PALM BAY - Palm Bay isn't just a name: There really is a bay. Swaying palms, too.
Beside the Indian River Lagoon is the spot that gave the city its name in the 1920s.
Formerly known as Tillman, the name changed when a land company trying to sell property in the area opted for a name that
was more exotic.
Still today, few know about the shaded bay where they can fish, picnic, relax on a swing that overlooks the lagoon, or
watch birds, manatees, dolphins and the unusual moss-covered coquina outcrops.
Now, Palm Bay officials are trying to draw attention to the bay and make it more accessible with a boardwalk, accessible
walkways, lighting and other improvements.
Private property owners are also developing the bay area with proposals for condominiums and businesses.
"We think public investment there will spur private investment," said Chris Norton, city economic and development director.
He said protecting the city's namesake is vital.
"In the future, it will be a vibrant village center where people will live, work and play," he said. Norton said initial
city growth began in the bay area in the early 1900s, but its population stagnated and, since the early 1990s, the area has
become blighted.
"We did a 1995 study of the U.S. 1 corridor. Nobody pulled building permits and the area bottomed out," Norton said. He
said a number of dilapidated mobile homes, former tourist cabins and run-down homes and businesses made the area less desirable
for growth.
"For so many years, we turned our back on the Indian River Lagoon," Norton said. "Now, we want to revitalize the oldest
district with tax increments from within the district."
In 1999, the city set up its Bayfront Redevelopment District that includes the bay. Mike Herbst, chairman of the Bayfront
Community Redevelopment Agency, said when his father opened Palm Bay Jewelry in 1978, he told Mike that
"someday this will
be the
million-dollar mile because it's the prettiest place in Palm Bay."
Instead, Herbst has seen the disintegration of the area.
"With the improvements, people will be more comfortable to come to the area. This is valuable property and should be renovated,"
he said.
Herbst's business is in what was the city's first bank, a building along U.S. 1 just northwest of the bay, made with small
rectangular stones.
"I think the road and park improvements will be wonderful," he said.
'Lovely' area
People who use Castaway Point Park at the end of Bay Boulevard agree.
"It's lovely here. We come at least once a week to walk and see what fishermen are catching," said Penny Whitman, a snow
bird from upstate New York.
She and her husband, Thomas read the kiosk with information, about the park and its wildlife.
Ken Murray, 67, who retired from New York City, said even though he usually doesn't catch anything, he fishes at the site
about two hours each day. "The water's clean, and it's a nice area for me because I'm handicapped," he said. He would welcome
the accessible walkways.
After the city acquired property at the south point from Ralph Stearns, a former Palm Bay mayor, it was developed with
a sidewalk, canoe dock and gazebo. The city now also owns Pelican Harbor Marina.
Plenty of wildlife
Deborah Holden, a Palm Bay resident since 1982, yanked on her fishing line so hard she broke off the handle, which fell
in the water. But she triumphantly held up a 17-inch sea bass, the largest fish she ever caught, before releasing it back
into the lagoon.
That day, she saw a manatee and dolphin, but she said she often sees osprey, pelicans and even bald eagles.
"This is our favorite fishing place. We always catch something," she said.
Contact Jump at 409-1423 or ljump@flatoday.net
