Malabar, Florida Government Guide

Ten Malabar government guides go deeper than this hub, and the table below pairs each common question about the Town of Malabar with its key fact and the guide that answers it.

The guides fall into three groups. The Malabar Town Council and charter guide, the town elections guide and the town budget guide explain who decides and how the money is raised. The building permits, business tax receipts, land clearing and tree removal, zoning and comprehensive plan guides cover what a Malabar property owner needs before building, clearing or opening a business. The code enforcement and public works and town roads guides cover complaints, dirt roads, ditches and the right-of-way along town roads.

Malabar Town Hall is at 2725 Malabar Road, open Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with a main line of 321-727-7764 (Town Manager page).

Lisa Morrell is the Malabar Town Manager, an office that draws its authority from Chapter 2, Article IX, Section 2-300 of the Town Code (Town of Malabar). Richard W. Kohler is the Town Clerk, reached through the main number at extension 2 or directly at 321-768-9109, and the clerk's page also lists an emergency phone of 321-543-0909 (Town Clerk/Treasurer). The Business Tax Receipts page sits under the Town Clerk/Treasurer department on the Malabar website.

Public Works runs from a separate building at 1435 Centre Street in Malabar, open Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (Public Works). Requests about road maintenance problems, drainage maintenance problems or overgrown shrubbery in the right-of-way go through the online service request form on the same page, or by phone to Town Hall at 321-727-7764, option 2.

The Malabar town calendar shows Town Hall closed on Wednesday, November 11, 2026 for Veterans Day and on Thursday and Friday, November 26 and 27, 2026 for Thanksgiving (Town of Malabar calendar). The town FAQ notes that audio of council, board and committee meetings is posted to the town's SoundCloud account the day after each meeting, which lets Malabar residents follow decisions without attending (Malabar FAQs). Last verified: October 15, 2026, on the Town of Malabar website.

The Malabar Town Council has five members elected from five single districts plus a Mayor elected at large, and Steve Rivet is the Mayor, with a term that runs to 2028 (Town of Malabar).

The Malabar charter vests all powers of the town in the elected council, except where law or the charter provides otherwise (Malabar Town Charter, Article II). The Mayor is the titular head of the town for ceremonial purposes and civil process. Under Section 2.04, the Mayor votes only in the event of a tie and may veto an ordinance, but a four-fifths vote of the council overrides the veto. Section 2.02 requires each Malabar council member to live in a separate district and to be elected by the voters of that district.

Regular sessions take place in Malabar Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. on the first and third Mondays; the agenda goes online ahead of each session, and minutes follow once the council approves them at its next meeting (Mayor and Town Council page).

Residents can serve beyond the council. The Malabar FAQ lists vacancies on the Board of Adjustment, the Parks and Recreation Committee, the Planning and Zoning Board and the Trails and Greenways Committee, and invites anyone who has lived in Malabar for more than six months to apply (Malabar FAQs).

The 2026 Malabar election cycle covers the District 1, 2 and 3 council seats, and the November 3, 2026 general election ballot carries a town charter question on switching council races to at-large voting (Brevard Supervisor of Elections).

The Brevard County Supervisor of Elections lists Town of Malabar, District 1, 2, and 3 Council Member among its 2026 contests, with a municipal qualifying period that ran from July 28 to August 11, 2026 (2026 Candidates). The same page states that the 2026 General Election will be held on November 3, 2026, and that the last day to request a mail ballot is Thursday, October 22, by 5:00 p.m. Those three Malabar seats match the 2026 term expirations on the town's council page. District 1 and District 3 each have one qualified candidate, listed as unopposed, while District 2 has two qualified candidates (2026 Candidates).

The county's 2026 list of municipal amendments and referenda includes Malabar Ordinance 2026-05, which asks whether Charter Section 2.02 should be amended to provide for at-large voting for Town Council members (2026 Amendments and Referenda). The county lists it as voted on by all registered voters in the municipality. The question concerns a rule Malabar voters set in 2016: the charter's history note records an election referendum on November 8, 2016 that created single district voting (Malabar Town Charter).

The ballot question itself is one sentence: whether Charter Section 2.02 should be amended to provide for at large voting for Town Council members (2026 Amendments and Referenda). The Malabar town elections guide covers districts, qualifying and terms in detail.

Malabar set its 2026-27 property tax rate at 4.5218 mills, equal to the rolled-back rate, and adopted a budget of $4,543,728 for October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027 (Town of Malabar budget hearing agenda).

The Malabar budget summary shows Streets and Roads at $1,953,376, about 43 percent of the total, the largest single line, ahead of Fire Control at $1,071,752 (budget summary). The town FAQ says residents can ask for a road to be graded and filled by calling 321-727-7764 or through the Public Works service request form (Malabar FAQs).

The rate is set against a gross taxable value of $467,810,775, which the Brevard County Property Appraiser's Office provides to the Town of Malabar each year (budget hearing agenda). At the final hearing on September 21, 2026, the clerk stated that 4.5218 mills is a 0% increase over the roll back rate of 4.5218, and the millage ordinance, Ordinance 2026-07, passed 4-0 with one member excused (September 21, 2026 hearing minutes, October 5, 2026 council packet).

The budget ordinance, Ordinance 2026-08, passed 3-1 at the same Malabar meeting (September 21, 2026 hearing minutes). Councilor Mary Hofmeister voted no, saying she was concerned about the pending Amendment 3 and felt a more conservative cost of living adjustment would be 3%, against the 4% in the budget. The Malabar town budget guide covers revenue sources, funded road projects and the last audited year.

Malabar handles building permits, business tax receipts, code complaints and road service requests through separate online channels, each backed by Town Hall on Malabar Road at 321-727-7764.

Building permits in Malabar start in the town's online permitting portal; the Building Department states that emailed and paper applications will not be accepted unless specified otherwise (Building Department). From October 1, 2026, online payments by credit or debit card carry a convenience fee of 3.5% or $2.00, whichever is higher. The town FAQ says the Building Official reviews applications on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and a complete application can be approved in as little as 7 to 10 days (Malabar FAQs).

Every business operating within Malabar town limits needs a Business Tax Receipt, renewed by October 1 each year; new businesses applying after April 1 may qualify for a reduced fee of one-half the annual amount, and late renewals face delinquency penalties that increase monthly and may reach 25% of the annual fee (Business Tax Receipts). The Malabar FAQ confirms that a home business needs a receipt under Chapter 14, Article II of the Town Code.

Code complaints go through the town's iWorq reporting software, where pictures and videos of the violation can be uploaded. Under Florida Statute 162.21(3)(b), Malabar cannot open an investigation from an anonymous complaint, so the complainant's name and address are required unless the violation is believed to present an imminent threat to public health and safety, or the destruction of habitat or resources (Code Enforcement). Animal concerns go to Brevard Animal Control at 321-633-2024, not to Town Hall (Malabar FAQs).

Land clearing in Malabar is regulated under Article XV, Tree Protection and Restoration, and the permit application sets out permit types for removing trees five inches dbh and larger alongside development, driveway or building permits (land clearing and tree removal application). The Malabar zoning maps show the current zoning and future land use designation for every property in Malabar (Malabar Zoning Maps).

Park questions split between two governments. The Town of Malabar owns and maintains Malabar Community Park, the Malabar Disc Golf Sanctuary, the Cameron Preserve, the Sandhill Crane Trailhead and Eschenberg Memorial Park, while Brevard County owns and maintains the Malabar Scrub Sanctuary and the Jordan Scrub Sanctuary (Malabar FAQs). The town FAQ also notes that the town is developing an equestrian trailhead, Eagles Nest Trailhead, on South Marie Street.

Patrol and response operations in Malabar are funded by additional revenue from the Brevard County Law Enforcement MSTU tax levy, which the town joined in 2007 by Ordinance 2007-05 (May 18, 2026 council agenda).

Ordinance 2007-06 scheduled a referendum every two years, held with the general election, on whether Malabar should stay in the MSTU, and the tax has been levied for law enforcement services since November 2008 (agenda item 13.a). The agenda item lists no financial impact for the town because the tax is paid by residents (agenda item 13.a, page 95).

At the April 20, 2026 meeting, two Malabar councilors said the referendum was not needed every two years because it passes resoundingly, and on May 18, 2026 the council was asked to choose between keeping the two-year vote or amending Ordinance 2007-06 to drop it (agenda item 13.a). The county's 2026 referenda list for the November 3, 2026 ballot shows one Malabar municipal item, the charter question, and no MSTU question (2026 Amendments and Referenda). Fire protection is budgeted separately, in the town's $1,071,752 Fire Control line (budget hearing notice).