Sebastian City Charter — Sebastian, Florida

The Charter of the City of Sebastian is the local constitution for the city of 25,759 residents (U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023) on the Indian River Lagoon in Indian River County. It sets out how Sebastian is governed: the size and terms of the City Council, the officers the council appoints, the calendar for municipal elections and the procedure for changing the charter itself. Ordinances adopted by the council must fit within it, and the charter can only be changed by a vote of Sebastian electors.

The City Clerk keeps the current text available to the public. On the Election Information page of the City Clerk, the posted version is labeled Charter, 2022, alongside the candidate handbook and state financial disclosure forms that Sebastian council candidates use. The charter establishes a council-manager form of government, in which the elected Sebastian City Council sets policy and an appointed professional manager runs daily operations from City Hall at 1225 Main Street.

The charter is also a document in motion. A Charter Review Committee, required by Charter Section 5.03, met through the first half of 2026, and the City Council sent three proposed amendments to Sebastian voters for the November 3, 2026 general election through Ordinance O-26-19, as described below.

According to the City of Sebastian, the City Council comprises five members, each serving two-year terms. Elections are non-partisan and at-large, so every Sebastian voter can vote for every open seat rather than for a single district representative. Annual elections are held on the second Tuesday following the first Monday in November, with two members elected in even-numbered years and three members elected in odd-numbered years, which staggers the seats so the whole Sebastian council never turns over at once.

Sebastian does not elect its mayor directly. The city reports that the Mayor and Vice Mayor are elected from among the members of every newly seated Council at a Special meeting following the election each year. As of October 2026 the City of Sebastian council page lists Fred Jones as Mayor and Bob McPartlan as Vice Mayor, with Christopher Nunn, Ed Dodd and Sherrie Matthews as council members.

Regular City Council meetings take place on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month in the council chambers at Sebastian City Hall, and they are broadcast live on local cable channels and online, according to the city. Council compensation is also fixed in the charter: Section 2.05 set the Sebastian mayor's monthly stipend at $450 and the vice mayor's and council members' at $300, figures recorded in the May 12, 2026 Charter Review Committee minutes.

The charter creates three appointed officers who answer to the City Council rather than to any single elected official. The City Manager page states that the City Manager is appointed by the City Council and serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the City, providing general guidance to departments, executing council policy and preparing the annual budget. As of October 2026 the City of Sebastian lists Brian Benton as City Manager.

The City Attorney is the legal advisor to the City of Sebastian pursuant to the City Charter. The office prepares and reviews legal and legislative documents, represents Sebastian in judicial and administrative proceedings, and performs legal work for the city's charter officers, departments and appointed boards. The city notes that the City Attorney, James Stokes as of 2026, represents the city only and cannot give legal advice to Sebastian residents.

The City Clerk, Jane Garcia as of 2026, is described by the city as a Charter Officer who acts as Clerk to the Council and is the city's elections official and records management liaison. The Sebastian clerk notices council meetings, keeps the journal of proceedings, seals and attests official documents, administers board appointments and the annual municipal election, and handles the sale of lots at the municipal cemetery. Each July the Sebastian City Council reviews the performance of all three charter officers under Resolution R-23-03, according to the July 8, 2026 council agenda.

The charter places municipal elections under the City Clerk. According to the city's Election Information page, candidates for the Sebastian City Council must submit qualifying papers to the City Clerk's Office at City Hall, 1225 Main Street, and the qualifying period, which requires a financial disclosure and a fee, generally occurs 96 days before the election.

Sebastian shares the administration of elections with the county. The city directs questions about voter registration, precincts, polling places and early voting to the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections, while the City Clerk handles candidate qualifying and the city canvassing board. Sebastian holds its council elections on the same November date as the general election, which is why the 2026 charter amendments appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot alongside state and county contests.

The charter contains its own review clock. Charter Section 5.03, quoted in the May 26, 2026 council agenda packet, directed the City Council to appoint a charter review committee not later than April 15, 1999 and every fifth year thereafter, made up of fifteen residents of Sebastian. The committee has six months to recommend amendments or report that none are needed, and if it recommends changes it must hold two public hearings at least fourteen days apart before sending them to the council.

The city's Charter Review Committee page summarizes the arrangement: the committee meets for 6 months once every 5 years starting in January and has 15 members, 10 Council appointees and 5 at-large. Its responsibility is to review the City Charter, conduct hearings, and recommend changes to the City Council. For the current cycle the Sebastian page notes that the committee would organize in 2025 and meet in 2026.

State law sets the outer frame. Under section 166.031, Florida Statutes, a city council such as Sebastian's may propose a charter amendment by ordinance, or electors may propose one by a petition signed by 10 percent of the registered electors as of the last municipal general election. The proposal goes to the next general election held within the municipality or to a special election, and an amendment adopted by a majority is incorporated into the charter and filed with the Florida Department of State. The statute excludes the part of a charter describing municipal boundaries; Sebastian changes its limits instead through annexation ordinances, several of which came before the council in 2026.

The 2026 Charter Review Committee met for the first time on January 5, 2026, according to the recitals of Ordinance O-26-19. It held its two required public hearings on April 20 and May 12, 2026, and on May 12 voted unanimously to recommend four changes: eligibility in Section 2.02, compensation in Section 2.05, vacancies and forfeiture of office in Section 2.08, and repeal of Article VI, the transition article written when Sebastian first became a charter city. The City Council moved forward with modifications on May 26, 2026, and on June 10, 2026 the City Attorney asked that the Article VI repeal be dropped because of potential legal issues.

Ordinance O-26-19 therefore places three questions before Sebastian voters on November 3, 2026. Question 1 asks whether a council candidate must be domiciled in the city for 2 years immediately before qualifying and keep that domicile while serving, with domicile defined as physical presence within the city limits for no less than 270 days in a twelve month period. Question 2 asks whether to raise monthly compensation to $750 for the mayor and $600 for the vice mayor and each council member, with annual cost-of-living increases equal to those of general Sebastian city employees.

Question 3 asks whether the Sebastian City Council must meet publicly before requesting that the Governor suspend or remove a council member, and must ask the Governor to reinstate the member if the disqualifying condition is favorably resolved. The City Attorney told the committee that under Florida law suspension and reinstatement belong to the Governor, and the amendment aligns the charter with that framework. The ordinance was scheduled for first reading on June 24, 2026 and second reading on July 8, 2026; the outcome of the vote will be known after the November 3, 2026 Sebastian election.