Palm Bay Aquatic Center — Palm Bay, Florida

The Palm Bay Aquatic Center at 420 Community College Parkway SE is open on its fall schedule, but the City of Palm Bay says it is scheduled to close to the public on November 30, 2026, while the city seeks a new operating model.

The closure date comes from the city's Future Operations and RFP Information page for the Palm Bay Aquatic Center, which says the city is running a solicitation to evaluate sustainable options for the future of the facility and its programming (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center Future Operations). Updates on the facility and its future operations are posted on that page.

The City of Palm Bay frames the closure as part of a search for cost-effective and sustainable operating models, which may include new partnerships, and says the solicitation materials cover operating costs, revenue trends, original facility design and a current condition assessment (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center Future Operations). The page names no reopening date.

Until the closure date, day-to-day status is checked by phone. The City of Palm Bay asks swimmers to call the Aquatic Center Hotline at (321) 726-5680 before visiting to make sure there are no weather, staffing or mechanical closures (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center).

Under the fall 2026 schedule, which runs August 10 to November 1, the Palm Bay Aquatic Center offers open swim on Fridays and Saturdays from 12 PM to 4 PM and lap swim on weekdays from 8 AM to 8 PM.

Lap lanes at the Palm Bay Aquatic Center are for exercise only, are first come, first served, and staff may ask swimmers to share lanes or circle swim (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center). The city notes that hours are subject to change and that the pool closes when the feels-like temperature is below 50 degrees, so it may open later in the day in winter.

Local swim teams take lanes in the afternoons and evenings. The fall 2026 lane schedule lists Bayside High School on weekdays from 4 to 5:15 PM and Heritage High School from 5:15 to 6:30 PM, both from August 3 to November 6, and the Brevard Swim Club on weekdays from 6:30 to 8 PM through October 31 (Palm Bay Aquatic Center, Swim Meet Closures). The Palm Bay pool also closes to the public for swim meets; the remaining October dates are Friday, October 16 from 7:30 to 10 AM and Saturdays, October 17 and October 24, from 7 to 11 AM.

Club teams fill the rest of the Palm Bay lane calendar. Rockets Swim Club practices Monday through Thursday from 6:30 to 8 PM through October 31, and Spirit Kids Swim Club used the pool on Monday and Wednesday mornings from 8 to 9 AM between August 12 and October 7 (Palm Bay Aquatic Center, Swim Meet Closures). The city warns that these practices limit lap lanes during those hours.

A single admission to the Palm Bay Aquatic Center costs $4 per person, veterans swim for $1.50 and seniors 55 and over for $2, and twelve-swim passes cost $40, $15 and $20 for those groups.

The prices are posted on the City of Palm Bay Aquatic Center page (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center). Programs carry their own fees. Water aerobics at the Palm Bay Aquatic Center costs $10 per class or $60 for a monthly pass, with classes on Mondays from 10:30 to 11:30 AM, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00 to 7:00 PM, and deep-water sessions on Saturdays from 10:30 to 11:30 AM (Palm Bay Aquatic Center, Water Aerobics).

Fall 2026 swim lessons at the Palm Bay pool were run with a partner, Aquatics & Education, at $65 per swimmer for a session of six 45-minute lessons, in levels from Family Aquatics for ages 6 months to 6 years through Stroke Development and Adult and Teen Aquatics (Palm Bay Aquatic Center, Swim Lessons). The posted fall sessions began in August and ended in early October.

The Palm Bay Aquatic Center has a zero-depth entry with water play features, a large slide, 25-yard lap lanes, a diving well with two 1-meter boards, a teaching area, and restrooms with showers, all staffed by lifeguards.

The City of Palm Bay facility directory also lists picnic tables, a sheltered area, a snack bar, locker rooms and sunshades at 420 Community College Parkway SE (City of Palm Bay facility directory). Programs run by the Palm Bay Recreation Department staff include open swim, swim lessons, swim team, exercise classes, lifeguard training and private party rentals. The center can be reached at (321) 952-2833 or swim@palmbayfl.gov (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center).

The pool is one of five city recreation centers, listed with the Greater Palm Bay Senior Center, the Ted Whitlock Community Center, the Tony Rosa Community Center and Turkey Creek Sanctuary with the Margaret Hames Nature Center (City of Palm Bay, Recreation Centers). Upkeep is a separate department: the Palm Bay Parks and Facilities Department handles contract management, renovation and maintenance of the Aquatic Center along with the parks, community centers and the Lagoon House (City of Palm Bay, Parks and Facilities). The water aerobics page lists the same (321) 726-5680 number as the rainout hotline for checking whether a class has been canceled (Palm Bay Aquatic Center, Water Aerobics).

Swimming at the Palm Bay Aquatic Center is allowed only when lifeguards are on duty, children 11 and under must come with an adult, and minors using open swim need a parent-signed waiver on file.

The posted Palm Bay Aquatic Center rules set the age limits: an adult is 18 or older, children 5 and under must be accompanied in the water, children may be asked to take a swim test, and children aged 12 to 17 who are dropped off need a waiver signed by a parent or guardian (Palm Bay Aquatic Center rules). The waiver is free, is renewed every year, and is filed through the city's online account system, after which a minor can check in alone on later visits (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center).

Several Palm Bay pool rules surprise first-time visitors. Goggles and snorkels are not allowed in the general pool, inflatables are banned and only U.S. Coast Guard approved floatation devices are permitted, children under 3 must wear a swim diaper, and street clothes, cut-offs and thongs are not allowed in the water (Palm Bay Aquatic Center rules). There is no glass, no alcohol, no gum and no smoking or vaping, but coolers are permitted, and pets are not allowed except service animals.

The City of Palm Bay plans to issue a Request for Proposals on October 20, 2026, seeking organizations to operate, manage, program or use the Palm Bay Aquatic Center under a sustainable model.

The process opened with a public presolicitation meeting at the Palm Bay Aquatic Center on October 7, 2026 at 9:00 AM, held before the RFP to explain the facility, the city's objectives and the procurement steps (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center Future Operations). The solicitation runs through the city's Bonfire procurement portal, and the background package for bidders is described as historical operating costs, revenue trends, original facility plans and a current condition assessment.

The Palm Bay Parks and Facilities Department posted the news item announcing the Aquatic Center information page and the presolicitation meeting on September 24, 2026 (City of Palm Bay, Parks and Facilities). The city's page says the link to the formal solicitation, with its submission requirements and deadlines, will be added when the RFP is released.

For Palm Bay families the open questions are practical. Interested parties may need a free Bonfire account to see the solicitation documents, and the city says updates on the RFP, the facility and future operations will be posted on the Aquatic Center information page as they become available (City of Palm Bay, Aquatic Center Future Operations). The swim lesson provider, Aquatics & Education, takes questions on lessons at (561) 676-5007 (Palm Bay Aquatic Center, Swim Lessons).

Last verified: October 12, 2026, on the City of Palm Bay Aquatic Center pages.