Will Cocoa Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach pay more than $1 million for lifeguards?

Brevard County commissioners want three municipalities to chip in for 50% of the cost of lifeguards stationed at their beaches, in locations where there are adjacent city-maintained parks.

The County Commission unanimously approved this plan, proposed by Commissioner John Tobia, which would be effective with the 2024-25 budget year that begins Oct. 1, 2024.

Under the plan, Cocoa Beach, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach would pay a total of just over $1 million for their share of lifeguard costs ― nearly seven times what they currently pay. Affected sites would be Cocoa Beach Pier, Coconuts/Minutemen Causeway, Shepard Park and Tulip Avenue in Cocoa Beach; the Boardwalk in Indialantic; and Ocean Avenue in Melbourne Beach.

Commissioners directed County Manager Frank Abbate and County Attorney Morris Richardson to begin negotiating with the three municipalities, and report back to the County Commission in three to six months.

Tobia said these communities could use revenue generated from municipal parking near the beaches to pay for their costs of lifeguards.

Under Tobia's proposal, the total cost to Cocoa Beach would be $731,231 a year. Cocoa Beach Pier has one full-time and one seasonal lifeguard tower; Coconuts has one full-time tower; Shepard Park has one full-time and two seasonal towers; and Tulip Avenue has one seasonal tower.

The total cost to Indialantic would be $230,157 a year for its one full-time and one seasonal tower at the Boardwalk.

The total cost to Melbourne Beach would be $40,760 a year for its one seasonal tower at Ocean Avenue.

Funding through tourist tax: Brevard to expand ocean lifeguard coverage using tourist tax revenue

Under the plan, the county would pick up the other 50% of the cost of lifeguards at these sites ― 30% from the county's general fund through property taxes, plus 20% from the county's 5% tourist development tax on hotel rooms, vacation rentals and other short-term rentals.

"I hope the cities are partners on this," Tobia said. "It's just very important that we come together, and we let the cities know that, at some point, they need to pay a fair share for the services that we are currently providing."

Tobia said "it will be a tough call" on what to do if the cities don't pony up more money.

But it will be a decision of the full County Commission.

"If the cities say 'no,' we have to be prepared to say: 'It's your responsibility to cover (the cost of) the lifeguards,' " Tobia told his fellow commissioners. "Because they see it as an entitlement, very clearly, in the way they negotiated the first time. It was very important that we stick together on this one, because if we're fractured at all, they'll most likely pick us off."

The County Commission initially directed county staff in May to start those negotiations. But those negotiations between county and city officials did not reach agreements.

Tobia's plan would increase Cocoa Beach's share of the cost of lifeguards from the current $83,017 a year to a proposed $731,231 a year.

Cocoa Beach Mayor Keith Capizzi said he would welcome discussions between city and county officials on this issue, since "the main thing is public safety" and "we want to work with the county the best we can."

But Capizzi added that "we just don't have money in our budget to pay for that kind of an increase. We've got a pretty tight budget."

Other Space Coast lifeguard locations

There are three other locations within cities where there are ocean lifeguards, but they are located next to county-maintained parks. So, under Tobia's proposal, cities would not be asked to chip in for those lifeguards.

At those locations, the county general fund would pay 80% of the cost and the tourist development tax would pay 20%, the same breakdown proposed at two locations in unincorporated Brevard.

Those five sites are:

• Cherie Down, Cope Canaveral: One seasonal tower.

• Lori Wilson Park, Cocoa Beach: One full-time tower and one seasonal tower.

• Paradise Park, Melbourne: One full-time tower and one seasonal tower.

• Ponce de Leon Park, unincorporated Brevard: One seasonal tower.

• Spessard Holland Park, unincorporated Brevard: One full-time tower and one seasonal tower.

If the plan proposed by Tobia is fully implemented, the $3.55 million total cost of lifeguards at seven full-time towers and 11 seasonal towers at 11 sites within the county would be split this way in the 2024-25 budget year: The county general fund would pay about $1.84 million of the total cost; municipalities would pay about $1 million; and the tourist development tax would pay $709,654.

The three municipalities currently pay some of the cost of the lifeguards, but not as much as county commissioners want.

This is the current breakdown that will be in effect for the 2023-24 budget that begins Oct. 1: The county general fund will pay about $2.69 million of the total cost; municipalities will pay $145,280; and the tourist development tax will pay $709,654. Among the municipalities, Cocoa Beach will pay $83,017; Indialantic will pay $41,509; and Melbourne Beach will pay $20,754.

"This is not a sustainable model," Tobia said.

Tobia had wanted the county to reached an agreement with the municipalities that could have taken effect for the 2023-24 budget year, but city officials said there was not enough time to do so.

Lifeguard coverage changes: Brevard County moves to shift cost of lifeguard protection to municipalities

Commissioner Tom Goodson said he hopes an equitable agreement could be reached with the cities for the 2024-25 budget year, but he had some doubts.

On some other issues, cities haven't been forthcoming on reaching agreements the county, Goodson said, "so, we'll see."

Using tourist tax money

In a separate action, the County Commission voted 4-1 in favor of a resolution supporting use of the tourist development tax revenue to help pay for lifeguards and on efforts to promote the county's beach lifeguard services to tourists. Goodson voted no.

Although commissioners, in a previous vote, already had supported this idea, approval of the resolution was a required action to implement the change in use of the tourist tax for this purpose.

From December 2022 through July 2023, Brevard County experienced 10 ocean drownings, including eight involving non-residents. All the drownings occurred in areas where there were no lifeguards on duty.

As a result, Brevard County expanded its presence of lifeguard towers.

In its resolution backing use of tourist tax revenue for lifeguards, the County Commission said: "These deaths have been widely reported in the media locally, regionally and nationally. A perception that Brevard County’s beaches are unsafe would negatively impact tourism by deterring potential visitors from making Brevard County their beach vacation destination."

The resolution said tourists "are less likely than Brevard County residents to be aware of rip currents and other challenging local beach conditions."

The resolution also said beach lifeguard services "provide an additional amenity for tourists and make Brevard County’s beaches safer for tourists" and that "the availability of beach lifeguard services is a consideration for many tourists in choosing their beach vacation destination."

Commissioners approved findings that "a clear and direct relationship exists between lifeguard services and the promotion of tourism" and that "one of the main purposes of beach lifeguard services is the attraction of tourists to Brevard County."

Goodson indicated that he wanted to see how much money the cities would kick in for lifeguards before supporting moving tourist development tax over for that purpose.

"I think we've got the cart before the horse," Goodson said.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Brevard County wants beach towns to pay more of lifeguard costs