Asphalt Paving in Palm Bay, FL

Asphalt paving in Palm Bay covers a city that is unusually large and unusually young. Palm Bay incorporated on January 16, 1960, with 2,808 residents. By 2020 it had 119,760 people on more than 86 square miles of land, making it the most populous city in Brevard County and the largest by area. Most of that growth came on lots laid out by General Development Corporation, which bought and platted large tracts for its Port Malabar project starting in 1959.

A city built on drained land

Before the lots, there was swamp. In the 1920s, a drainage district dug 80 canals totaling about 180 miles to drain roughly 40,000 acres. That canal and swale system still carries the city's stormwater. For a driveway, it means water has to reach the roadside swale and pass through the culvert under your apron. Blocking that path, even by an inch, leaves water standing in the yard or on the drive.

Roads, paved and not

The city maintains about 851 miles of roads, and most roads west of DeGroodt Road are still unpaved. In 2013, the public works director described most roads in south Palm Bay as failed roads. After several funding measures failed, voters approved a $150 million general obligation bond in 2018 for citywide road repair, and construction began in August 2019 on a plan that works through the city's four quadrants. Many homeowners decide to redo their driveway around the time their street is rebuilt.

Rain by the month

Palm Bay averages 55.55 inches of rain a year. September is the wettest month at 7.95 inches, followed by June at 7.62 and August at 7.11; December is the driest at 2.46. In November 2023, 11 inches fell on the city in one event, with unofficial totals near 20 inches in southern Palm Bay, and the city was among the hardest hit by flooding. We schedule paving and sealing with those patterns in mind.

Where we work in Palm Bay

• Northeast and northwest neighborhoods off Palm Bay Road and Port Malabar Boulevard
• Southeast streets near Malabar Road and the historic area at Turkey Creek
• Southwest Palm Bay, where many streets and driveways are still unpaved
• Commercial lots along Malabar Road, Palm Bay Road and Babcock Street
• New neighborhoods near the St. Johns Heritage Parkway

Permits and the right-of-way

The apron over the swale sits in the public right-of-way. If your project changes the apron, the culvert or anything at the street, we confirm with the City of Palm Bay what is required before scheduling. We do not guess at permit rules; we check them for your address.

Typical Palm Bay jobs

The most common are full driveway replacements on homes from the GDC era, shell or dirt drives paved for the first time, driveway widening, resurfacing worn drives, sealcoating, and repairs at the swale edge. Each estimate starts with the drainage.

GDC-era homes

Many Palm Bay homes were built in the 1970s through the 1990s, and plenty still have their original driveway or a single overlay on it. Asphalt of that age has usually dried out and cracked, and the base may have settled near the apron. We check both before recommending resurfacing or replacement.