Merritt Island incorporation debate restarts as some consider possibility of new government

Editor's Note: An older version of this story reported that a potential government in Merritt Island would only have five employees. To clarify, the initial feasibility report written by consultants said there would be at least be five base employees.

Merritt Island could once again face a decision: Incorporate and become one of the county's largest cities or maintain their status as one of Brevard County’s most populous unincorporated communities.

While proponents are intrigued by the chance to have more localized home rule over Merritt Island, others are opposed to creating a new taxing authority that, they fear, could be less efficient than the county for the nearly 45,000 people currently living on the barrier island.

If incorporated, Merritt Island would become Brevard County's fourth largest city just behind Titusville, making it more populous than nearby neighbors like Rockledge, Cocoa and Cocoa Beach. A new study is being funded by the county to see whether it’s financially feasible for residents of the barrier island to become a full-fledged city with borders at the federal lands near Kennedy Space Center in the north to the tip of the island in the south.

The feasibility study and potential charter for the new city will be submitted to the Florida Legislature, which will ultimately vote if incorporation is allowed or not, before it is approved by a local referendum, according to county attorney Morris Richardson, but key legislators have not signaled support for the bill.

This exploratory process isn't the first time Merritt Island incorporation has been considered. Residents overwhelmingly rejected incorporation in a 1988 vote. And a similar effort failed in 2012 before ever coming before voters after a push from businesses and homeowners associations.

Marcus Herman, chair of the Merritt Island Redevelopment Association and owner of Triangle Auto, spoke on behalf of the Merritt Island Preservation Committee on the pros and cons of incorporation. The MIPC is a political action committee comprised of several HOA leaders and businesspeople on Merritt Island and has been key in exploring whether incorporation is suitable for the area. He said the group is currently only in the earliest stages of considering incorporation and becoming a city, ultimately, may not be the right choice. That's what the group is currently trying to determine through the feasibility study, Herman said.

"The negative would be the financial burden that might be put upon us if we were to become a city. That's what we're trying to find out... if there would be a financial burden or not,” Herman said.

"Going forth, we plan on having a number of town hall meetings, going to different neighborhoods and just talking to people to give them the information.”

Financial impact of incorporating Merritt Island

A preliminary study on the financial impact of incorporation showed that the fiscal change for "residents of Merritt Island would be very limited. There would be no new ad valorem taxes. Some businesses would be charged an additional annual Business Tax Receipt or city license annually." The financial impact on the county would be an $8.3 million loss in annual revenue for the general fund.

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Many of the same services, such as police and fire, would still be funded through the county as part of an interlocal government.

At least one key person in the process is skeptical of Merritt Island cityhood: Tyler Sirois (R-Merritt Island), the state lawmaker who represents the unincorporated community in the Florida House of Representatives. Sirois said incorporation would not be the right move.

Even if the creation of a new municipal government were revenue neutral, meaning no increased taxes for residents, Sirois said he would likely be opposed. And he believes there would be new costs associated with creating the new taxing authority.

"I am skeptical of any policy that has the potential to increase the tax burden on families," he added. Others like Herman believe there could be huge cost savings if Merritt Island shifted to a municipal government away from county control.

"The preliminary report... indicates that taxes they're currently paying could fund the city and then we’d have millions in reserve after the fact. It's a complicated taxing system, and that's why you have to hire somebody who knows what the heck they're doing,” he added.

Steve Crisafulli, the former Florida Speaker of the House whose family has historic ties to Merritt Island's citrus industry, said he would also be largely opposed to incorporation for many of the same reasons as Sirois. Adding another layer of government, despite the potential for increased local control, could be burdensome for tax payers and businesses alike, he said.

“It never hurts to look at it," he said.

"But having been in the legislative process and seeing these things come about through Tallahassee and get approved, I’ve never seen one that saves people money," he added.

Questions of transparency

Among the criticism is another concern: the way the whole idea has been put forward.

Sandra Sullivan, a former candidate for county commission and activist in local government, said she feels the process so far has not been entirely transparent. Sullivan noted, for example, that Port St. John had the opportunity for a referendum before a feasibility study was conducted. The North Brevard community remains unincorporated.

Back in January, the County Commission voted to approve going forward with the Merritt Island feasibility study, an action Sullivan said should have been advertised well in advance with opportunity for public comment under the county’s rules.

There was no agenda item to announce a vote for the study and instead a vote took place under the public comments section at the end of the meeting.

“They are not allowed to take a vote under public comments unless it’s an emergency, which this is not,” Sullivan said.

District 3 Commissioner John Tobia, who used his allotted federal money to fund the feasibility study, said he has no skin in the game either way, despite spending $50,000 on the feasibility study, a project outside of his district. He has long been an opponent of community redevelopment agencies like the one in Merritt Island.He said incorporation could be one method to increase democratic oversight in Merritt Island.

“Ideally, if it becomes a city, I would push hard for MIRA to go away. If MIRA goes away, the argument is you got rid of one government and added one," Tobia said. "It’s a net zero, but now it’s an elected body instead of an appointed one. That’s neither here nor there.”

Sullivan spoke about the proposal at a Monday meeting of Space Coast Patriots at the Merritt Island Library, urging residents to get informed.

She noted that the government presumed by the preliminary feasibility study would have at least five permanent employees. Smaller cities around the county like Satellite Beach have over 100 people on their staff, raising questions over whether the proposed government would actually be workable.

District 2 Commissioner Tom Goodson said he would support a referendum for his Merritt Island constituents but has not taken a side on the matter. Although he represents District 2 which includes Merritt Island on the County Commission, Goodson said only the people who actually live in Merritt Island should be involved in making the ultimate decision.

“I do not live in Merritt Island. I cannot vote in a referendum. I am not voicing an opinion,” he said, although he did support conducting the feasibility study.“Whatever they vote for, I will support it. If they get this on the ballot next year, the people of Merritt Island should understand clearly there is a referendum for them to vote city or no city,” he said.

Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard and Brevard County Government Watchdog Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at 321-917-7491 or tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Merritt Island incorporation could be on the table again in Brevard