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Brevard Public Schools in Collaboration with Department of Health Adopt New CDC Quarantine Recommendations

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The CDC previously recommended that anyone who was exposed to the coronavirus quarantine for a term of 14 days. While the CDC still recommends a 14-day quarantine as the best way to reduce the risk of spreading COVID-19, the agency has identified two acceptable alternatives. The CDC now says the quarantine period can end after 10 days, if the person has not developed any symptoms and can end after seven (7) days, if the asymptomatic person also tests negative for the virus.

 

Last Friday, the Department of Health issued their response and recommendations based on the information from the CDC.  As it pertains to Brevard Public Schools, please find the new protocols listed below:

 

  • All asymptomatic contacts to a case (showing no signs of illness or symptoms) from a SCHOOL exposure will now be quarantined for a period of 10 days and can return on Day 11 starting immediately. However, students returning on Day 11 who participate in sports or activities in which social distancing is not possible or probable, must sit out of that activity until after Day 14.

 

  • All contacts to case due to FAMILY exposure will continue to quarantine for the period of 14 days. Parents can ask for their case to be reviewed by the DOH as part of an epidemiology interview.  This review can be completed on or after Day 10. 

 

  • If an asymptomatic close contact gets a PCR (molecular) test ON DAY 6 or later and receives a negative result, they may end quarantine after completion of Day 7.

 

  • Any parent/employee who wants to exercise the option of testing to end their quarantine period early, regardless of what kind of contact to case they are, must submit a copy of their test DIRECTLY TO DOH via fax at (321) 454-7158. The DOH will evaluate the lab and will directly communicate with the school principal if the quarantine period will be adjusted.

As always, please monitor yourself and/or your child(-ren) for any symptoms of COVID-19. If you notice any symptoms, contact your doctor or pediatrician immediately for further evaluation and testing. Symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to the virus. The most common symptoms associated with COVID-19 are fever, cough, and difficulty breathing. The best way to prevent illness is by limiting exposure to the virus.

 

  • Maintain physical distance of at least 6 feet from others.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face covering when around others.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
  • If soap and water are not available, use hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.
  • Routinely clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces.

 

If you have any questions, please call the Florida Department of Health in Brevard County at 321-454-7101. More information about COVID-19 is available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on its website www.cdc.gov/covid19.

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Palm Bay City Hall on Temporary Lockdown Following Reports of a Suspicious Person On Scene

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In an abundance of caution, members of the public are being asked to avoid Palm Bay City Hall until police sweep the area.

PALM BAY, FLORIDA – Palm Bay City Hall is on a temporary lockdown due to reports of a suspicious person on scene. At this time, we are asking all members of the public to stay away from the Palm Bay City Hall campus in an abundance of caution.
 
A follow-up release will be issued once the situation has been resolved and the all clear is given by Palm Bay PD.
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Palm Bay Building Department Moving to New Location

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The move will complement several new policies and procedures designed to ensure operations continue during ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

 

PALM BAY, FLORIDA – The City of Palm Bay Building Department will open a new off-site service center on December 4, 2020. The new Building Department facility will be located at 190 Malabar Road Suite 105 in the Winn Dixie Shopping Center at the southwest corner of Minton and Malabar Roads. The service center will operate Monday through Friday from 7:30am until 3:30pm and offer a convenient location apart from the City Hall campus with ample parking and easy access.
 
In addition to improving customer accessibility, the move will also enable the Building Department to enact additional COVID-19 preventative measures to protect visitors and staff and reduce daily foot traffic in the facility. Over the past several months, the City of Palm Bay Building Department has adjusted its building permit and inspection services to support the building industry and keep projects moving during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In June, the Building Department introduced Electronic Plan Review (EPR), enabling digital submission of small project applications via Adobe Pro. EPR eliminates review backlogs and allows for accelerated turnaround times, streamlining operations and improving efficiency. Digital submissions also improve safety by eliminating the need for face-to-face contact and the handling of paperwork.
 
By the end of November, the Building Department will be accepting all large file submittals for single family homes and commercial projects through the Bluebeam Revu tool. The implementation of Bluebeam Revu will enable the Building Department to effectively handle large digital files and instantly collaborate with applicants on their submittals through an advanced markup and collaboration functionality.
 
Additional process improvements have been introduced to offer alternatives to some traditional in-person building inspections. Certain inspections can now be completed via Remote Virtual Inspection (RVI), including those for small projects, residential additions, alteration re-inspections, water heaters, electrical reconnects and service upgrades. The Building Department conducts RVIs via the commonly used Facetime and WhatsApp apps, utilizing the live video transmission to perform an inspection from a safe distance. This measure reduces the need for inspectors to enter homes and confined spaces, reducing the chance of COVID-19 exposure for both the inspector and residents.
 
The City’s Building Department also offers online permitting on the City of Palm Bay website. Online permit applications offer convenience and enhance safety by reducing the need to visit the Building Department for in-person service. Online permitting, along with the addition of EPR and RVI functionality, represent innovative service delivery methods that are responsive to the needs of our current climate. With the addition of these changes, residents and builders can enjoy uninterrupted access to permitting and inspection services in a safe and reliable manner, allowing projects to move forward and business operations to continue.
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Republic Services Reminder on Cart Size Options

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If you would like to exchange your current 64-gallon cart for a 95- or 35-gallon cart and you have not submitted your request yet, be sure to visit https://selectmycart.com/palmbay or call (888) 755-9480 before the deadline of December 31, 2020.
If you currently have multiple carts, Republic Services is scheduled to deliver one (1) 95-gallon trash cart in exchange for two (2) 64-gallon trash carts between January 1 – January 14, 2021. If you prefer to continue with multiple trash carts, contact Republic Services at (321) 989-6030 to cancel this exchange.
Effective January 2021, the cost for additional carts will be $9.79 per month per cart.
Image may contain: text that says 'YOUR SOLID WASTE CART SIZE OPTIONS REPUBLIC SERVICES We'll handle it from here. 35 GALLON 65 GALLON 95 GALLON HOLDS 2-3 TALL GARBAGE BAGS HOLDS 4-5 TALL GARBAGE BAGS 38" tall, 23" wide, 22" deep 42" tall, 24" wide, 28" deep HOLDS 7-8 TALL GARBAGE BAGS 43"tall, 28" wide, 32" deep'
 
 
 
 
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Palm Bay- Deadline to Apply for Rental & Utility Payment Assistance is December 4

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The deadline to apply for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act funding for mortgage, rental, and utility payment assistance through the City of Palm Bay Housing and Community Development Division is 3:00pm on Friday, December 4, 2020.

In August and September, the City of Palm Bay received a total allocation of $567,777 in CARES Act funding to assist qualified Palm Bay residents who have been financially impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Eligible uses for the funding include rental or mortgage payment assistance, utility payment assistance, security deposits, and utility deposits. Please note, utility payment assistance can only be provided if coupled with rent or mortgage payment assistance.

The entirety of the $567,777 funding allotment must be expended by December 30, 2020. Due to the high volume of applicants, the City of Palm Bay will end the application period on December 4 to allow adequate time to complete the application review process and disburse funds.

As a reminder, all applications must be complete. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Eligible residents must be at or below 120% of the area median income and facing financial hardship due to COVID-19, such as unemployment or under-employment. Qualified applicants will be served on a first-come/first-eligible, first-served basis. Applications for assistance will be made available through the City of Palm Bay Housing & Community Development Division office located at Palm Bay City Hall Annex, 120 Malabar Road SE, by emailing crf@pbfl.org, and on the City of Palm Bay website.

For questions or assistance with completing the application, please call the City of Palm Bay’s Housing & Community Development Division at (321) 726-5633. Visit www.palmbayflorida.org/housing for more information on available programs.

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Florida Education Commissioner announces E-Learning will continue in second semester

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Education commissioner indicates e-Learning will continue in second semester

During a Florida Board of Education meeting Wednesday, Commissioner Richard Corcoran suggested that distance learning will remain an option for families for the second semester. Commissioner Corcoran said it was important to give parents a choice when it comes to their child’s education. Brevard Public Schools will await official word by way of an executive order from the state Department of Education. Until that happens, BPS cannot go forward with planning for second semester learning. Commissioner Corcoran said the executive order could be released before Thanksgiving or by the end of the month. In the meantime, we remain focused on delivering quality learning to our nearly 70,000 students, whether in the classroom or e-Learning at home, as we continue to navigate the ongoing challenges of the pandemic.

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Palm Bay Lynne Nungesser Park closed for repainting

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PALM BAY, FLOIRDA

– The Palm Bay Parks & Recreation department has announced that the basketball court at Lynne Manion Nungesser Park, 1161 Lamplighter Dr NW in Palm Bay, will be closed beginning Monday, November 30 through Friday, December 4. Staff will be repainting the surface and lines on the court. The basketball court is expected to be out of service for one week. For more information, please call our main office at (321) 953-8912.

Residents looking for outdoor basketball courts are encouraged to visit some of the other facilities in the Palm Bay area while the court at Nungesser Park (formerly West Oaks Park) is being repainted:

· Lynbrook Park (695 Lynbrook St NW, Palm Bay, FL 32907)

· Fred Lee Park (895 Emerson Dr NE, Palm Bay, FL 32907)

· Fred Poppe Regional Park (1951 Malabar Rd NW, Palm Bay, FL 32907)

· Liberty Park (895 Carlyle Ave SE, Palm Bay, FL 32909)

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Palm Bay newly Elected City Councilmembers to be Sworn In November 23

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The Oath of Office will be administered to the new members of the Palm Bay City Council and outgoing councilmen will deliver farewell remarks.

PALM BAY, FLORIDA

Members of the public and media partners are invited to attend the swearing-in ceremony for Mayor-elect Rob Medina, Councilman-elect Donny Felix, and Councilman-elect Randy Foster. The ceremony will be held at 6:00pm on Monday, November 23, 2020 in Council Chambers, located at 120 Malabar Road SE.

At the swearing-in, the Oath of Office will be administered to each incoming councilmember, affirming their commitment to faithfully serve the citizens of Palm Bay as outlined in the City Charter. The ceremony will also serve as a farewell to outgoing elected officials Mayor William Capote, Councilman Harry Santiago, and Councilman Brian Anderson.

For the health and safety of all attendees, guests are encouraged to practice social distancing and wear face masks. Complimentary masks will be available at the hand sanitizer kiosk located in Council Chambers.

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Palm Bay Pedestrian-Bicyclist Program

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PALM BAY, FLORIDA-The Palm Bay Police Department has once again partnered with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) in effort to improve the safety of the most vulnerable roads users in our community. Florida’s Alert Today/Alive Tomorrow High Visibility Enforcement Program is designed to increase awareness of, and compliance with, traffic laws and regulations that protect the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists on Florida’s roads.

High Visibility Enforcement is a traffic safety approach designed to educate on safe driving, walking, and biking behaviors and to increase compliance with traffic laws. The goal of this data driven enforcement program is to reduce traffic crashes resulting in serious and fatal injuries to pedestrians and bicyclists. Pedestrians and bicyclists are the most vulnerable road users. Traffic crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists are more likely to result in serious or fatal injuries than other traffic crashes. The physical, emotional, and economic impacts caused by these crashes are significant.

Since we have partnered with FDOT regarding this safety initiative, we have seen a decrease of crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians. Thanks largely to the officers who have participated in years past, we have seen a 20.56% decrease of crashes involving bicyclists and pedestrians from 107 crashes in 2018 to 85 crashes in 2019.

Officers will conduct details in corridors of Palm Bay Road and Malabar Road which are two roadways identified by FDOT as in having the highest number of crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists in Palm Bay. The main focus of the officers working these details is education and not on the issuance of citations, though citations will be issued if warranted. The details will begin November 30th and continue through May of 2021.

The Palm Bay Police Department is asking the public to do their share in keeping the roadways safe by being alert and driving carefully.

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