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88-517: Melbourne Beach is a town in Brevard County, Florida , United States. It is part of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The population had 3,231 residents at the 2020 United States Census , up from 3,101 at the 2010 census. The Ais Indians resided in the area in pre-Columbian times. In 2010, a midden near Aquarina included a burial ground for

176-592: A "Period of Friendship" with the Ais Caciques(Chiefs) and made a color map of the area. During the 19th century, the state of Florida frequently changed the names and borders of counties. St. Lucie County was split off from Mosquito County in 1844. St. Lucie County was renamed Brevard County in 1855 after Theodore Washington Brevard , who served as Florida Comptroller from 1854 to 1860. This "Brevard County" contained very little of present-day Brevard County. Most of present-day Brevard north of Melbourne

264-632: A bomb exploded under their home, fatally injuring both of them. The murders were racially motivated and believed committed by members of the Ku Klux Klan . Four separate investigations were conducted, including the first by the FBI in 1951–1952, and the last in 2005 by the state. No one was ever prosecuted. In 1940, the United States federal government built Naval Air Station Banana River (now Patrick Space Force Base ). This military installation

352-579: A chief and two handmaidens. It has been suggested that Juan Ponce de León landed near Melbourne Beach in 1513, where he then became the first European to set foot in Florida . A determination of this was made by a historian in the 1990s, who believed that the spot was "within five to eight nautical miles" on the barrier island with a proposed name of Ponce de León Island . However, this suggestion has not been met with wide acceptance from historians who state that de Leon's landing place cannot be known within

440-446: A few concessions to the people in the northern part of the county, and agreed not to officially move the county seat. Since construction of the new center, Viera has been for all intents and purposes the de facto seat of Brevard County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 1,557 square miles (4,030 km ), of which 1,016 square miles (2,630 km ) is land and 541 square miles (1,400 km ) (34.8%)

528-530: A four-week period. Deer flies are particularly noticeable from April through June. Local bird counts indicate that there are at least 163 species of birds in the county. Turkey vultures , a migrating species, are protected by federal law. They migrate north in the summer and return in September. The county's most common winter bird is the lesser scaup , a diving duck. In 2008, half a million were counted. In 2010, 15,000 were estimated. Other birds include

616-402: A household in the county was $ 49,523, and the median income for a family was $ 60,842. Males had a median income of $ 48,191 versus $ 33,276 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 27,606. About 7.2% of families and 10.5% of the population were below the poverty line , including 14.4% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those aged 65 or over. In 2010, 8.6% of the county's population

704-451: A household in the town is $ 57,035, and the median income for a family is $ 62,139. Males have a median income of $ 46,424 versus $ 34,028 for females. The per capita income for the town is $ 31,489. 3.8% of the population and 1.6% of families are below the poverty line . Out of the total people living in poverty, 0.0% are under the age of 18 and 2.2% are 65 or older. In 2007, the town had a taxable real estate base of $ 371.45 million. In 2010,

792-620: A leeway of less than a hundred miles or so. A statue of Ponce de León was erected at "Juan Ponce de León Landing" in Melbourne Beach to commemorate his discovery. Melbourne Beach is Brevard County's oldest beach community. In 1879, a hotel, the Oak Lodge, was built for researchers and naturalists on a 164-acre (66 ha) location near Aquarina. In 1921, the Melbourne Causeway was built, connecting Melbourne Beach to

880-408: A new race, a new type, in this country." Roosevelt's "race" beliefs were not unique in the 19th and early 20th century. Professor Eric Kaufmann has suggested that American nativism has been explained primarily in psychological and economic terms to the neglect of a crucial cultural and ethnic dimension. Kauffman contends American nativism cannot be understood without reference to the theorem of

968-583: A rare protected species , give birth near the coast of Brevard, among other places, from November 15 to April 15. The venomous brown recluse spider is not native to the area but has found the environment congenial. The Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network has counted species of butterflies monthly for a year since 2007. In 2010, it counted 45 species. Included are zebra swallowtail butterflies . Lovebug season occurs twice annually in May and August–September. Motorists encounter swarms of these while driving during

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1056-565: A woody marsh at the time, was used by the Archaic Floridians as a burial ground, with the bodies being wrapped in fabric and submerged in the peaty soil . The pond was used for interments for around a thousand years (circa 8,000–7,000 BCE). The Ais and the Jaega were the dominant tribes in the area when it is thought that Ponce De Leon landed on the shores near Melbourne Beach in 1513. There were about 10,000 of these natives in

1144-401: Is April with 1.6 inches (4.1 cm) of rainfall; the wettest is September, with 6.6 inches (17 cm). Offshore ocean temperatures have averaged: January – 64 °F (18 °C), February – 62 °F (17 °C), March – 67 °F (19 °C) and April – 72 °F (22 °C). In federal maps printed before 2012, nearly half of Brevard was classified as prone to flooding. Most of this

1232-550: Is addressed by the United States Census Bureau as follows: Some people identify their ancestry as American. This could be because their ancestors have been in United States for so long or they have such mixed backgrounds that they do not identify with any particular group. Some foreign born or children of the foreign born may report American to show that they are part of American society. There are many reasons people may report their ancestors as American, and

1320-558: Is considered to be seriously undercounted, as the 6.9% of U.S. Census respondents who self-report and identify simply as "American" are primarily of these ancestries. Reynolds Farley writes that "we may now be in an era of optional ethnicity, in which no simple census question will distinguish those who identify strongly with a specific European group from those who report symbolic or imagined ethnicity." Stanley Lieberson and Mary C. Waters write "As whites become increasingly distant in generations and time from their immigrant ancestors,

1408-500: Is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km) of it (19.53%) is water. The Town of Melbourne Beach is part of the humid subtropical climate zone with a Köppen Climate Classification of "Cfa" (C = mild temperate, f = fully humid, and a = hot summer). Shorebirds include black-bellied plovers , red knots (winter), gannets , seabirds (offshore), and red-throated loons (winter). As of the 2020 United States census , there were 3,231 people, 1,374 households, and 874 families residing in

1496-671: Is less frequently hit by direct hurricane landfalls than are portions of the Panhandle or South Florida . There are two predominant reasons for this. First, westward-moving tropical systems often reach an atmospheric ridge weakness in the Bermuda High by the time they approach Florida at a latitude as northerly as Brevard County. Combined with frontal systems that exit the United States' East Coast , many of these tropical systems are steered northwest and eventually curve northward offshore along Florida's East Central Coast. A second reason

1584-580: Is on the Atlantic coast of eastern Central Florida . As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in Titusville . A secondary center of county administration, including a circuit courthouse, was built in 1989 in the planned community of Viera, Florida , the geographic center of the county. Before

1672-428: Is receding from the consciousness of many white Americans. Because national origins do not count for very much in contemporary America, many whites are content with a simplified Americanized racial identity. The loss of specific ancestral attachments among many white Americans also results from high patterns of intermarriage and ethnic blending among whites of different European stocks." The response of American ancestry

1760-472: Is second in Brevard County for per capita income and 124 out of 887 places. Coconut Point Park is a 36.9-acre (14.9 ha) community beachside park and sea turtle nesting site. The park is listed in the state of Florida Great Florida Birding Trail . Brevard County, Florida Brevard County ( / b r ə ˈ v ɑːr d / brə- VARD ) is a county in the U.S. state of Florida . It

1848-435: Is similar to that of areas with high levels of not reporting any national ancestry. In the 2014 American Community Survey , German Americans (14.4%), Irish Americans (10.4%), English Americans (7.6%), and Italian Americans (5.4%) were the four largest self-reported European ancestry groups in the United States, forming 37.8% of the total population. However, English, Scotch-Irish , and English American demography

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1936-663: Is situated on the barrier island that separates the Indian River Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean . This island, approximately 40 miles (64 km) in length, stretches from Cape Canaveral to the north to the Sebastian Inlet to the south. Melbourne Beach is bordered by the town of Indialantic to the north. According to the United States Census Bureau , the town has a total area of 1.3 square miles (3.3 km). 1.0 square miles (2.7 km) of it

2024-410: Is that hurricanes making landfall along the Florida peninsula Gulf Coast often weaken to a tropical storm by the time they move northeast and reach Brevard County. (2004's Charley was an exception). No major hurricane, defined as category 3 or higher, has struck Brevard since 1850, the beginning of recorded climate. Although residents may refer to past storms as "hurricanes", by the time they strike

2112-948: Is the major waterway route in Brevard County. It includes the Indian River . Additional waterways include Lake Washington , Lake Poinsett , Lake Winder , Sawgrass Lake , the St. Johns River, and the Banana River . Dredging for the Intracoastal created 41 spoil islands in the Brevard portion of the Indian River. Brevard County is the sole county in the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). Palm Bay, Melbourne, and Titusville are designated as principal cities in

2200-447: Is water. Most of the water is the Atlantic Ocean , the St. Johns River and the Indian River Lagoon . The county is larger in area than the nation of Samoa and nearly the same size, and population, as Cape Verde . Located halfway between Jacksonville and Miami , Brevard County extends 72 miles (116 km) from north to south, and averages 26.5 miles (42.6 km) wide. Emphasizing

2288-524: The 1980 census , 26% of United States residents cited that they were of English ancestry , making them the largest group at the time. In the 2000 United States Census, 6.9% of the American population chose to self-identify itself as having "American ancestry." The four states in which a plurality of the population reported American ancestry were Arkansas (15.7%), Kentucky (20.7%), Tennessee (17.3%), and West Virginia (18.7%). Sizable percentages of

2376-656: The Canaveral National Seashore , the St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge , the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge , several conservation areas managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District , Brevard County's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program Sanctuaries, and lands dedicated by the State as conservation areas. The underlying limestone in the county is relatively young at 150,000 years old. This means that

2464-561: The Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and the Gentlemen's Agreement of 1907 . According to U.S. Census Bureau ; "Ancestry refers to a person's ethnic origin or descent, 'roots,' or heritage, or the place of birth of the person or the person's parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States." According to 2000 U.S. census data, an increasing number of United States citizens identify simply as "American" on

2552-402: The Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville , FL Metropolitan Statistical Area . The first Paleoindians arrived in the area near Brevard county between 12,000 and 10,000 years ago. The Paleoindians were semi-nomadic people who lived in smaller groups. After a few thousand years, a new group of settlers appeared known as " the archaic people ." These people were primarily fishermen, as opposed to

2640-636: The South Beaches . There are also several beaches along the coast of the county. The North Reach includes 9.4 miles (15.1 km) of coastline from Cape Canaveral, through Cocoa Beach, to Patrick Space Force Base. The Patrick Space Force Base beach is 4.1 miles (6.6 km) long. South of Patrick SFB, the Mid Reach includes the 7.6 miles (12.2 km) of coastline in Satellite Beach. The South Reach includes 3.8 miles (6.1 km) of beach in

2728-502: The red-shouldered hawk , the loggerhead shrike , the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker , Cooper's hawks , pileated woodpeckers , Savannah sparrows , rails (which also includes coots ), Florida scrub jays (an endangered species), wood storks , grackles , great horned owls , northern mockingbirds , brown thrashers , catbirds , green-winged teals , greater yellowlegs , western sandpipers , least sandpipers , dowitchers , and American white pelicans . Peak migration in

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2816-470: The term "American" to identify an ancestral or cultural identity dates to the late 1500s, with the term signifying "the indigenous peoples discovered in the Western Hemisphere by Europeans." In the following century, the term "American" was extended as a reference to colonists of European descent. The Oxford English Dictionary identifies this secondary meaning as "historical" and states that

2904-399: The 1890s. During the antebellum period (pre-Civil War), between 1830 and 1860, Americanism acquired a restrictive political meaning due to nativist moral panics . Nativism would eventually influence Congress; in 1924, legislation limiting immigration from Southern and Eastern European countries was ratified, also quantifying previous formal and informal anti-Asian previsions, such as

2992-742: The 1930s, Harry T. Moore was a civil rights leader, teacher , and founder of the Brevard County NAACP . After the war he became president of the state NAACP. After the Supreme Court had ruled in 1944 that white primaries were unconstitutional, he conducted voter registration drives and succeeded in registering 31% of black voters in Florida, a higher percentage than in any other southern state. The white establishment resisted, firing both him and his wife Harriette in 1946 from their teaching positions as economic blackmail against them because of their activism. On Christmas night, 1951,

3080-708: The MSA. The MSA was created as the Melbourne-Titusville-Cocoa, Florida Standard MSA in 1972, renamed the Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay, Florida MSA in 1983, and given its current title in 2003. The county is unofficially divided into three sections: North County, comprising Titusville , Mims and Port St. John ; Central Brevard, which includes Cocoa , Rockledge , Merritt Island , and Cocoa Beach ; and South County, which includes Melbourne , Palm Bay , Grant , Valkaria , and

3168-582: The Netherlands, and even modern-day Russia and Finland. They saw Catholic immigrants as a threat to traditional American republican values, as they were loyal to the papacy . This form of American nationalism is often identified with xenophobia and anti-Catholic sentiment . Nativist outbursts occurred in the Northeast from the 1830s to the 1850s, primarily in response to a surge of Catholic immigration. The Order of United American Mechanics

3256-566: The Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area as the 98th most populous metropolitan statistical area and the 96th most populous primary statistical area of the United States as of July 1, 2012. The county has a Köppen climate classification of Cfa, with a year-round distribution of rainfall. This means a humid subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild winters. There are distinct wet and dry seasons. The dry lasts from December through May,

3344-493: The South, only Missouri and Indiana did so. American was one of the top five ancestries reported in all Southern states except for Delaware, in four Midwestern states bordering the South (Indiana, Kansas , Missouri , and Ohio ) as well as Iowa , and in six Northwestern states ( Colorado , Idaho , Oregon , Utah , Washington , Wyoming ), but only one Northeastern state, Maine . The pattern of areas with high levels of American

3432-466: The adults in the county. Of those, a local agency counted in 2010 that 225 of the veterans were homeless. In 2012, the Urban Institute ranked the Brevard metro fourth in the country for racial equality. Criteria were integration of neighborhoods, income, and the quality of schools minorities attend. The area was ranked first for Hispanic equality with whites. In 2010, the median income for

3520-477: The age of 18 living with them, 48.28% were married couples living together, 11.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.40% were non-families. 28.44% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.53% (4.00% male and 8.53% female) had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.84. There were 74,000 veterans who lived in Brevard in 2010, accounting for 21% of

3608-497: The age that an "American" national ethnic group had taken shape prior to the large-scale immigration of the mid-19th century . "Nativism" gained its name from the "Native American" parties of the 1840s and 1850s. In this context, "Native" does not mean indigenous or American Indian, but rather those descended from the inhabitants of the original Thirteen Colonies ( Colonial American ancestry). These " Old Stock Americans ," were predominantly Protestants from England , Sweden,

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3696-522: The area. Pedro Menéndez de Avilés gave an early account of the Ais people in 1570 when he was shipwrecked off of Cape Canaveral. He faced hostile natives but through the use of a bluff was able to escape from them and get back to St. Augustine. In 1605 , Alvero Mexia was dispatched from St. Augustine to the Indian River area on a diplomatic mission to the Ais Indian Nation. He helped establish

3784-526: The arrival of non- indigenous settlers in the 16th century, the area was inhabited by Native Americans . The county is the site of the Windover Archeological Site , which contained evidence of habitation over 7,000 years ago. Brevard County was established in 1855 and is named after Theodore Washington Brevard , an early Florida settler and state comptroller . The county's boundaries were changed and reduced numerous times, resulting in

3872-682: The cities of Cape Canaveral, Cocoa Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Patrick Space Force Base, Indian Harbour Beach, and Satellite Beach. The American Indian Association of Florida submitted in October 2011 a proposal to name the island after the Ais people . In January 2012 the United Third Bridge and the Florida Puerto Rican/Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Melbourne submitted a proposal to name

3960-479: The communities of Indialantic and Melbourne Beach. At the southern end of the county, the South Beaches are the final 14.5 miles (23.3 km) of beach south of Melbourne Beach to Sebastian . The United States Board on Geographic Names considered two proposals in 2012 to officially name the barrier island extending from Port Canaveral to Sebastian Inlet . The 45-mile-long (72 km) island includes

4048-482: The county government. A centrally located County Government Center in Viera was established to provide more accessible services to residents in the southern part of the county. It houses the various county government branches, including Housing and Human Services, Juvenile Justice, Public Safety, Public Works and Solid Waste Management. The Brevard County government had annual expenditures just over $ 1 billion in

4136-1069: The county, most have subsided to tropical storms or depressions . But because of the threat of storm surge , the beach community on the barrier island is often required to evacuate well in advance of the storm. The possibility of storm surge is diminished when the storm comes across the state instead of directly from the Atlantic. Five hurricanes have directly affected Brevard since 1950: David (September 3, 1979); Erin (August 2, 1995) – made landfall near Sebastian Inlet and caused mostly minor wind damage and more extensive flooding countywide; Charley (August 13, 2004) – caused damage in Titusville and North Brevard; Frances (September 3, 2004) – struck neighboring Vero Beach in Indian River County directly and caused widespread wind damage throughout Brevard; and Jeanne (September 26, 2004) – struck Vero Beach directly, following very nearly

4224-529: The county. There were 1,677 manatees in Brevard County in 2015, out of a total of 6,063 in the state. This was an increase from 2014 when there was a total of 612 in Brevard County. Manatees experience numerous threats within Brevard, where 312 died in the first half of 2021. Bottlenose dolphin are commonly seen in the Intracoastal Waterway. Fish and reptiles include alligators , red snapper , sea turtles , North Atlantic right whales ,

4312-421: The county. Residents in the southern end of the county talked of creating a new county to serve them. The county decided to build a new county administration complex at Viera , near the geographical center of the county. This complex was started in 1989. Residents in the north also threatened secession. Their proposal to form a new county, to be called Playalinda, had some momentum in the early 90s. The county made

4400-412: The county. The population density was 597.7 inhabitants per square mile (230.8/km ). As of 2021, 18.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 24.2% were age 65 and over. There were 294,224 housing units and 76.2% of them were owner-occupied. There were 242,657 households in which the average household size was 2.46. In 2015, interracial marriage constituted 29% of all marriages, the fourth highest in

4488-687: The county: Since redistricting following the 2010 U.S. Census , Brevard County has been part of Florida's 8th congressional district . It is represented by Republican Bill Posey . American ancestry Although U.S. census data indicates "American ancestry" is most commonly self-reported in the Deep South , the Upland South , and Appalachia , a far greater number of Americans and expatriates equate their national identity not with ancestry, race, or ethnicity, but rather with citizenship and allegiance . The earliest attested use of

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4576-566: The current boundary since 1907. Brevard County is known as the Space Coast due to the influence of the John F. Kennedy Space Center and the aerospace industry on its economy. As such, it was designated with the telephone area code 321 , as in " 3, 2, 1 liftoff ". The county has several incorporated cities and towns, primarily along the coast of the Atlantic Ocean and is mostly rural or suburban west of Interstate 95 . Brevard County comprises

4664-562: The east coast of the state, mangroves have normally dominated the coast from Cocoa Beach southward. Northward these may compete with salt marshes moving in from the north, depending on the annual weather conditions. Live oak trees, various grasses, and juniper plants were sufficiently common to generate pollen noticeable by some people in February 2011. As of the 2020 United States census , there were 606,612 people, 236,005 households, and 148,934 families residing in

4752-423: The eventual county seat of Titusville. Later, the southern portion of the county was cut off to form St. Lucie County, which in turn spawned Martin and Indian River County. The first concerted development the area occurred with the extension of Henry Flagler 's Florida East Coast Railroad into the area. The railroad reached Titusville in 1886 and Melbourne in 1894. With the railroad came increased settlement and

4840-543: The fall is from the last week in September through the first week in October. Fall migration tends to be stronger than spring because birds typically take different flyways. Native trees include cabbage palm (the state tree of Florida), fringetree , coral bean , sweet acacia , geiger tree , firebush , beautyberry , coral honeysuckle , and blanket flower . Other native plants include sea grape , red mulberry , purslane , dandelion , Spanish bayonet , blackberry , Jerusalem artichoke , dogwood , and gallberry . On

4928-422: The first tourists. The first major land boom began in the 1920s after the end of World War I . People flooded into the state of Florida, both tourists from northern winters and new full-time residents, and land prices soared. The Great Depression temporarily stopped growth in Florida. Before the start of World War II , the largest industries in Brevard were commercial fishing, citrus, and tourism. Beginning in

5016-510: The fiscal year 2009–2010, exclusive of the municipalities. In 2009, real estate taxes for homesteaded property averaged 0.83% of the value of the property. Real estate taxes are levied by each authority. They are collected by the County Tax Collector. The total taxable real estate base was $ 33.7 billion in 2009. County taxes rose 26.5% in total per capita revenue from 2002 to 2007, and 49.8% in property tax per capita in

5104-491: The ground will not develop the sinkholes that are prevalent in the spine of Florida, where limestone is from 15 to 25 million years old. There are 4,000 species of animals locally. Common mammals include North American river otters , bobcats , white-tailed deer , raccoons , marsh rabbits , scrub lizards , rat snakes , and opossum . Feral pigs , introduced by Europeans, present an occasional traffic hazard. There are an estimated 3,500 endangered gopher tortoises in

5192-639: The growth in this response has been substantial. A 2015 genetic study published in the American Journal of Human Genetics analyzed the genetic ancestry of 148,789 European Americans . The study concluded that Inferred English/Irish ancestry is found in European Americans from all states at mean proportions of more than 20% and represents a majority of ancestry (more than 50% mean proportion) in states such as Mississippi , Arkansas , and Tennessee . These states are similarly highlighted in

5280-472: The hunting and gathering way of life which characterized the Paleoindians. The Windover Archeological Site , discovered in 1982, was found during excavation to have the largest collection of human remains and artifacts of the early Archaic Period (6,000–5,000 BCE), or more than 8,000 years before present. It has been designated as a National Historic Landmark . The Windover pond, which would have been

5368-452: The island Ponce de León Island , after Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León . In December 2012, the island was ultimately not named. Brevard County has 16 municipalities. The largest by population is Palm Bay and the smallest is Melbourne Village. The United States Office of Management and Budget has designated Brevard County as the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. The United States Census Bureau ranked

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5456-434: The mainland via the town of Indialantic . In 1923, it was incorporated as a town. In 1928, Harry J. Brooks , attempting to set a long distance record, crashed a Ford Flivver off the coast of Melbourne Beach, resulting in his death. The town's population oscillated until World War II , when it began growing steadily. Currently, it is largely residential, with an elementary school, some businesses, and many condominiums in

5544-436: The median income for a household in the town was $ 87,035, and the median income for a family was $ 62,139. Males had a median income of $ 46,424 versus $ 34,028 for females. The per capita income for the town was $ 31,489. About 1.6% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line , including none of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over. Median home value was $ 321,498.00 in 2010. Melbourne Beach

5632-434: The nation, which averaged 17%. The population was distributed by age with 19.8% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 21.5% from 25 to 44, 30.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45.5 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.9 males. In 2010, there were 229,692 households, out of which 23.20% had children under

5720-502: The national average of 27.7%, but the same as the rest of Florida. 14.7% of residents over 25 had undergraduate degrees in engineering. This is almost twice the national average. In 2010, 90.20% of residents spoke only English at home, while 5.29% spoke Spanish , 0.62% German , 0.61% French , and 0.47% French Creole (mostly Haitian Creole ) at home. In total, 9.80% of the population spoke languages other than English in their household. Brevard county commissioners are elected by

5808-404: The population. In 2000, there were 1,422 households, out of which 25.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size

5896-647: The populations of Alabama (16.8%), Mississippi (14.0%), North Carolina (13.7%), South Carolina (13.7%), Georgia (13.3%), and Indiana (11.8%) also reported American ancestry. In the Southern United States as a whole, 11.2% reported "American" ancestry, second only to African American . American was the fourth most common ancestry reported in the Midwest (6.5%) and West (4.1%). All Southern states except for Delaware , Maryland , Florida , and Texas reported 10% or more American, but outside

5984-426: The position halfway down Florida are two state roads that have been numbered at the midpoint of Florida's numbering system, State Road 50 and State Road 500 . Marshes in the western part of this county, together with those in neighboring Indian River country, are the source of the St. Johns River, which becomes navigable within the county. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway along the eastern edge of Brevard County

6072-419: The program. Beginning in the 1960s, new bridges constructed across the waterways were designed as high-rise steel, designed to be high enough to allow passage of boats underneath. As the county was long, people in the southern, more populous side of the county complained about being so distant from the county seat. The county seat of Titusville was 50 miles (80 km) from Palm Bay , the most populous city in

6160-506: The public to establish ordinances and policies for the county. The Commission appoints a County Manager , who executes the will of the commission. The county employed about 2,900 workers in 2009. There are 16 autonomous municipal governments within the county. The various cities, towns and villages of Brevard have varying reliance on services provided by the Brevard County government. About 100,000 households are located outside organized municipalities, and their occupants are directly served by

6248-477: The question of ancestry. The Census Bureau reports the number of people in the United States who reported "American" and no other ancestry increased from 12.4 million in 1990 to 20.2 million in 2000. This increase represents the largest numerical growth of any ethnic group in the United States during the 1990s. The state with the largest increase over the past two census was Texas , where in 2000, over 1.5 million residents reported having "American ancestry." In

6336-532: The same path as Frances. The latter two storms caused widespread damage in South Brevard, and resulted in $ 2.8 billion in claim payments. Slightly more than half of one percent (0.6%) of houses were lost. The following storms did not affect Brevard County with hurricane-force winds: Floyd (September 15, 1999), and Irene (October 16, 1999). Tropical Storm Fay dropped a record rainfall of 27.65 inches (70.2 cm) in 2008. The winter of 2009–2010

6424-604: The same time frame. Delinquent taxes were $ 36 million in 2008. In 2012 bonds issued by the county were given a rating of AA by the Fitch Group and improved ratings by Moody's . Brevard County has two unique election districts. One governs Port Canaveral ; the other, the maintenance of the Sebastian Inlet . County Commissioners: Commissioners were paid $ 60,272.98 annually as of January 2023. The following are elected school board officials: The following are considered state officials but are elected and paid by

6512-439: The southern part of Brevard split off to form a new county, St. Lucie County in 1905. Gradually, the borders of Brevard County were shifted northward while the county got "pinched" eastward. The portions of Brevard County in present-day Broward and Palm Beach counties were given to Dade County, western areas of the county were given to Polk and Osceola County, and parts of Volusia and Orange Counties were given to Brevard including

6600-444: The tendency to distort, or remember selectively, one's ethnic origins increases.... [E]thnic categories are social phenomena that over the long run are constantly being redefined and reformulated." Mary C. Waters contends that white Americans of European origin are afforded a wide range of choice: "In a sense, they are constantly given an actual choice—they can either identify themselves with their ethnic ancestry or they can 'melt' into

6688-592: The term "American" today "chiefly [means] a native (birthright) or citizen of the United States ." President Theodore Roosevelt asserted that an "American race" had been formed on the American frontier , one distinct from other ethnic groups, such as the Anglo-Saxons . He believed "(t)he conquest and settlement by the whites of the Indian lands was necessary to the greatness of the race...." "We are making

6776-423: The town. As of 2015, the top 10 largest self-reported ancestry groups in Melbourne Beach, Florida are English (18.5%), German (15.2%), Italian (11.4%), Irish (10.4%), "American" (8.1%), Greek (5.7%), Scots-Irish (4.3%), French (except Basque) (4.1%), Scottish (2.9%), and Swedish (2.4%). As of the 2010 United States census , there were 3,101 people, 1,271 households, and 867 families residing in

6864-504: The town. As of the census of 2000, there were 3,335 people, 1,422 households, and 992 families residing in the town. The population density was 3,243.5 inhabitants per square mile (1,252.3/km). There were 1,556 housing units at an average density of 1,513.3 per square mile (584.3/km). The racial makeup of the town was 97.51% White , 0.09% Black , 0.12% Native American , 0.99% Asian , 0.24% from other races , and 1.05% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.28% of

6952-465: The unincorporated areas to the north and south. In 2007, it was voted one of ten best bargain retirement spots in America. In 2016, a Publix located four miles south of Melbourne Beach sold one of the winning tickets in the $ 1.3 billion Powerball . Melbourne Beach is located at 28°04′04″N 80°33′42″W  /  28.067745°N 80.561724°W  / 28.067745; -80.561724 . It

7040-642: The wet from June through November. During the dry season, periods of drought often occur, and can lead to a persistent and high wild land fire threat. In numerous instances these fires have caused property damage. Several fires in 2008 forced the evacuation of Bayside High School , in the town of Palm Bay . In that particular event, 162 homes were damaged. January is the coldest month, with an average low of 50.7 °F (10.4 °C) and an average high 71 °F (22 °C). The warmest months are July and August with average highs of 90 °F (32 °C) and average lows of 72.2 °F (22.3 °C). The driest month

7128-416: The wider society and call themselves American." Professors Anthony Daniel Perez and Charles Hirschman write "European national origins are still common among whites—almost 3 of 5 whites name one or more European countries in response to the ancestry question. ... However, a significant share of whites respond that they are simply "American" or leave the ancestry question blank on their census forms. Ethnicity

7216-744: Was foreign born , with 59.4% being naturalized American citizens . Of foreign-born residents, 49.1% were born in Latin America , 22.9% were born in Europe , 18.3% born in Asia , 6.4% in North America , 2.4% born in Africa , and 0.9% were born in Oceania . In 2010, 90% of residents had a high school degree, compared with 85% statewide. In 2009, 25.7% of residents had an undergraduate degree, below

7304-411: Was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.77. In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 20.1% under the age of 18, 4.0% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 28.9% from 45 to 64, and 22.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.3 males. In 2000, the median income for

7392-792: Was founded as a nativist fraternity, following the Philadelphia nativist riots of the preceding spring and summer, in December 1844. The New York City anti-Irish, anti-German, and anti-Catholic secret society the Order of the Star Spangled Banner was formed in 1848. Popularised nativist movements included the Know Nothing or American Party of the 1850s and the Immigration Restriction League of

7480-424: Was in the relatively undeveloped low-lying areas, west of Interstate 95, on the banks of the St. Johns River . About 18,900 homes out of 164,000 single-family homes were in that area. Florida is located both in the subtropical and the tropical climate zone , and thus regularly affected by hurricanes . Although Brevard County is located along Florida's eastern peninsula, because of associated weather patterns, it

7568-449: Was part of either Volusia or Orange counties. Brevard County in 1856 extended as far west as Polk County and as far south as coastal Dade County. Complicating the discussion of Brevard County in the 19th century is that the boundaries have shifted such that the southernmost parts of present-day Brevard, were originally the northernmost parts. The original county seat was located at Susannah , an early name for present day Fort Pierce. Later

7656-616: Was the coldest on record since 1937, when such records were first kept. Planting season, which normally starts around February 14, came six weeks later instead. Some flowers and herbs are planted as early as January. December 2010 was the coldest December on record. Brevard County works together with the federal and state government to control pollution and preserve wetlands and coastal areas through lands dedicated to conservation and wildlife protection. There are 250 square miles (650 km ) of federally protected wildlife refuges . These lands include Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge ,

7744-561: Was the first of major federal investment in projects to aid the development of Brevard County. In the late 1950s, the government opened the Long Range Proving Ground. This later became the Kennedy Space Center. These facilities helped stimulate development in the county; where Brevard had once been considered a "backwoods" area of Florida, it attracted more educated workers and scientists associated with

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