COCOA BEACH, Fla. — Brevard County and beachside cities could be closer to resolving a dispute over lifeguard pay.

Some of the money needed would come from tourist tax revenue, but county commissioners are sending the proposal to the state to make sure it’s legal.

It’s a budget burden cities like Cocoa Beach, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach haven’t wanted to bear.

“We contributed roughly $80,000 a year, and the county wanted to raise it $850,000 a year, so that’s substantial, we had not budgeted for that, and we had no intention of paying that, we would have just posted at the beaches ‘swim at your own risk’,” Cocoa Beach city manager Wayne Carragino said.

The county’s lifeguard coverage budget currently stands at $3.74 million.

The plan calls for nearly $2 million to come from the county’s general fund, and nearly $1.6 million drawn from tourist tax revenue.

Melbourne Beach would pay up some $22,000, Indialantic nearly $44,000 and Cocoa Beach almost $170,000.

Those numbers are a far cry from the county’s original proposal for the cities to 50% of the Brevard Ocean Rescue budget.

“It just reverted back to the way it was and calmed things down,” says Carragino.

At Tuesday’s county commission meeting, commissioners voted 4 to 1 to send the tourist tax proposal to the state attorney general to determine its legality.

Brevard Ocean Rescue is also looking to fill multiple seasonal lifeguard positions for January through October of next year.

Tryouts are happening Nov. 2 at 9 a.m. at Rockledge High School.