Flooding moves Election Day polling places in eight Florida counties; DeSantis emergency order names seven counties

Secretary of State Cord Byrd said at a news conference that elections were “going smoothly” and that “nothing we’ve seen will require polls being open past 7 p.m.,” naming St. Lucie and Brevard as the counties most affected by flooding, the Washington Examiner reported at 3:48 p.m. Tuesday.¹ Counts differ. The News Service of Florida counted alternatives in eight counties for 21 original sites and 30 precincts by 10:24 a.m., citing flood damage or unsafe roads.² The Examiner reported 23 temporary sites.¹ The Epoch Times, citing the Division of Elections with no posted time, reported 33 precincts.³ Polls close at 7 p.m. local time. Brevard Supervisor Tim Bobanic said more sites could change, Spectrum News 13 reported.⁴ Voters should confirm their site with their county supervisor.

The order

Gov. Ron DeSantis signed Executive Order 26-227 on Nov. 2. It names Brevard, DeSoto, Hardee, Highlands, Indian River, Martin and St. Lucie counties.⁵⁶ Section 12 says “any Supervisor of Elections” who “cannot fully comply with section 101.71(2) and/or (3)” must notify the Department of State of “partial or substitute measures,” “subject to the Florida Secretary of State’s approval.” The word “polling” does not appear in the order, and Section 12 names no counties.⁵

Under Section 101.71, in an emergency leaving too little time, the supervisor designates a new accessible site and posts its location at the old one.⁷

Changes by county

Lists may have changed since these sources were posted. - Brevard: Precincts 307, 512, 525 and 309 to New Shiloh Christian Center; 306, 323 and 509 to Joseph N. Davis Community Center; 517 to Palm Bay City Hall Council Chambers.⁸ Unsettled: for moves from EFSC Palm Bay to DeGroodt Memorial Library, the notice lists 320, Central Florida Public Media lists 320, 513 and 522, and the supervisor’s homepage lists none.⁸⁹¹⁰ - Broward: T018, “Due to severe flooding,” to Tree Tops Park.¹¹ A separate undated notice moves E010 to Mullins Hall and states no reason;¹² Patch’s list omits E010.¹³ - Highlands: Precinct 20, “Due to flooding conditions and power outages,” to Penny Ogg Operations Center.¹⁴ - Indian River: Precincts 7 and 26, “Due to flooding,” to Sebastian Elks Lodge No. 2714 and the Intergenerational Recreation Center.¹⁵¹⁶ - Martin: Precinct 2 to the Martin County Elections Center.¹⁷ - Okeechobee: Precinct 10 to Precinct 1’s site.¹⁸ - Palm Beach: 6401 to Riviera Beach Preparatory and Achievement Academy; 7628 to North County Senior Center, WPTV reported.¹⁹ - St. Lucie: Sources agree on 12 to Days Inn Midtown; 49, 51 and 71 to Port St. Lucie Community Center; 92 to Tradition Town Hall.^20191321 They conflict on others. The supervisor’s Nov. 2 notice sends 67 and 86 to Indian River State College’s Veterans Center and 83 to Tradition Town Hall.²⁰ WPTV, Patch and CBS12 on Tuesday send 67, 86, 85 and 95 to MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center and 6 and 28 to Havert L. Fenn Center. None lists 83, and CBS12 said its usual site, Paula A. Lewis Library, stays open.¹⁹¹³²¹ Voters in those precincts should call the supervisor, 772-462-1500.²⁰

No notice or report opened shows a change in DeSoto or Hardee. Broward, Okeechobee and Palm Beach are not among the order’s seven counties.⁵

Deaths and rescues

Palm Bay Mayor Rob Medina reported two deaths in the flooding and said crews had rescued hundreds of people since Sunday, ABC News reported.²²

What the records do not show

• The state’s list. The Department of State’s emergency page, as opened Tuesday, was dated Oct. 25, 2024, with nothing on 2026.²³ The News Service, Fox News and Patch report a state list there, so state figures rest on them.²²⁴¹³
• Any notice to, or approval by, the secretary of state under Section 12.
• Any order extending voting hours, voters affected, or official damage totals.
• Pages that could not be opened: Palm Beach’s notice, St. Lucie’s PDF, DeSoto’s site, the weather service’s active alerts.