Heavy rain and flash flooding forced Florida officials to move 21 polling places covering 30 precincts across eight counties on Election Day, setting up temporary polling places where the original buildings were damaged by flooding or the roads to them were flooded or unsafe to travel. The state Division of Elections sent out the alert late Monday evening, under Governor Ron DeSantis's fall-flooding emergency order.
The rain that did this was historic. Parts of southern Brevard County took more than 20 inches — 23.6 inches at Grant-Valkaria — and the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency for the Space Coast. Sheriff Wayne Ivey called it the "November Rain Storm of '26"; his office handled some 2,100 calls for service and more than 200 high-water rescues. Brevard and St. Lucie counties were hit hardest: St. Lucie alone had 11 polling-place changes.
In Brevard, precincts that voted at the Max K. Rodes Park Community Center and the Veterans Memorial Complex now vote at New Shiloh Christian Center in Melbourne — and the county warns that part of Sarno Road near it is closed as unsafe, so voters should approach from Eau Gallie Boulevard. Other Melbourne precincts moved to the Joseph N. Davis Community Center, and a Palm Bay precinct moved to Palm Bay City Hall. Supervisor of Elections Tim Bobanic said the sites had to move because they were "completely unusable — either they were completely inundated with water, with flood damage, no power or electricity." Voters who cannot reach their polling place at all can drop off an emergency mail ballot at one of his offices.
The other counties — Broward, Highlands, Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee and Palm Beach — made the same kind of moves. In Broward, the Paradise Village Clubhouse precinct in Davie flooded and closed, and its voters were redirected to Tree Tops Park. Notices are posted at the old sites, and the full list of old and new locations is published by the Division of Elections.
For voters in the eight counties, the practical point is simple: your polling place may not be where it usually is. Check the new location before you set out — and know that a ballot cast at the temporary site counts exactly the same. Florida polls are open until 7 p.m., and anyone in line at closing time still votes.
📰 ProfiloPolitics Member News — choose your news, share it, earn credit: https://white-curlew-963569.hostingersite.com
Join ProfiloPolitics on Telegram
Get the news as it breaks — follow our Telegram channel for every story, first.
Follow @profilopoliticsnews