Satellite Beach, Florida
Satellite Beach is a coastal city in Brevard County, Florida, U.S. The population was 11,226 at the 2020 United States census, up from 10,109 at the 2010 census, and it is located with the Atlantic Ocean to the east and the Banana River to the west. Satellite Beach is part of the Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Beach is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of. of it is land and of it is water.The Atlantic Ocean forms its eastern border; the Indian River the western border. It is located on the local barrier island directly south of Patrick Space Force Base. It is part of the South Beaches.
With both ocean and river frontage, the city is the largest beachside community in South Brevard County. There are of shoreline in the city, including of Atlantic Ocean beach, of Banana River shoreline, and of shoreline fronting navigable canals connected to the Banana River.
Climate
Satellite Beach is located in the region where tropical and temperate climatic zones overlap. A study commissioned by NASA lends credence to the perception that Satellite Beach is located in a portion of the North American Atlantic shoreline with a reduced incidence of catastrophic hurricanes. Extremes range from on December 24, 1989 to on July 15, 1981.Fauna
Threatened Atlantic loggerhead sea turtles nest on the city's ocean beaches at densities of approximately one nest per of shoreline per year. Endangered green sea turtles also deposit nests along the city's ocean beach each year.Endangered North Atlantic right whales calve off the city's shoreline. Endangered West Indian manatees frequent the city's canals and the Banana River. Bald eagles forage over Samsons Island.
The of wetland created as mitigation by a local developer on Samsons Island provide nutrient-rich, sheltered aquatic habitat serving as finfish nursery and feeding ground for a diverse assemblage of birds and mammals. The city established Samsons Island Nature Park, the only gopher tortoise relocation recipient site on the barrier island. It is occupied by 42 relocated tortoises and three which had been living on the island when development began. The city has erected five osprey nesting platforms on Samsons Island Nature Park, from which young have been fledged.
Efforts are now under way to create habitat for use by gopher tortoises and scrub jays. Xeric scrub around the local county library, until the late 1990s, hosted a family of threatened Florida scrub jays.
The city is working with faculty of the Florida Institute of Technology to promote graduate student research and class projects on Samsons Island Nature Park and to assist in devising and implementing maintenance programs to preserve and enhance desirable wildlife habitats.
The city has approved the use of inland dirt-officially called upland sources-to be used in beach nourishment projects. These projects will bury part of a natural reef. After three projects, the sea shells are gone, and turtle nesting declined significantly in the years following this nourishment.
Flora
Due to the moderating influence of surrounding water bodies, the climate on the barrier island supports tropical species of plants normally found far to the south. Brevard County's barrier island to, approximately, Cape Canaveral, constitutes the northernmost limit of the range of many of these plant species. At the same time, the infrequency and mildness of freezes in the Central Florida region serves to define the southern limit of many plants found in temperate zones. Vegetated sand dunes are found along most of the beach's length and provide the major defense against storm events. Native plant species found on the dunes include sea oats, Sabal palmetto, sea grape, railroad vine, dollar weed, coral bean, Spanish bayonet, wax myrtle, yaupon holly, and several grass species. More salt-tolerant and wind-tolerant species, such as sea oats and railroad vine, are found predominantly on the ocean side of the dune, while other dune vegetation species do not generally show such zonation. These plants assist in building the dune by trapping windblown sand and in stabilizing the dune with extensive lateral root systems.Geology
There are approximately of coquina rock outcrops frequently exposed along the low-tide line of the city's ocean beach. The National Marine Fisheries Service has classified the rock as an Essential Fish Habitat-Habitat Area of Particular Concern. It is important to aquatic life and found only in a few locations along the Eastern seaboard.On the city's ocean beach can be found fossil Atlantic ghost crabs, the remnants of a unique set of geological circumstances which preserved these creatures when they died in their burrows perhaps about 110,000 years ago.
There are significant deposits of sand, marl, coquina and possibly phosphate within the city limits.
Surrounding areas
History
Satellite Beach became incorporated in 1957 by Percy L. Hedgecock and his brothers, B. D. and Herbert Hedgecock, along with cousins Jimmy Caudle and Dumont Smith. Hedgecock also served as the town's first mayor from 1957 until 1973.In 2010, the city began planning for a rise in sea level resulting from climate change.
As of 2011, volunteers have provided more than 10,000 hours each year to youth and public service programs.
In 2011, the city became one of the first areas in the United States to install solar panels on municipal buildings.
In 2013, the city announced that it would undertake $36 million worth of work to restore beach areas and dunes along the coast, battered by hurricanes in 2004. The project was underwritten by Brevard County and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
As of 2013, the only traditional Jewish synagogue, , along the Brevard County coastline is in the city.
On December 4, 2013, there was a parade in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah. There were one hundred Menorah-topped vehicles, a Menorah lighting, free food, and live entertainment.
As of 2013, the annual Ocean, Reef, and Beach Festival is organized by the Surfrider Foundation, Pure Ocean TV Productions and Anglers for Conservation.
As of 2013, Banana River Sail and Power Squadron sponsors the annual Holiday Boat Parade.
On December 20, 2013, the city announced plans to build a beachside trail that would allow people to walk, jog and cycle along the coast. The proposed trail would run along the dunes south from Fischer Park. The beachside trail would hook up to the proposed "A1A Urban Trail".
In the summer of 2018, Erin Brockovich hosted a town hall to address citizens concerns that ground contamination from an old military dump was causing increased rates of cancer. These concerns were validated when County health officials released a report the following summer that showed a higher incidence of some rare cancers and again when the U.S. Department of Defense designated an area just blocks north of the city as a "Formerly Used Defense Site". While no direct link between the cancer cases and contamination had been established as of January 2020, officials and activists were still working on the issue. A renewed interest in this issue was prompted when an oncologist who graduated from Satellite High School in 2003 noticed that an unusually high number of her classmates were getting cancer and dying.
Demographics
2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 11,226 people, 3,996 households, and 2,914 families residing in the city.In 2020, the ancestries with the highest percentages was 15.4% Irish, 14.2% Italian, 10.5% German, 9.5% English, 4.0% Polish, 2.4% French, 1.7% Scottish, 1.5% Norwegian, and 0.4% Sub-Saharan African.
In 2020, the median age was 42.2 years old. 17.4% of the population were 65 or older, with 10.5% between the ages of 65 and 74, 4.1% between the ages of 75 and 84, and 2.8% being 85 or older. 24.7% of the population were under 18, and 3.8% were under 5 years old. The gender makeup was 51.2% female and 48.8% male. The population density was 3,843.2 inhabitants per square mile.
In 2020, the median household income was $92,750, with families having $107,525, married couples having $116,295, and non-families having $53,888. 3.6% of the population were in poverty. The per capita income was $45,646.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 10,109 people, 4,340 households, and 2,853 families residing in the city.
2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 9,577 people, 3,952 households, and 2,877 families residing in the city. The population density was. There were 4,257 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the city was 94.99% White, 1.02% African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.55% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.67% from other races, and 1.57% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 2.95% of the population. Of the city's 7,444 residents who are 25 or older, approximately one in five hold a graduate or professional degree.In 2000, there were 3,952 households, out of which 26.8% had children under 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.2% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.83.
In 2000, in the city, the population was distributed by age groups as follows: 21.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 28.3% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.3 males.