Brevard voters go to the polls Tuesday for local elections in five communities

Dave Berman and Tyler Vazquez, Florida Today
Updated ·5 min read

Brevard County Elections results Click for live election results

Voters were going to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots for municipal and special district elections in five communities. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Voters leave the polling place Tuesday at McLarty Park in Rockledge after casting their ballots. At the center is Cheryl Miller with Russet, a Southeastern Guide Dogs puppy in training, who behaved well on his first voting experience. The city has one contested election on the City Council, with incumbent Sammie Brown Martin facing Josiah Gattle for Seat 3.

Elections will be held in Barefoot Bay, Cape Canaveral, Indian Harbour Beach, Melbourne Beach and Rockledge.

Among the races to watch are the Melbourne Beach mayoral race between Joyce Barton and Alison "Al" Dennington; the Rockledge City Council Seat 3 contest between Josiah Gattle and incumbent Sammie Brown Martin; and elections involving five candidates for two available seats on the Indian Harbour Beach City Council.

Poll worker Doug Rives helps set up voting equipment on Monday at Cross Bridge Church in Rockledge in advance of Tuesday's municipal election there. Rockledge will have one contested election on the City Council, with incumbent Sammie Brown Martin facing Josiah Gattle for Seat 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Poll worker Doug Rives helps set up voting equipment on Monday at Cross Bridge Church in Rockledge in advance of Tuesday's municipal election there. Rockledge will have one contested election on the City Council, with incumbent Sammie Brown Martin facing Josiah Gattle for Seat 3. Polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Elections also were scheduled in Indialantic, Malabar, Melbourne Village, Palm Shores and the Port Malabar Holiday Park special district.. But there were no contested races, so the candidates who qualified for the ballot won without opposition in those communities.

Uncontested elections: Five Brevard communities have uncontested municipal, special district elections this year

Here is a rundown of the contested races:

Barefoot Bay Recreation District

Two seats on the Barefoot Bay Recreation District's board of trustees are contested this year, with three candidates running. That is the governing body that oversees municipal management for the South Brevard County community.

Poll workers set up voting equipment at Cross Bridge Church in Rockledge in advance of the Tuesday municipal election there.
Poll workers set up voting equipment at Cross Bridge Church in Rockledge in advance of the Tuesday municipal election there.

Incumbent Jeff Grunow is vying for one of two available seats against two other candidates, Luann Henderson and Elaine VanBerschot. The top two vote-getters will be elected.

There will be one polling places in Barefoot Bay, at the Barefoot Bay Building A, 625 Barefoot Blvd.

Barefoot Bay election: Three candidates seek two seats on Barefoot Bay Recreation District's board of trustees

Cape Canaveral

Incumbent Don Willis, is running to retain his seat on the Cape Canaveral City Council, along with two challengers ― Kay Jackson and Steven Stroud ― seeking the two available seats.

There will be one polling places in Cape Canaveral, at the Cape Canaveral Community Center, 7920 Orange Ave.

Cape Canaveral election: Three candidates vying for two seats on Cape Canaveral City Council

Indian Harbour Beach

Five candidates are seeking two available seats on the Indian Harbour Beach City Council. The incumbents are not seeking reelection.

Candidates for Seat 1 are Adam Dyer, David Nutt and Douglas Vincent Torpy.

Candidates for Seat 2 are Hamilton Boone and Susan Ruimy.

The polling place is at the Indian Harbour Beach City Hall Council Chambers, 2055 South Patrick Drive.

Indian Harbour Beach election: Five candidates seek two available seats on Indian Harbour Beach City Council

Melbourne Beach

Two positions are on the municipal election ballot ― one for mayor and one for a Town Commission seat.

The Melbourne Beach Town Hall Community Center was the site of voting Tuesday in the elections for mayor and one Town Commission seat.
The Melbourne Beach Town Hall Community Center was the site of voting Tuesday in the elections for mayor and one Town Commission seat.

Joyce Barton and Alison "Al" Dennington are running for mayor, seeking to succeed incumbent Wyatt Hoover, who is not seeking re-election.

There also are two candidates for a seat on Town Commission that is now held by Barton, who is leaving that position early to seek the mayor's office. The candidates are Jason Judge and Adam Meyer.

The polling place is at the Melbourne Beach Town Hall Community Center, 509 Ocean Ave.

Melbourne Beach election: Melbourne Beach has contested races for mayor, town commissioner seat

Rockledge

Rockledge will have one contested election on its City Council, pitting incumbent Sammie Brown Martin against Josiah Gattle for Seat 3.

Terry Gusler, business manager at Cross Bridge Church in Rockledge, and Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic move a couch to make way for election-related items at the church, which is a polling place for Tuesday's municipal election there.
Terry Gusler, business manager at Cross Bridge Church in Rockledge, and Brevard County Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic move a couch to make way for election-related items at the church, which is a polling place for Tuesday's municipal election there.

Mayor Thomas Price Jr. and Seat 4 Councilman Frank Forester are both unopposed for reelection this year.

There will be five polling places in Rockledge. Voters must vote at their assigned polling place, based on the precinct in which they live. The polling places are:

  • Rockledge City Hall, 1600 Huntington Lane, for voters in Precincts 132 and 200.

  • McLarty Recreation Hall, 790 Barton Blvd., for voters in Precinct 211.

  • Cocoa/Rockledge Garden Club, 1493 S. Fiske Blvd., for voters in Precinct 219.

  • Hope United Church of Christ, 2555 S. Fiske Blvd., for voters in Precinct 224.

  • Cross Bridge Church, 651 Barnes Blvd., for voters in Precincts 242, 425 and 442.

Rockledge election: Incumbent Brown Martin faces challenge from Gattle in Rockledge City Council election

How many voters are eligible to vote in this election?

There are 40,560 voters eligible to vote in this election, which is about 10% of all registered voters in Brevard County.

Here is a rundown:

  • Barefoot Bay: 4,799

  • Cape Canaveral: 7,110

  • Indian Harbour Beach: 6,483

  • Melbourne Beach: 2,548

  • Rockledge: 19,620

What is the voter turnout likely to be?

That's hard to predict. Voter turnout varies widely for municipal and special district elections. In Brevard, it was 21.8% in 2017, 14.6% in 2019 and 32.1% in 2021.

What if I don't have transportation to the polls?

Space Coast Area Transit is offering free fares on Election Day on all its regular bus routes. For schedule information, go to https://321transit.com/ or call the RideLine at 321-633-1878.

What do voters need to bring to the polling place?

To be allowed to vote, voters must show a valid form of identification, which must contain the voter's name, photograph and signature, and must not be expired. This can include such things as a driver's license, a U.S. passport, a military ID or a student ID.

The identification which is required and checked at the polls is used solely to confirm the voter’s identity, not to verify the voter’s identification number or address. The photograph on the identification is compared with the person standing before the poll worker, and the signature on the card is compared with the voter's signature on the precinct roster.

Can voters wear a shirt supporting a candidate inside the polling place?

Yes. While they are in their polling place voting, voters may wear T-shirts, buttons, hats, etc., which express their political preferences, as long as they are not actively campaigning.

Dave Berman is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Berman at dberman@floridatoday.com, on X at @bydaveberman and on Facebook at www.facebook.com/dave.berman.54.

Tyler Vazquez is the North Brevard and Brevard County government watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Vazquez at tvazquez@floridatoday.com. Twitter: @tyler_vazquez

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Five communities in Brevard will have contested elections on Tuesday