Governance

Goals of the Governance Project Team

Promote cooperation and communication among public, private, and non-profit organizations.

Clarify and streamline the existing government structure.  Expand and coordinate social and support services.

BACKGROUND
Encompassing 16 incorporated municipalities and seven unincorporated communities, Brevard County has over time become more and more fragmented as the individual communities have staked out their own territory. This multiplicity of communities,
coupled with the geographic layout of the County, has led residents to mentally and verbally separate Brevard County into three parts - north, south, and central Brevard. While there has been a history of disjointedness in the County, continuous prosperity and growth kept the effects of this parochialism to a minimum because everyone was doing well. It is only over the lasts decade where growth pressures, changes in growth patterns, and alterations in the economy have highlighted the fissures in the County.

This fragmentation and territorialism has also carried over to the private and non-profit sectors and service provider community,
and led to duplication of services and competition for the same pool of scarce resources. The framework for cooperation and
communication among similar interest groups is emerging, but significantly more efforts need to be made to allow the County to do a better job of providing for all citizens, including the provision of appropriate services, access to those services, and direct confrontation and realization of the changes and problems in the County.

ACCOMPLISHMENTS
In 2005, the Space Coast Growth Management Coalition was formed.  This group is made up of elected officials and staff of Brevard County, its municipalities, and the school district.  Its mission is to provide a platform for the discussion of growth issues such as annexation, interlocal agreements, service boundaries where the parties can work to develop solutions and reach agreement.

Brevard's elected officials, from all levels of government including federal, state, county, municipal and the school board meet twice annually to discuss issues important to the county.  These government summits help to foster a spirit of cooperation and keep the lines of communication open so that important issues are kept at the forefront and addressed holistically.