History
The first Paleoindians arrived in the area near Brevard county between 12,000 and 10,000 years ago. Before the arrival of non- indigenous settlers in the 16th century, the area was inhabited by Native Americans. The county is the site of the Windover Archeological Site, which contained evidence of habitation over 7,000 years ago. Brevard County was established in 1855 and is named after Theodore Washington Brevard, an early Florida settler and state comptroller. The county's boundaries were changed and reduced numerous times, resulting in the current boundary since 1907. The Paleoindians were semi-nomadic people who lived in smaller groups. After a few thousand years, a new group of settlers appeared known as " the archaic people." These people were primarily fishermen, as opposed to the hunting and gathering way of life which characterized the Paleoindians. The Windover Archeological Site, discovered in 1982, was found during excavation to have the largest collection of human remains and artifacts of the early Archaic Period (6,000–5,000 BC), or more than 8,000 years ago. It has been designated as aGeography
Communities
Brevard County has 16 municipalities. The largest by population is Palm Bay and the smallest is Melbourne Village.Cities
*Towns
* Grant-Valkaria * Indialantic * Malabar * Melbourne Beach * Melbourne Village * Palm ShoresCensus-designated places
* Cocoa West * June Park * Merritt Island * Micco * Mims * North Merritt Island * Patrick SFB * Port St. John * Scottsmoor * Sharpes * South Patrick Shores * Tropical Park * Viera East * Viera West * West Canaveral GrovesOther unincorporated communities
* Angel City * Aurantia * Barefoot Bay * Bellwood * Canaveral Groves * Courtenay * Eau Gallie * Floridana Beach * Georgiana * Indianola * Lotus * Melbourne Shores * Pineda * Shiloh * South Cocoa Beach * Suntree * Tropic * VieraMetropolitan Statistical Area
TheClimate
The county has aEnvironment
Adjacent counties
* Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County – north * Indian River County, Florida, Indian River County – south * Osceola County, Florida, Osceola County – southwest * Orange County, Florida, Orange County – westFauna
There are 4,000 species of animals locally. Common mammals include North American river otters, bobcats, white-tailed deer, raccoons, marsh rabbits, Florida Scrub Lizard, scrub lizards, rat snakes, and opossum. Razorback, Feral pigs, introduced by Europeans, present an occasional traffic hazard. There are an estimated 3,500 endangered gopher tortoises in the county. There were 1,677 manatees in Brevard County in 2015, out of a total of 6,063 in the state. This was an increase from 2014 when there was a total of 612 in Brevard County. Manatees experience numerous threats within Brevard, where 312 died in the first half of 2021. Bottlenose dolphin are commonly seen in the Intracoastal Waterway. Fish and reptiles include alligators, Lutjanus campechanus, red snapper, sea turtles, North Atlantic right whales, a rare protected species, give birth near the coast of Brevard, among other places, from November 15 to April 15. The venomous brown recluse spider is not native to the area but has found the environment congenial. The Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network has counted species of butterflies monthly for a year since 2007. In 2010, it counted 45 species. Included are Protographium marcellus, zebra swallowtail butterflies. Lovebug season occurs twice annually in May and August–September. Motorists encounter swarms of these while driving during a four-week period. Deer flies are particularly noticeable from April through June.Avian
Local bird counts indicate that there are at least 163 species of birds in the county. Turkey vultures, a migrating species, are protected by federal law. They migrate north in the summer and return in September. The county's most common winter bird is the lesser scaup, a diving duck. In 2008, half a million were counted. In 2010, 15,000 were estimated. Other birds include the red-shouldered hawk, the loggerhead shrike, the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, Cooper's hawks, pileated woodpeckers, Savannah sparrows, Rallidae, rails (which also includes coots), Florida scrub jays (an endangered species), wood storks, grackles, great horned owls, northern mockingbirds, brown thrashers, catbirds, green-winged teals, greater yellowlegs, western sandpipers, least sandpipers, dowitchers, and American white pelicans. Peak migration in the fall is from the last week in September through the first week in October. Fall migration tends to be stronger than spring because birds typically take different flyways.Flora
Native trees include Sabal palmetto, cabbage palm (the state tree of Florida), fringetree, coral bean, Vachellia farnesiana, sweet acacia, geiger tree, Hamelia patens, firebush, beautyberry, coral honeysuckle, and blanket flower. Other native plants include Coccoloba uvifera, sea grape, red mulberry, Portulaca oleracea, purslane, dandelion, Yucca gloriosa, Spanish bayonet, blackberry, Jerusalem artichoke, dogwood, and Ilex glabra, gallberry. On the east coast of the state, mangroves have normally dominated the coast from Cocoa Beach southward. Northward these may compete with salt marshes moving in from the north, depending on the annual weather conditions. Live oak trees, various grasses, and juniper plants were sufficiently common to generate pollen noticeable by some people in February 2011.Demographics
Languages
In 2010, 90.20% of residents spoke only English language, English at home, while 5.29% spoke Spanish language, Spanish, 0.62% German language, German, 0.61% French language, French, and 0.47% French-based creole languages, French Creole (mostly Haitian Creole) at home. In total, 9.80% of the population spoke languages other than English in their household.Government
Brevard county commissioners are elected by the public to establish ordinances and policies for the county. The Commission appoints a County manager (United States), County Manager, who executes the will of the commission. The county employed about 2,900 workers in 2009. There are 16 autonomous municipal governments within the county. The various cities, towns and villages of Brevard have varying reliance on services provided by the Brevard County government. About 100,000 households are located outside organized municipalities, and their occupants are directly served by the county government. A centrally located County Government Center in Viera was established to provide more accessible services to residents in the southern part of the county. It houses the various county government branches, including Housing and Human Services, Juvenile Justice, Public Safety, Public Works and Solid Waste Management. The Government of Brevard County, Brevard County government had annual expenditures just over $1 billion in the fiscal year 2009–2010, exclusive of the municipalities. In 2009, real estate taxes for Homestead exemption, homesteaded property averaged 0.83% of the value of the property. Real estate taxes are levied by each authority. They are collected by the County Tax Collector. The total taxable real estate base was $33.7 billion in 2009. County taxes rose 26.5% in total per capita revenue from 2002 to 2007, and 49.8% in property tax per capita in the same time frame. Delinquent taxes were $36 million in 2008. In 2012 bonds issued by the county were given a rating of Fitch Group#Long-term credit ratings, AA by the Fitch Group and improved ratings by Moody's Investors Service, Moody's. Brevard County has two unique election districts. One governs Port Canaveral; the other, the maintenance of the Sebastian Inlet.Elected officials
County Commissioners: * District 1 – Rita Pritchett * District 2 – Tom Goodson * District 3 – John Tobia * District 4 – Rob Feltner * District 5 – Kristine Zonka Commissioners were paid $60,272.98 annually as of January 2023. The following are elected school board officials: * District 1 - Megan Wright * District 2 - Gene Trent * District 3 - Jennifer Jenkins * District 4 - Matt Susin * District 5 - Katye Campbell The following are County constitutional officer (Florida), county constitutional officers: * County sheriff (Florida), Sheriff – Wayne Ivey * Clerk of the courts – Rachel M. Sadoff. The clerk's office had 323 workers, including subcontractors, as of 2011. * Tax assessment, Property appraiser – Dana Blickley * Tax collector – Lisa Cullen * Supervisor of elections – Tim Bobanic * State attorney – Phil Archer * Public defender – Blaise Trettis Since redistricting following the 2010 U.S. Census, Brevard County has been part of Florida's 8th congressional district. It is represented by Republican Bill Posey. The county lies within two Florida State Senate, state senatorial districts: * the 8th (covering the northern part of the county, held by Republican Tom A. Wright) * the 19th (covering the southern part of the county, held by Republican Debbie Mayfield) The county lies within five Florida House of Representatives, state representative districts: * the 30th (covering the northernmost part of the county, held by Republican Chase Tramont) * the 31st (covering the north-central part of the county, held by Republican Tyler Sirois) * the 32nd (covering the central part of the county, held by Republican Thad Altman) * the 33rd (covering most of the southern part of the county, held by Republican Randy Fine) * the 34th (covering the southeastern part of the county, held by Republican Robbie Brackett) :''See List of members of the Florida House of Representatives from Brevard County, Florida'' Prior to the creation of districts in 1967, state representatives were elected by county. This geographic representation resulted in a longstanding domination of the state legislature by rural interests, as it did not recognize changing patterns of settlement and business in the state.Justice system
Public services
Public safety
The County elects a Sheriffs in the United States#Florida, sheriff, directly responsible to the courts but also to the state for the enforcement of state laws. Police chiefs, appointed by their cities or towns, perform the same function locally. Most municipalities are located on at least one waterway. This has resulted in the county and seven cities having a boat or access to one to aid boaters, or to enforce the law in the water in their jurisdiction. Since the founding of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office, 7 officers have been killed in the line of duty. The county jail is a 1976 facility which rapidly became overcrowded. Voters rejected expanding the jail on four occasions. The sheriff solved the problem by the construction of a large but less expensive "hardened tent" to house non-violent offenders. Crowding reached its peak in 2007 at 1,988 inmates, 300 over capacity. The budget for the facility was $42 million in 2010. There were 1,585 residents. Costs for feeding and housing was $72 per inmate daily. There were 475 staff members. The county jail retains inmates awaiting trial or those who have been sentenced to a year or less. Longer sentences must be served in state prisons, such as the facility in Sharpes for young men. A unit of the United States Coast Guard, Coast Guard, homeported at Port Canaveral, plays a role in preventing illegal immigration and is an interdictor of drugs in the area. Public safety for unincorporated areas of the county is the responsibility of the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. All but three of the 17 incorporated municipalities, Malabar,Utilities
Three cities provide potable water and sewage for their cities and surrounding areas: Cocoa, Melbourne, and Titusville. The majority of Melbourne water customers are supplied with treated surface water from Lake Washington. Where available, residents were obligated to hook into the system. In 2012, there were 90,000 septic tanks. Storm and wastewater management fees vary. In 2014, the county charged $36 annually per household. Cities and towns charged from $36 to $77.52 per household annually.Public recreation
There are more than 100 parks and three campgrounds in the county that are managed by local government agencies. Many of these are managed by the ''Brevard County Parks and Recreation'', an agency within the Brevard County Government. There are 25 public golf courses and three private ones. Due to dwindling numbers of golfers, five courses closed from 2004 to 2017. In 2017, three public courses were being considered for closure. In 11 sanctuaries that protect natural ecosystems, the county's Environmentally Endangered Lands (EEL) Program offers passive recreation opportunities such as hiking, wildlife viewing, biking and paddling. In 2013, there was a total of , with of trails and of fire lanes. The quantity of fire lanes was considered insufficient. The Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and the Canaveral National Seashore are two national wildlife refuges in the county that offer recreational pursuits such as hiking, wildlife viewing, paddling, and environmental education.Social services
Brevard County provides a number of services to help older people, juveniles, people with physical or mental disabilities, and minorities. The Brevard County Housing Authority acquires and leases housing projects, investigates housing conditions, determines where slums and unsafe housing exist and investigates conditions dangerous to the public. It is managed by a board appointed by the county commission. Several organization provide social services for juveniles, such as the Children's Home Society, Children's Advocacy Center of Brevard, and The Child Care Association of Brevard County. ARC-Brevard, Inc. provides a spectrum of services for the lifespan of 1200 individuals (and their families) with developmental disabilities in nine locations throughout Brevard. The Brevard County Housing Authority acquires and leases housing projects; investigates housing conditions; determines where slums and unsafe housing exist and investigates conditions dangerous to the public. It is managed by a board appointed by the county commission. The Children's Home Society (CHS) provides Florida families with a unique spectrum of social services, including foster care, adoption, child abuse prevention, emergency shelters, group homes, case management, and treatment for developmentally disabled children. It is a 501(c)(3) organization. Among other local services, CHS also runs the Hacienda Girls Ranch which provides a safe haven for forty-five abused, neglected and/or abandoned girls from the ages of 10–18. Children's Advocacy Center of Brevard is a program of the Space Coast Health Foundation that serves abused and neglected children. Professionals serve children with allegations of abuse, all sexual abuse and the most severe physical abuse and neglect, and their non-offending family members. Onsite crisis and short-term counseling is provided free of charge and without a waiting list. Onsite medical exams, forensic interviews and other assessment services provided by partner, the Child Protection Team. The Child Care Association of Brevard County, is a private non-profit agency that coordinates child care, early childhood education and early intervention programs and services for families in Brevard County. In April, the Association sponsors a Children's Festival. The Women's Center provides counseling services, educational programs, criminal justice support/advocacy; crisis counseling; information and referral; personal advocacy; support groups; therapy; translation services; victims compensation claims. There is a Junior League of South Brevard. Serene Harbor provides a domestic violence hotline which is staffed 24/7 by trained advocates. The Salvation Army provides a Domestic Violence Shelter to abused partners and their families. The Brevard County Commission on the Status of Women advises the County Commission on issues affecting women. Its members are appointed by the County Commission. In June, the Juneteenth Festival is held, commemorating the freeing of the slaves at the end of the Civil War. This attracts about 500 attendees. The monthly Brevard Ebony News is a newspaper publishing articles of interest to the Afro-American community. There are several local chapters ofElections
According to the Secretary of State's office, Republican Party (United States), Republicans form a plurality of registered voters in Brevard County. The county has voted in favor of Republican candidates in all presidential elections since 1980.Economy
The county Domestic Product was $30.1 billion in 2022. In 2010 and 2011, the Brookings Institution reported that Brevard ranked in the bottom fifth of the nation's top metro areas, based on unemployment, gross metropolitan product, housing prices and foreclosure, foreclosed properties. Foreclosures reached a monthly high of 963 in March 2009. The county reached an annual high foreclosure in 2009 of 9,772. In December 2010, ''Forbes'' magazine rated the area the worst place in America to find a job. Government purchasing contributed 12–15% of the county's gross domestic product from 2000 to 2010. Though the area has a relatively small number of high technology companies, 736, a business journal ranked it eighth in the country as a high tech center in 2009. The area had 23,096 high-tech jobs with a ratio of 124 per 1,000 total jobs. In December 2010, ''Forbes'' magazine ranked the area as the worst in the country for finding a job, for the second time in 2010. During 2020, overlapping the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, COVID-19 pandemic, the metropolitan area was the second best-performing out of 200 in the country.Personal income
As of the census of 2000: * Median income for a family – $47,571 * Median income for males – $36,542 * Median income for females – $24,632 * Per capita income – $21,484. The Florida locations by per capita income, county has the 17th highest per capita income in the state (out of 67). * Median income for a household – $40,099 * In 2005, the median income for a household had risen to $43,281 The county ranked 17th for per capita income, out of Florida's 67 counties. The following were below the poverty line in 2000: * Families – 6.80% * Total population – 9.50% * Under age 18 – 13.00% * Age 65 or older – 6.50% In 2012, 79,621 people in the county were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, food stamps. In 2010, there were 5,600 civilian government workers in the county. They earned an average of $74,000 each in 2009. In 2009, 84,401 households in the county (38%) received social security payments averaging $16,136 for a total of $1.7 billion annually. 53,717 (24%) received pension payments averaging $24,327 for a total of $1.3 billion annually.Housing
The taxable value of property went from $20 billion in 2002 to $40 billion in 2007. In 2009 the bubble burst and a rapid descent to $24 billion was experienced. in 2017, the value rose to $35 billion. The last figure includes new construction. In 2011, the county was rated 6th worst in the country for foreclosures. There were 1,039 for the third quarter of 2010. Nearly half the homes in the county were worth less than their mortgages. The average home had dropped 53.4% since the peak of the boom. In 2012, the county was the highest in foreclosure rate in the nation. In 2013, the metro area was rated "best" in the country for buying, with a 34 months supply of houses, with a discount rate of 28%, according to RealtyTrac. It has since reduced its backlog. After various insurance companies pulled out of Florida after their losses from the List of Florida hurricanes (2000–present)#2004, 2004 hurricane season, property insurance became a major concern for many homeowners. As of 2011, 32,000 Brevard policyholders insure with the state-owned Citizens Property Insurance Corporation. In 2010 Kiplinger.com rated the county one of five "best" places in America to retirement, retire. Factors evaluated included cost of living, weather, the number of doctors, taxes, crime rates and recreational opportunities. The largest home in Brevard is a 50-room mansion in Suntree built in 1991 and once owned by Cecil Fielder.Development
The Viera Company, developing Viera East, Florida, East and Viera West, Florida, West Viera as they’re identified by the US Census Bureau, gained state permission and county acquiescence to create a self-governing board named the Viera Stewardship District that could raise taxes and sell bonds to pay for roads, water lines, pumping stations and other infrastructure needed to support the construction of 16,500 houses, apartments and condominiums.Industry
The Brevard economy has been driven by Trade, Transportation and Utilities (18%), Professional and Business Services (17%), Total government (15%), Education and Health (14%), Manufacturing (12%), Leisure and hospitality (10%), Construction (6%), Financial (4%). In 2012 local government employed 21,000 workers. Over the years the percentage has varied from 7.2% to 7.9% of the population. The number of people working in construction dropped from 2,630 in 2005 to 1,420 in 2010. Port Canaveral is one of the world's busiest cruise ship, cruise port. There are seven cruise lines, with six major cruise terminals. There is of covered freight storage capacity. It handled of cargo in 2004. The port has contributed $500 million annually to the county's economy. Two hospitals were among the top five private employers in the county, together employing 8,850 in 2009. In 2008, 14,865 workers were employed at the NASA/Kennedy Space Center. The Center directly spent $1.82 billion in the county. Annually, $78 million is spent at the Space Center Visitor's Complex, and $5.9 million from space business visitors. In 2014, there were 495 aerospace companies in the county. There were 36,223 workers. Sales and revenue from this industry were $3.4 billion. L3Harris Technologies, headquartered in the county, has the most employees in the private sector, 7,000 in 2019. There are 15 Community Redevelopment agency, Redevelopment agencies in the county. They are funded from real estate taxes in the affected area. Cocoa has three, and Eau Gallie, one. Though the area has a relatively small number of high technology companies, 736, a business journal ranked it eighth in the country as a high tech center in 2009. The area had 23,096 high-tech jobs with a ratio of 124 per 1,000 total jobs. The county had 1,050 restaurants in 2007 and nearly that many (1,040) in 2010. There were 22,600 leisure and hospitality workers in the county in 2006. This figure includes hotel workers. That figure had dropped 8.5% to 20,700 in 2010. In the early 2010s, the Shiloh area was proposed by Space Florida as a potential location for the development of a private spaceflight, commercial-only spaceport. Located immediately north of the Federal government of the United States, U.S. Government's Kennedy Space Center, the open access to the flyover range on the openMilitary
Military installations in Brevard County include Patrick Space Force Base, near Satellite Beach, Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS), adjacent to the Kennedy Space Center, and the U.S. Air Force Malabar Test Facility on Minton Road in suburban Palm Bay. In 2009, they employed a total of 2,000 civilian federal workers. In 2012 there were 2,900 military jobs in the county. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) Maintains one station in Port Canaveral, the station is located on the east bank of the West Turning Basin. The station is home to USCG cutter 617. The United States Navy, Navy maintains a Trident (missile), Trident turning basin at Port Canaveral for ballistic missile submarines. The Naval Ordnance Test Unit (NOTU) tests weapons on these subs, which arrive at the rate of one a month. 160 ships visited their two piers in 2017. The Base Realignment and Closure, 2005, 2005 base closures included realigning NOTU out of state. The community was successful in having this decision revoked. The unit employs 100 military personnel and 900 civilian contractors. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station houses the Air Force Space & Missile Museum and Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 26, Launch Complex 26, where many uncrewed rockets were launched early in the U.S. space program, including ''Explorer 1'', the first US spacecraft placed in earth orbit. The was a World War II USS Alamosa (AK-156), ''Alamosa''-class naval cargo ship that was decommissioned shortly after the war.Agriculture
23% of Brevard County is agricultural-usable for citrus, raising cattle or horses. Cattle ranches include the Deseret Ranches, Deseret, Duda Ranch, Kempfer, and two other major ranches. Citrus growers include Victory Groves and Harvey's Indian River Groves. The county ranked 21 out of 24 Florida counties in the shipment of gift fruit. In 2009, aquaculture was a $900,000 business in the county. The county produces more than 25% of all Callinectes sapidus, blue crabs along Florida's East Coast. There are 40 4-H-related clubs in the county, including livestock- and pet-related and after-school clubs. As in all Cooperative extension service, a land grant college, the University of Florida, conducted over 60 courses in 2010 in aid of 4-H programs and other agricultural pursuits. In February 2010, the USDA declared that Brevard, along with 59 other Florida counties, was a "primary natural disaster area". This happened when the temperature falls below degrees for 4 hours, where crops are being grown.Tourism
In 2016, tourism represents about 9% of the county's gross domestic product. The industry employs about 13% of the workforce. The county raised its room tax to 5% in 2005. In 2012, this raised $8.4 million. In 2008, tourists spent $2.89 billion in the county. This is distributed in several categories: lodging $839 million, eating and drinking $509 million, Kennedy Space Center $597 million, retail sales $450 million, entertainment $120 million, and Port Canaveral $109 million. Brevard tourists come mainly from ten states: Florida itself is first, followed by Ohio, Illinois, Michigan, New York (state), New York, Virginia, Wisconsin, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania. The five primary sources of foreign visitors are Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, China, and Italy. 1.6 million people visited the Space Center Visitor Complex in 2008. Tourism, measured by the tourist tax, reached a peak in March 2007. In 2009, there were 2.4 million overnight visitors in the county. There were 1.2 million day visitors. In 2013, a city manager estimated that 20% of income from tourism comes during spring break. Brevard competes with other Florida areas for tourists. A number of organizations help promote the area. The Space Coast Office of Tourism consists of county staff and the Brevard County Tourist Development Council (TDC). They attempt to attract tourists. The TDC serves as an advisory council to the county on the expenditures of revenues received from a tourist tax. This revenue is spent on beach improvements, visitor information centers and website, promotion and advertising, the Brevard Zoo, additional beach improvements and the Space Coast Stadium. $97.7 million has been spent on beach nourishment, beach replenishment in the county between 2000 and 2010. This was funded 58% by the federal government, 27% by the state and 15% by the county. In 2008 monthly tourist tax revenue slumped from a high of $1,174,742 in March to a seasonal low in September of $432,145. In 2008, the county had 11,000 hotel rooms available. In July 2007, there was a 66.1% occupancy rate. In 2008, the county had a nearly identical 81%+ occupancy rate in March and April. This fell to a seasonal low of 42.3% in September. In January 2010, the average hotel room rate was $88.25. Cocoa Main Street, a member of the Florida and Main Street Programs in the United States, National Main Street Programs, works toward restoring business sites in the historic area known as "Cocoa Village". Cocoa Main Street has received six Florida Main Street Awards given by the Secretary of State. The restored area is a tourist attraction and an economic magnet. Melbourne Main Street is another historic business area and tourist attraction restored through the Main Street Programs. Brevard has five judged art festivals annually attracting tens of thousands of people to art displays. Most festivals are held in the spring or fall when many tourists can attend. Many other annual festivals are held in parks and public sites throughout the year. The Brevard Cultural Alliance (BCA) maintains an event calendar and a map of sites of historic, cultural, and ecological interest. The annual Florida Key Lime Pie Festival is held beach side every Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend. In 2018 The Florida Key Lime Pie Company successfully made the World's largest key lime pie. An annual February Greek Festival had over 8,000 visitors in 2011. The annual Grant Seafood Festival attracts as many as 50,000 people for the two-day February event. It is the Southeastern United States, Southeast's largest and longest running seafood festival. An ice skating rink in Rockledge serves the county's residents and visitors with hockey and figure skating events. In 2009, recreational boat owners generated almost $51 million annually towards the county economy, ranking the industry fifth in the state.Competitiveness
In 2010 a local group compared the county against four other "peer" cities: Austin, Texas; Colorado Springs, Colorado; Huntsville, Alabama; and Raleigh, North Carolina. It evaluated nine areas: business dynamism/vitality, competitiveness, education, economic growth, economic prosperity, livability, productivity/labor supply, technology and innovation/work force. While the county does well against national figures, and scored high in livability, it usually ranked last against these "peers" in the other eight areas. In 2009, the county had 13 patents per 1,000 workers, more than double the national average of 6.4 patents per 1,000. In 2009, ''Forbes'' ranked the county 18th out of 100 United States metropolitan area, MSAs and first out of 8 metros in Florida for affordable housing and short commute times, among others. In August 2009, ''Florida Trend'' rated two Brevard companies, Harris Corporation and Health First Health Plans, in their rankings of the best places to work in Florida. In May 2009, the Palm Bay-Melbourne area was ranked as the No. 8 tech center in the United States by Bizjournals. It overcame its low number of total high-tech companies and jobs by having a high number of jobs per high tech company (#4) and high tech jobs compared to total private-sector jobs (#2). ''Forbes'' magazine ranked Melbourne 2nd out of 150 metropolitan areas in the US, for the percentage of the population that are engineers, 6.6%, just ahead of Silicon Valley. It reached a maximum employment of 254,514 in 2006. In 2006, ''Forbes magazine, Forbes'' magazine named Harris Corporation, headquartered in Brevard, to its "Platinum 400" List. The Technological Research and Development Authority, based on the Space Coast, delivers technologies to schools and small businesses throughout the state of Florida. They obtain this information through strategic alliances with NASA, the federal government, the aerospace industry and state partners. They also sponsor a business incubator at the Melbourne International Airport, Melbourne Airport. The largest hotel in Brevard has 284 rooms and of meeting space.Labor
There were 168,500 private sector jobs in the county in 2009. The Bureau of Labor Statistics counted the following workers in Brevard along with average annual pay ($): * Retail 25,900 ($23,361) * Manufacturing 21,700 ($65,521) * Local government 20,100 ($42,517) * Hospitality 19,600 ($15,857). The largest local employer is Brevard Public Schools, with 9,500 employees, 5,000 of which are teachers. Brevard County Teachers are represented by the Brevard Federation of Teachers (American Federation of Teachers, AFT). The county had an unemployment rate of 12.7% in January 2010, a 20-year record high. In March 2010, there were 33,500 people out of work. The county experienced a record low unemployment in 2005 of 2.8%. There were 32,608 people unemployed in the county in January 2011. In 2009, there were 6,400 federal workers, total, employed in the county. They earned an average of $74,600. In 2009, average annual salaries in the county for engineers was $90,563; registered nurses $53,315; education $49,441; police officers $43,035; cooks $21,569; and cashiers $19,489. The average annual pay for all workers was then $42,411. In 2011, there were more engineers (48) per thousand workers than any other region in the United States. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the largest employer in the county with 15,000 contractors and civil servants. While there is concern about the new generation of space vehicles requiring 1/3 fewer workers, about that number were eligible for retirement by 2011. Unions represented at KSC include the American Federation of Government Employees, the International Association of Machinists and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.Health
Health statistics
Brevard was ranked 25th in the state, out of 67 counties, for health outcomes in 2014. 22% of residents smoke, 28% are obese, 25% are physically inactive, 20% drink in excess. The county ranked 13 in clinical care, 25th in societal factors (including air pollution and drinking water quality). In 2013, there were about 88,000 persons without medical insurance in the county. Health care services tend to cost more in Brevard than Orlando, Florida, Orlando or the statistical average in Florida. In 2009, a nursing home private room averaged $79,023 annually, semi-private $74,643, private one-bedroom assisted living $39,000. A home health aide, Medicare-certified, was $88,660, substantially higher than the Florida average of $51,480. Adult day care (44 hours) was cheaper at $12,870 annually, as was a home health aide "licensed-only" $38,896. According to 2007 health risk data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Brevard County (Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area) is tied for fourth highest among all Micropolitan Statistical Area, Micro- and Metropolitan Statistical Areas in percentage of heavy drinkers. In 2013, the County Health Department Director issued a caution about the potential danger of Vibrio vulnificus, flesh-eating bacteria that inhabit inland estuaries.Healthcare facilities
As of 2011, there were ten hospitals in the county, with 1,734 beds total. Health First is the largest healthcare provider in the county, consisting of four not-for-profit hospitals—Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa Beach, Holmes Regional Medical Center inMental health
The Brevard Alzheimer's Foundation is unique for being a local organization only. It has three adult daycare service locations and often provides transportation and funding. The non-profit Circles of Care provides mental health programs to Brevard. Dialing 2-1-1 in the county gives response to people in crisis and/or needing information about community resources.Former place names
There are place names currently used, or used at one time by the USGS. Some are early developments, while others are former stations along the main line of the Florida East Coast Railway. Several of these disappeared when Kennedy Space Center took over their area.Education
Higher education is provided by Eastern Florida State College (EFSC) and Florida Institute of Technology. There are satellite campuses for the University of Central Florida, Barry University, Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Keiser University, and Webster University. Elementary and secondary education is provided by the Brevard Public Schools and private schools. In 2011, six public schools were ranked by the state in the top ten schools in the state, out of 2,800 There was one list each for primary and secondary schools.Libraries
The Brevard County Library System has 17 branches. Although the Merritt Island Public Library is counted as part of the Brevard County Public Library System, it is part of a separate library district. In 2005, HB1079 was passed to codify all the special acts under which the Merritt Island Public Library District exists.Sports
;Minor league baseball Brevard County was the home of the Brevard County Manatees, the Class A (minor league baseball), Class-A affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers until 2016. In 2009, the Space Coast Surge, a member of the Florida Winter Baseball League, had the Cocoa Stadium as their home stadium. ;Major league baseball The Washington Nationals held their spring training at Space Coast Stadium in Viera until 2016. They play about 14 games against other professional teams locally in March as part of the Grapefruit League, "Grapefruit" League. ;Minor league basketball The Brevard Blue Ducks, members of the United States Basketball League (USBL), played at the Clemente Center at Florida Tech. ;Minor league football The Brevard Rams and Space Coast Predators were scheduled to play as members of the Florida Football Alliance in 2010. ;Amateur sports Aside from school-sponsored sports, there are youth leagues for basketball, football, soccer, lacrosse, gymnastics, baseball and swimming.Infrastructure
Transportation
While Brevard County has transportation available in the usual modes for a coastal county—highways, shipping, and airlines—it has the addition of space transportation, making it unique in the world. Public transportation is provided by Space Coast Area Transit. The county contains about 300 Filling station, gasoline retail outlets.Airports
* Arthur Dunn Airpark * Melbourne Orlando International Airport * Merritt Island Airport * Space Coast Regional Airport * Valkaria AirportPower
Florida Power & Light (FPL) maintains an oil-fired generating plant at Sharpes; it generates , supplying most of the requirements for the county. In 2008 the company announced plans to replace the plant with a more efficient natural gas-powered plant in 2013 with a 1,250 megawatt capacity, which can supply 250,000 homes or businesses. Near FPL's plant is the Indian River Power Plant; formerly owned by the Orlando Utilities Commission, it is now owned and operated by RRI Energy. In 2016, FPL had 304,400 customers in Brevard. AGL Resources#Florida City Gas, Florida City Gas furnishes natural gas to various areas of the county.Communication
The area code for most of the county became "Area code 321, 321" in 1999, as in the "3...2...1... lift-off!" countdown sequence. A small portion of the county along the southern border, including the communities of Micco and Barefoot Bay, share a Area code 772, 772 area code with Indian River County, Florida, Indian River County and St. Lucie County, Florida to the south.Solid waste
The county government maintains various landfills for solid waste. Brevard County Central Disposal Facility is located in Cocoa, has a size and receives annually around 275,000 tonnes of waste. In 2013, the county planned a new $100 million landfill, north of U.S. Route 192, near the border with Osceola County, west of Interstate 95, I-95. The county has awarded a $3.9 million contract for a wetlands mitigation for this new landfill. In 2013, the county, for the first time, let a seven-year contract out for bids for solid waste. The resulting contract is expected to cost $1 billion over the lifetime of the contract, the county's largest single contract. This was the first time in 20 years, a bid was requested. In the past, Waste Management, Inc has performed the work, not only for the county but for 9 of 16 Brevard municipalities. Waste Pro has five of the remaining municipal contracts. Rockledge and Titusville maintain their own trash service. In 2013, the county directly contracts for solid waste pickup for 100,000 residences.Water
In 2013, the county consumed about daily. Landscape irrigation accounted for about half of this usage. In 2017, there were five municipal entities selling water (figures in parentheses are millions of gallons/day): Cocoa (22), Melbourne (19), Palm Bay (6), Titusville (2), and West Melbourne (1). The fifth, Brevard County (1), is low because county areas outside the preceding cities, purchase their water from those cities.Wastewater
The county controls six Wastewater Treatment Facilities: Mims (/day), Port St. John (/day), South Central (Viera) (/day), South Beaches, and Barefoot Bay area. Some cities have wastewater treatment plants, as well.Media
Brevard County is within the Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne-Cocoa-Clermont television market. The county is within range of many television and radio stations located in Orlando.Newspapers
''Florida Today'' is the major daily newspaper serving Melbourne, Brevard County and the Space Coast region of Florida. It is owned by the media conglomerate Gannett Company. A monthly newspaper, ''El Playero'', serves the Spanish-speaking population of the Space Coast. The ''Brevard Business News'', ''Hometown News'', ''Space Coast Daily'', ''Talk of Titusville'', and ''Viera Voice'' also cover local news within Brevard County.Radio
Television
Most of Brevard County receives cable television from Charter Spectrum. Comcast serves the Micco and Palm Bay areas in southern Brevard County. Local stations licensed to or located in Brevard County include: * Channel 43 WOTF-TV (UniMás) * Channel 52 WHLV-TV (Trinity Broadcasting Network, TBN) * Channel 68 WEFS (educational Independent station (North America), independent)Films and television
The following films were filmed (in parts) in Brevard County: * ''Matinee (1993 film), Matinee'' (1993), filmed in Cocoa Village and Cocoa Playhouse * ''Apollo 13 (film), Apollo 13'' (1995), ''Contact (1997 American film), Contact'' (1997), ''Armageddon (1998 film), Armageddon'' (1998) and ''Moonraker (film), Moonraker'' (1979) all utilized Cape Canaveral or Kennedy Space Center facilities. * ''Marvin's Room (film), Marvin's Room'' (1996), filmed in Rockledge * ''Nightmare (1981 film), Nightmare'' (1981) horror film shot in Merritt Island, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach and Titusville * ''A Night in Heaven'' (1983), filmed in Titusville * ''Things Behind the Sun'' (2001), by independent filmmakers Allison Anders, raised in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral, and Kurt Voss * ''Space Cowboys'' (2000) * ''Stowaway to the Moon'' (1975), filmed in Titusville and several Kennedy Space Center locations. * Portions of ''Jaws 3-D'' (1983) were filmed on the Minutemen Causeway. * ''The Number 23'' (2007) shot scenes on the shore of Cocoa Beach. * ''I'll Believe You'' (2007) * ''The Manure Film Project: A Crappy Documentary with Absolutely No Budget'' (2018) * ''Transformers: Dark of the Moon'', directed by Michael Bay. Filmed in 2010 at Kennedy Space Center's Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), orbiter processing facilities, and launch pad among other areas Television series included: * ''The Cape (1996 TV series), The Cape'', 13 episodes (1996 through 1997) * ''From the Earth to the Moon (miniseries), From the Earth to the Moon'', a miniseries (1998) * ''I Dream of Jeannie'', a 1960s comedy series, was set in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral but filmed in California.Arts and culture
The Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts, seating 2000, features locally produced and former Broadway shows, ballet, and symphony. Several different performances are scheduled each week. The Brevard Symphony Orchestra and the Space Coast Ballet offer shows performed by professionals. There is the professional Space Coast Symphony Orchestra. Community orchestras and bands include, but are not limited to, the Melbourne Community Orchestra, the Space Coast Pops and the Community Band of Brevard. Choral groups include the Brevard Community Chorus, the Brevard Chorale, the Indialantic Chamber Singers, and the Brevard Youth Chorus. The Brevard Zoo is a facility that contains more than 650 animals representing more than 165 species from Florida, South America, Africa, Asia and Australia. The Zoo offers animal experiences including giraffe and lorikeet feedings, African kayak tours, paddle boats in the wetlands and a train ride. ;Ballet The Space Coast Ballet incorporates professional principal dancers and instructors together with many roles for local senior talent as well as roles for students. They annually stage ''The Nutcracker''. ;Museums and attractions The Space Coast has a number of museums from the rocket exhibitions at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and the Air Force Space and Missile Museum, to local museums and others of unique character, such as the American Police Hall of Fame & Museum. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex offers an educational look at the accomplishments of America's space program. The Observation Gantry near Launch Complex 39 offers a view of the Space Shuttle launch pads (first built for the Apollo program, Apollo missions), the Vehicle Assembly Building, and the crawlerway over which rockets are taken to the pad. The Apollo/Saturn V Center displays an example of the largest Saturn V, rocket ever launched. The US Space Walk of Fame in Titusville commemorates both the Astronaut, astronauts and the NASA and Aerospace manufacturer, contractor personnel who made American crewed space exploration possible with museum and monuments. The Brevard Museum of History & Natural Science features the remains of the "Windover Man", the oldest human remains found on the North American continent, and a re-creation of the Windover Archaeological Site, Windover Dig, a "wet" archaeological site. A visitor may see how Native Americans lived and Florida pioneers survived. Honor America runs the Liberty Bell Memorial Museum. This houses a replica of the Liberty Bell, historical documents, and patriotic memorabilia. Items are permanent reminders of our nation's history, as well as a memorial to military veterans. The Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Memorial Park and Cultural Center features a museum with artifacts and timeline of the civil rights movement and the story of Harry T. Moore, Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore, civil rights leaders who were killed after their home was bombed on December 25, 1951. The Wizard of Oz Museum features a large collection of over 3,000 Wizard of Oz artifacts and memorabilia, including the first known published copy of ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,'' signed by L. Frank Baum, an early copy of the script for the The Wizard of Oz (1939 film), 1939 MGM movie, and a fox-raccoon jacket owned by Judy Garland, monogrammed with her initials, "JG." The facility also includes a gift shop, and a large room with 31 projectors featuring both the Van Gogh Experience, and a Wizard of Oz immersive experience.See also
* Brevard, North Carolina * National Register of Historic Places listings in Brevard County, FloridaNotes
References
Further reading
* A critic summarizes and comments on Brevard politics in the late 20th century. * This is a documented history of Brevard County, from prehistoric to the space age. Documented with 320 end notes drawn from 1000 sources. * Middleton, Sallie. "Space Rush: Local Impact of Federal Aerospace Programs on Brevard and Surrounding Counties," ''Florida Historical Quarterly,'' Fall 2008, Vol. 87, Issue 2, pp. 258–289. .External links
* ; Government links and constitutional offices