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Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Speed bumps removed in Cocoa Beach after city leaders say they never wanted them
The Brief Speedbumps were installed for only a short period of time in Cocoa Beach. They're being removed this week. City leaders say they never wanted the speed bumps in the first place. Taxpayers are wondering why projects have to be done, then redone, in the community. COCOA BEACH, Fla. - Road crews in Brevard County spent the week removing recently installed speed bumps along State Road A1A, in Cocoa Beach just weeks after their controversial addition sparked backlash from both residents and city officials. What we know Road crews were out along State Road A1A this week re-paving parts of the road that had speed bumps put in recently. Cocoa Beach Mayor Keith Capizzi says he was clear with the agency. He never wanted the bumps installed and was surprised when multiple were placed in town. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) claims they were in communication with local cities for years planning safety improvements. The bumps were removed after enough pushback from residents and city leaders. This isn't the first issue like this on the Space Coast. In 2023, officials in Indialantic also had issues with a safety improvement speed bump installed on 5th Ave. That also had to be removed and repaved. Residents think the agencies and cities need to communicate better to save taxpayers from paying for projects twice. The entire safety improvements in Cocoa Beach were estimated to be $3.9 million in total. What we don't know FDOT says they aren't sure how much it will cost to remove the speed bumps. What they're saying Mayor Keith Capizzi said he was surprised to see multiple speed bumps — officially referred to as raised crosswalks — installed throughout the city, despite making it clear he opposed them. "It was surprising because I thought we agreed we weren't going to do that, so it was surprising," said Mayor Capizzi. "I just would like more collaboration." "I see the point of truing to slow people down, but they're kind of more of a hassle than anything," said resident Jason Anderson. "Coordination with the City of Cocoa Beach has occurred throughout every stage of this project to incorporate their feedback into the final design," FDOT said, citing multiple meetings, including a City Commission session on Feb. 1 where alternative design options — including raised crosswalks — were presented and discussed. Read Full FDOT Statement The agency released a lengthy statement Wednesday detailing its efforts to include Cocoa Beach officials and the public in the design process: "For any project, FDOT works closely with local municipalities and community stakeholders from the earliest planning stages through project completion."The pedestrian safety improvement project along S.R. A1A in Cocoa Beach is no different. Coordination with the City of Cocoa Beach has occurred throughout every stage of this project to incorporate their feedback into the final design. Throughout the development and design of the project, FDOT held stakeholder meetings with the city to understand their goals for the project. A public meeting was held on March 1, 2022, and meeting notifications were sent in advance to local elected officials, city staff, and property owners along the project limits. Members of the FDOT design project team attended a City Commission meeting on February 1, 2024, to present the proposed improvement options and receive feedback. One of the options proposed were 12 new crosswalks that were not raised. The City Commission then voted unanimously to approve their preferred alternative for the project and provided input on the crosswalks, design features, and signage, including two raised crosswalks at both ends of the project limits. After further follow-up with city staff after the meeting, FDOT confirmed these changes with a letter to the City and moved forward with construction in line with what was agreed upon by the City Commission and coordinated with staff. See the attached email for reference. "The 'speed bumps' you refer to are raised crosswalks, and were among the features discussed, revised, and finalized through this collaborative process. The total estimated construction cost for the safety improvements along S.R. A1A in Cocoa Beach is $3.9 million. The specific cost to remove the raised crosswalks is not yet determined. "FDOT values strong relationships and communication with our local municipal partners, whether a project is underway or not. Local input helps shape our projects and is always welcome. The Department looks forward to the continued partnership with Cocoa Beach and to delivering improvements that benefit all road users." STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 35 ORLANDO: Download the FOX Local app for breaking news alerts, the latest news headlines Download the FOX 35 Storm Team Weather app for weather alerts & radar Sign up for FOX 35's daily newsletter for the latest morning headlines FOX Local:Stream FOX 35 newscasts, FOX 35 News+, Central Florida Eats on your smart TV The Source FOX 35's Reporter Esther Bower interviewed the mayor and residents on May 21, 2025. She also sent an email and spoke on the phone with reps from FDOT before she was sent a statement from the agency on May 21, 2025. She spoke with some workers in downtown Cocoa Beach who were inspecting the speed bumps.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cocoa Beach adjusts short-term rental fees for AirBnBs, includes condominiums
Cocoa Beach has expanded its enforcement of short-term vacation rentals to include condos and other multifamily residential properties as the city continues to grapple with the growing industry. The measure was approved unanimously by the Cocoa Beach City Commission April 17, restructuring the fees for short-term rental operators in the city. Earlier this year Cocoa Beach City Commission instituted new annual fees as well as penalties for bad actors for short-term vacation rentals in single-family homes where the issue has been hotly debated. The city faced some backlash in February when it dramatically raised fees to a $2,500 application cost and an annual renewal fee $1,500 per year for single-family homes. This week, those fees were adjusted to account for both the number of guests staying at short-term rentals and include multifamily buildings. Under the previous ordinance, only single-family homes used as short-term rentals were subject to the city's regulations. Annual registration fees for vacation rentals will now be based on the total occupants expected. For single-family rentals, that fee is now $219.45 per guest each year. For multi-family properties, the fee will be $146.30 per guest annually. Raising money through the registration fee structure will allow the city to pay for enforcement. Besides the registration costs, new fines will be instituted for violators. Anyone operating a vacation rental without registering will be fined $250 for the first day and $500 for every subsequent day until the sixth day when then fine goes up to $1,000 daily. "We really wanted to be fair to the residents and the people who are running their AirBnBs properly," mayor Keith Capizzi said. Lisa Bosch, a property owner in Cocoa Beach, said she's concerned about the new fee structure. "At this point I don't even see it as legally supportable," Bosch said. "What's going to happen to a small apartment building with those fees is it's going to put us under." Mayor Capizzi, however, said the impacts to owners of short-term rental properties who aren't receiving complaints already should be minimal. "If you're not getting called on currently for stuff, this really doesn't apply to you. If you're a good actor ... the only thing you're going to see different is this registration fee that we dropped down," he added. Tyler Vazquez is the Brevard County Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-480-0854 or tvazquez@ Twitter: @tyler_vazquez. This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Cocoa Beach changes short-term rental fees for condos and homes
