MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — The idea of changing the most populated, yet unincorporated part of Brevard County into the “City of Merritt Island” could become an option for voters by Fall 2024.

A feasibility study is currently being conducted by BJM Consulting, Inc. to offer a complete picture of what that would look like.

The firm BJM Consulting, Inc. was awarded the contract during the March 7 meeting of the Brevard County Commission in a 5-0 vote. According to the company’s letter of engagement, BJM said it would create its report in three phases with the total cost “not to exceed $40,000.”

Phase 1 of the report was passed along to the county in June and a copy was shared with Spectrum News (see below). The document is of initial financial findings and some of the information could change by the time the final report is prepared.

Marcus Herman, the chairman of the Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency (MIRA) and a member of the political action committee (PAC) Merritt Island Preservation Committee (MIPC), said the latter group wanted to take the questions that residents had about incorporation and find the best answers possible.

“It is indeed a fact finding mission. That’s all we’re trying to do. This committee is not dead set on becoming a city, it’s about finding the information.” Herman said. “Where are the tax dollars that we’re spending going? Are we getting our fair share? So, that feasibility study is helping us to determine what’s going on with that and we look forward to the finished report so that we can have some hard numbers to be able to share with the community.”

The initial report states that based on U.S. Census Data of a population of 44,497 and taxable revenue of about $4.7 billion, the suggested millage rate would be 1.8740 mills with a revenue of about $8.3 million.

This early data also suggests that while the annual expenses would be roughly $2.8 million, the annual revenues would be about $9.4 million for a reserve total of approximately $6.6 million. Herman said the initial report paints a good picture, but cautions putting in too much stock, since this isn’t the final report.

“The preliminary report is indicating that our thoughts, that the people of Merritt Island weren’t getting their return on their investment for their tax value, it shows that that’s probably true,” Herman said. “There’s an indication that there could be a lot of reserves left over for Merritt Island with no tax increase. So, that’s a big deal.”

“So, we’ve got to make sure that that’s accurate and if it is, then we can present that along with the other ideas of why you should or should not become a city, so people could make that decision.”

Path to a city

Incorporation is something that has been discussed from time to time in Merritt Island, but failed to get off the ground. The last time it came up for a vote by residents was in the late 1980s when it was rejected.

During the Jan. 10 BCC meeting, Assistant County Manager John Denninghoff noted that the last time incorporation was seriously looked at was back in 2011, but no vote of the citizens was taken.

“There was a lot of discussion in the community, but ultimately, it did not move forward,” Denninghoff said during the meeting.

Herman told Spectrum News that conversations started to happen again in more earnest during a prolonged period without formal representation on the Brevard County Commission (BCC). After former Commissioner Bryan Lober abruptly resigned in April 2022, the District 2 seat went unfilled until Commissioner Tom Goodson won the seat in the November 2022 election.

 The idea formally came before the BCC in January 2023 during public comment by Michael Yauch, the vice president of the North Merritt Island Homeowner’s Association, who said he was speaking on behalf of other Merritt Island residents.

That kicked off a discussion for the study to go out to Request for Proposals (RFP). It was affirmed in the March 7 meeting.

What happens next?

Once the study comes back, the MIPC will start talking with legislators about getting a bill prepared for the next legislative session to allow Merritt Island residents to be able to vote on it during the General Election in 2024.

Throughout the process, Herman said they will go out in the community to help ensure that folks are well informed before the vote.

“Our plans are to have a number of different, little town hall meetings to discuss the pros and cons of becoming a city, given what we know about the taxes and what we know about what you can and cannot do in a city, so that the people of Merritt Island can make those decisions,” Herman said.

If approved, the City of Merritt Island would become the fourth largest city in Brevard County.

Read the Initial Financial Projections document below: