Ready to learn the ins and outs of making a downtown area not just safe, but also vibrant and attractive? Join Paul Alfrey. Mayor of Melbourne, as he chats with Kim Agee from Melbourne Main Street, and together they expose the transformative journey of Melbourne's downtown area, from installing robust security cameras to promoting a more livable, walkable space. Our lively talk explores the potential of adding affordable housing for high-tech workers, while making downtown Melbourne more accessible with wider sidewalks and public art installations.
It's time to break away from conventional ideas and confront hard issues like homelessness. With Kim, we navigate through this complex issue, looking at the move from a traditional soup kitchen model to more innovative support methods. Listen closely as we decipher the role of law enforcement agencies and discuss the importance of accountability in supporting individuals experiencing homelessness.
In the final part of our discussion, we turn our gaze to the future of downtown Melbourne. Together, we unveil the current economic and community development projects in the pipeline, including the ambitious $100 million project 'The Drift.' We also explore the potential of low-impact design and storm water management in preserving our natural resources. Wrapping up our conversation, we shed light on the upcoming Downtown Melbourne Fit & Wine Festival and the importance of transparency and collaboration in community events. Come join us on this enlightening journey!
Follow us on Instagram @spacecoastpodcast
Sponsor this show
Want to watch our shows? https://youtube.com/@spacecoastpodcast
Ready to learn the ins and outs of making a downtown area not just safe, but also vibrant and attractive? Join Paul Alfrey. Mayor of Melbourne, as he chats with Kim Agee from Melbourne Main Street, and together they expose the transformative journey of Melbourne's downtown area, from installing robust security cameras to promoting a more livable, walkable space. Our lively talk explores the potential of adding affordable housing for high-tech workers, while making downtown Melbourne more accessible with wider sidewalks and public art installations.
It's time to break away from conventional ideas and confront hard issues like homelessness. With Kim, we navigate through this complex issue, looking at the move from a traditional soup kitchen model to more innovative support methods. Listen closely as we decipher the role of law enforcement agencies and discuss the importance of accountability in supporting individuals experiencing homelessness.
In the final part of our discussion, we turn our gaze to the future of downtown Melbourne. Together, we unveil the current economic and community development projects in the pipeline, including the ambitious $100 million project 'The Drift.' We also explore the potential of low-impact design and storm water management in preserving our natural resources. Wrapping up our conversation, we shed light on the upcoming Downtown Melbourne Fit & Wine Festival and the importance of transparency and collaboration in community events. Come join us on this enlightening journey!
Follow us on Instagram @spacecoastpodcast
Sponsor this show
Want to watch our shows? https://youtube.com/@spacecoastpodcast
It is time for Melbourne Mayor podcast, thursday night. Hello Jesse.
Speaker 2:What.
Speaker 1:Why are you laughing?
Speaker 2:I don't have a mic.
Speaker 1:You don't have a mic. Who stole your mic? Jesse, people hopefully can hear you. Actually, we took the mic away from you. You know we didn't want to. You know you were the only professional in the room, so we took the mic away so a sandwichers could be heard. People tell me I have a face for radio. That's what they tell me. That's what people tell me. Hello everybody, welcome to our Melbourne Mayor podcast Thursday nights. We're starting out now around 6.30 and we actually have an amazing special guest tonight Kim Agee from Melbourne Main Street, the executive director, actually I would say really probably my right hand man, almost kind of. Can you say that Is that politically correct.
Speaker 2:You can say it to me, it doesn't bother your left hand.
Speaker 1:Actually, on my left side it says left hand, you know. But no, we are going to talk a little bit about Melbourne Main Street tonight and the amazing things that we got going on. Been contacted from the news media about the security, the upgrades. We got a lot going on down there, don't we?
Speaker 2:There is a lot going on in downtown Melbourne. Yeah, it's all good too.
Speaker 1:And it's only getting better. So we got a few things that actually come up. One of them is the safety and security of the cameras. I did an interview yesterday with Channel 2 News and it turned out really good. They had reached out to me about 40 cameras in the downtown Melbourne parking garage, the camera that we put in Campbell Park, kind of a pilot program for hopefully more cameras in downtown Melbourne. But what I really liked about the camera programs that we have there is that it can be monitored from the police department, for example. It's not just a camera, it can read tags. The software is pretty cool.
Speaker 2:Very robust.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you put it You're looking for a red truck. You type in red truck and it finds a red truck and you can review that. So I think that's going to help a lot with the safety and security. And it's just baby steps and that's really the first step. So what do you think about these cameras?
Speaker 2:I am elated. We have been talking with the city and the CRA advisory council for a couple years about getting cameras in downtown Melbourne and I'm just so excited to see that happen. And the first step is obviously the parking garage, which we got a lot of feedback that people wouldn't use it because they were concerned about their safety. Parking garages are funny that way, and so having that in there and having the security guards on the weekends and into the night when the bars and restaurants close, I think it's adding such a great element of safety and it just makes downtown more attractive.
Speaker 1:And I will tell anybody that's listening that you've been on the front lines. You've been great when we talk about things that really we need to do to make downtown Melbourne safer. You've always been there. You're like, your voice is one of the top voices and really I value your voice because you put your heart and soul. Anybody asked anything about you or they'll say you put your heart and soul into that job and to you it's not a job, it's a way of life. So you have an amazing board, your board. They're all cool as hell. I like your board.
Speaker 1:They are they're so cool. I go in the room I've got to put a jacket on. I mean they're really amazing. You have amazing board, but it's this continuity and it's the relationship that you have that allows you guys to excel. No-transcript, that not just Melbourne Main Street, but Main Streets throughout the state of Florida, and I think you know, I think you know, with next week gonna be an event with Florida Main Streets, all the Main Streets come together and they talk about their achievements and really, what could you do better? I mean, what are we doing? What is Kassimid doing? What is you know? There's many Main Streets throughout the state of Florida.
Speaker 2:And actually United States too. We're constantly benchmarking and, you know, collaborating with others and trying to pick each other's brains and stuff like that. We all want each other to be very successful and it's great when we come together. I learn a lot every single time I go. Yeah, and we actually just got official word that we were re-accredited for all of our results from 2022 from the from Main Street America, which is the kind of mothership of Main Streets, and so that's a really hard thing and they're increasing their accreditation standards, going into 2324. And so we have a whole committee that's working on that and making sure that we can hit all that criteria and just maintain that level of excellence.
Speaker 1:You know, and I will talk a little bit about downtowns, the you know, before you even kind of, I would say, take over the theory of downtown Melbourne was, you know you had the bars and you know kind of a bar and nightlife and then you know when it closed people left. And you know you have two downtowns. You have a shop downtown with shops and diners and then you have a nightlife. So there's really kind of you know left and right and sometimes you know they, you know they don't connect. And now the new, you know kind of the new era is having a place where people live and shop and walk, and so you know that kind of will lead into some of the changes we're going to be hopefully making in downtown Melbourne. But that's what you're kind of seeing, because then you know economy goes bad, A lot of people don't go downtown. Or if you have issues, you know you have how many businesses we have down there now.
Speaker 2:We have about 275 businesses in downtown. Yeah, there's a lot of businesses. There's a lot upstairs that people kind of don't see. There's a lot of services, and we have medical attorneys. You know all kinds of different services down there, which is great.
Speaker 1:And great shops, I mean, and you talk about buying local and you want people to buy local.
Speaker 2:You have some amazing shops and so and this Saturday is our annual sidewalk sale, which is one of our busiest days in downtown. All the stores really pull out all the stops. They've got great deals and we're expecting some pretty high traffic volume on Saturday.
Speaker 1:That's great and we'll talk about that. It's exciting. Yeah, it's on Saturday. What times?
Speaker 2:Thanks for asking. You got to tell me it's all day. It's like when they open at 10 and it goes to. I think it goes to four.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 2:We'll be down there all day and they got. They have grapple baskets and they pull stuff out on the sidewalk and they have sales and you know, if I didn't say that, somebody on there would say what time I know I should know that.
Speaker 1:And what location? Downtown Melbourne, you know New. Haven Avenue All roads lead to downtown Melbourne. You know it's awesome.
Speaker 2:We have over 30 businesses that are participating that have the raffle baskets and for every $10 that you spend, you get a raffle ticket. Oh, really. And you can put it in any one of the baskets in any one of the stores that are participating, so you don't have to do it in the store where you purchase something. If you saw a basket somewhere else, you can do that, and people go nuts because they put some really good baskets together.
Speaker 1:Oh, okay.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's a pretty cool event.
Speaker 1:That's a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:You know, and people get to see places that they've never seen before. You know, sometimes they'll go upstairs. We have like recreations boutique that's upstairs, and people are like I didn't even know this was here. But we do a map and we number them all and tell you who the shops are and stuff like that. And so, yeah, lots of cool things going on. Wine tasting, some people are doing they're brain trees, doing some wine tasting for one of their brands that they carry, and like you'll see all kinds of things happening. And that's the great thing about downtowns is that it's really a sense of place. It's a place where people can come and just feel comfortable and relaxed and just kind of run into friends and family and, you know, it's all pretty much local owners that are there and small businesses, and so we love that.
Speaker 1:And see, I like the Rappel baskets. Even like you know, like I win one, there's nothing in it. I'm still like intrigued, Because it's like look at the basket, you know, you kind of look at it and it's a cool thing and you know, I won one a while back and it was barbecue sauces and it was like, oh, check that out, and I don't know. I think that's pretty cool. Yeah, it's neat and so yeah, we have Kathy. Kathy says I've been telling customers drawing is at five.
Speaker 2:Drawing's at five. Five, that's great. Five o'clock. Drawing is at five.
Speaker 1:Drawing at five. Thank you, Kathy. Thank you, I already have people starting to comment and what we'll do is we'll get some of the questions. We'll try to get as many as we can answered tonight. But let's kind of go into some of the stuff that we got for what you have the design, about $3 million design.
Speaker 2:This is exci this is transformational.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and one of the complaints I get here in sidewalks maybe cracked or you know and really the walkability. I think the city has done an amazing job, our staff. If you look at like a lot of the on Babcock, you see a lot of these corners. You know they're all been redone for walkability. I'm riding my bike a lot more and I noticed that you see you get these traffic lights off the strings and you put them on poles and you know you have a again. You have a more walkability factor to that.
Speaker 2:So kind of you slow down when you go into downtowns too. You want to be there, you want to look around, you want to see what's happening, you just want to stroll, that kind of a thing, and you need the environment to be supportive of that.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So let's kind of go into that and we'll talk about that and really look at some of the vision of what we're trying to do. And you know, I really can't say enough about what we're trying to do here.
Speaker 2:Yeah, this, like I said, is going to transform downtown. It's a streetscaping project and we've been sort of advocating with this for the staff and you guys and the CRA Advisory Council for about three years. Just that downtown is looking very tired and it needs to be brightened up and it needs to be a lot more appealing. Just from a visual and essential experience when you're walking down there, you can kind of your senses need to be plugged in, and so we're about to embark on that, and last night was our first step in doing that. We had workshops all day and then a public workshop last night and we made presentations to the consultants in the morning. Our design committee has come up with some really great things and we shared our vision with them.
Speaker 2:We've been studying this, We've been benchmarking against other communities across the country and definitely in the state of Florida, and came up with some of the things that we really want to happen in downtown. But right now it's about getting the feedback from the community. There's a website you can go to and enter all of your information about what you want to see, and it's so interesting because there's disparaging opinions, as you can imagine, which I'm sure you see on City Council. Some people want New Haven, in the main core up to Waverly from the railroad tracks to be completely closed forever and only be pedestrian, and then about 50% of the other people that were there yesterday said that should never, ever happen.
Speaker 2:And so it's about balance and it's about parking. And it's about lighting and it's about aesthetics.
Speaker 1:And yeah, you're right. And also I look at it as two phases. One it's a streetscape, but two is the upcoming, and you know quite a bit of this and I've been put a lot about the economic development coming A lot of the you know.
Speaker 2:We have to get ready.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean downtown Melbourne's going to be a really cool place in about another two years. I think it is going to completely Compared to what it's now. I'm not saying it's not now.
Speaker 2:I want to make that perfect.
Speaker 2:But it's going to get to the point where it's going to be really transformational and I think what's most important about what's happening and I know we're going to delve into some of the projects but residential densities are number one thing that Melbourne Main Street wants, because when you have people living in your downtown with walkability, so they're already parked, they're already at their place in a parking garage or whatever is adjacent to the facilities, but they're walking and they're demanding services and we know we're missing things like a grocery store and other things like that, and you're going to see all of that stuff come to fruition when these residential projects start to come out of the ground.
Speaker 1:And they're pretty nice residential products. They're very nice and I do have some people that kind of complain. Well, what about affordable housing? I will tell you this there is affordable housing popping up here and there, but really it's also about the market. It's all about supply and demand. I mean, the way you're going to get prices down is if you have kind of an influx of apartment.
Speaker 2:Competitive yeah. And we also know that Melbourne is number one in terms of employment, especially with all the high tech that we have. You've got the airport that has 20,000, 25,000 people that are the censuses and a daily basis coming to work. But we're number one in employment, number 10 in housing for those people, and so we know they want to live close to work.
Speaker 2:Who doesn't want a short commute? And what a better place to live for these high tech workers and all the people that are supporting in the medical and all that, is to live in a downtown where they can just park the car and get out and walk.
Speaker 2:A lot of people are using their co-working spaces in these type of facilities and sometimes they're working hybrid. They go in two days a week and they're at home three days a week and they want amenities and they want beautiful surroundings and they want to run out for a coffee or whatever they want to do.
Speaker 1:Well, that's interesting. You say that I just received a letter from radio Radio's, located there on Babcock, but they're actually shutting down there.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:Because most of the employees, they're all hybrid. Now they all work from home.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's happening.
Speaker 1:And they're working from home. They like working from home. It saves the company money because you don't truck everybody in, and really that's their new business model. So that space, that workspace that you're talking about people taking advantage of that, I mean, to me it's almost similar like the big malls. The big malls have kind of gone away and I think we're kind of getting back to more custom mom and pop and the delivery.
Speaker 1:We hope, so yeah, oh, we are I mean you can see, besides Melbourne Square, many of the malls around the country. I know, I've heard and I can't go into this that Melbourne Square Mall is working on selling right now.
Speaker 2:Really.
Speaker 1:And I've been advised that I don't I can't go further.
Speaker 2:They've been sold a lot over the years.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but I think right now and it's not because it's doing bad, it's actually doing very well that's why they're looking to sell it Right, because Melbourne, well, they know.
Speaker 2:Melbourne, yeah, and it's booming.
Speaker 1:It is. I mean go around the Melbourne Square Mall, all the businesses around there. It's busy.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's really busy in that corridor.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So let's look at some of this design, kind of take us into the design and really what you think and what you know.
Speaker 2:If we can go to the next slide, we have a design committee. It's one of the four pillars of that we work on for all of Main Street. One is design, one is promotion, one is economic vitality and the other one is organization. And this is coming straight out of our design committee. We have two incredible people that are leading this effort Marty Watts from BRPH she's a landscape architect by trade, and then Erin Trauger from Trauger Engineering. She's a civil engineer, and they're the ones that have kind of put this together, done a lot of research, and so I appreciate their extra support and their service on our board because they've worked really hard. But you know, we're trying to reimagine downtown. We've been talking about reimagining downtown for two years now and you're starting to see some of what we believe that should happen. We want beautiful aesthetics, we want designs for events, super wide sidewalks. That is, I think, the number one thing that came out of last night too.
Speaker 2:Everybody wants wider sidewalks. We really need to be able to accommodate ADA in a much better way and strollers and scooters and wheelchairs and all of that kind of stuff, because our demographic is from 18 to 85. And so we do have an older demographic that comes down and we want to make sure that they feel safe and that they can have mobility and be able to get into all the shops that they want. We all also want lots of public art and more aesthetics and some really creative things.
Speaker 1:I kind of laugh when I see the public art because one of the reasons I ran for council in 2016, and actually I started running in 2015, that Melbourne really didn't have murals or art. They weren't really loud.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we had a lot of murals.
Speaker 1:I remember that because I remember the first, right down the road from my office, Chesquans when they got hammered, I would say they didn't get a permit. They didn't get a permit and they put it on the wall and they had a nice mural. They did that was cool, and so that was before really all that. So I kind of look at this now where we've become, and now we're looking at public art installations and I see what our Melbourne airport just done.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that was beautiful, it's beautiful, like the arts.
Speaker 2:But there's all different ways too, and we are very artsy downtown too. We have several galleries that are down there. Strawberry Art League is one that represents hundreds of artists and all kinds of things in our theaters, like the Hennigarh Center and Melbourne Civic Theater. So there's a lot going on from an artistic standpoint. But it's all about walkability. It's all about beautiful aesthetics. When you drive in, how do you feel and do you want to stay there? Do you want to hang out? Because you don't want them moving through very quickly. You want them to slow down, and so public art is a great way to do that.
Speaker 1:Well, and you also look at some of this with the low impact development too. You look at some of the drainage. What you don't see in this picture, the way it's kind of designed for the drainage, natural drainage. You have water percolated into the earth as opposed to pushing it toward the lagoon or and see that a lot and you might see that in one of the next slides. Okay.
Speaker 2:If I remember correctly. Well, these are baseline priorities. So aesthetic designs, connecting. You know, one of our big pushes is to connect to the waterfront. We are one block off because of that's the way they built it in the early 1800s, right, that's how they built it. They built it high and dry, but we're one block off from Melbourne Avenue and our waterfront, which is such an incredible asset that is underutilized and underappreciated because we're just not really connecting. So we need connecting points. So we have visions like archways and pathways that kind of are lit and drive people into those areas so they can just hang out and watch the manatees or the kayaks or the little sailboats or the marina, those kinds of things, and really connect with nature.
Speaker 1:That doesn't even look like crazy Beautiful.
Speaker 2:Well, this is not downtown, I know, I know.
Speaker 1:But you just don't, you can't. You know it's hard to imagine us transforming.
Speaker 2:It's going to be very different, I think. You know, that's what's the next one.
Speaker 2:Yeah, here you go so here's some of the other, like branding, so places for people to take photographs, like our DTMB logo somewhere, and just you see all the outside aesthetics in terms of the trees and the greenery, and then also you're talking we're talking about how people are actually traversing in downtown.
Speaker 2:So we have a lot of deliveries in downtown. People kind of take that for granted, right and there's back alleys and things, but a lot of times the trucks are just in the middle of the road and so and there's a lot of drop off and pick up. So we have rideshare, which we didn't have the last time the streetscaping was done in the 80s, and so you want to create places what you're seeing on the right, on the top and the bottom, that kind of carve out the sidewalk and you kind of pull in, drop people off. I think that will be great for restaurants, you know that kind of stuff. And then that you know one person goes back and parks the car and comes back and you know the other one gets the table or whatever, and also for the trucks when they're doing deliveries, they're not blocking traffic, and so we're thinking about all the things and all the ways that people and commerce actually is executed in downtown.
Speaker 1:That's pretty amazing.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it is Lots of possibilities.
Speaker 1:You know, I just think this is a long time coming. You know we look at well, we're talking about $3 million in upgrade, but likely it's probably going to cost more than that.
Speaker 2:now, yeah, I think with the market. We were talking about that last night and just what's happened with construction costs and interest rates and all the things. I mean that number was plugged in a couple years ago. This year is all about public input. The next fiscal year, which is the city's year, starts October 1. So that'll be 23-24. That's going to be design and engineering. So they're going to come back with some designs by October and bring it to city council and you guys will have an opportunity to look and see what they've come up with, that the consultants have come up with. And then the year after that would be when we would actually start the streetscaping and that'll be from Front Street all the way to Livingston. That's what we hope.
Speaker 2:And these are some cool things. I don't know if you see that upper left one, but those are called parklets. They take like one or two parking spaces and they actually create these little pop-up areas that you can kind of just hang out and sit and eat or have a coffee or you know, just kind of chill, and I love that. The upper right one's public art. You know, there's just all kinds of things that you can do to kind of allow people just to come and relax and stay longer.
Speaker 1:Okay, some of the questions. We have quite a. You know quite a few people that have been watching. One of them is, and I'm sure you understand, as a please from Julie please address the homeless problem downtown. We've been working on that.
Speaker 2:Since the day we met.
Speaker 1:Yeah, from the day we met and actually we've been making a lot of progress lately. If you go around the Daily Bread, a lot of that's cleaned up.
Speaker 2:Actually, after a council meeting I went by there probably about nine o'clock the other night and it was yeah, we've seen a real decrease with their change in their policies and the way that they're approaching, but I think the most interesting thing about the homeless population is that I think in any downtown that you go to, whether it's New York City or Seattle, or downtown Melbourne or Cocoa or wherever you're going to find homeless people. They're part of the fabric of America anymore and the whole world, and we can't completely ignore them, and they deserve a place where they can get the services that they need and the help that they need.
Speaker 2:They come to downtowns because there's commerce and they come to downtown because people are giving them money and so they're supporting themselves in that way. And so if we can have facilities which I know the Daily Bread is working toward, to actually get these people out of homelessness, that want to get out of homelessness, then we're moving in the right direction. We'll have medical care for them. We'll have overnight housing, which is not anywhere in Brevard County. There's not one single unit in Brevard County that has an overnight shelter, which is really sad, and I think that they're moving in the right direction to try to get those kind of services for these people.
Speaker 1:Well, a lot of the questions I get and I think I saw it here a little bit ago was you know, is the Daily Bread moving? Actually, the answer is they are not moving, they are going to, they're no longer going to exist.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:They are going to be a new entity not in the same location, right. They're going to be a point where you know they're going to focus on, you know, helping people get back on their feet, the affordable housing more of a mission and really kind of tailor themselves. More like the CEDA mission as well, where they're going to be structured Accountability. And if people don't like what I have to say. I'm sorry, but there has to be accountability. You just can't hand somebody something and say, oh, we're going to take care of you.
Speaker 1:I mean you can help them help themselves, but at the end of the day there's bills to be paid.
Speaker 2:Somebody's got to keep the lights on and I think also moving away from their the soup kitchen model, which they were really getting into and really serving the people that want to be helped instead of transient people that were coming through and really taking advantage of the services.
Speaker 1:You know it's funny. You say that because when I had, when I had spoke to Jeff and I said look, none of I'm, no more of this, I mean the fact that you know a lot of people are just taking advantage of the services. When they changed the model and now you have to register and go through the process, the people that wanted the services actually were more thankful.
Speaker 2:They were so grateful yeah.
Speaker 1:They were. They're being focused on as opposed to just being a number. So we're really trying to get a, a model and and you know it's it's tough it could.
Speaker 2:the funding has to be, there and it's a very complicated issue. I mean people don't understand. There's mental health, there's physical challenges with people's health, there's all kinds of different situations, how people end up homeless, and there's a lot of people that that that's where they want to be you know, it's their, it's their personal choice, and so it's just.
Speaker 2:It's a public health issue, it's all kinds of things, and so it's very, very complicated. I mean, we've spent hundreds of hours working on these issues and serving on committees and trying to solve this and I think that the way that they're going is absolutely in the right direction, absolutely in the right direction.
Speaker 1:We'll support that, and I look at it this way we're and I know we're we're in a time in this country, I think that you have the ability to prosper more than ever, and what I mean by that. For example, when I wanted to learn about electricity work, I used to have to, you know, go get a book, check out a book. You know you, you can like YouTube anything.
Speaker 2:I'll fix the mower. Well there, yeah.
Speaker 1:I'd have to go go through the card catalog or find something or buy a book, or now all that information is available at your fingertips on how to do something. If you want to learn, you know how to how to how to do anything. You can learn that. I learned my. I taught myself how to pour concrete countertops and I thought you were going to say a cocktail. You could do that too.
Speaker 2:Wow, you're a mixologist now.
Speaker 1:Yeah, well, no, but you had the ability to learn this stuff and, and there'd never been a better time I mean the information is there's a lot of opportunities.
Speaker 2:There is, I think, the mental health and and some of the drug use and things like that are are big barriers and they're complicated problems and people don't resolve those quickly. So they need the attention and they need a place to feel safe and a place where they're. They can get the. They can get the right medical attention too. So I think they're moving in the right direction.
Speaker 1:And you know also, safety and security is number one. You know, with Kathy had made a comment here as long as they don't yell and scare our customers, you know yeah, and that's difficult and I agree with you, kathy, if you have police presence, if you have, you know if there's zero tolerance and in that community they know. They know what they can get away with.
Speaker 2:Well, yeah, they do, and I think you know the hardest part is there used to be panhandling ordinances and all of that kind of stuff that can't be enforced anymore because of legislation that's come from the Supreme Court out of California and it's just changed everything. I mean we can't even chalk tires anymore in enforced parking, because it's against your civil rights.
Speaker 2:And so it's taken away so many of the tools that the police had and the community had and the city did to be able to enforce these things. And so it's not illegal to be on a public sidewalk. That's why you're seeing San Francisco like it's completely overrun with people on sidewalks. Because that's their right, they can be on a public space. And it's very hard to manage, very hard to manage, and some of these people are just they won't move either. Like we try to give them support and they try to. The police has a CRT group that goes and meets with them and they won't do what they need to do to move on. And so those are very challenging situations, because nobody wants to be screamed at when they're in a beautiful downtown and you know that kind of stuff. And so, yeah, I don't know what the absolute solution is, but I know that every day we're making a little bit of progress.
Speaker 1:Well and I'm from kind of the old school that you have to have a strong law enforcement presence and a lot of the people it's not mental health, in my opinion, a lot of it they know what they can get away with you get away with, because anytime when I'm the law enforcement officer I pull up people like scooped, oh I gotta go, because I know I'm gonna go to jail. You do have those others that day.
Speaker 2:They work it. They know how to work it. I mean you've seen the same ones on street corners for five years or more, you know that they're doing it as a full-time job and they're very successful doing that. So if we don't do that and we give money to the nonprofits, that can actually help the ones get off the streets.
Speaker 2:they need to get off the streets and I think that's what the community can do to rise up and really, because you're not helping these people when you're giving them cash off their window, it just doesn't help them in the long run and you know you.
Speaker 1:Just like I said, it's tough, it's a given take it's very complicated. From being a mayor in a mayor's seat. It's a give and take. I mean, you only have so much money, you have so much resources, so many law enforcement officers and you gotta try to balance that the best you can, yep, and really, and at the end of the day they're human beings, and so it's just very complicated.
Speaker 2:It's not black and white, for sure.
Speaker 1:Yeah, julie, how do a downtown like West Palm or Boca tackle the homeless problems? I've been both places and they do not seem to have the same issues.
Speaker 2:I'm not privy to the way that they're managing those things. I don't know.
Speaker 1:I've actually been down there and I've seen it. They do you. Just I think when you visit it you don't see it every day. I think when you're managing it, you do see it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, you know you, I'm sure it's everywhere it is everywhere.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I went down to a heat game and I remember, or I was at Bayside and a heat game was going on and I mean there's homeless people everywhere.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:So I don't think it's. How do they manage it?
Speaker 2:Well, I think, if anything you know maybe you just didn't see it, but it's still there- yeah, I've actually asked for this to be put on an agenda at one of our future quarterly training meanings for Main Streets because I want to get everybody starting to talk about it, because I know it's impacting all the downtowns across the state. And just kind of see if we can try to get some consensus and maybe some momentum at the state level to try to do something and get some resources to this issue.
Speaker 1:Well, and we can't ignore it. Yeah, I agree, interesting and actually lives that interestingly, you don't recognize it when you're visiting. Oh, you can, you may, you may not. But I think also it depends on the heat, depends on the rain. I mean, it depends on a lot of things.
Speaker 2:It depends on where you are too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, I think traditionally it was worse when we had a soup kitchen open. I think now that that model has changed, someone had even said it's been much better in downtown. Yeah.
Speaker 2:I've talked to residents that live like in the surrounding blocks and it's like night and day.
Speaker 1:Night and day, yeah, they have peace. Yeah.
Speaker 2:They used to do things like they have to. They couldn't park their cars in their own driveways. They park in the streets. They would turn their sprinklers on all night long just to try to keep their property.
Speaker 1:Yeah, under control, under control. That's unacceptable and we're working on it to make it better and making progress, we are making progress.
Speaker 2:It's slow, but it's happening. So now we have that kind of showed off that the these are just some of our conceptual design ideas and just things that to get people thinking.
Speaker 1:I'm looking forward to that coming in front of council and us getting moving forward.
Speaker 2:Yeah, they had a lot of really good ideas too to the consulting firms. So this is about infrastructure light lighting. We know we have a pretty significant lighting issue in downtown. There's a lighting project that's been funded for municipal coming from the parking garage up to New Haven and then also for the Vernon lot, and so I'm hoping those will happen this fiscal year and get done before the end of September. That would be tremendous because it really is the number one thing that we hear about people that impacts their safety. So there's all different kinds of ways to do that. I kind of love this upper right one, the benches there.
Speaker 2:They don't have backs. It makes people move along a little bit and not sleep on them, things like that, and they just kind of the aesthetic, they kind of just blend in with their earthy and they look a little prettier.
Speaker 1:Well, and it's also designed because I remember a few years ago talking to a friend of mine that does benches. He actually builds them, they change them. They used to have backs and they took the backs off and they put a middle section.
Speaker 2:We've done all the. The backs don't come off, but we've put the arms in the middle so they can't lay on them. You can't lay on them you can't lay on them.
Speaker 1:But so there's definitely. You see it evolving, you see everything evolving and then getting into low impact design and I'm really again looking forward.
Speaker 2:And storm water management. We have a pretty significant storm water issue downtown, especially on municipal and right on New Haven between municipal and Vernon. There's a lot and there's a pilot program that the city's working on right now. They got a grant from the University of Florida, I believe, and they're gonna be doing some modifications to those intersections and trying to use these special boxes that are meant to help all that runoff not go into the lagoon and filter it before it actually funnels down, and I think the landscaping will get a little better and that stuff. I'm hoping that project kicks off pretty soon because the standing water and the clogged drains are really an issue.
Speaker 1:You know I kind of brag when I go to other events and there's other mayors for the county. If you go to the Bavard County Indian River Lagoon site you can see all the Indian River Lagoon related projects going on and they have like a little box and you'll see little boxes and Melbourne's like one big box.
Speaker 1:We have so many products, all the baffle boxes and all the stuff you've done, not just that baffle boxes, but everything where, whether I mean there's gotta be dozens, there's dozens of projects going on, some small, some bigger, but you'll see like a quite a few in Titusville, you'll see some in Maryland and then just one big box. There's so many boxes in Melbourne.
Speaker 1:And it's pretty cool because we are really cranking on that Got a great team in the city that is really moving that stuff forward and working on with their state partners getting matching grants we have another baffle box getting ready to get started, but we got federal state dollars, so we're really pulling all this together and really we can't get them done fast enough.
Speaker 2:I know there's a lot to do.
Speaker 1:Well, I definitely think that this, a lot of this stuff, is lagoon related and you gotta match some of the funds for the lagoon for the what do you think?
Speaker 2:Yeah, you should go after that.
Speaker 1:That's a great idea. I probably won't be so sun, but I'll try. You guys can laugh at my failure. That's OK, that's all good. Well, I'm looking, look. I just want to say this, kim, you have done such an amazing job. I will say that you and your staff and it's really you guys mostly volunteer work and a lot of people don't realize I mean the funding that you guys get. You guys haven't had funding and funding increase in what five, six years it's been.
Speaker 2:I think it's been way longer than that.
Speaker 1:Oh, don't tell me that, been that long, it's OK, it's OK, but you're doing. We didn't ask, I know, but you're bringing back. We're asking now though, but you're with the economic development we're bringing in and the tax revenue that you're bringing. I think I read an article recently that we had the most tax revenue, for was it like March or something ever?
Speaker 2:Oh yeah, yeah, it's high and so what we're doing is working.
Speaker 1:What you're doing is working.
Speaker 2:I mean it's economic and community development right, and that's what drives the tax base and that's what allows the city to reinvest in our communities, and downtown is really seeing a resurgence of people that are buying buildings. We're seeing new owners come in, they're investing in their properties, they're adding to the tax base, they're renovating, they're doing all kinds of stuff and they have new ideas and new visions and they're fresh and they're ready to go and it's super, super exciting and you guys have really created an environment that is positive for economic and community development and that's a real testament to the city council to be able to allow these projects to come out.
Speaker 1:I have an awesome city council. I have an awesome city management. Everybody is top notch when I also see serving on the airport board. I see all the high tech jobs coming in.
Speaker 2:I see.
Speaker 1:Project VISTA. They're actually starting the campus and I think, what is it? The jobs? 100, 300 jobs, I think it was for 80,000 a year average.
Speaker 2:I mean just an average A lot of discretionary income that comes from those high tech jobs. They're really those manufacturing and high tech jobs are what drive the economy, because they have the extra money to spend. And they go out more and they do all the things, and so it's great.
Speaker 1:Well and I look at it this way too, being a father I look at my daughters and I go look, you have the ability to have one that's going through the aviation program at O'Galley. You have the ability to come out and get a high tech job, something that I didn't have the option.
Speaker 2:She'll have options too. She'll have options. There won't be one, There'll be five that she can pick from which is phenomenal. I mean, you couldn't say that a decade ago.
Speaker 1:Yeah, no, you couldn't say, and that that's at least giving them the ability to succeed. You know their, their pastor fail will be on them, not on the fact that you know we did something and there wasn't jobs available.
Speaker 2:Yeah, we're creating the environment for them to be very successful, and I tell a lot of people.
Speaker 1:You know my father worked for GDC back in the late seventies or into 80 before they were laid off and GDC out in Palm Bay folded in and Palm Bay is still seeing. You know they're still paying for the.
Speaker 1:GDC mess, oh yeah 40, well, 40 years later, with the roads, I mean the road bond that they had to do, and you can, you know, to me is it controversial? Not really. I mean, you got that's a tough decision and they made that decision and I think it. You know, is it the right decision? Probably so.
Speaker 2:Yeah, cause, how do you, how do you recover from that Right? It's gone on a long time.
Speaker 1:Well, as long as they get the right development there.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 1:I mean, you got to you, you got to have the right development. A lot of people say why are you getting commercial development? There's a reason for that.
Speaker 2:Let's talk about all the development that's coming to downtown.
Speaker 1:You want to.
Speaker 2:I'd love to.
Speaker 1:Let's start. You want to start?
Speaker 2:Sure.
Speaker 1:Which one's first?
Speaker 2:Well, I think you know I talked earlier about the residential density and what that's, what really drives the economy in a downtown and you know we've identified four projects that'll bring probably 1200 residential units to downtown in the next two to three years and that is massively transformational. So, doing the streetscaping project and bracing for that is, you know, and doing, getting that, ready for all of that, is going to be really critical.
Speaker 1:Hold on, hold on, stop for a second. I have to drink my coffee on this mug, this nice downtown Melbourne historic mug. Hold on, let me try it. The coffee actually tastes better on this mug.
Speaker 2:Of course it does. It's sweeter Mm-mm-mm-mm.
Speaker 1:There you go, brandy. There it is, there we go. Go ahead. I'm sorry for cutting you off.
Speaker 2:No, it's okay. I mean the first one I think I suspect will come out of the ground first, but you never know, these projects change all the time. It's the North American properties. Yeah, that is a really exciting project. It's at the corner of Melbourne Court and Melbourne Avenue and it's right down by the waterfront and they build their own parking garage for their people and it is going to be absolutely stunning and I love that, because that area was so blighted with those orange court apartments that were knocked down and you know. So I got a rumor.
Speaker 1:Oh we're sure. Can I throw a rumor out here? Yeah, sure, so I talked to. Kat last week on that Did you, yeah, and she, I don't know. She said something about, well, the park across the street.
Speaker 2:Mm-hmm yeah.
Speaker 1:And she's, like you know, holmes Park. You I think she mentioned your name wanted the park larger to do events.
Speaker 2:I'd like. I want public space. We have no public space in downtown Melbourne.
Speaker 1:So we're working on. I sent her back to her city staff on possibly buying that lot and giving it to the city for a larger event.
Speaker 2:Oh wow, and she would actually Were you allowed to say that.
Speaker 1:What. Were you allowed to say that I just said it was a rumor. I can't first off. It's my podcast, I don't care. Number two what are they going to do? Fire me. I don't make any money doing this, I don't. If it's like Kat might fire you, Well, no, I mean, she's a great negotiator. Yeah, she's awesome.
Speaker 2:Look when she comes.
Speaker 1:She serves on our design committee, but when she comes in and says I want to give. I want to give property to the public and for a bigger event space.
Speaker 2:I mean people can hate me all they want. And imagine if that was all public space in there All the way to Melbourne Court, right, and that would be amazing. It would connect Henley Court, it would open up the waterfront and people would just enjoy all that. They could go to Alambia like all the time, right. Yeah, right south post and get their bait and go kayaking and do all the stuff.
Speaker 1:Well, what's the next project? You want to talk about that one.
Speaker 2:So the drift is exciting.
Speaker 1:The drift is very exciting.
Speaker 2:Very exciting. You better make that happen.
Speaker 1:Well, I was on the phone today. No pressure, I was on the phone today about it. Yeah, and I guess they have. We have to get it. They have, and I can't say we. I mean it's them private development, but they have to get it closed. Nothing done by July 27th.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's coming past.
Speaker 1:We're working with the city to try to make sure all that happens on our end.
Speaker 2:So yeah, we're on crunch time and, just for everybody listening, this is the project that is on the lot across from Helen Blazes. It used to be the old Sun Trust Bank building that goes all the way down to Melbourne Avenue and it is massive.
Speaker 1:It's a challenging lot, like 18% or something. It's a extremely challenging lot, so it'll be.
Speaker 2:I think it's seven stories on the front side, on the New Haven side, and then it'll be eight stories on the backside because it drops off so significantly and there's some environmental issues there that we'll have to clean up and stuff too. But what an exciting project 300 units, $100 million project $100 million project.
Speaker 2:And that's you know. There's nothing on the tax roll, hardly at all for that parcel right now. So you think about what's happening in terms of TIF revenue and the CRA coming. This year alone the CRA should bring in about 1.95 million in. Tif revenue, and so that's gonna allow us to do more transformational projects and hopefully potentially invest more in the streetscaping and actually do the whole project at one time, which is my desire.
Speaker 1:Well, it's funny because the word's already out about me because anytime they come and approach, they go mayor, we need to talk about free public parking. I'm like did you say public parking?
Speaker 2:So I'm always these, these. I love that you guys hold the line and demand the public parking in these development projects, cause that's the first question we get. Well, that's great, but you're taking away parking and it's like nope, they're gonna have to put in lots, Two for one.
Speaker 1:And normally that's what I tell them. Look, you know, for I want two, two, two spots for the one I have now, and they all been receptive. You know, and I envision a downtown where there's not a parking issue, where, yeah, we have the parking garage, but you, there's multiple places and I know we'll get to a point where maybe have an app where you better pull up your app on your phone and go, you know, there's yeah, there's 34 parking spots here. There's, there's, you know, 17 there.
Speaker 2:So totally doable too.
Speaker 1:You know, and then some of these places they'll have additional parking and it may be metered parking. Now that meter parking, you don't have to go there. We have free parking.
Speaker 2:You know what everybody I've I've been surveying people since the drift like thing, and I'm like, what do you, if there were a meter, if there was meter parking, they were to use it. And they're like in a heartbeat, I don't care, I just want a spot. Well you know, and they'll be all from your phone app and stuff like that, and that's what happens in downtown. I mean winter park, you can't really park in here unless you park in a paid parking garage.
Speaker 1:Well, people ask me why, and I and I, and it goes to pay the bills, it goes to clean, you know, to clean it, there's so much maintenance, yeah, so much maintenance.
Speaker 2:Clean it you know and all the parking lots that you have have to be maintained too. And that's where the you know. When they charge for large scale events like mega mallets Irish festival and our downtown Melbourne Food and Wine Festival, they, the city, charges, they hire. They hire a Maristar to do all the parking and management of it, but they hire, they charge for parking, because they reinvest that back into resurfacing and you know lights and all the things that it takes. Because, they're, they're really expensive.
Speaker 1:Well, and, and just think about just the elevator alone, I mean it's gotta be 88.
Speaker 2:Who's gonna?
Speaker 1:who's gonna make sure the elevator?
Speaker 2:works. It has to be serviced all the time. You know, and they're, from what I understand from the developers right now those parking lots are going for what? 17 to $20,000 a spot.
Speaker 1:Per parking spot yep.
Speaker 2:So that, yeah, it's gone. That's significant. It's 15 to 20. I think it's. I think it's 22,000 per spot, yeah, and so.
Speaker 1:So they tell me look, we're getting. You know, we're doing a hundred spots that were $2.2 million. I mean, I like it. I like the fact that we have. We have parking, cause we talked about that a couple of years ago. We need better parking, we need parking in downtown Melbourne.
Speaker 2:And it's funny how people behave in downtowns versus if they go to the mall, like so, if you go to Melbourne Square Mall, you're walking a country mile to get to the front door, right, usually you're walking quite a bit and even if you don't, you know park way out, even if you park close, you're still walking through the mall to get somewhere. So you're, you know it's 400 steps from the parking garage at City Hall to municipal in New Haven and people will not park there and it's like you got to park there because it's so much easier, or you could spend around for four hours.
Speaker 1:It's no different than someone driving around for that one parking spot.
Speaker 2:And there's one like oh, you know they could have already been in there having a beer at Meg's, exactly yeah.
Speaker 1:So it yeah, well, it's all about yeah, so, but that that, besides some other projects, yeah, the chamber building, you know it's for sale, it's kind of closed at the end of this year.
Speaker 2:I I think that'll end up being residential too or some kind of high density situation there, which is great Orion 180. I hope they come out of the ground. I know that they're in P&Z now or whatever. They're in P&Z so that's phenomenal because that's going to be, hopefully, a five story office building and we'll have a lot of people working in there and just flushing into downtown. For you know, happy hour and lunches and breakfasts and shopping and all the things.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I mean, if you think about that and what that does for our downtown and with that new construction brings a new lighting, like you just? Mentioned, it brings new lighting the infrastructure we just have to be ready for all these people, right?
Speaker 2:Well, that's why the timing of the streetscaping is so good because, we'll, we'll get a lot of that out of the way before these people come out of the ground and then crown holdings, you know, has the American Business and Interiors lot, and then they're trying to get the parking lot, the Vernon parking lot, and turn that into a garage public, private. Yeah, that's exciting because that's in the like, in the core.
Speaker 1:So so you think about all these projects, I think.
Speaker 2:I need my own parking spot, though, there.
Speaker 1:You don't have one now? No, I do. I got my own parking.
Speaker 2:I'm not the mayor, it's way down from that, but yeah.
Speaker 1:People parking my spot. I always leave my card. They do they park in your spot. That's gutsy. Yeah, they park in my spot. They don't know you, do they?
Speaker 2:No, I'm, I'm, I'm Is that you Jesse you parking the spot. No, I'll tow Jesse's vehicle If I see it, jesse's yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, Jesse's not a voter here.
Speaker 2:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Oh, how I'm more Jesse. Oh, jesse's my buddy now. Come on. Hey, he does this for the look. I will give a plug to Jesse Hall. Look, Spaceco's podcast puts this on at no cost so we get our message out to the residents and they can. They can ask questions. Appreciate you, jesse. You know Spaceco's podcast. You guys are. You guys are great.
Speaker 2:We're talking to.
Speaker 1:We're talking to Jesse.
Speaker 2:Where's your mic? We're talking to Jesse about doing something for Melbourne Main Street. We just have to have the capacity to actually execute.
Speaker 1:Oh well.
Speaker 2:We want to put, we want to highlight businesses downtown and do shorter segments and that kind of stuff. So we'll do it. See, I promise it's just, I have to have enough, I have to have. I know it's like it's overwhelming to think about it all.
Speaker 1:But, it's.
Speaker 2:It's super exciting because I love what you're doing.
Speaker 1:Now I will say I have one question. You know a lot of people say thank you for your effort. Somebody asked when are they going to break ground for the new water park?
Speaker 2:Oh, lacuna Beach. Yeah, lacuna Beach, so it's not a water park.
Speaker 1:It's not a water park. Well, it's not a water park. It's not a water park, it is a water feature, residential and entertainment district. So right now and that's going to be it's going to be a really nice place to go. And where are we now? Right now, I know that it's waiting for FAA approval. It's gone through city council, it went through the airport, it went to FAA. There were initial I don't know if I want to say issues, but with some of the residential they had to redesign a few things.
Speaker 2:They moved some things around. Yeah, they moved it around.
Speaker 1:but that's coming back Now. I know that some people they don't like this project Number one at the private project Number two. I think it's a great project.
Speaker 2:It's cleaning up a really dirty dumping site too.
Speaker 1:An old. I mean, I'm from Melbourne, I've been here all my life and it actually you know old dumping area that they're going to go in and clean it out. So if you have a problem with you know non-tax dollars cleaning up our environment and cleaning up in an old city landfill that's likely seeping into the ground, then you know. Then so be it. But I like the project. I think it will give you know.
Speaker 2:I think it's going to be beautiful. It's going to be beautiful, I think. I think a lot of people in that high tech corridor that's around the airport are going to want to live there because it's so close to work and they can, and then they'll have like, instead of living on a lake, they'll live on a freshwater, you know, pond or whatever pool or whatever you want to call it, yeah, and in the design it's got a liner and it's like a, it's like a beach.
Speaker 1:It cleans itself.
Speaker 2:It's always the same water and the rain water and it all gets cleaned. And yeah, there's some technical term that I'm totally not.
Speaker 1:Well, you know, some people like that. I think I got, I think I got, I think I got an angry emoji. That's fine, I don't have to go. If you don't like it, you don't have to go.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I mean it's going to be residential and then there's going to be restaurants and retail that are going to be there, which I think will be great. I think it's very synergistic with downtown too, because it's so close and we're, you know, we're talking with the developers and working in tandem with them to connect the downtown and um and Lacuna Beach. So yeah, I know it's controversial, but I think it's going to be a nice addition, jesse, make sure I get some angry emoji stickers.
Speaker 1:So when I, when this place is up and if I see someone there having a coffee or enjoying there and they gave me, I'm going to go give them an angry emoji sticker. I'm going to go look, I'm giving your angry emoji back. I mean, you're here. You didn't like it, you know, see, is that okay? Remind me. All, right, I forget a lot. Right, make a note on that, write that down. Thank you, but anyway, um, we're wrapping up. We're about over. It's been an hour, it's been nearly an hour.
Speaker 2:It's having so much fun.
Speaker 1:Yeah, we're, um, we're doing, we're doing big things in downtown Melbourne. Look, I'm very proud of downtown Melbourne, I'm proud of, uh, proud of, downtown O'galley and I'm watching, watching it change, watching it evolve. And really, again, I want to give you and your staff not volunteer staff, I mean, your staff is on fire and it takes hundreds and hundreds of volunteers to help us execute things.
Speaker 2:And can we just give a shout out to the downtown Melbourne fit and wine festival, november 11th?
Speaker 1:November 11th.
Speaker 2:We are moving it to the waterfront on Melbourne Avenue um right harborside on crane creek and um it, I am so excited about this. It took us a long time to make this change and get everything in line. The city's been super helpful with us. We just had an all hands meeting with every one of the departments that are impacted and they love this idea. Um, I think it helps too with the street closures and the and the feedback we've gotten from from the businesses to not choke off their their businesses while we're setting up.
Speaker 1:Cause it's a, it's a very big event.
Speaker 2:It takes us a couple of days to set up and um, and so we're just going to kind of get it out of the way but also connect to that waterfront, which is one of our main priorities, and so tickets are on sale now and we're accepting sponsorships, that they're coming in pretty good and so we feel really good about it this year and the restaurants are signing up like crazy.
Speaker 2:And the thing about that, that money goes to where that goes back into Melbourne main street and invest right back into us so that we can continue to advocate for downtown and the businesses and to um make sure that things like this happen and stay at the tip of the spear for things that are very important for the economic and community development of downtown.
Speaker 1:You know, and that's one of the reasons that I I sponsor these events personally- out of my own pocket you know and I sponsor because I understand what that brings back in the success that and really everybody.
Speaker 1:it gives you a chance to relax for all the hard work you know in our daily lives and what's going on, that. You see great people and one thing I've learned about being, in being as the mayor here, is the amazing people and what it takes to run this city and I don't deserve any credit. It is the wonderful people like yourself, your board, uh, our volunteers, uh, jesse, for putting this on. Everybody pulls more than their weight and that's what makes Melbourne so successful. We're one of the best places to live, work and play in the country because of the people.
Speaker 2:And you have an incredible team at the city of Melbourne. And they work through things and they're good with the community and you know we love working with them too.
Speaker 1:And and and. The key is, when you go in and meet with people, like when I meet with you, I pick your brain, I aggravate you. I know I do, but you know you have to take. You know I do, but no, you, you have to. You have to let people do their jobs. You have to give them. You got to inspire them and say what can we do better, what can I do better? You know, and and the fact is is when you know the mayor election comes back up. My number one thing, you know I want to know what I can do better, yeah, or what can we all do better to to be successful. Because you know, at the end of the day, you know, when I step out of this mayor seat, you know, I want to look back and say, look, we were, we made some great, great decisions. We really transformed Melbourne, downtown Melbourne. We cleaned up Melbourne. You know our policies. Now I could go through all our policies on how we're changing on, on our zombie house and everything.
Speaker 1:You know we're, we're, we're really turning our city, we're trying to clean our city up and you know we voted on Tuesday night on on, you know uh, street sweepers and we want to make sure our, our, you know our streets are swept so that cause it rains every night. And where does that debris go? Exactly Into the lagoon. So we're really working hard to try to get you know Melbourne, to get it, get it cleaner.
Speaker 2:Well, we appreciate what you're all doing. It's just, it's incredible. We're making great strides forward, so All right, well, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1:No, thank you, Kim, it's, it's a it's success. It's all about successes.
Speaker 2:Yep, we're making it happen. It takes a village, doesn't it?
Speaker 1:And and Jesse, thank you Thanks.
Speaker 2:Jesse.
Speaker 1:Michaelous. Jesse, you know, I need you to get your mic back bro.
Speaker 2:What happened?
Speaker 1:What? What'd you do with your mic?
Speaker 2:You know he's out tonight. He's not having it.
Speaker 1:You know, you know, all right. Well, thank you everybody for joining us, and actually next Thursday be the Florida Main Street, and so we'll be. You know, we'll be in Ocala, right.
Speaker 2:Okay, me and Ocala.
Speaker 1:All right, well, thank you everyone. More to come on that Huh.
Speaker 2:More to come on that for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, thank you everyone for joining us and have a great evening. And guess what?
Speaker 2:Tomorrow's Friday, friday.
Speaker 1:Yeah, all right, good night everybody, good night, sexy music playing you.