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Brevard County is located on Central Florida's East Coast. It is bounded by the St. Johns River plain on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Strongly influenced by the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Brevard County is also known as the Space Coast and was designated with the telephone area code 321, as in 3-2-1 liftoff.  
Brevard County is located on Central Florida's East Coast. It is bounded by the St. Johns River plain on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Strongly influenced by the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Brevard County is also known as the Space Coast and was designated with the telephone area code 321, as in 3-2-1 liftoff.  


The county is named after Theodore Washington Brevard, an early Florida settler and state comptroller.<ref name="TWBrevard" /> The official county seat has been located in Titusville since 1894. In 1989, a secondary center of county administrative offices was built in Viera, to serve the more populous southern part of the 72 mile long county. As of the 2010 census, the population was 543,376, making it the 10th most populated county in Florida.<ref name="QF" />
In 1982, construction excavation at Windover Farms uncovered a human burial ground over 8000yrs old.<ref name="WindoverDig" /> The Florida Legislature established Brevard County in 1854. The county is named after Theodore Washington Brevard, an early Florida settler and state comptroller.<ref name="BrevardHistory" /> The official county seat has been located in Titusville since 1894. In 1989, a secondary center of county administrative offices was built in Viera, to serve the more populous southern part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the population was 543,376, making it the 10th most populated county in Florida.<ref name="QF" />


Containing 71% of the [[Indian River Lagoon Estuary|Indian River Lagoon National Estuary]], and almost 50% of it's length<ref name="SOIRL2020" />,  Brevard County is home to the entire [[Banana River]], most of the [[Mosquito Lagoon]], and the North and Central zones of the [[Indian River]]. On November 8th, 2016 Brevard County residents voted to collect a .5% sales tax to fund it's [[Save Our Indian River Lagoon]] restoration program.
72 mile long Brevard County has a total area of 1,557 square miles (4,030 km2), of which 1,016 square miles (2,630 km2) is land and 541 square miles (1,400 km2) (34.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1" /> Most of the water is the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Johns River and the Indian River Lagoon.


Click an arrow below to view the pages in each category.
The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is the nation's navigational channel through the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River in Brevard County. Dredging for the 10-12ft deep Intracoastal Waterway created 41 spoil islands in the Brevard portion of the Indian River.<ref name="Spoilhistory" />
<categorytree mode="pages" depth="1">Brevard County</categorytree>
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==History==
The history of Brevard County begins with the prehistory of native cultures living in the area for thousands of years prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 16th century. The Windover Archeological Site, discovered in 1982, was found during excavation to have the largest collection of human remains and artifacts of the early Archaic Period (6,000-5,000 BCE), or more than 8,000 years before present. It has been designated as a National Historic Landmark.


According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,557 square miles (4,030 km2), of which 1,016 square miles (2,630 km2) is land and 541 square miles (1,400 km2) (34.8%) is water.<ref name="GR1" /> Most of the water is the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Johns River and the Indian River Lagoon.
Brevard County government has historically labeled the Atlantic beach areas differently; North Reach includes 9.4 miles (15.1 km) in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach; Patrick Air Force Base beach is 4.1 miles (6.6 km); Mid Reach includes the 7.6 miles (12.2 km) in Satellite Beach; South Reach includes the 3.8 miles (6.1 km) in Indialantic and Melbourne Beach; South Beaches includes 14.5 miles (23.3 km) south of Melbourne Beach to Sebastian.<ref name="Brevardbeach" />


Located halfway between Jacksonville and Miami, Brevard County extends 72 miles (116 km) from north to south, and averages 26.5 miles (42.6 km) wide.
There are 250 square miles (650 km2) of federally protected wildlife refuges in Brevard County. These lands include [[Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge]], [[Canaveral National Seashore]], St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, St. Johns River Water Management District conservation areas, Brevard's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program Sanctuaries, and State of Florida preserves. [[Mosquito Lagoon]] and the St. Johns River are designated as ''Outstanding Florida Waters''.  


The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) along the eastern edge of Brevard County is the major waterway route in Brevard County. Dredging for the Intracoastal Waterway created 41 spoil islands in the Brevard portion of the Indian River.<ref name="Spoilhistory" /> Additional waterways include Lake Washington, Lake Poinsett, Lake Winder, Sawgrass Lake, St. Johns River, Mosquito Lagoon, and the Banana River.  
Containing 71% of the [[Indian River Lagoon Estuary|Indian River Lagoon National Estuary]], and almost 50% of it's length<ref name="SOIRL2020" />, Brevard County is home to the entire [[Banana River]], most of the [[Mosquito Lagoon]], and the North and Central zones of the [[Indian River]]. On November 8th, 2016 Brevard County residents voted to collect a .5% sales tax to fund it's [[Save Our Indian River Lagoon]] restoration program.


The county government has historically labeled the beach areas differently. The North Reach includes 9.4 miles (15.1 km) in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach. The Patrick Air Force Base beach is 4.1 miles (6.6 km). The Mid Reach includes the 7.6 miles (12.2 km) in Satellite Beach. The South Reach includes the 3.8 miles (6.1 km) in Indialantic and Melbourne Beach. The South Beaches include 14.5 miles (23.3 km) south of Melbourne Beach to Sebastian.<ref name="Brevardbeach" />
Click an arrow below to view the pages in each Brevard County category.
 
<categorytree mode="pages" depth="1">Brevard County</categorytree>
The county has nine major stormwater drainage canals. Some of these, such as the C-1 and C-54, are 100 feet (30 m) wide, giving them the capacity to handle excessive rainfall that may accompany tropical storms or hurricanes.
 
The following canals are regularly used for transportation and drainage:
 
* Canaveral Barge Canal, Courtenay – transportation
* Faulk Canal, Rockledge
* Grand Canal, Tropic
* [[Haulover Canal]], Mims – transportation
* Melbourne Tillman Canal, Melbourne West – drainage
* Old Canal, Wilson
* C-1 (Canal 1), which is maintained by the Melbourne-Tillman Water Control District
* C-54 Canal – on the south Brevard County Line – drainage
* L-15 Canal – Crane Creek Drainage District which has a watershed of about 12,000 acres (4,900 ha).
 
==Ecosystem==
 
Brevard County works together with the federal and state government to control pollution and preserve wetlands and coastal areas through lands dedicated to conservation and wildlife protection.
 
There are 250 square miles (650 km2) of federally protected wildlife refuges. These lands include Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, the Canaveral National Seashore, the St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, the Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, several conservation areas managed by the St. Johns River Water Management District, Brevard County's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program Sanctuaries, and lands dedicated by the State as conservation areas.
 
===Fauna===
There are 4,000 species of animals locally. Common mammals include North American river otters, bobcats, white-tailed deer, raccoons, marsh rabbits, and opossum. Feral pigs, introduced by Europeans, present an occasional traffic hazard. Lovebug season occurs twice annually in May and August–September. Motorists, usually, encounter swarms of these while driving during a four-week period. Deer flies are particularly noticeable from April through June. There were 596 manatees in Brevard County in 2009, out of a total of 3,802 in the state. This is a decline from 2007 when there was a total of 859 out of a state total of 2,817. Bottlenose dolphin are commonly seen in the Intracoastal Waterway. The venomous brown recluse spider is not native to the area but has found the environment congenial. The Florida Butterfly Monitoring Network has counted species of butterflies monthly for a year since 2007. In 2010, it counted 45 species. Included are zebra swallowtail butterflies. Fish and reptiles include alligators, red snapper, sea turtles, scrub lizards, and rat snakes. There are an estimated 3,500 gopher tortoises in the county. They are on the endangered list.
 
===Avian===
Turkey vultures, a migrating species, are protected by federal law. They migrate north in the summer and return in September.
 
The county's most common winter bird is the lesser scaup, a diving duck. In 2008, half a million were counted. In 2010, 15,000 were estimated. Local bird counts indicate that there are at least 163 species of birds in the county. Other birds include the red-shouldered hawk, the loggerhead shrike, the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, Cooper's hawks, pileated woodpeckers, Savannah sparrows, rails (which also includes coots), Florida scrub jays (an endangered species), wood storks, grackles, great horned owls, northern mockingbirds, brown thrashers, catbirds, green-winged teals, greater yellowlegs, western sandpipers, least sandpipers, dowitchers, and American white pelicans. Peak migration in the fall is from the last week in September through the first week in October. Fall migration tends to be stronger than spring because birds typically take different flyways.
 
===Flora===
Live oak trees, various grasses, and juniper plants were sufficiently common to generate pollen noticeable by some people in February 2011. Native trees include cabbage palm (the state tree of Florida), fringetree, coral bean, sweet acacia, geiger tree, firebush, beautyberry, coral honeysuckle, and blanket flower. Native plants include sea grape, red mulberry, purslane, dandelion, Spanish bayonet, blackberry, Jerusalem artichoke, dogwood, and gallberry.
 
On the east coast of the state, mangroves have normally dominated the coast from Cocoa Beach southward. Northward these may compete with salt marshes moving in from the north, depending on the annual weather conditions.
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==References==
==References==
<references>
<references>
<ref name="WindoverDig">[https://myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/article/1 Florida Frontiers - The Windover Dig]</ref>
<ref name="QF">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110607113614/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/12009.html 2010 US Census Quick Facts]</ref>
<ref name="QF">[https://web.archive.org/web/20110607113614/http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/12/12009.html 2010 US Census Quick Facts]</ref>
<ref name="TWBrevard">[https://www.brevardfl.gov/HistoricalCommission/HistorySummary Brevard County Historical Commission Summary]</ref>
<ref name="BrevardHistory">[https://www.brevardfl.gov/HistoricalCommission/HistorySummary Brevard County Historical Commission Summary]</ref>
<ref name="SOIRL2020">[https://www.brevardfl.gov/docs/default-source/soirl/final-2020-save-our-indian-river-lagoon-project-plan-update.docx?sfvrsn=c19bfb61_4 2020 Save Our Indian River Lagoon Plan Update (DOC)]</ref>
<ref name="SOIRL2020">[https://www.brevardfl.gov/docs/default-source/soirl/final-2020-save-our-indian-river-lagoon-project-plan-update.docx?sfvrsn=c19bfb61_4 2020 Save Our Indian River Lagoon Plan Update (DOC)]</ref>
<ref name="GR1">[https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990]</ref>
<ref name="GR1">[https://www.census.gov/geographies/reference-files/time-series/geo/gazetteer-files.html US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990]</ref>

Revision as of 10:41, October 10, 2020

Indian River Lagoon Project
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Brevard County information, articles and news about the Indian River Lagoon Estuary

Brevard County Seal
Brevard County Logo

Brevard County is located on Central Florida's East Coast. It is bounded by the St. Johns River plain on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the east. Strongly influenced by the John F. Kennedy Space Center, Brevard County is also known as the Space Coast and was designated with the telephone area code 321, as in 3-2-1 liftoff.

In 1982, construction excavation at Windover Farms uncovered a human burial ground over 8000yrs old.[1] The Florida Legislature established Brevard County in 1854. The county is named after Theodore Washington Brevard, an early Florida settler and state comptroller.[2] The official county seat has been located in Titusville since 1894. In 1989, a secondary center of county administrative offices was built in Viera, to serve the more populous southern part of the county. As of the 2010 census, the population was 543,376, making it the 10th most populated county in Florida.[3]

72 mile long Brevard County has a total area of 1,557 square miles (4,030 km2), of which 1,016 square miles (2,630 km2) is land and 541 square miles (1,400 km2) (34.8%) is water.[4] Most of the water is the Atlantic Ocean, the St. Johns River and the Indian River Lagoon.

The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) is the nation's navigational channel through the Mosquito Lagoon and Indian River in Brevard County. Dredging for the 10-12ft deep Intracoastal Waterway created 41 spoil islands in the Brevard portion of the Indian River.[5]

Brevard County government has historically labeled the Atlantic beach areas differently; North Reach includes 9.4 miles (15.1 km) in Cape Canaveral and Cocoa Beach; Patrick Air Force Base beach is 4.1 miles (6.6 km); Mid Reach includes the 7.6 miles (12.2 km) in Satellite Beach; South Reach includes the 3.8 miles (6.1 km) in Indialantic and Melbourne Beach; South Beaches includes 14.5 miles (23.3 km) south of Melbourne Beach to Sebastian.[6]

There are 250 square miles (650 km2) of federally protected wildlife refuges in Brevard County. These lands include Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Canaveral National Seashore, St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, St. Johns River Water Management District conservation areas, Brevard's Environmentally Endangered Lands Program Sanctuaries, and State of Florida preserves. Mosquito Lagoon and the St. Johns River are designated as Outstanding Florida Waters.

Containing 71% of the Indian River Lagoon National Estuary, and almost 50% of it's length[7], Brevard County is home to the entire Banana River, most of the Mosquito Lagoon, and the North and Central zones of the Indian River. On November 8th, 2016 Brevard County residents voted to collect a .5% sales tax to fund it's Save Our Indian River Lagoon restoration program.

Click an arrow below to view the pages in each Brevard County category.

Brevard County
Brevard County Bridges
Brevard County Government
Brevard County Region
Brevard County
Canaveral National Seashore
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge

Web Links

References

  1. ↑ Florida Frontiers - The Windover Dig
  2. ↑ Brevard County Historical Commission Summary
  3. ↑ 2010 US Census Quick Facts
  4. ↑ US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990
  5. ↑ Spoil Island Project History
  6. ↑ Brevard Beach and Dune Erosion
  7. ↑ 2020 Save Our Indian River Lagoon Plan Update (DOC)

Subcategories

This category has the following 3 subcategories, out of 3 total.

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Pages in category "Brevard County"

The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total.

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C

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