Attending the "We Noticed" presentation were lead-volunteer Jim Shackleford and other museum volunteers, Pastor Cheryl Wilcox from Greater Allen Chapel AME Church, City of Melbourne employees, WM Government Affairs Manager Jordin Chandler, KBB Executive Director John Nico, and KBB South Action Team members.  

Throughout the year, the South Action Team recognizes property and business owners from the southern part of Brevard County for their efforts to beautify the area and environmentally improve their landscaping.  The program has been in operation since the 1990’s and has recognized dozens of properties throughout the County.

On Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. the City of Melbourne’s ECO Division, in collaboration with Keep Brevard Beautiful, Inc. (KBB), and the Ocean Conservancy will be hosting the 40^th Annual International Coastal Cleanup. The International Coastal Cleanup began when communities rallied together with the common goal of collecting and documenting the trash littering their coastline.

The city invites you to join us in this effort to tackle litter along our vulnerable waterways and lagoon. The City of Melbourne’s cleanup location will be Ballard Park (924 Thomas Barbour Drive, Melbourne, FL). Check-in starts at 8 a.m. Volunteers can clean along the bank, on the water and around the park. Kayaks and other small vessels are welcome.

To register for the event please go to our Eventbrite page using this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/40th-annual-international-coastal-cleanup-tickets-1595716614349?aff=oddtdtcreator

You can also call the ECO Division at 321-608-5080 or email Recycle@mlbfl.org to pre-register.

The city encourages participants to bring a water bottle to stay hydrated, snacks, proper clothing for rough terrain, sunscreen and a hat. The location will have fresh water from a large 5-gallon jug available. Participants must bring their own water bottle.

Hurricane season is still in full swing. To prepare, the Public Works & Utilities Department undertakes numerous measures before the start of each season. One is preparing for a sandbagging operation. Sandbags can protect properties from flooding. To assist Melbourne residents, there are three sandbag-filling machines on standby. They can fill at least 1,600 bags each per hour. The Streets & Stormwater Division maintains a large inventory of sand and bags. If a significant storm was imminent, sandbags would be filled and delivered to the eastern-most parking lot at Club 52 Casino. They would be provided free of charge to Melbourne residents.
The division also takes steps to minimize flooding. They continually clean out all the stormwater inlets, ditches and canals to minimize potential flooding impacts. To prevent sewer overflows in the event of power outages, most lift stations are outfitted with a permanent generator. There is also a fleet of portable generators for those that don't have permanent units. 

Things you can do to prepare

There are things residents should do to prepare. In addition to hurricane survival kits and evacuation plans every family should have, preparing yards can be crucial. Remove dead limbs and branches
from trees and trim them back if needed. Check for and remove trash and debris from your property. It could get caught up in high winds and inflict injury to people or damage property. If trimming trees, cut them into four-foot lengths and place them at the curb. For fastest service, call Waste Management at 321-723-4455, go to WM.com or the City’s ECO Division at 321-608-5080 to schedule collection. Please do not place yard waste on storm drains or fire hydrants. If you are having a contractor do the trimming, they are responsible for removing the debris. Note that if a hurricane is approaching and winds become unsafe, WM will cease operations until the storm has passed. 

Sign up for CodeRED emergency notifications

Another important thing residents and businesses can do is register for the City’s CodeRED system. This is an emergency notification system the City can use to send out large-scale precautionary boil water notices or other emergency notifications by
phone and/or text and e-mail.

To register, look for the Code Red link at the bottom of the City’s web site at www.melbourneflorida.org. The City encourages that both home and cell phone numbers be added in the event the power is out, and a cordless phone would not work. If you do not have the ability to register online, please call the ECO Division at 321 608-5080 and they can register for you.

The City of Melbourne ECO Division, along with City of Titusville, Brevard County Solid Waste, City of Cape Canaveral and Waste Pro met Tim Van Ness, Plant Manager at the WM Recycling Brevard facility on August 27 to discuss contamination rates and the process by which WM conducts contamination audits. The facility processes recyclables from both Brevard and Orange counties. 

Roughly 21 percent of all incoming material is rejected and sent to the landfill due to contamination. Buyers of recycled bales look to only accept 5 percent or less contamination in their bales. Common contaminants include plastic bags, food waste, and hazardous materials such as lithium-ion batteries and propane tanks. 

By following the flyer below, you can help reduce contamination and help support recycling. Megan Ruben, Environmental Community Outreach Manager also made a recycling video that is available to watch on the City of Melbourne Facebook page and X.