Civic Engagement in Sebastian, Florida

The Sebastian City Council has five members elected citywide to two-year terms, and its regular meetings fall on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month at Sebastian City Hall, 1225 Main Street.

Sebastian council elections are non-partisan and at-large, with two seats elected in even-numbered years and three in odd-numbered years (City of Sebastian City Council). The council itself chooses the Mayor and Vice Mayor from its own members at a special meeting after each election. As listed on October 14, 2026, the members are Mayor Fred Jones, Vice Mayor Bob McPartlan, and Council Members Christopher Nunn, Ed Dodd and Sherrie Matthews (City of Sebastian City Council).

Sebastian council meetings air live on Comcast Channel 25, AT&T U-verse Channel 99 and online, and they are rebroadcast from Friday afternoon to Monday morning after each meeting (City of Sebastian City Council). On COStv, each meeting starts replaying the Friday after it was held and repeats until the next Friday (COStv schedule). Agendas are posted before each meeting and minutes after approval. The Sebastian City Council guide covers how the council doubles as the Community Redevelopment Agency and which seats are on the 2026 ballot.

Behind every Sebastian meeting sits the City Clerk, a Charter Officer who notices council meetings to the members and the public, keeps the journal of each meeting, seals and retains official city documents, and administers both the board appointment process and the annual municipal election (City of Sebastian City Clerk). The Clerk office also posts agendas for the other city boards, which makes it the first stop for a Sebastian resident tracking an item from a board recommendation to a council vote.

A Sebastian resident may speak only at the public input points printed on each agenda, for up to three minutes per item at City Council and up to five minutes at boards and committees.

The City of Sebastian Public Participation page states that every council, board and committee meeting is open to the public under Florida law and that the presiding Chair may invite comment outside the listed items (City of Sebastian Public Participation). Quasi-judicial hearings before the Sebastian council and boards limit comment to the case being heard and to the legal criteria for the decision.

Remote participation uses Zoom Webinar and follows the same rules as in-person participation. A remote speaker uses the Zoom Raise Hand feature during the agenda item, and the Zoom chat is not used for public comment and is not monitored (City of Sebastian Public Participation). The Sebastian guide to speaking at council meetings walks through the podium rules and Florida open meeting law, and the Sebastian public notices guide explains where hearing notices run and how far ahead they appear.

Sebastian board applications come from the Office of the City Clerk at City Hall, open 8 am to 4:30 pm on weekdays, and on October 14, 2026 four Sebastian boards listed vacancies.

The Sebastian Boards and Committees page lists ten bodies: the Board of Adjustment, Charter Review Committee, Citizens Budget Review Advisory Board, Community Redevelopment Agency, Construction Board, Natural Resources Board, Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee, Planning and Zoning Commission, Police Retirement Board of Trustees and Veterans Advisory Board (City of Sebastian Boards and Committees). The open seats posted on October 14, 2026 were on the Construction Board, the Parks and Recreation Advisory Board, the Natural Resources Board and the Citizens Budget Review Advisory Board.

Two Sebastian city pages disagree about who runs the Clerk office. The Boards and Committees page names Cathy Testa as Acting City Clerk at 772-388-8203 for questions about special qualifications (City of Sebastian Boards and Committees), while the City Clerk page and the Public Records Search page still name Jane Garcia, MMC, as City Clerk (City of Sebastian City Clerk). A call to the Clerk office at City Hall settles the question before an application goes in. The City Clerk administers the board appointment process (City of Sebastian City Clerk), and the Sebastian boards and committees guide explains terms, meeting days and which boards decide rather than advise.

Sebastian voters can vote early at the Sebastian City Hall Council Chambers from October 19 to October 31, 2026, or at their assigned polling place on Election Day, November 3, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm.

The dates come from the Supervisor of Elections upcoming elections page (Indian River County Supervisor of Elections) and its early voting page, which lists Sebastian City Hall with the Indian River County Main Library, the Supervisor of Elections office and the Intergenerational Recreation Center in Vero Beach (Early Voting Information). That early voting page still says three early voting locations in its opening line while listing four, so the list, not the sentence, is the guide. Voted mail ballots are not accepted at polling places on Election Day, and the Elections Office answers at 772-226-4700 (Find My Polling Place). Last verified: October 14, 2026, on the City of Sebastian website and the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections website.

City of Sebastian candidates file qualifying papers with the City Clerk at City Hall, and the qualifying period, with a financial disclosure and a fee, generally falls 96 days before the election (City of Sebastian Election Information). The Sebastian voting precincts guide covers polling places, precinct lookup and mail ballots.

General City of Sebastian records requests go to the City Clerk as Records Custodian by email, by phone at 772-388-8215 or in person at City Hall, and requests may be made anonymously.

The Sebastian Public Records Search page gives the address [email protected] and states that no reason is required (City of Sebastian Public Records Search). Many commonly requested records can be searched and viewed without registration in the city WebLink portal. If a Sebastian request needs extensive staff time, the city provides a cost estimate in advance under Florida law, and email addresses sent to the city become public records themselves.

Police records are handled separately by the Sebastian Police Department at 1201 Main Street. The two city pages give different contact details: the Public Records Search page lists [email protected] and extension 2 (City of Sebastian Public Records Search), while the police department records page lists [email protected] and extensions 8520 or 8523 on 772-589-5233 (Sebastian Police Department records). Calling the police line first confirms which address is current. The Sebastian public records requests guide covers fees, timing and the offices that hold each kind of record.

Sebastian residents can volunteer with the Sebastian Police Department, at Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, on city boards, or as paid election workers for the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections.

The Sebastian Police Department Community Service Volunteer Program asks volunteers to give at least 4 hours a week, live within 20 miles of the City of Sebastian, pass a background investigation and hold a valid Florida driver license; the program answers at 772-589-5233, extension 8585 (Sebastian Police Department Volunteers). At Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge, volunteers help staff with grounds and equipment maintenance, clerical work, biological and habitat projects and visitor outreach, and openings vary by season (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service).

Indian River County election workers, who staff Sebastian polling places and the City Hall early voting site, are registered voters who are paid for Election Day and early voting work and trained in voting procedures; the county pays a stipend for training but not for orientation (Indian River County election workers). The Sebastian poll workers guide covers the positions and how to sign up, and the Sebastian volunteer opportunities guide adds lagoon and inlet programs.