Living in Cocoa Beach is not for everyone. Yes, there are things you will absolutely love about our little beach town…This post is not about the things you will probably love…but the things some people just don’t like about living in Cocoa Beach. The last point is a hot topic for those of us who live in Cocoa Beach year-round.
Traffic. A1A is the main road and the only road that is a straight shot through Cape Canaveral & Cocoa Beach. If A1A gets jammed up, you are pretty much stuck in traffic. Traffic is heavier during our snowbird season and spring break from January through April. The population usually peaks on Easter Weekend when we can have over 100,000 people in the Cocoa Beach area.
Throughout the year, traffic can be heavy on nice weekends, holiday weekends, or when events happen like a surf contest or boat race. When there is a crewed launch, a falcon heavy launch & landing, surfing Santas, or when Cocoa Beach hosts the airshow and the Thunderbirds are here, it’s gridlock.
The weekend traffic really depends on the time of day. Traffic is heavy early in the day heading south into town for the beach…and it’s heavy later in the day heading north when everyone is heading back home.
Parking. The Cocoa Beach Pier, 520, and Downtown Cocoa Beach are big draws for people on the weekend and lately during the week. Parking is tight. It can be expensive to park at $5 an hour for the city lots. Parking at the Pier is at least $20. There are some private lots throughout the city that charge a flat fee to park there ranging anywhere from $20 to $50 depending on what’s going on. The city of Cocoa Beach is quick to hand out parking tickets if you do not feed the meter or if you park in a no-parking zone.
Loud Music. There are a lot of bars & restaurants that offer some form of live music-Coconuts, the Beach Shack, Hunkerdown, Salty Sisters, and Jonathons Pub just to name a few. This can be anywhere from an acoustic set to full amplifiers. More recently, Area 142 opened downtown and they are loud. During the week, they have a smaller stage that offers a variety of music. They also have a big stage they bring in for feature acts. Buckcherry was here last month, Quiet Riot is on the calendar later in the year. They are also bringing in a lot of cover bands that crank out Linkin Park, Kiss, or Iron Maiden. Even though the local residents like seeing a vibrant active downtown, they have not been happy with how loud this venue is.
E-Bikes & Pedestrians. Since we are a beach town and a destination town…we have a lot of people walking around, riding their bikes, and skateboarding either up and down A1A or trying to cross A1A to go to and from the beach. Sometimes, they wait for a light, cross on a corner, or use the pedestrian crossing areas. More often than not, they cross wherever and whenever they feel it’s OK for them. So, besides keeping up with the traffic, you also have to be aware of pedestrians, bikes, and skateboards. Added to the mix in recent years are the E-Bikes. Sure, they are fun to ride and go pretty quick. They are also hard to spot when you are driving. The toughest area to spot them is in south Cocoa Beach where A1A is split for the north and south traffic. It makes sense as a driver to look towards the left for approaching traffic. You also need to look to the right for pedestrians, bikes, or E-Bikes coming from the other direction. I have had what appears to be a clear line of traffic doing the standard looking left, right, and left only to have an E-Bike zipping going against the flow of traffic trying to pull out on A1A. The E-Bike are quick and have a low profile making them easy to overlook.
Shopping options. Fortunately, we have great grocery options in Cocoa Beach with 2 Publix and a Winn Dixie along with some specialty food places like either Coastal Produce or the Sunseed CoOp. We have an Ace Hardware. We have a lot of surf shops, Beachwave/touristy shops, and small boutiques style shops. We do not have a mall or a big box store (Walmart/Target or Lowes/Home Depot) You will need to cross a bridge to Merritt Island or the Mainland for this type of shopping or head south to the Indian Harbour Beach. Since Cocoa Beach is a barrier island, expect to cross to either Merritt Island or the mainland for a lot of things.
Hurricane. Really, this could be a factor for anywhere in the state of Florida…here is what you can expect if you are living in Cocoa Beach and a hurricane is heading our way. More than likely, the Governor will put out a mandatory evacuation for the barrier islands and Cocoa Beach is a barrier island surrounded by water. They cannot force you to leave your home. Just know that the police, fire department, or emt’s will not come to you if the storm is raging and you need help. After the storm, know there is a good chance that power will be out. Sometimes it’s a quick fix (maybe a couple days) I have seen it out in Cocoa Beach for over a week. It just depends on the storm.
Homeowners Insurance Costs & Availability. Homeowners insurance has gotten absurd in Florida, especially on the barrier islands. In the last few years, we had hurricanes hit Florida that caused damage and an increase in insurance claims and there have been hail storms hitting the state causing damage to roofs and an increase in insurance claims. This has caused some insurance companies to go bankrupt and others to pull from Florida altogether. Most recently Farmers Insurance announced they are no longer writing policies in Florida.
Most of the homes in Cocoa Beach were built before 1970. Any home that is over 30 years old will need to pass a 4-point inspection for insurance (roof, HVAC, electrical, and plumbing). One of the only options available is Citizens Insurance is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, government entity to provide insurance to eligible property owners who are unable to find insurance from the private market. The kicker with going with the Citizen’s coverage is that by 2027 you will also be required to carry flood insurance even if you are not in a flood zone.
The Heat. I hope it’s no surprise that Florida is in the South. Cocoa Beach has a sub-tropical climate, and it can get hot here compared to the rest of the Country. What you might not realize is just how hot it gets during the summer, specifically in August and September. Temperatures are usually in the 90s and when you combine it with the high humidity, it can be dangerous. Up north you have the wind chill in the winter, here we have the real-feel temperature. August’s “real-feel” is usually in the 100s when you combine the two (temp and humidity).
The overnight temperature is usually in the low to mid-80s, so the nights do not give much of a break. The only break from the heat we get is the occasional thunderstorm, which is refreshing. You will learn to park your car a little further out if it means a shady spot. You should definitely invest in some type of heat shield for your windshield. We also purchased heat shields for the side windows to try and keep the temperature down inside the empty vehicles. Staying hydrated is important year-round, it’s exceptionally important in August & September. If you have pets, remember they can get dehydrated too. Please, do not walk your dog during the heat of the day
Transients. We are a destination town that attracts tourists. Cocoa Beach is a transient city. Besides the snowbirds, spring breakers, and summer vacationers, the beaches attract day-trippers to the town that want to party. Downtown Cocoa Beach has a lot of bars. There are 3 strip clubs in Cocoa Beach. There are quite a few CBD dispensaries, vape-shops, and tattoo shops in downtown and throughout Cocoa Beach.
We have a lot of hotels. You can use a single-family home for daily rentals, so we have a lot of AirBnB/vacation rentals throughout the city. There will probably be a couple AirBnB’s on the street you are looking to move. Most of the year-round residents are not happy with the amount of AirBnB’s in Cocoa Beach. Unfortunately, the State has legislation in place that prevents the towns to do much about changing minimum rent restrictions. I know the city of Cocoa Beach requires an AirBnB to be registered with the city and has minimum requirements to use your property as a vacation rental. There are costs for the owner for the registration and there could be fines if the “guests” are loud or the minimum requirements for a vacation rental are not met.
Is Cocoa Beach perfect? No. But what town is? There are always pros and cons to living anywhere. I am a long-time resident of Cocoa Beach. I love the beaches. I love being surrounded by water. We have some amazing mom & pop restaurants to enjoy. We get to see rockets launch several times a month. Except for August and September, we have the best weather. You can live where people dream about vacationing. Let me know if you have any questions about living in Cocoa Beach or an upcoming move.
Eric Larkin is a Broker Associate with Real Broker, LLC. He lives, works, and plays in the Cocoa Beach area. If you have questions about moving or relocating to Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast, let me know! I get calls, texts, direct messages & comments on my posts every day about the real estate market and things that are happening in Cocoa Beach and the Space Coast that I love answering. Ask me your questions on moving, relocating here, or anything about the community. I am here to help. I have been helping buyers and sellers with their real estate needs since becoming a real estate agent in 2003. My focus is always on helping, answering your questions, and doing everything possible to make certain you have a smooth transaction from beginning to end.
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