Satellite Beach

Satellite Beach is a coastal city in Brevard County, Florida, U.S. It is located with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Indian River to the west. The city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²) It is part of the Palm BayMelbourneTitusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,346 at the 2020 United States Census, and it is located on the local barrier island directly south of Patrick Space Force Base. There are 7.7 miles (12.4 km) of shoreline in the city, including 2.8 miles (4.5km) of Atlantic Ocean beach, 1.3 miles (2.1 kilometers) of Banana River shoreline, and 3.6 miles (5.8 km) shoreline fronting navigable canals connected to the Banana River. A study commissioned by NASA lends credence to the perception that Satellite Beach is located in a portion of the North American Atlantic shoreline with a reduced incidence of catastrophic hurricanes. Endangered Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles nest on the city's ocean beaches at densities of approximately one nest per 10 feet (3.0 m) of Shoreline per year. North Atlantic right whales calve off the city’s shoreline; endangered West Indian manatees frequent the city. Bald eagles forage over Samsons Island; gopher tortoises and scrub jays live on the barrier island. A 12 acres of wetland created as mitigation by a local developer provide nutrient-rich, sheltered aquatic habitat serving as finfish nursery.

Geography

Satellite Beach is the primary city name, but also Ind Hbr Bch, Indian Harbour Beach, Indn Hbr Bch, Melbourne, Satellite Bch are acceptable city names or spellings. The official name is City of Satellite Beach. Satellite Beach is located at 28°1024N 80°3548W (28.173441, 80.596674) It is located on the local barrier island directly south of Patrick Space Force Base. The city has a total area of 4.3 square miles (11.1 km²) of land and 31.94 square miles of water. With both ocean and river frontage, the city is the largest beachside community in South Brevard County. There are 7.7 miles (12.4 km) of shoreline in the city, including 2.8 miles (4.5km) of Atlantic Ocean beach and 1.3 miles of Banana River shoreline. Endangered West Indian manatees frequent the city's canals and the Banana River. Bald eagles forage over Samsons Island. A study commissioned by NASA lends credence to the perception that Satellite Beach is. located in a portion of the North American Atlantic shoreline with a reduced incidence of catastrophic hurricanes. The National Marine Fisheries Service has classified the city as an essential habitat for gopher tortoises, scrub jays, and green sea turtles. It is the northern limit of the range of many plant species found in temperate zones in the area. The climate on the barrier island supports tropical species of plants normally found far to the south. It also serves to define the southern limit of many plants found in the Central Florida region, such as sea oats, railroad vine, and Spanish bay holly.

History

Satellite Beach became incorporated in 1957 by Percy L. Hedgecock and his brothers, B.D.(Shine) and Herbert(Hub) Hedgecock, along with cousins, Jimmy Caudle and Dumont Smith.Volunteers have provided more than 10,000 hours each year to youth and public service programs. In 2013, the city announced that it would undertake $36 million worth of work to restore beach areas and dunes along the coast, to areas battered by hurricanes in 2004. On December 4, 2013, there was a parade in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. There were one hundred Menorah-topped vehicles, a Menorah lighting, free food (including traditional Latkes), and live entertainment. In the summer of 2018 Erin Brockovich hosted a town hall to address citizens concerns that ground contamination from an old military dump was causing increased rates of cancer. While no direct link between the cancer cases and contamination has been established as of January 2020, officials and activists are still working on the issue. The annual Ocean, Reef and Beach Festival is organized by the Surfrider Foundation, Pure Ocean TV Productions and Anglers for Conservation. The Banana River Sail and Power Squadron sponsors the annual Holiday Boat Parade. The city became one of the first areas in the United States to install solar panels on municipal buildings. The proposed trail would run along the dunes south from Fischer Park. The beachside trail would hook up to the proposed 40 miles (64 km) "A1A Urban Trail".

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,577 people, 3,952 households, and 2,877 families residing in the city. Of the city's 7,444 residents who are 25 or older, approximately one in five hold a graduate or professional degree. The only traditional Jewish synagogue, Chabad of the Space & Treasure Coasts, along the Brevard County coastline is in the City. The city's population was distributed by age groups as follows: 21.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 28.3%, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there are 95.0 males. The population was 94.99% White, 1.02% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.55% Asian,0.03% Pacific Islander, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.95% of the population. There were 4,257 housing units at an average density of 1,791.6 per square mile (691.7/km²). The city has one of the highest concentrations of African American and Native American residents in the United States. There are no African American or Native American Americans living in Florida. There is no African-American or Native Hawaiian or Americaningo population in the state.

Government

The city has faced numerous scandals in recent years, including losing over a million dollars on the sale of a city-owned property. The city maintains an active list of about 80 volunteers ("Neighbor Helping Neighbor" program) who helps out where requested, often senior citizens, whose mobility is impaired. In 2007, the city had a taxable real estate base of $877.12 million. It has a population of 2.2 million people. It is one of the largest cities in the state, with a tax base of over $1.2 billion. It was founded in 1883 and is located on the banks of the San Francisco Bay. It also has an airport, which was built in the early 1900s. Its population is 2.1 million people, and its tax base is over $800 million. In 2009, the population was 2.3 million. The City has a taxableReal estate base of $877 million, and a taxable income of $2.4 billion. It had a tax revenue base of more than $1 billion in 2007, and an income of over $1.4 billion. In 2010, the City lost over $500,000 to a wrongful termination lawsuit filed by the Clerk who worked there for over 20 years, and possible violations of sunshine law. In 2011, it lost $1 million to a lawsuit filed against the Clerk, who worked for the city for more than 20 years. In 2012, a threatening packet was mailed to local residents demanding that proprietary information be handed over to the city.

Education

The city has the following schools: public schools, private schools, and private schools. Public schools: DeLaura Middle School, Satellite High School, Holland Elementary, Surfside Elementary, Seapark Elementary. Private schools: Chabad Hebrew School, Coastal Community School, Torah Academy Preschool. The city also has a public high school and a private high school. The schools are located in the downtown area of the city.

Recreation

In 2013, Hightower Beach Park was renovated by a community partnership with Montecito Community Development District and state funds from the Florida Preservation 2000 and Florida Land and Water grant programs. The DeSoto Recreation Complex features eight tennis courts as well as two enclosed racquetball courts. The Satellite Beach Sports and Recreation Park contains 35 acres (14 ha) It has a walking trail, skate park, dog park, frisbee fields, soccer fields and volleyball courts. Samsons Island is a 52-acre (21 ha) park. It was renovated from an island overrun with exotic plants. There are butterflies, gopher tortoises, armadillos, squirrels and snakesblack racers and coachwhips. The island contains trails, bird watching, camping areas, wildlife, and picnic areas. There is canal dredging taking place to remove potentially toxic muck. The city has several parks, recreational facilities and natural landscapes, however in recent years the lagoon has been severely degraded by recurring algae blooms, and the natural reef along the beach is being buried by dirty sand. The City of Santa Barbara is home to the Santa Barbara County Museum of Natural History, which is open to the public on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and is open on the weekends from 9 to 11:30 p.M. It is located on the corner of Ellwood and Park Avenue in the heart of the city. The museum is open from 9am to 5pm.

Economy

In 2011, the median income for a household in the city was $60,870. 25% of households and 32% of families made more than $100,000. About 4.9% of the population was reported to be below the poverty line. Satellite Beach Technology Company designs and develops biometric security systems. The company was recently featured in Deloitte's Technology Fast 500, a ranking of the 500 fastest growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences and clean technology companies in North America. A company Lighting Sciences Group manufactures LED light bulbs locally. It employs 400 people. The industry generates approximately $1.5 billion revenue each year. It was recently named one of the fastest-growing companies in the U.S., according to a report by the consulting firm Bain & Company. The city has a population of 2,816. It is located in the central part of the state. The population is expected to grow to 3,000 by the end of the decade. The median age of the city's population will be 39.5 years old. It will be at least 50 years old by the time the city reaches its 100th anniversary in 2020. The average age for the city will be 50. It has a median population of 1,822. The rate of population growth is 2.2% over the past 10 years. This is the highest rate of growth in the state since the mid-1980s. The town has had a population growth rate of 2.7% since the early 1990s.

Satellite Beach Library

The Satellite Beach Public Library opened on April 17, 1966. In 1991 a new 19,000 square foot facility was completed. The new facility opened on September 23, 1991 on Jamaica Boulevard. There are approximately 63,891 volumes in the book collection of fiction, non-fiction, and reference. 2,200 recordings and cassettes and 1269 video tapes have been added to the collection. A collection of compact discs have also been added. The library offers a Community Meeting Room, children's area and young adult section, study rooms, and public typewriter. It has 18,266 registered patrons with a monthly circulation averaging 22,000. It is located on the site of the old Indian Harbor Beach Sewer Treatment Plant property. The land was purchased by the County at a cost of $75,000 and increased the size of the library from 6,500 square feet to 19,00 square feet. It also has a Children's Area, Study Room, and a Community meeting Room. It offers a community meeting room, children’s area, and young adults section, and study rooms. It was built at the time of the county's annexation of Brevard County in the 1960s. It opened on Cassia Boulevard in 1966 and was built on a site that was previously used as a parking lot. It now sits on a plot of land that was once part of the Indian Harbor Harbor Beach Beach sewage treatment plant property. In the 1970s and 1980s, the library had a circulation of more than 18,000 patrons.

Infrastructure

Travelocity.com named route A1A as the "Best Driving Route" in Florida. A secondary major route, paralleling it, is South Patrick Drive, which is close to the Banana River. There are several canals that connect the city to the Indian River Lagoon, including: The Grand Canal, the canal paralleling Desoto Parkway, and the Anchor Drive Canal. Every couple years the County dumps massive truckloads of fill material on the beach in an effort to bury a natural reef that runs along the shore. Surfrider Foundation, a surfing and conservation group, still has opposed the plan because of the natural reef it will bury. While proponents of the Mid-Reach Project defend it as protecting upland structures, residents who oppose it say it's wasteful and ruins the quality of the beach. There is no local name for the main road through Satellite Beach. The major eastwest road, Cassia Bouelvard, intersects both it and SR 513. The Florida Department of Transportation maintains 513, and A1a. See State Roads in Florida for explanation of numbering system.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Satellite Beach, Brevard County, Florida = 72.9. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 60. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 59. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Satellite Beach = 6.6 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 11,226 individuals with a median age of 48.7 age the population grows by 0.10% in Satellite Beach, Brevard County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 3,843.20 residents per square mile of area (1,484.02/km²). There are average 2.4 people per household in the 4,004 households with an average household income of $66,913 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is 11.40% of the available work force and has dropped -5.05% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 18.50%. The number of physicians in Satellite Beach per 100,000 population = 210.4.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Satellite Beach = 48.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 106. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 239. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 51 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 30, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Satellite Beach, Brevard County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 75.79%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 35 years with median home cost = $174,930 and home appreciation of -8.70%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $11.04 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,585 per student. There are 16.2 students for each teacher in the school, 796 students for each Librarian and 418 students for each Counselor. 9.71% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 23.22% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 14.51% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).