Civic Issues
Topics getting the most attention in Cocoa public meetings, ranked by how frequently they are discussed.
11 issues in parks rec with medium priority
UCF history harvest for Diamond Square
The board wants to partner with UCF's RICHES program to collect and preserve Diamond Square's history — photos, obituaries, church and school records. Plan: information meeting in January (around MLK Day), main harvest in February for Black History Month, possibly at the local museum, with community partners like Monroe High School alumni helping spread the word.
Riverfront Park band shell repair/replacement analysis
The 27-year-old band shell has rust and structural issues, and the CRA is paying $37,400 for a design analysis. Board members debated whether the city's general fund — which collects park event revenues — should share the cost, and whether the CRA will also be asked to pay for eventual construction.
Playhouse HVAC System Upgrades
The council was set to approve roughly $330,000 in Trane contracts to replace the Playhouse's HVAC system, with a 10% contingency and a five-year maintenance agreement — a quality-of-life fix for a community performance venue.
Provost Park Improvements Funding
The council was scheduled to accept a state legislative line item appropriation to fund improvements at Provost Park.
T-Dock Design — Task Order 2026-16
The CRA is funding $140,555 of the design work for the T-Dock, a waterfront improvement; the task order with Kimley Horn still needs City Council approval.
Provost Park parking and regional sports complex vision
After a weekend event drew 800-1,000 people with cars parked down Jackson Street, council backed buying two parcels (over an acre combined) south of Provost Park for parking, with talk of multi-purpose fields on the park's 15-acre west side.
Fishing Pier Restoration / Acquisition
Multiple board members pushed to revisit taking back the long-closed, county-owned fishing pier. Staff estimated a rebuild at over $4 million; the board directed staff to bring back the steps to pursue acquisition from the county.
Pine Ridge playground request
Resident Ashley Ingham asked the city to fund a playground in the Pine Ridge neighborhood, calling it a 'playground desert' with no accessible public park nearby — plus a half-road pothole hazard.
Summer youth program grant and RFP
The CRA will put out a request for proposals for its summer youth program — a $10,000 reimbursable grant — and will bring qualified applicants to the May 18 meeting for the board to decide how to split the money.
Temporary dinghy dock proposal at Lee Wenner Park
Brad Whitmore, representing Historic Cocoa Village Main Street, pitched a roughly $200 fix — marine-grade lumber bolted to the seawall — to create a safer dinghy landing for Intracoastal boaters, whose visiting dollars Cocoa Village is currently losing. The council discussed possible CRA funding and environmental permitting.
Merthorpe Park gazebo electricity shutoff
The gazebo's power was cut off because of homeless activity, but a woman in a domestic emergency recently couldn't charge her phone there. Board members debated restoring it but leaned toward keeping it off, pointing residents to nearby stores and City Hall for charging.