April 2022 | Issue 2
Upcoming Events
April 9, 2022, 8a; Annual Keep Brevard Beautiful Trash Bash Clean-up Event; Riverfront Park and Porcher House
April 9, 2022, 6p; Deuterman Productions Presents Travis Tritt "Set in Stone Tour"; Riverfront Park
April 16, 2022, 11a; APEX Events presents the 2022 Space Coast Tribute Fest; Riverfront Park
See all events happening this month.
Upcoming Meetings
Planning and Zoning Board, 4/6/22, 6pm
Cocoa City Council, 4/12/22, 6pm
Diamond Square RDA Board, 4/18/22, 6pm
Goal Setting/Budget Priorities Workshop, 4/19/22, 12:30pm
Board of Adjustment, 4/20/22, 6pm
Code Enforcement Board, 4/21/22, 6pm
Cocoa City Council, 4/26/22, 6pm
See the updated list of upcoming meetings this month.
Arbor Day Celebration
The City of Cocoa has once again been designated as a Tree City USA. The Tree City USA program has been greening up cities and towns across America since 1976. It is a nationwide movement that provides the framework necessary for communities to manage and expand their public trees. More than 3,400 communities have made the commitment to becoming a Tree City USA.

A well maintained and healthy tree canopy provides a number of benefits for our community including: improving air quality, reducing heat with shade, providing wildlife habitat, absorbing stormwater and protecting us during storms by dampening winds. 

The City of Cocoa will be celebrating the value trees have in our community by hosting an Arbor Day celebration on Friday, April 29, 2022 from 4-7pm at Cocoa City Hall (North side of the building).

Service to All
This new electronic newsletter (2nd edition) is an example of our commitment to inform our residents, business owners, and visitors of the great things that are happening in the city. It is just one vehicle we utilize to provide accurate and timely information. We also print and mail a quarterly newsletter to over 15,000 households and businesses in the community, post to over 45,000 followers on social media, publish news releases with local media outlets, host an annual Citizens Academy, and host several public meetings and events, including the Chief of Police monthly community walks.
 
I hope you enjoy this newsletter. Thank you for working with our Council and City Staff as we continue to make Cocoa a great place to live, work and play.

All of us together, are TEAM COCOA.

Two FDOT Projects in Design for SR 520 in Cocoa
The Florida Department of Transportation is currently in the design phase for two major projects on State Road 520 in Cocoa that will see the removal of the auxiliary lane east of US1 in the Cocoa Village area with added parking, increased medians and enhanced pedestrian safety components. Work on the first project is scheduled to being in the Fall of 2022.  
Diamond Square Community Improvement Grants
Grants for exterior paint and landscape beautification
The Diamond Square Redevelopment Agency has approved two grant programs available to help residents continue improvements within the Diamond Square community. Grants are available for exterior paint and landscape beautification. Click below to learn more.
Lee Wenner Park Boat Ramp Closure
The boat ramps, Captain Ed Lanni T-Dock, day slips and boat parking at Lee Wenner Park will be closed for 90 days beginning February 28th for the boat ramp dredging and restoration project that is funded through grants from the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND).
Cocoa Completes FY21 Audit and Annual Financial Report
The City of Cocoa Finance department presented to Cocoa City Council at the March 22, 2022 City Council meeting the Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Financial Report (ACFR) and Audit Report. These documents which are required to be produced highlighted no audit comments, over $2.4 million spent in grant expenditures, over a million dollars spent in COVID relief to the community, and half a million dollars received from FEMA for Hurricane.
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT
Frank Mirabito
Project Manager, Public Works

20 years of service to the citizens of Cocoa
Frank started with the City as a Maintenance Worker I, twenty years ago and now holds the role of Project Manager for the Public Works Department. He is married and has twin teenage daughters. Click below to read more about Frank and his role here with the City of Cocoa.
TRASH BASH - April 9th
The City of Cocoa will be participating once again the annual Keep Brevard Beautiful Community-wide Trash Bash Cleanup event on Saturday, April 9, 2022. To volunteer with #TeamCocoa, call Leisure Services at (321) 635-7702 or nharris@cocoafl.org.
UTILITY PAYMENT KIOSK
The City of Cocoa now has a new digital utility payment kiosk located on the south side (Orange Street) of City Hall. This payment kiosk allows customers to make payments and get a receipt for their utility payment 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, without having to come inside City Hall.
Revised Districts Approved
In February, a revised District Boundary map was approved by Cocoa City Council. A redrawing of district boundaries is required by Charter after every Census.
Goal Setting and Budget Workshops
The Cocoa City Council is embarking on goal setting and budget priorities for the upcoming year ahead. All citizens are invited to participate and will have an opportunity to provide input to the City Council. Council will work on goal and budget priorities as we continue to address community challenges in order to deliver effective and efficient services for all of our residents and business owners.
Parks Improvements
Cocoa City Council made it a priority this past year to improve the quality of our parks. A number of upgrades have been planned and are projected to be complete in the Fall of 2022. The first progress is the exercise equipment that will be installed at Bracco Pond Park bringing 9 different stations along the walking path surrounding the stormwater pond. For more information on parks upgrades click below.
Cocoa's Citizens Academy
Class 3 of the Cocoa Citizens Academy is well underway with their latest visit to the City of Cocoa Emergency Operations Center. Class 4 of the Citizens Academy will be coming this fall. If you are interested in learning more about the program, click below for more information including how you can apply to be a part of the next session.
The City of Cocoa was awarded a $40,000 matching grant from the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program to complete the final design for a proposed Water Quality Restoration Project at Dixon Blvd. and Indian River Dr. The proposed project would elevate Indian River Drive above the 100-year flood elevation, providing for transportation resiliency by reducing the likelihood of catastrophic flooding events due to storms and long-term sea-level rise.
Cocoa City Council unanimously approved to accept the Cocoa Urban Forest Management Plan. The plan, which was conducted as part of a 3 year Urban and Community Forestry grant to assist local government in enhancing their urban and community forestry programs, utilizes data from the tree inventory and outlines Cocoa's commitment to proper tree care.
Survey
Each month we will ask residents to answer a question to give feedback on important topics in our community. Your feedback is important to us. Please take a moment to answer our survey.

April Question
Do you feel that Cocoa has enough affordable housing options?
CITY OF COCOA | www.CocoaFL.org