The City of Melbourne offers local incentives and works closely with County and State officials to offer a competitive package for your business. Contact City staff today to discuss your project.

Local and State Economic Development Programs Summary

This summary outlines local and State of Florida economic development incentives, programs and opportunities. Established local incentive programs are further explained below.

Established Local Incentive Programs

The City of Melbourne has the ability to structure incentive programs for substantial projects on a per project basis, taking into account the projected economic impact to the community. Therefore, incentives for your project may not be limited to what is listed below. Contact staff for more information and assistance.

Melbourne Economic Enhancement District (MEED)

• MEED Program – Applications & Guidelines
  Established in 2008, this District was created to encourage economic and redevelopment opportunities that create new jobs, improve the environment, and revitalize neighborhoods. The program incentives consist of two separate State initiatives. One set of incentives focuses on economic development and redevelopment opportunities offered through Enterprise Florida. Enterprise Florida works under the auspices of the Governor’s Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO). A second set of incentives are offered through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), for redevelopment projects that also remediate contaminated sites.The programs may be used separately or together depending upon the individual project. City of Melbourne staff, in cooperation with appropriate state agency, will provide the applicant with the technical assistance to navigate the program.

Ad Valorem Tax Exemption Program

• Ad Valorem Tax Exemption Program – Application & Guidelines
  Designed to assist economic development through exempting certain property taxes, for businesses expanding in or relocating to the City of Melbourne.

Melbourne Downtown CRA

• Eligible commercial properties in the Melbourne Downtown CRA may qualify for a matching façade improvement grant of up to $20,000. For information regarding the Façade Improvement Program, please contact Shaun Rycroft, Planner: Shaun.Rycroft@mlbfl.org or 321-608-7511.

• Public-Private Development Program – Application & Guidelines
  This program will enable the CRA to enter into public-private partnerships for facilitation of desired real estate development projects that will have a minimum of $5 million in capital investment. The CRA would utilize tax increment finance (TIF) and/or other CRA assets to leverage private real estate investment opportunities and develop markets that are deficient or that do not currently exist in Downtown Melbourne. Currently, the CRA is focusing their efforts on attracting mixed-use, hotel and residential projects, which have been determined to be deficient in the area.