach City TV channel will change from 199 to channel 497. This change by Bright House is for standardizing programming.

UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS

January 21, 2015 Board of Adjustment

5:15pm

January 28, 2015 Coffee with the City Manager

Cocoa Beach Country Club

8:30am-9:30am

February 2, 2015 Planning Board

5:30pm

February 5, 2015 CRA Meeting

6:00pm-7:00pm

City Commission Meeting

7:00pm

February 18, 2015 Board of Adjustments

5:15pm

February 19 2015 City Commission

7:00pm

February 20, 2015 Friday Fest

Downtown Cocoa Beach

6:00pm-10:00pm

ALL MEETINGS AT THE COCOA BEACH COMMISSION ROOM (2 South Orlando Avenue) unless otherwise noted.

DAVE NETTERSTROM– MAYOR, SEAT 1

TIM TUMULTY– VICE MAYOR, SEAT 2

BEN MALIK- COMMISSIONER, SEAT 3

SKIP WILLIAMS- COMMISSIONER, SEAT 4

MIKE MILLER- COMMISSIONER, SEAT 5

BOB MAJKA- CITY MANAGER