COCOA BEACH, Fla. – Cocoa Beach's new $5.2 million public parking garage is now targeted to open at 8:30 a.m. Friday — two days later than expected — to ease Memorial Day weekend downtown congestion, according to News 6 partner Florida Today.
The three-story structure across the street from Cocoa Beach City Hall features 241 spaces, restrooms, an elevator, beach showers, water fountains with bottle filling stations, an electric vehicle charging station and a solar-powered trash compactor.
Cocoa Beach officials initially targeted a Wednesday morning opening date. However, on Tuesday morning, a Florida Department of Transportation inspector raised issues, including the gray protective bollards along the adjacent sidewalk, City Manager Jim McKnight said.
"We have spoken with DOT. We had a little bit of a failure to communicate, and I think we have corrected that," McKnight said Tuesday afternoon.
"There are some things that need to be corrected, but none of them are safety issues. And they said that they can see no reason why we can't go ahead and open the garage," he said.
Hours of operation will be 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, with later hours offered during special events. Overnight parking will be prohibited.
Cost will be $2.50 per hour, with a maximum charge of $15 per day. Cocoa Beach annual parking permits will be honored for residents and non-residents.
"It's going to provide better support for the local business community to flourish — and hopefully to grow," McKnight said.
Construction began in September. The parking garage features 13 video surveillance cameras for security. Skateboarding and smoking are prohibited inside, and a few spaces are designated for motorcycles and golf carts.
McKnight said merchants can buy up to eight reduced-price parking permits for employees to free up spaces elsewhere downtown.
"Where the old Surf restaurant was at, we hope this is going to be a real catalyst to get something moving on that site," McKnight said.
Bernard's Surf opened in 1948 at the corner of South Atlantic Avenue and Minutemen Causeway. The popular eatery hosted astronauts and celebrities throughout the Space Race until the Fischer family sold it in 2006. The shuttered building was demolished in 2017, and the parcel remains vacant.
Outside the parking garage, a metal sculpture of a helmeted astronaut blasting off into space atop a surfboard faces South Orlando Avenue. Cocoa Beach dermatologist Kristen Smallwood commissioned the piece, which was designed by city artist Henry Lund and fabricated by Patrick Pacifico at RDS Industrial in Cocoa.
Ron Jon Surf Shop and Cocoa Beach Surf Co. donated the decorative surfboards on the garage's west wall, and the third deck features sea turtle-friendly amber lighting.
n August, the Cocoa Beach City Commission is expected to select a design-build team to construct a new police station immediately south of the parking garage. Estimated cost is $8.5 million, and McKnight said construction should start early next year.
During a Monday FLORIDA TODAY interview, McKnight and Byron said a grand opening ceremony for the garage would likely occur in June. That was prior to Tuesday's FDOT inspection.
Neale is the South Brevard watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY.
Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @RickNeale1