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***There will be no Weekly Updates on 12/28/2020 + 1/04/2021.***
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COVID-19 Vaccine Update
A COVID-19 vaccine is close to dissemination in the US. Deliveries and immunizations could begin by the end of this month or in early January 2021. Residents of long term care facilities, frontline healthcare workers, and those over 65 years of age and/or with significant comorbidity will be prioritized first in the state of Florida. Widespread public availability of the vaccine is not expected until late Spring or early Summer 2021. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines “teach our cells how to make a piece of a protein to trigger an immune response and build immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 [SARS-CoV-2]. mRNA does not affect or interact with a person’s DNA, and the cell breaks down and gets ride of the mRNA as soon as it is finished using these instructions.”
Learn more about mRNA vaccines and how they work here: Understanding mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines
The City will continue to provide updates about the ongoing efforts to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine as more developments occur.
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The Cape Canaveral Giving Tree is back!
This year, COVID-19 has certainly presented us with new challenges in discovering different ways of safely going about our normal activities. Our Giving Tree Program is no different…
With local families in need this holiday season (maybe this year more than ever), we will continue the Giving Tree Program but in a safer, and slightly different manner than in the past.
If you wish to purchase items for a child on the Giving Tree list, tags with the information and gift ideas will be safely on display behind glass in the City Hall lobby. When you make a tag selection, you may physically take the tag with you or take a photo of the information on the tag you have selected. If you elect to take a photo, please let us know which tag you have selected so we can remove the tag from the window to eliminate duplicates. You may also call 321-868-1220 (x208) to receive tag information and/or to arrange a curbside drop-off of the purchased gift(s).
Unwrapped gifts, with the child’s information/tag attached, should be dropped off at City Hall by December 17 at 5:00 p.m.
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Please note: The City of Cape Canaveral, in a proactive attempt to encourage social distancing, will continue to evaluate the cancellation or postponement of future events on a case-by-case basis. Please check our website or Facebook for cancellations.
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- The Cape Canaveral Public Library is open for business!
- Curbside pick-up is available at all Brevard County Public Library locations. When you are ready to pick up a book hold, just give the Library a call and let them know you’re on the way!
- For more information on any Library activities, booking the activity space for private events and meetings, or to find out how you can get involved with your local Library, call (321) 868-1101.
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Current Projects: Please visit www.cityofcapecanaveral.org/projects for information on current City projects.
- Major Water Reclamation Facility (WRF)/Collections System Improvement Projects
- Estuary Property Activities
- West Central Boulevard Improvements Project
- The contractor (Gibbs & Register) initiated work to include reducing the size of the medians to allow for wider traffic lanes and milling of the westbound lane. The initial phase of work includes closing the westbound lane to traffic; the eastbound lane will be two-way traffic for the foreseeable future. The work area includes West Central Boulevard from SR A1A to Thurm Boulevard and will include the construction of streetscape amenities similar to Ridgewood and North Atlantic Avenues.
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Milling and reconstruction of the westbound lane of West Central Boulevard – looking east.
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City Council
- Finalized, posted and distributed agenda and packets for December 15, 2020 Regular City Council Meeting.
BID #2020-03 – HEADWORKS AND FILTER IMPROVEMENTS
- Continued distributing Bid/Project information, documents, pre-bid sign-in sheets and addenda to interested parties.
- The due date/location for Bid packet submittals and the Bid Opening will be at City Hall on Tuesday, December 15, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. and 2:05 p.m., respectively.
RFP #2020‑01 – COMMERCIAL SURF SCHOOL FRANCHISE
- The due date/location for RFP packet submittals and the RFP Opening will be at City Hall on Tuesday, December 22, 2020 at 3:00 p.m. and 3:05 p.m., respectively.
COVID-19, Hybrid (in-person & remote), Staff Meetings and other items
- City Clerk’s Office Staff are staggering working remotely and on-site, in an effort to continue following federal, state and local social-distancing, stay-at-home, PPE and phased return‑to‑work guidelines.
- Assisted Leisure Services with notarizing renewal letters for activity instructors.
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- Reviewed and approved agenda items for the December 15, 2020 Regular City Council Meeting.
- Met with Council Members to review and discuss agenda items for the December 15, 2020 Regular City Council Meeting.
- Communicated with Council Members and the Mayor regarding various items and initiatives.
- Met with Community + Economic Development Director to review proposed sign ordinance revisions.
- Met with City Attorney to review proposed Cherie Down Park Interlocal Agreement.
- Attended conference calls with the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and City Manager/County Manager teams.
- Actively monitoring COVID-19 activity; evaluating and communicating information as needed.
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Staff Activities
- Attended Brevard County Emergency Management meetings for COVID-19.
- Assisted with remote operations technology and ADA accessible broadcasting of the Planning + Zoning Board meeting.
- Continued work on the 2020 State of the City report.
- Submitted content for January 2021 publications in Florida Today and the Canaveral Explorer.
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Come join our team! Current Vacancy:
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Also, don't recycle them!
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Special Events
- Movie in the Park
Movie in the Park is returning for the Fall series finale. Friday, December 18, the City of Cape Canaveral will be showing the holiday favorite: Elf (2003). The movie will begin at 7:00 p.m. sharp in Canaveral City Park located at 355 Monroe Avenue. Seating will be socially distanced and masks + hand sanitizer will be available for all those in attendance.
- Letters from Santa
Santa’s mailbox is now open through December 15! Register your child to receive a personalized letter from Santa Claus before Christmas Day. Registration is FREE! Register online to receive a letter from Santa!
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Leagues
Access scores, schedules, standings and register for future leagues online.
- Register online for the 2021 2nd Annual Space Coast Paddle Battle! The Mixed Doubles is currently full and forming a waiting list. The Ladies Division still has three teams spots available.
- Kathy McNulty and Linda Ahern are leading the Women’s 3.0+ Division in Pickleball with a perfect 4-0 record. In the 3.0- Division, Luna Contreras and Nicole Madeux remain undefeated at 3-0 and are currently sitting in 1st place on the leaderboard.
- The Mixed Doubles Pickleball League played its Week 3 matches last Monday. Kimble and Christine Inghram remain undefeated, moving their record to 3-0 for the season. Three teams are right on their tails with 2-1 records and will be looking to catch up with them later this season.
- Kickball is nearing the end of the regular season with B.O.A.F. proving they are the front-runner to win the Championship this year. B.O.A.F. has not been beat since the middle of last season. They will ride this momentum into the Playoffs, with the 1st seed and receive a first round bye.
- Chad and Thorpe remain undefeated in the Wednesday Night Tennis League. The two will play each other in a makeup match in the weeks to come. The winner between Chad and Thorpe will likely take the top spot as we move into Playoffs. The top eight players will make the Playoff Tournament and compete to become the Wednesday Night Champion in Cape Canaveral.
- Unsurprisingly, Gary remains undefeated in the Monday Night Tennis League. Gary has been around the Cape Canaveral leagues for years now and has not lost a match in the past few years. Gary will be challenged by Thorpe in the coming weeks. Thorpe will have to bring his best game if he hopes to dethrone Gary.
- Racquetball is currently registering players to play in the next season beginning in early January.
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Players gather on Wednesday nights for a fun night of adult kickball at Canaveral City Park.
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GREAT NEWS FOR THE LAGOON! Since October 2019, the City has diverted almost 40 million gallons of direct reclaim water discharges into the lagoon from the Water Reclamation Facility and sent it over for natural percolation into the Canaveral City Park underground exfiltration system. The City’s largest reclaim holding tank at the plant is 2.5 million gallons, so that is 16 tanks worth of reclaim water diverted and counting!
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Frosty, is that you?! A Frosty the Sandman sighting was reported by the IM department as they were doing their daily beach patrol.
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Florida Solar 101 Solar Co-op Event
Learn about solar energy and its benefits for your home, or small business. We'll take you through the technology, economics, financing, and more. Please use the ticket link above to register for the event.
You'll also learn about the solar co-ops we launched.
- Florida Keys Solar Co-op
- Sarasota County Solar Co-op
- Space Coast Solar Co-op
These co-ops are free to join and members are *not* obligated to buy solar panels.
Co-op members get:
- A free review of your roof to see if solar panels will work for you
- One-on-one support for all your questions about going solar
- An individualized proposal for solar at a bulk rate
Find out more with no obligations and from the comfort of home. This will be a live presentation so bring your questions about solar and we'll answer them!
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Upcycling Bottle Caps to Improve the Indian River Lagoon
Researchers at the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne are experimenting with upcycling bottle caps in order to use them to improve the water quality of the Indian River Lagoon. Sounds crazy, right? How is that possible? Please read the informative article linked below to learn more about this scientific initiative, and perhaps how you too can become involved. The research team can use all the caps they can get!
Recycled plastic bottle caps can help clean lagoon water!!!
Naturally occurring “good” bacteria within the water column and in the sediments help to remove nitrogen from the water. Unfortunately, “good” bacteria grow best only in the right conditions. Partially due to the deterioration of the lagoon over time, including the build-up of “muck,” we are seeing less favorable habitats for these specific bacteria to live and carry out the “good” biochemical reactions that remove nitrogen. In degraded areas, we can provide the “good” bacteria a place to live on bottle caps, creating effectively a pro-biotic for the lagoon. A similar approach is used in home aquaria where plastic balls are used in a filter to promote the growth of “good” bacteria. Plastic bottle caps can achieve the same result and we are seeking help collecting the large quantities of bottle caps needed to make this project possible on a large scale. Bottle caps are perfect for this application because they are available globally, can be obtained relatively inexpensively and could be used to improve water quality in rural and underrepresented communities worldwide.
Donations: The researchers are collecting as many plastic bottle caps as possible and would very much appreciate your help! If you would like to donate plastic bottle caps for the initiative you can deliver them to City Hall where there is a donation bin now set up in the lobby. Donation boxes are also located at Brevard Zoo, Cape View Elementary and at the SunShoppe; located in downtown Melbourne. You can also contact geringa2016@my.fit.edu for more information or to discuss other drop-off options.
NOTE: Bottle caps are contained in mesh sacks to prevent them from escaping into the open environment, and by submerging the bottle caps, they are protected from ultraviolet light that would lead to the formation of microplastics. This biochemical process to remove nitrogen only works when caps are placed in appropriate areas and just throwing your trash in the lagoon will not help!
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Third Indian River Lagoon Report Card Released
The Marine Resources Council (MRC) - a Brevard County-based nonprofit dedicated to environmental stewardship and research - has released its third Indian River Lagoon Health Report Card; a visual representation of the lagoon’s condition through data collected via the state of Florida’s monitoring program to determine if state regulatory standards are being met across the 156 mile long estuary. The report and its predecessors are designed to be used as a guide for scientific investigation, raising awareness, inspiring advocacy, and informing policy-makers.
The 2020 Indian River Lagoon Health Report Card includes:
- 137,202 agency data points, including 25 years of seagrass and 23 years of water quality data
- 10 lagoon regions and 12 tributaries spanning from Ponce Inlet in Volusia County to Jupiter Inlet in Palm Beach County
- Scored and color-coded tables and maps to easily see changes over time and space
The report card uses a grading scale from 0 to 100 (like an academic report card) to indicate the lagoon’s health. A score of 80 meets the state’s regulatory target and is considered above average and is colored green within the report card’s graphs. Overall water quality across the 10 lagoon regions surveyed has either slightly improved or remained steady with some unfortunate exceptions, including the Banana River.
The Banana River borders the City’s entire western shoreline and runs 31 miles from north to south from the Kennedy Space Center to Dragon’s Point. Regulatory targets for the Banana River Lagoon were established by the St. Johns River Water Management District. Between 1996 and 2019, the Banana River has “experienced a precipitous decline in both water quality and seagrass that can be easily seen in the graph below. Heavily impacted by the superbloom of 2009–2010 and the brown tide in 2016, seagrasses have declined and never recovered in the Banana River.”
Much of this decline is attributed to muck buildup. Muck is a thick mixture of nitrogen and phosphorus that resembles black tar. In some parts of the lagoon, muck has reached up to 10 feet thick, which suffocates seagrass beds below.
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In the end, the report card shows that there is still much work left to be done, not only in the Banana River but across the entire estuary. We must all do our part in helping to rehabilitate and save our lagoon. The City has completed numerous projects over the last several years to reduce its impacts on the lagoon, including increasing stormwater holding capacity, planting programs, and implementing low impact development practices.
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Brevard County Sheriff’s Office
Canaveral Precinct
Here at the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, we are very proud to be serving the residents, business owners and visitors of the City of Cape Canaveral. We all have a responsibility in keeping our City safe and we continue to need your partnership to ensure we continue to do the best job possible.
The following numbers will assist us all in our common goals:
To Report an Emergency: 911
Non-Emergency Dispatch: (321) 633-7162
Cape Canaveral Precinct: (321) 868-1113
Everyone has a different vantage point and please never assume we already know what you know. Also, it is very important that you report any suspicious behavior, as it is occurring – please do not delay.
Please refer to our website for the many additional services we offer to our community from fingerprinting, notary services, to arranging a house check www.brevardsheriff.com/home/how-do-i/request/
Thank you for your continued support of the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office!
Below are samplings of the actions taken by Canaveral deputies during this reporting period.
Please note: All suspects are considered innocent until proven guilty.
| Beach Patrol |
Several beach patrols and beach access patrols conducted throughout this reporting period. |
2020-00421536
Arrest |
Khalid Plummer, age 19, Palm Bay resident, was arrested for driving while license suspended with knowledge, possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia/equipment. |
2020-00422536
Arrest |
Savannah Rain Marston, age 20, Cape Canaveral resident, was arrested for resisting officer without violence. |
2020-00422921
Arrest |
Laurie Patricia Wyrick, age 44, out of state resident, was arrested for DUI, resisting an officer without violence and refusing to accept/sign citation. |
2020-00424076
Arrest |
Dominic Michael Dayton, age 67, homeless, was arrested for possession of a controlled substance without a prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia/equipment. |
2020-00427637
Arrest |
Thomas Patrick Farhat, age 52, unknown residence, was arrested for trafficking amphetamine/methamphetamine and possession of heroin w/intent to sell. |
2020-00428887
Arrest |
Genairo Kyle Lopez, age 37, Brevard County resident, was arrested for violation of probation. |
2020-00429204
Arrest |
Matthew Lloyd Church, age 48, homeless, was arrested for violation of probation and possession of cocaine. |
2020-00429204
Arrest |
Logan Frederick Arnold, age 31, homeless, was arrested for sleeping/camping on public property. |
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Need to Report-a-Concern?
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Residents who wish to report anonymous concerns may do so:
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As a member of the Cape Canaveral Community, you are our eyes and ears. You can easily report a concern by submitting the info via the City website portal Cape Connect. The message will be automatically routed to the appropriate department. We need as much information as possible to address your concern quickly and efficiently. Don’t hold back when it comes to details! Let us know the time, date, exact location and anything else you think is important.
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Visit the Report a Concern page for more information.
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