City officials in Brevard tell county leaders they won't pay for lifeguards

VIERA, Fla. - Brevard County Commissioners needed a break after a heated hourlong discussion on whether cities should bear half the cost for lifeguards on their beaches. 

Commission Chairman Jason Steele was left flabbergasted. "I think this is a complete waste of time. I think to send this out to the cities right now is a complete waste of time," he said.

That was because representatives from several Brevard cities took the podium to say there was no way they'd pay for lifeguards. 

"The City of Cocoa Beach has elected not to participate in the grant agreement that has been presented," said Cocoa Beach City Manager Wayne Carragino.

To be clear, this vote only called on the county to start drafting paperwork asking cities to take part in the program. The measure was spearheaded by Commissioner John Tobia, who said it was unfair for the county to pay for beach lifeguards and went line-by-line through cities' budgets telling them where they could find the money for their fifty percent. 

This led to strong pushback from the cities.

"We would have to cut out Ryckman Park playground upgrades, would you prefer the children don't have any new equipment?" asked Melbourne Beach Vice Mayor Sherri Quarrie.

"I'd prefer you prioritize safety, and not decorative light poles and restoring dolphin carvings," Tobia replied to her. The motion passed the county board by a 3-2 vote.

At times, the hearing even led to commissioners arguing with each other. Toward the end of the discussion, there was a consensus that tourist development tax money could help fund the lifeguards. "By god, we're going to get this done," Chairman Steele said, "because the first person that dies out there on the beach, it's on both of us, not just the cities, not just the counties, but both of us."