Cocoa, FL Environmental Rules: Stormwater Management (2026)
Key Facts
- Utility created
- Ord. No. 2-92, § 22-81
- SFU size
- 2,166 sq. ft. of impervious area
- SFU rate
- $3.00 per month
- Undisturbed property rate
- $11.00 per acre per year
- Nonresidential credit
- 20% for 5 yrs w/ SJRWMD permit
- Late fee
- 1.5%/month, capped 18%/year, or $5
Summary
Cocoa runs its drainage system as a stormwater utility created under Ord. No. 2-92, billing every developed and undisturbed property a monthly or annual fee based on impervious area. The base single-family unit rate is three dollars a month, and unpaid charges become a lien the city can foreclose like a mortgage.
Sec. 22-81. - Creation. Pursuant to the home rule power of Article VIII, Section 1, Florida Constitution, and Chapter 166, Florida Statutes, and the powers granted in the Charter of the City of Cocoa, the city council does hereby establish a stormwater drainage utility and declare its intention to be responsible for the operation, construction, maintenance and repair of stormwater facilities; for stormwater system planning; and for lake and river water quality management. ... Sec. 22-86. - Rates established. (a)SFU. The single-family unit is hereby established to be two thousand one hundred sixty-six (2,166) square feet of impervious area.(b)SFU rate. The SFU rate to be charged for stormwater management utility fees for each SFU is hereby established to be three dollars ($3.00) per month.(c)Undisturbed property rate. The undisturbed property rate to be charged for stormwater management utility fees for each acre of undisturbed property is hereby established to be eleven dollars ($11.00) per year.
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 17).
Full Breakdown
The city council created the stormwater drainage utility under Cocoa Code of Ordinances § 22-81, invoking home-rule authority under Article VIII, Section 1 of the Florida Constitution and Chapter 166, Florida Statutes, to operate, construct, maintain and repair stormwater facilities and manage lake and river water quality. 00) per acre a year instead. Nonresidential property is billed by dividing its total impervious area by the SFU size, with a minimum charge of one full SFU rate, and § 22-85 lets a nonresidential owner cut that bill by twenty percent for five years if the St.
Johns River Water Management District has permitted an on-site stormwater system, with proof and an engineer's inspection report required to renew the credit every five years. New construction starts paying once its certificate of occupancy issues, or once building is at least half complete and then halted for three months. Owners who think the utility miscalculated their dwelling count or impervious area can appeal in writing to the director under § 22-85(f), then to the city manager, and finally to the city council, whose decision is final.
All fees go into the stormwater management fund created by § 22-90 and can be spent only on operating, maintaining and administering the drainage system.
Violations & Fines
Utility fees are billed with the regular city utility bill and, under § 22-87, unpaid balances draw a late fee of one and one-half percent a month, capped at eighteen percent a year, or five dollars, whichever is greater. The city can send delinquent accounts to a collection agency, sue to collect, and recover its attorney's fees and costs. Every unpaid fee becomes a lien on the property from the date it is due until it is paid, enforceable the same way as foreclosing a mortgage, and nonpayment can also lead to a cutoff of city utility service.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a stormwater SFU in Cocoa?
How is the fee calculated for a business property?
Can I appeal my stormwater bill?
What happens if I do not pay the stormwater fee?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Cocoa
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Stormwater Management in Nearby Cities
How other cities in Brevard County handle stormwater management.