Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 76,068. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay - Melbourne - Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1969 the city was expanded by merging with nearby Eau Gallie.
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History
Early human occupation
Evidence for the presence of Paleo-Indians in the Melbourne area during the late Pleistocene epoch was uncovered during the 1920s. C. P. Singleton, a Harvard University zoologist, discovered the bones of a mammoth (Mammuthus columbi) on his property along Crane Creek, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) from Melbourne, and brought in Amherst College paleontologist Frederick B. Loomis to excavate the skeleton. Loomis found a second elephant, with a "large rough flint instrument" among fragments of the elephant's ribs. Loomis found in the same stratum mammoth, mastodon, horse, ground sloth, tapir, peccary, camel, and saber-tooth cat bones, all extinct in Florida since the end of the Pleistocene 10,000 years ago. At a nearby site a human rib and charcoal were found in association with Mylodon, Megalonyx, and Chlamytherium (ground sloth) teeth. A finely worked spear point found with these items may have been displaced from a later stratum. In 1925 attention shifted to the Melbourne golf course. A crushed human skull with finger, arm, and leg bones was found in association with a horse tooth. A piece of ivory that appeared to have been modified by humans was found at the bottom of the stratum containing bones. Other finds included a spear point near a mastodon bone and a turtle-back scraper and blade found with bear, camel, mastodon, horse, and tapir bones. Similar human remains, Pleistocene animals and Paleo-Indian artifacts were found in Vero Beach, 30 miles (48 km) south of Melbourne, and similar Paleo-Indian artifacts were found at Lake Helen Blazes, 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Melbourne.
Settlement
After the Civil War, pioneer families arrived, and Melbourne was founded in 1867 by former slaves.
The first settlers arrived after 1877. They included Richard W. Goode, his father John Goode, Cornthwaite John Hector, Captain Peter Wright, Balaam Allen, Wright Brothers, and Thomas Mason.
The city, formerly called "Crane Creek", was named Melbourne in honor of its first postmaster, Cornthwaite John Hector, an Englishman who had spent much of his life in Melbourne, Australia. He is buried in the Melbourne Cemetery, along with many early residents in the area. The first school in Melbourne was built in 1883 and is on permanent exhibit on the campus of Florida Institute of Technology. By 1885, the town had 70 people. The Greater Allen Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded in 1885 and is still active.
In the late 1890s, the Brownlie-Maxwell Funeral Home opened and it is still in business. The oldest black-owned business in the county is Tucker's Cut-Rate plumbing. It opened in 1934.
In the early 1900s, houses were often built in the frame vernacular style.
In 1919, a fire destroyed most of the original downtown along Front Street. At the time, it was rebuilt west of US Hwy 1.
During the Jim Crow years, black people were required to enter movie theaters via a different entrance from whites and sit in the balcony. Gas stations had signs for rest rooms labeled "Men", "Women", and "Colored." This persisted until integration in the late 1960s.
In late 1942 the Naval Air Station Melbourne was established as a site to train newly commissioned Navy and Marine pilots for World War II. The program ran until 1946, and the land that was used for that program makes up most of what is currently the Orlando Melbourne International Airport.
In 1969, the cities of Eau Gallie and Melbourne voted to merge, forming modern-day Melbourne.
Postwar
In the 1950s, Babcock Street was extended north to intersect with US 1. The Melbourne Shopping Center was constructed on Babcock, the area's first strip mall. Consumers were sufficiently attracted to this new mall, that the traditional downtown, off New Haven, suffered. Urban blight there was successfully attacked there in the 1980s.
A board was created by the legislature to spend a 10% tax on electric bills. This was used by the Melbourne Civic Improvement Board to build the Melbourne Auditorium, the first library and fire station, and various parks. The board was dissolved when Melbourne was merged with Eau Gallie in 1969.
Streetlights were gradually added until, by the early 1960s, streets east of Babcock Street had lights. Lights were added to streets west of Babcock after the early 1960s.
In 1969, the city elected Julius Montgomery, its first black councilman.
On August 2, 1995, the city received a record 9.06 inches (230 mm) of rainfall from Hurricane Erin.
During the week of August 22, 2008, a record 17.54 inches (446 mm) of rain fell caused by Tropical Storm Fay.
A 2009 Halloween street party sponsored by a downtown restaurant attracted an estimated 8,000-10,000 people. This overwhelmed the downtown area. Street parties were curtailed until public safety issues were addressed.
On 18 February 2017, president Donald J Trump held his first post-inauguration rally at the Orlando-Melbourne International drawing a crowd of 9,000.
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Geography
Melbourne is located approximately 60 miles (97 km) southeast of Orlando on the Space Coast, along Interstate 95. It is approximately midway between Jacksonville and Miami. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 39.6 square miles (102.5 km2), of which 33.9 square miles (87.7 km2) is land and 5.7 square miles (14.8 km2) (14.42%) is water.
The east-west street named Brevard Drive was historically the "center" of town; with addresses called "north" and "south" of this street. The north-south Babcock Street provided the same centerline for "east" and "west" directions.
Melbourne Beachside has a small presence on the South Beaches barrier island. It is often confused with Melbourne Beach, a separate political entity.
Climate
Melbourne, Florida has a humid subtropical climate or Kรถppen climate classification Cfa - typical of the Gulf and South Atlantic states. Although Melbourne is classified as a Humid Subtropical climate (8 or more months with a mean temperature of 50 °F (10 °C) or higher), Melbourne is located far enough southward that it lies close to the broad transition zone from subtropical to tropical climates (all months have a mean temperature of 64.4 °F (18.0 °C) or higher). Melbourne averages 2,900 hours of sunshine annually. Melbourne has the typical two season climate commonly found in humid subtropical climates - a hot and wet season (late May through October) and the warm and dry season (November through April).
Melbourne averages 49 inches (1,200 mm) of rainfall annually, much of it coming in convective thunderstorms in the late May to early October time period. The record rainfall occurred on August 20, 2008, when Tropical Storm Fay dropped 18.21 inches (463 mm). Melbourne can sometimes have moderate to severe drought conditions from late fall through spring, with brush fires occurring and water restrictions put in place. The National Weather Service located at Melbourne International Airport averages 2.9 days per year with frost, although several years might pass without a frost in the city of Melbourne or at the ocean beaches. According to the National Weather Service, there is no record of snow or snow flurries in the city of Melbourne in the last 150 years.
Flora
Tropical flora typical of more southerly locations may be grown in the Melbourne area (coconut palms, royal palms, Christmas palms, and bananas), but may be damaged or killed when subjected to infrequent light freezes.
Environment
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection has ordered the city to reduce pollution of the Indian River Lagoon, which it borders; about 80% of the city's landmass drains in the direction of the lagoon. The city must reduce run-off by 44,000 pounds (20,000 kg) of nitrogen and 13,000 pounds (5,900 kg) of phosphorus. The city responded by banning the use of fertilizer before flood and storm warnings.
Demographics
As of 2010, there were 38,955 households out of which 12.6% were vacant. As of 2000, 24.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.0% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.7% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.82.
In 2000, the city the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 21.9% from 45 to 64, and 19.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.1 males.
The per capita income for the city was $19,175. In 2000, the median income for a household in the city was $34,571, and the median income for a family was $42,760. Males had a median income of $32,242 versus $22,419 for females. In Melbourne, about 8.6% of families and 11.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.4% of those under age 18 and 8.5% of those age 65 or over.
Languages
As of 2000, 90.39% of residents spoke English as their first language, while 4.69% spoke Spanish, 0.84% spoke French, 0.73% spoke German, and 0.55% spoke Arabic as their mother tongue. In total, 9.60% of the total population spoke languages other than English.
Government
The Melbourne City Council consists of the mayor and six district council members. Melbourne uses a Council-Manager form of government.
City officials
- Kathy Meehan, Mayor - Re-elected in November 2016, term expires November 2020
- Tim Thomas, District 1 Council Member - Elected in November 2016, term expires November 2020
- Betty Moore, District 2 Council Member - Elected in November 2012, term expires November 2014
- Yvonne Minus, District 3 Council Member - Elected in November 2016, term expires November 2020
- Debbie Thomas, Vice Mayor & District 4 Council Member - Elected in November 2014, term expires November 2018
- Paul Alfrey, District 5 Council Member - Elected in November 2016, term expires November 2020
- Teresa Lopez, District 6 Council Member - Elected in November 2014, term expires November 2018
The following are appointed by the council:
- Alison Dawley, City Attorney
- Mike McNees, City Manager
- Cathleen A. Wysor, City Clerk
Melbourne city officials created the Babcock Street Redevelopment District in 1998 to stimulate new development along Babcock Street from U.S. 1 south to U.S. 192. A 218-unit apartment complex built in 2005 is most recent step in an effort to revitalize this area.
In 2010, Melbourne began supporting the Eau Gallie Arts District as a Florida Main Street. Established in 1860 along the Indian River, the arts district (now called EGAD!) has proven to be highly successful in its redevelopment of the community of art galleries, shops, restaurants, Melbourne's first microbrewery (Intracoastal Brewing Company), and contains the city civic center and public library with a public pier, Foosaner Art Museum, FIT, Historic Rossetter House and Gardens, Pineapple Park, several businesses over 40 years old, and a community park and band shell, which is the heart and soul of many community activities.
A $180.8 million Operating and Capital Budget was passed for the 2014-15 fiscal year.
In 2007, the city had a taxable real estate base of $4.96 billion.
A 2011 study rated the general pension fund for city employees highly at 190%. Less favorably rated were the pension plans for fire and police employees.
In 2009, the city had 870 full-time employees and 176 part-time employees.
Public safety
In 2015, the city employed 168 sworn police officers, 68 support personnel, 21 part-time crossing guards, and six reserve police officers.
The city council appoints the Chief of Police. A Deputy Chief of Police oversees day-to-day operations. There are four Commanders who oversee the Patrol, Criminal Investigations, Support Services, and Special Operations divisions.
A 2009 survey indicated that the city was ranked 84 out of 400 in crime statistics, with #1 being the worst. Crimes included murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, and motor vehicle theft.
The Commander of the Patrol Division is responsible for all patrol functions. This includes the use of the police K-9 unit.
The Criminal Investigations Division investigates major crimes, vice and narcotic crimes, and follows-up investigation of other felonies. The Division has three focused units: Criminal Investigations, Crime Scene Investigation, and Special Investigations Unit. The division includes 30 detectives and detective supervisors, five crime scene investigators, and other technical and support personnel.
The Special Operations Division encompasses the Strategic Traffic Enforcement Unit, Community Resource Officers, Community Service Officers, and all the volunteer functions.
A Commander is responsible for the Public Information Office.
The Strategic Traffic Unit consists of motor officers and aggressive driving enforcement officers who are deployed day and night.
Under the Special Operations Division, there are specialty units such as SWAT, Dive Recovery Team, Marine Patrol Unit, and the Crisis Negotiation Team.
There are designated marine patrol officers who are assigned to waterway patrols. Some of the call-outs are completed in conjunction with other agencies, including the Brevard County Sheriff's Office and the Coast Guard. The Department may also be called upon to deal with homeland security issues related to the two main causeways in Melbourne, and can be involved in port and inlet security activities including the boarding of suspicious boats. Marine activities include patrols of canals in order to provide a police presence for homeowners and decrease waterfront crimes.
The Communications Center handles 130,000 calls to 9-1-1 and 1 million push-to-talk radio calls each year. Communication officers and dispatchers are the single link of our police officers and fire fighters, monitoring activities by radio and providing vital information to ensure their safety. The Communications Center receives, classifies, and prioritizes calls from the public and dispatches the calls that require police and/or fire/rescue response, and transfers and/or directs calls that do not require police response to the proper agency/unit. The Communications Center is a 24-hour operation, providing service seven days a week, including weekends and holidays.
Economy
Industry
Orlando Melbourne International Airport is located near the center of the city. Melbourne contains defense and technology companies with a high concentration of high-tech workers. The following corporations have operations in Melbourne:
- DRS Technologies employed 910 workers in 2009. Another reference says 1,800 workers in 2009, 1,300 in 2010.
- General Electric Transportation Systems and GE Energy Management
- Harris Corporation (including corporate headquarters)
- Northrop Grumman employed 1,640 workers in 2009.
- Rockwell Collins employed 1,430 in 2009.
- Embraer completed a 89,000 square feet (8,300 m2) hangar and administrative office at the Melbourne Airport in February 2011.
- Ares Defense, who created the Ares Shrike 5.56 modular belt-fed machine gun platform, is headquartered in Melbourne.
- LiveTV has its headquarters in Melbourne.
Workforce
In 2007, the average size of Melbourne's labor force was 39,391. Of that group, 37,708 were employed and 1,683 were unemployed, for an unemployment rate of 4.3%.
Housing
In 2008, 259 building permits were issued for 263 units. There were 209 permits issued for 320 units in 2007, which was down from 329 permits for 512 units in 2006.
The median home price in 2007 was $215,000.
In May 2005, the Melbourne-Titusville-Palm Bay area was among the top 20 in home price appreciation from 2003 to 2004.
Competitiveness
In 2009, Forbes ranked the area 18th out of 100 Metropolitan Statistical Areas and first out of 8 metros in Florida for affordable housing, and short commute times, among others.
Retail and commerce
Melbourne has two downtown business districts, a result of the merger of Eau Gallie into Melbourne:
- Downtown Eau Gallie Arts District
- Historic Downtown Melbourne - among other retail outlets, this has 26 eating and drinking establishments within a four block extent.
Healthcare
The area has four hospitals, day care for senior citizens, hospice, walk-in, and urgent care facilities. There is Holmes Regional Medical Center, Wuesthoff Medical Center Melbourne Campus, and Kindred Hospital which does not accept emergency patients. A new Viera hospital was opened in May 2011.
Tourism
The city has two golf courses. There were 96,477 rounds played in 2009-10. Revenues were $2,207,502. Rounds and revenue have been dropping since 2006. in 2011, the city raised rates for residents to the same as for non-residents, $27 per round or $522 annual fee.
A monthly "Friday Fest" has been attended by 3,000 people and supported by 55 vendors.
Arts and culture
Annual cultural events
In February or March:
- The Annual IndiaFest is held in February or March.
- Eau Gallie Arts District Main Street hosts its annual Founders' Day on the first Saturday in February from Noon-5pm.
In April:
- The Melbourne Arts Festival, held in April, draws from 50,000-60,000 visitors
In August:
- The Annual India Day is held in August.
In September:
- The Melbourne Area Pilots Association hosts a General Aviation Day at Melbourne International Airport in September
In October:
- The Melbourne Main Street Fall Festival was expected to have an attendance of 30,000 in October, over two days.
- The Melbourne Oktoberfest has been held each October since 1977; most recently, this was held at the Wickham Park Pavilion
In December:
- Christian churches have been producing a "Bible on Parade" since 1990, each participating church portrays a book of the Bible, a spokesperson said in 2011, that it may be the only one of its kind in America
Museums and points of interest
Historic sites
There are three places on the National Register of Historic Places:
- Florida Power and Light Company Ice Plant (1927) located at 1604 South Harbor City Boulevard
- William H. Gleason House at 1736 Pineapple Avenue
- James Wadsworth Rossetter House (c. 1860s) at 1320 Highland Avenue
- Hell 'n Blazes Brewing Company (1893-1898) at 1002 E New Haven Ave in what was originally Fee & Stewart Hardware
The following places also are historic:
- Henegar Center (1919) located at 625 East New Haven Avenue
- Holy Trinity Episcopal Church (1886) at 50 West Strawbridge Avenue
- Melbourne Bone Bed at Crane Creek
- Nannie Lee House - Strawberry Mansion (1905) at 1218 East New Haven Avenue
- Roesch House (c. 1901) at 1320 Highland Avenue
- Winchester Symphony House (1890s) at 1500 Highland Avenue
EAU GALLIE Arts District has an established historical walking tour that includes over 20 historical buildings or locations in the arts district.
Museums
- Foosaner Art Museum at 1463 Highland Avenue
- Historic Rossetter House Museum at 1320 Highland Avenue
- Liberty Bell Memorial Museum at 1601 Hickory Street
Performing arts
- Melbourne Civic Theater
Groups
- Brevard Symphony Orchestra
- City of Melbourne Pipes and Drums
- Strawbridge Art League and Gallery
Buildings
- Henegar Center for the Arts
- Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts
- Melbourne Auditorium located on Hibiscus Boulevard
Sports
Melbourne was an official host city for the 1996 Olympic Torch Relay.
There are co-ed adult and youth sports programs in flag football and ultimate frisbee.
Parks, recreation, and attractions
The city of Melbourne contains over 554.72 acres (2.2 km2) of city park land, including 17 community parks, 13 neighborhood parks, and five smaller city parks.
- Brevard Zoo
- Wickham Park
- Lake Washington
One of the many forms of recreation is local fishing in places such as Lake Washington.
Education
Of all residents 25 years or older, 88.5% are high school graduates, and 25.7% have a bachelor's degree or higher.
Public schools are run by the Brevard County School Board.
Colleges and universities
- Eastern Florida State College
- Everest University
- Florida Institute of Technology
- Florida State University Satellite Campus
- Keiser University - Melbourne
- University of Central Florida Regional Campus
- Webster University - Patrick Air Force Base Campus
Elementary schools
- Roy Allen Elementary
- Ascension Catholic School
- Brevard Academy for Individual Excellence
- Dr. W. J. Creel Elementary
- Croton Elementary
- Harbor City Elementary
- Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Lower School (Preschool - 6)
- Longleaf Elementary
- Meadowlane Primary
- Meadowlane Intermediate
- New Covenant Christian School
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
- Quest Elementary
- Sabal Elementary
- Sherwood Elementary
- Suntree Elementary
- University Park Elementary
Middle schools
- Ascension Catholic School
- Brevard Academy for Individual Excellence
- DeLaura Middle School
- Central Middle School
- Florida Air Academy
- Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Upper School
- Johnson Middle School
- Lyndon Baines Johnson Middle School
- New Covenant Christian School
- Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic School
- Stone Middle School
- Southwest Middle School
High schools
- Eau Gallie High School
- Melbourne High School
- Palm Bay High School
- West Shore Junior - Senior High School
- Brevard Academy for Individual Excellence
- Brevard Christian School
- Florida Preparatory Academy
- Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy Upper School
- Melbourne Central Catholic High School
- New Covenant Christian School
- Melbourne Central Catholic High School
Adult education
- Palm Bay High Adult/Community Education
- South Area Adult Center
Media
- Brevard Business News
- Florida Today - Space Coast and Central Florida
- The Crimson - The Florida Institute of Technology student-run newspaper
Radio
WFIT 89.5 FM--this radio station is an NPR station based on the grounds of Florida Institute of Technology
Television
Melbourne is part of the Orlando television market. Cable is provided by Spectrum.
Infrastructure
Transportation
Major roads
The city is responsible for about 300 miles (480 km) of road. It would like to resurface 5% (15 miles (24 km)) of that each year. It was able to afford to pave half of that in 2013.
Roads in the older part of the city, in what is today the southeast, are oriented toward the north-south road, Babcock Street, with compass directions measured east and west from that road. In the same area, the east-west road, Brevard Drive, separates compass directions north and south.
All are at least four-lane roads, unless otherwise designated.
- U.S. 1 - Harbor City Boulevard is the local street name, and it runs parallel to the Indian River on the eastern side of the city. The highway is six-lanes through much of the city, from Robert J. Conlan Boulevard in nearby Palm Bay to the south to SR 404 to the north. This road allows access to the beaches over three causeways: Pineda, Eau Gallie, and Melbourne Causeway.
- U.S. Route 192 - Locally named New Haven Avenue and Strawbridge Avenue (downtown), it passes through commercial, entertainment, and retail areas of Melbourne. It serves as a route to Kissimmee and the tourist corridor of Orlando to the west, and the town of Indialantic to the east via the Melbourne Causeway.
- Interstate 95 - This highway is six-lanes throughout its run in Melbourne. There are two exits: Exit 180 (U.S. Route 192) and Exit 183 (Eau Gallie Boulevard). Another interchange has been constructed near mile 188 to accommodate the expansion of the Pineda Causeway. Additionally, Exit 191 (Wickham Road) serves the Melbourne area, it is not marked as such.
- SR A1A - This road runs along the beaches and provides access to other areas of Brevard County.
- SR 507 - Babcock Street
- SR 404 - Pineda Causeway
- SR 508 - NASA Boulevard
- SR 518 - Eau Gallie Boulevard
- CR 509 - Wickham/Minton Road. Up to 38,680 cars use Wickham Road weekdays. The average is 33,850.
- CR 511 - John Rodes Boulevard/Aurora Road
Rail
The Union Cypress Company Railroad ran east to west through south Melbourne in the early 1900s. The mill town of Hopkins was near the present-day streets of Mill Street and Main Street.
The Florida East Coast Railway runs through Melbourne, staying west of U.S. 1 through its entire run.
Bus
- Space Coast Area Transit operates a public bus service in Melbourne and vicinity. The city subsidizes two routes internal to the city so Melbourne residents ride for free.
- Greyhound Bus Lines has a bus station in Melbourne
Airport
Melbourne International Airport (IATA: MLB, ICAO: KMLB, FAA LID: MLB) is located about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) northwest of the city's original business district. The airport has daily flights on six passenger airlines and a cargo one, including Delta, Delta Connection and American Eagle.
Utilities
Power is provided by Florida Power and Light. Gas is provided by Florida City Gas.
Cable TV service is provided by Bright House Networks.
Traditional landline telephone service is mainly provided by AT&T, while some cable customers use Bright House Networks digital telephone (VOIP) service.
Internet service providers in Melbourne range from various 56 kbit/s providers, AT&T (formerly BellSouth) FastAccess DSL, and Bright House Networks cable internet, which uses Road Runner as their ISP. Fiber-optic networks are installed in the city mainly for business purposes and have not been integrated for home use.
The Water Department not only provides water for the city, but for surrounding towns and cities for a premium, including Melbourne Beach, Indialantic, Indian Harbour Beach, Satellite Beach, Palm Shores, Melbourne Village, and a portion of Brevard County. In 2016, it served about 150,000 people. Wholesale water service is provided to West Melbourne. The total distribution area is about 100 square miles (259 km2) Two water treatment plants take water from Lake Washington and deep wells, providing 25,000,000 US gallons (95,000,000 litres; 21,000,000 imperial gallons) of drinking water per day. This water is treated with chloramine and ozone. In 2003, water rates were $2.27/1,000 US gallons (3,785 l) sewer $4.47/1,000 US gallons (3,785 l).
Solid waste removal and recycling is provided by Solid Waste Management, part of the city of Melbourne's Environmental Community Outreach (ECO) Division.
Namesakes
Melbourne Square, in the city of Melbourne, located on US 192 west of downtown, is the largest shopping area in Brevard County. In the 1960s, the motto of Melbourne was, "Crossroads to the Universe".
EAU GALLIE SQUARE in the Eau Gallie Arts District is a public green space with live oaks and band shell that serves as the center of many community events.
Notable people
- Thomas Barbour, author and naturalist, lived in Eau Gallie as a boy
- Bruce Bochy, Manager of the World Champion San Francisco Giants Major League Baseball team.
- Robbie Carrico, Season 7 contestant on American Idol
- Bobby Dall, bass player for the band Poison, resides in Melbourne
- C. J. Hobgood, 2001 ASP World champion Professional Surfer, born in Melbourne
- Cecil Fielder, professional baseball player
- Prince Fielder, professional baseball player, son of Cecil Fielder, went to Eau Gallie High School
- Rick Gangraw, author of 'Secrets In The Ice','Deathly Silent', 'Escape From His Past', born in Melbourne
- William Henry Gleason, founded and lived in Eau Gallie
- Kristin Grubka, professional women's soccer player, FSU Womens Soccer National Champion 2014
- Damien Hobgood, professional Surfer born in Melbourne
- Darrell Hammond, comedian and actor, born and resided in Melbourne 1955-1975
- Devon Hughes, professional wrestler, better known as Brother Devon from Total Nonstop Action Wrestling
- Vicky Hurst, professional golfer; graduated from Holy Trinity
- Zora Neale Hurston, author, lived in Eau Gallie in the 1920s and 1950s
- Billy Lane, owner of Choppers, Inc. and builder of custom motorcycles
- Jeff Lett, bass player of Cartel; born in Melbourne
- Jim Morrison, lead singer for The Doors; born in Melbourne
- Henry Mucci, US Army colonel who led the Great Raid in World War II to free the Bataan survivors; retired to Melbourne
- Bill Nelson, long-time U.S. Senator from Florida since 2001, raised in Melbourne and graduated from Melbourne High School in 1960
- Reggie Nelson, safety for NFL's Cincinnati Bengals
- Jamie Noble, professional wrestler
- Hans von Ohain, one of the first people to develop the jet engine; retired and died in Melbourne
- Stanford Parris, former U.S. Congressman from Virginia, was a primary resident of Melbourne after leaving Congress
- Will Perdue, NBA forward and center (Chicago Bulls), sportscaster, born in Melbourne
- Toni Pressley professional women's soccer player, graduated from West Shore High School in 2008
- Tom Rapp, singer-songwriter, leader of 60s/70s band Pearls Before Swine, lived here from childhood
- Rajon Rondo, Point Guard for the Chicago Bulls
- Taylor Rowan, American football placekicker, lived here before receiving a football scholarship at Western Illinois University
- Melana Scantlin, actress
- Stefanie Scott, teenage actress born in Melbourne, stars on the Disney show A.N.T. Farm
- Lee Stange, professional baseball pitcher
- Jason Steele, State Representative 1980-82
- Amber Torrealba, Professional Skimboarder
- George Trofimoff, former U.S. Army Colonel and convicted spy for the Soviet Union, lived in Melbourne between 1994 and 2000
- Robbin Thompson, singer-songwriter
- Kate Upton, model, 2012 Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue cover girl
- Tim Wakefield, baseball pitcher (Boston Red Sox), born in Melbourne
- Matt Walters, defensive end for New York Jets
- Leonard Weaver, National Football League fullback
- Larry Wolfe, Major League Baseball infielder
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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