NWS says 16 to 22 inches of rain have fallen in southern Brevard on election eve; supervisor’s site showed no flood-related polling place change at 4:06 p.m.

The National Weather Service office in Melbourne issued a flood warning at 3:36 p.m. Monday, Nov. 2, for southeastern Brevard and northeastern Indian River counties, until 9:30 p.m. It said radar and rain gauges indicated between 16 and 22 inches had fallen, with 1 to 2 more possible.¹ A 3:52 p.m. warning covers central Brevard, including Titusville, Cocoa Beach and Satellite Beach, until 6 p.m., citing 6 to 10 inches.²

As of 4:06 p.m. Monday, the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections website listed no flood-related polling place change for Tuesday, Nov. 3. It says polls are open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and that voters must use their precinct’s polling location.³ Its most recent polling place change notice is dated July 20.⁴ A flood watch for Brevard and Okeechobee counties runs until 10 a.m. Tuesday.⁵

Monday’s warnings, Eastern time

• 7:56 a.m.: “FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCY for West Melbourne and Palm Bay,” until 9:45 a.m.; 8 to 12 inches. The alert’s damage threat tag reads “CATASTROPHIC.”⁶
• 9:34 a.m.: emergency extended until 11:45 a.m.; 12 to 15 inches.⁷
• 11:35 a.m.: emergency extended until 1:45 p.m., with Grant-Valkaria added; 15 to 20 inches.⁸
• 1:38 p.m.: flash flood warning extended until 3:45 p.m. without the emergency wording; damage threat tag “CONSIDERABLE.”⁹

The weather service’s active alerts showed no flash flood warning for Brevard at 4:05 p.m.; the flood warnings remained, and a 4:02 p.m. flash flood warning covered parts of Indian River and St. Lucie counties, to the south, until 6 p.m.¹⁰

Rainfall and damage

The weather service’s 2 p.m. discussion gave amounts “up to 16 to 22 inches” across southern Brevard since midnight and described “widespread flooding” from Melbourne south to Grant-Valkaria.¹¹ Central Florida Public Media reported that county Emergency Management Director John Scott gave 15 to 20 inches for south Brevard and 5 to 8 for Mims and Titusville.¹² Weather.com reported that preliminary reports suggested it was Melbourne’s wettest day on record.¹³

Space Coast Daily reported that Palm Bay urged residents to shelter in place.¹⁴

Schools and Okeechobee

Brevard Public Schools’ website said Monday that schools and district offices were closed because of inclement weather.¹⁵ Central Florida Public Media said the district had not answered whether schools reopen Tuesday.¹²

Okeechobee County schools closed Monday, CBS12 reported.¹⁶ WFLX reported that the county declared a state of emergency Sunday.¹⁷ A Sunday storm report logged parts of State Road 70 and U.S. 441 impassable and water entering buildings.¹⁸

What elections officials said

The supervisor’s Nov. 2 release says the Viera office, 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way, is open with its secure ballot intake station for returning mail ballots, and that the Titusville, Melbourne and Palm Bay offices are closed until further notice.¹⁹ The Canvassing Board’s 3 p.m. Monday meeting was canceled; its next is 7:45 p.m. Tuesday.²⁰

Florida Today quoted spokeswoman Kimberly Boelzner on Monday morning: “We’re planning on everything being open tomorrow.”²¹ Central Florida Public Media reported that officials were still assessing conditions, and quoted Sheriff Wayne Ivey: “No matter what, everybody will get an opportunity to vote tomorrow.”¹²

What the records do not show

• Whether any polling place is flooded or will move; the supervisor had posted neither as of 4:06 p.m.³
• Any state order on this flooding or voting as of 4:06 p.m.: the governor’s newest listed orders are dated Oct. 27, the state emergency management orders page lists none for it, and the Department of State’s newest release is dated Oct. 26.²²²³²⁴
• Any Okeechobee election change; that supervisor’s homepage mentions none.²⁵
• Deaths, injuries, rescues or damage totals.
• Official station totals: no Melbourne climate report for Nov. 2 had been issued.²⁶
• Palm Bay, Brevard County, Okeechobee County and Okeechobee school records: their sites could not be opened, so those facts rest on the credited reporting.