Let's Win Together: Brevard Republican Blog

Saturday, Oct. 31, is the last day of early voting in Brevard: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at any of 10 sites. In line by 4? You still vote. Mail ballots are due by 7 p.m. Nov. 3. As the Republican State Committeeman for Brevard County, Florida, I want every eligible voter in Brevard to have a plan. Here’s what you need for the last day. Saturday, Oct. 31: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Weekend early voting hours are shorter than weekday hours, so sites close at 4 p.m. You can vote at any of Brevard’s 10 early voting sites, no matter where you live in the county ( SOE Early Voting ): Cocoa: Dr. Joe Lee Smith Community Center, 415 Stone St. Melbourne: Wickham Park Community Center, 2815 Leisure Way Merritt Island: Kiwanis Island Park Gymnasium, 950 Kiwanis Island Park Rd. Palm Bay: Tony Rosa Palm Bay Community Center, 1502 Port Malabar Blvd. NE Palm Bay: Ted Whitlock Community Center, 370 Championship Cir. NW Satellite Beach: Scotty Culp Municipal Complex, 565 Cassia Blvd. Titusvi...

Brevard election integrity starts with three people in a public room. Here's who sits on the 2026 canvassing board and the dates you can watch them work. As the Republican State Committeeman for Brevard County, Florida, one question I hear more than almost any other is simple: who actually counts the votes, and can I see it happen? The answer is better than most people think. In Florida, the count is run by a three-member board that meets in public, under rules written into state law, and you're allowed to walk in and watch. For how the voter rolls are kept clean, see Brevard Voter Roll Maintenance . This post is about the people and the process, and how you can keep an eye on both. Who counts your ballot: the Brevard canvassing board Under s. 102.141, F.S., every Florida county has a canvassing board made up of three people: the Supervisor of Elections, a county court judge who serves as chair, and the chair of the Board of County Commissioners. A member who is a candidate...

Brevard voter roll maintenance, explained: how the SOE keeps the rolls current, what inactive status means for your vote, and how to check your status today. As the Republican State Committeeman for Brevard County, Florida, I hear two worries about the voter rolls, often from the same person: "Are dead people and movers still on the list?" and "Could I be dropped by mistake?" Florida law answers both, and the answers are better than most people think. Here's how it works, with links so you can check every detail yourself. Who keeps Brevard's voter rolls current The Brevard County Supervisor of Elections (SOE) says it receives frequent notifications from the U.S. Postal Service, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the Florida Department of Health's Bureau of Vital Statistics, the Brevard County Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller, and other agencies "to maintain current records and remove ineligible voters from the ...

Brevard County special districts on the Supervisor of Elections' special-district list have 29 seats up in 2026. Only four races are contested, and nine seats drew no candidate. Here's the full list. As the Republican State Committeeman for Brevard County, Florida, I spend a lot of time on the bottom of the ballot, because that's where the least-watched governments live. Special districts are local governments with their own boards and, in many cases, their own power to tax or assess your property. Most voters never notice them until they read their tax bill. Brevard County special districts: what's on the ballot The Supervisor of Elections' "Special Districts" list has eleven districts with seats up this year, 29 seats in all ( SOE 2026 candidate list , checked October 19, 2026). That includes the Sebastian Inlet Tax District, which covers south Brevard and part of Indian River County; its candidates run district-wide in both counties ( state candidate...

Florida Amendment 3 2026 is the biggest property tax question on your ballot. Here it is in plain English: five things it does, what a yes or no vote means, and why I’m voting yes. (I wrote about the Brevard savings estimates earlier this month in Why I’m Voting Yes on Florida Amendment 3 .) Florida Amendment 3 2026: the five things it does Bigger homestead exemption. For all non-school taxes, the homestead exemption rises to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028 , then adjusts for inflation. Local option to go further. The Legislature must set a uniform procedure letting counties and cities raise the homestead exemption up to full assessed value. Special districts can too, with referendum approval. New residents phase in. People who aren’t Florida residents on December 31, 2026 get the existing exemption at first. The increased exemption begins in their fifth year of exemption, to the extent the U.S. Constitution allows. Lower cap for non-homestead property...

Brevard County tax referendum 2026: three tax renewals are on your Nov. 3 ballot. What each one does, how long it runs, and how it scores against growth. As the Republican State Committeeman for Brevard County, Florida, I read every tax question on our ballot the same way: what does it fund, how long does it run, and is the ask in line with how fast our county and our prices have grown? Early voting starts Monday, October 19, and runs through Saturday, October 31. Every Brevard voter will see these three questions, so here is what they actually say. What’s on the ballot The ballot text for all three is posted by the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections . In plain English: Save Our Indian River Lagoon half-cent sales tax (Brevard County). Renews the existing half-cent for ten years , January 1, 2027, through December 31, 2036 ( ordinance ), with all revenue deposited to a trust fund for lagoon projects, citizen committee oversight and annual independent audits. The County ...

Florida Amendment 1 2026 asks voters to let the state save more of its surplus. Amendment 2 asks whether farm equipment on agricultural land should stay off the property tax rolls. Both were placed on the ballot by the Florida Legislature, and both need 60% to pass. I’m voting yes on both. Here’s what each one does, and why. What Florida Amendment 1 2026 does Amendment 1 is titled “Budget Stabilization Fund.” It raises the cap on Florida’s rainy day fund from 10% to 25% of general revenue collections. It requires the Legislature to transfer the lesser of $750 million or the amount needed to reach 25% each year, unless certain conditions are met, and it allows withdrawals for critical state needs ( Florida Division of Elections , 2026 GEN, Ballot #1, HJR 5019). YES means Florida can hold a larger reserve, with yearly deposits until the fund reaches 25%. NO means the current 10% cap stays. My view: One of the core questions I ask about government s...

October 5, 2026 As Brevard County's Republican State Committeeman, I want every eligible voter on the rolls: today is the last day to register to vote, or update your registration, for the November 3 election in Brevard County. Why today? Florida law, section 97.055(1)(a), says the registration books "must be closed on the 29th day before each election and must remain closed until after that election." Count back 29 days from November 3 and you land on Monday, October 5. Federal law sets 30 days as the outer limit for how early a state may close its books. Florida closes one day later than that limit. A hard cutoff is not about making it harder to vote. It is about a rule that is clear, public, and identical for every voter, so the rolls can be finalized before ballots go out and before early voting opens on October 19. Predictable rules are what keep a close election trustworthy. When everyone knows the deadline and everyone is held to the same one, nobody has ground...

October 3, 2026 (merges posts from Sept 21, Sept 26 and Oct 3) As Brevard County's Republican State Committeeman, I got my mail ballot. Did you renew your request? If you voted by mail in 2024 and you're assuming a ballot shows up again this year, it won't. Florida changed this. A vote-by-mail request now expires after each general election and does not roll forward. The request you made two years ago did its job in November 2024, then it ended, and nobody is going to call and tell you. This catches good, reliable voters every cycle. Not people who don't care. People who did everything right two years ago and reasonably assumed the system remembered them. Here's how to get set: Online: VoteBrevard.gov → Request a Mail Ballot By phone: 321-633-2127 Have your Florida driver license or ID number ready, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. Deadline to request a mailed ballot: Thursday, October 22, 2026, at 5 p.m. It takes about two min...

October 1, 2026 As Brevard County's Republican State Committeeman, I'm for Amendment 3. This is my personal view, not a position of any party committee. Here's why, plain and simple. If it passes, your homestead exemption jumps to $150,000 in 2027 and $250,000 in 2028. That means less of your money for the county to take. That's good, full stop. Don't blame Amendment 3 for this year's tax bill, though. I broke down Brevard's actual budget this week: $2.43 billion, adopted September 22, about 10% above the rolled-back rate. That increase pays for jail repairs, a new Animal Care Center, and an old government building. None of it is Amendment 3. The amendment doesn't start until January 1, 2027. It's a different issue, and I laid out the difference in detail earlier this week. The county's own estimate is that Amendment 3 could mean $67 million less countywide in 2027 and $87 million in 2028. That's not a budget hole. It's less of your ...