Cocoa Beach, Florida

The first non-native settlement in the area was by a family of freed slaves following the American Civil War. In 1888, a group of men from Cocoa bought the entire tract of land, which went undeveloped until it was bought out in 1923 by a member of the group—Gus Edwards, Cocoa's city attorney. At that time, Edwards' total holdings included approximately 600 acres (240 ha). He stopped practicing law to devote all his efforts to developing the area.[5][6][7]

Prior to incorporation, the area was known as Oceanus.[8] The Town of Cocoa Beach was established on June 5, 1925. Cocoa Beach's first official meeting was held at the Cocoa Beach Casino on July 27, 1925, and adopted the City Seal.[9] Gus C. Edwards was elected [9] as mayor and served as a commissioner along with J.A. Haisten, and R.Z. Grabel. A little less than a month later, plans for a pier became official.

In 1935, the FDOT opened up what is now State Road A1A as a one-lane dirt road to Eau Gallie.[10] In 1938, a Deputy Marshal was appointed "to act in emergencies at night or at other times" for $.25/hour.[10] By 1939, the town had 49 residents. In 1940, the town requested that State Road 140 (now A1A) be routed on Orlando Avenue instead of Atlantic Avenue.[10] In 1942, the town prepared to receive men assigned to the newly opened Naval Air Station Banana River. Establishing regular garbage collection was discussed when the town discovered that the Air Station was having theirs collected.[10]

On May 1, 1942, the German submarine U-109 torpedoed the La Paz off the shore of Cocoa Beach. The crew was able to beach it with the help of tugs. Eventually it was returned to shipping. On May 3, the same U-boat sank the SS Laertes near the same spot.[11] Local boys were recruited for salvaging efforts and to rid the beach of subsequent debris.[12][13] Shortly thereafter, the federal government realized the danger of back-lighting from the coast making easy targets of passing ships and ordered a blackout for the remainder of the war.

During World War II, Cocoa Beach experienced money shortages for employees, and money to fix roads.[10]

In 1944, the town successfully fought a bill introduced in the Florida legislature which would have dissolved the city government.[10] In 1947 a single police officer was hired for $1/hour. The same year, the city constructed works for the distribution of potable water.[10] In 1950, a volunteer fire department was created which used a second-hand vehicle.[10] In 1950, a proposal to prevent people from driving on the beach was defeated.[10] In 1951, the city sought to place a stoplight, the city's first, at the intersection of what is now A1A and Minutemen Causeway.[10] In 1953, the city decided to mark the names of all streets.[10] In 1953, the city planned to pave A1A south from 520 down Orlando Avenue. The city intended to bear 1/3 of the costs, the adjacent property owners, 2/3.[10] In 1954, the Women's Club opened a library in the building used by the Fire Department.[10] In 1955, the speed limit in most of the town was raised to 35 miles per hour (56 km/h).[10] In 1955, the city prepared to house the people who were going to be launching missiles from what is now Cape Canaveral Air Force Station.[10]

In 1956, the city attorney warned the council that blacks might attempt to use the beach. If they did, he recommended clearing the beach of all persons, both white and black. The 1954 decision, Brown v. Board of Education, had, in theory at least, integrated all general public facilities. Actual integration came later.

The city proposed selling the town dump to the school board for a junior high school, in order to keep students from being bused to Merritt Island.[10]

On June 29, 1957, the town of Cocoa Beach incorporated into a city. It sold its water system to Cocoa, Florida and contracted with them to furnish water.[14]

In September 1959, the city voted to add more sidewalks, improve the streets in residential areas as well as the main streets, and to pave more roads.[15]

In 1961, Ron-Jon opened their first store locally.[16]

In 1965, Cocoa Beach High School requested that Cocoa Avenue, the street that the school was located on, be renamed Minutemen Boulevard, in honor of the school's mascot, the Minuteman.

Cocoa Beach started its major growth during the 1960s. There was a 1000% population increase from 1950 to 1960, mainly as a result of the U.S. space program. NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) north of town. Many people moved to Cocoa Beach due to jobs connected to the space program and in search of new opportunities.

After manned space flights, the town held parades in honor of the astronauts.

After NASA's Apollo program came to an end, and before the Space Shuttle program was in full swing, the town's economy reflected the resulting layoffs. At one point, in 1975, unemployment was 14.3%.[7] Many families lost their jobs or simply moved away. The housing market plummeted and some people unable to sell their homes simply abandoned them.

Cocoa Beach was the setting for the 1960s sitcom I Dream of Jeannie, although no episodes were actually filmed there, and star Barbara Eden only made two visits during the show's production — both in 1969, for publicity.[17] Cocoa Beach High School was used as the school in the 2002 movie Race to Space.[18]

In 2002, 69% of the voters capped building height to 45 feet (14 m). Prior construction and later variances, resulted in about 80 buildings between 45 to 70 feet (14 to 21 m) high, as of 2018.[19]

The 2010 Nebula Awards were held in the city.[20]

In 2016, the largest mansion in the city was destroyed by fire. It had been built on the beach by Al Neuharth in 1975. It contained 10,000 square feet (930 m²) of living space, 11 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms. It was valued at several million dollars.[21]

Cocoa Beach Pier, built in 1962, extends into the Atlantic Ocean

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 15.0 square miles (39 km²). 4.9 square miles (13 km²) of it is land and 10.1 square miles (26 km²) of it (67.49%) is water. Bordering the city on the north is Cape Canaveral; on the south is Crescent Beach; on the east is the Atlantic Ocean (5.6 mi or 9.0 km of oceanfront); on the west is the Banana River.

Propelled by a powerful hurricane, the ocean pushed its way through the barrier islands centuries ago and formed the Thousand Islands in the Banana River.[22]

There are a number of boating channels dredged in the area: the 0-99 Channel, the 100 Channel, the 200 Channel for houseboats, the 300 Channel, the 400 Channel near housing for private boats, the 500 Channel and the 600 Channel. Dredged material is placed on one of the Thousand Islands, but is now controlled.[23][24]

Many of the homes in Cocoa Beach are built on dredged mud and sand from the Banana River.

Cocoa Beach is run by a Commission-Manager government, agreed to by its citizens in 1958. The City Commission acts as the legislative branch of the city government, guided by the provisions of the Charter of the City of Cocoa Beach. The City Commission enacts ordinances and resolutions that the City Manager administers as the appointed executive officer of the city government.[27]

The city owns and runs a golf course on the Banana River.[28]

In 2007, the city had a taxable real estate base of $2.09 billion.[29]

In 2012, the police force consisted of 36 officers.[30]

In 2011, the city photographed more than 20,000 instances of vehicles running red lights by the use of automatic cameras. A total of 6,595 violations were prosecuted.[31] In 2014, the city grossed $1.1 million for over 9.000 red light violations. Over 24,000 violations were captured on film. All could not be prosecuted for various reasons. The city netted over $249,000. The remainder went for licensing fees to the installing vendor; over half was remitted to the state. Cameras were sited at four locations on state road A1A, including the intersection with state road 520. Intersection crashes dropped from 88 in 2009 to 30 in 2014.[32]

The City Commission is made up of five members, one of whom is the Mayor. Historically, the commissioners were elected at-large to three-year terms but with a successful referendum on the 2010 ballot to hold elections on even-numbered years, the terms were extended to four years.

Following an election, a Vice Mayor is then selected from the commission members at an organizational meeting. The Mayor presides over all meetings and performs duties as delegated by the City Commission.[27] Seats affected by the 2010 referendum included Seat #1, Seat #4 and Seat #5. The November 6, 2012 election results were:[33]

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 11,231 people, while estimated population as per 2017 is 11733[39] 6,529 households, and 3,532 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,552.1 inhabitants per square mile (985.5 per km²). There were 8,709 housing units at an average density of 1,780.6 per square mile (687.6 per km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.64% White, 0.62% Black, 0.22% Native American, 1.07% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.52% of the population.

There were 6,529 households, 12.9% of which had children under the age of 18 residing; 45.5% were married couples living together; 5.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.9% were non-families. 38.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 18.7% were households of persons 65 years of age or older living alone. The average household size was 1.91 and the average family size was 2.47.

The city's population was divided into the following age groups: 12.2% under the age of 18; 3.8% between 18 and 24; 22.0% between 25 and 44,; 27.6% between 45 and 64, and 34.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 54 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.3 males. For every 100 females aged 18 years and older, there were 96.4 males.

Cocoa Beach is a retirement area, with an average age of 56.5.[39]

The city has three public schools:

• Freedom 7 Elementary
• Theodore Roosevelt Elementary
• Cocoa Beach High School

Freedom 7 Elementary school and Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr High School both are certified International Baccalaureate schools. Freedom 7 Elementary has a primary years program, and Cocoa Beach Jr./Sr High has both a middle years program and a diploma program.

96.1% of all residents 25 years or older are high school graduates. 42.3% have a Bachelor's Degree or higher.

Cocoa Beach Pier

• Cocoa Beach Pier
• Alan Shepard Beachfront Park
• Thousand Islands Conservation Area[51]
• Cocoa Beach Aquatic Center and Pool Complex
• I Dream of Jeannie Lane

• Kim Adler, professional bowler and USBC Hall of Famer, 5th Street
• Allison Anders, raised in the city. Filmed Things Behind the Sun in the county in 2001
• Willam Belli, a drag queen, actor, recording artist, and YouTuber raised in the city
• Dana Brown, iconic surfing legend, 16th Street
• Cullen Douglas, television and movie actor, director, screenwriter
• James Folston professional football player for the Oakland Raiders #55
• Ashlyn Harris, professional soccer player
• Jay F. Honeycutt, former director of the Kennedy Space Center
• Zora Neale Hurston, author[56]
• Brian Johnson, professional baseball player
• Rick Martel, former professional wrestler
• Bubba McDowell, professional football player with the Houston Oilers #25
• Allen Neuharth, CEO of Gannett and columnist. Founder of USA Today[57]
• Kelly Slater, professional surfer, 11-time World Champion
• George Steele, professional wrestler a.k.a. George "The Animal" Steele[58]
• Carrot Top, comedian, actor, was born in the city[59]
• Joe Williams, former men's basketball coach at Jacksonville University, Furman University and Florida State University (1979–1986). Coached against John Wooden's UCLA team in the 1970 NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship game.[60]
• Lori Wilson, Florida state legislator and lawyer
• Melissa Witek, Miss Florida USA 2005 and contestant on NBC's Treasure Hunters
• Nancy Yasecko, filmmaker and videographer [61]

• Harbor Cay Condominium, which collapsed while under construction in 1981
• Space Chase USA (2019 film documentary)

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cocoa Beach, Florida.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Cocoa Beach.

• Official website
• Cocoa Beach, Florida at Curlie
• Town Cocoa Beach- Local Newspaper