Election Day Is Still On in Flooded Florida: St. Lucie Moves Eight Precincts to New Polling Places, and Brevard's Polls Are Expected to Open
The flood that dropped up to 22 inches on Brevard County also soaked St. Lucie County with 6 to 10 inches on Monday — and St. Lucie voters in eight precincts will vote at new locations on Tuesday, while Brevard's sheriff promises every voter will get the chance to cast a ballot.
Election Day is not postponed in flooded Florida — but in St. Lucie County, some voters will cast their ballots in different rooms than they planned. The Port St. Lucie area took the worst of the rain on the Treasure Coast: 6 to 10 inches fell on Monday, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne, on top of 3 to 6 inches in the previous 24 hours, and flood warnings for central St. Lucie County cited 6 to 14 inches fallen by Monday evening. Polls are still open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday — at moved locations for eight precincts.
The moves, from the county's election guidance: Precinct 12 votes at Days Inn Midtown, 3224 S. U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce, instead of the Fort Pierce Masonic Lodge. Precincts 49, 71 and 51 vote at the Port St. Lucie Community Center, 2195 S.E. Airoso Blvd., instead of Oak Hammock K-8 School and the Disabled American Veterans Hall. Precincts 67 and 86 vote at Indian River State College's Veterans Center of Excellence, 500 N.W. California Blvd., instead of St. Lucie West Centennial High School. And Precincts 83 and 92 vote at Tradition Town Hall, 10799 S.W. Civic Lane, instead of the Paula A. Lewis Library and The Brennity at Tradition. Questions go to the St. Lucie County Supervisor of Elections at 772-462-1500 and stlucievotes.gov. One honest limit on the damage: as of Monday evening, no Treasure Coast county had reported floodwater entering people's homes, and no flood deaths or injuries in St. Lucie County had been reported — a street-flooding and stranded-vehicle emergency, serious but a different scale from Brevard's.
Brevard County, where the National Weather Service says between 16 and 22 inches of rain have fallen in the southeast of the county and a flood warning ran until 9:30 p.m. Monday, votes on the same promise. County officials say polling places are expected to open, the Supervisor of Elections office in Viera stayed open through the flood day, and Sheriff Wayne Ivey put it plainly: "No matter what, everybody will get an opportunity to vote tomorrow." The Red Cross opened a shelter in Cocoa, Launchpad Digital's evening update reports, and Brevard's schools — closed Tuesday, as this station has filed — are the exception on Election Day, not the rule: in Florida's flood counties, the vote goes ahead.
