Palm Bay, FL – The City of Palm Bay has formally noticed a municipal primary election for August 18, 2026. Two council seats are on the ballot. The qualifying window opens June 8 and closes June 12 at noon. Five candidates have announced.

The notice was posted May 4 and signed by Terese M. Jones, CMC, City Clerk. It sets the schedule the candidates, the Supervisor of Elections, and the voters now have to live with.

What the notice says

The primary covers Seats 4 and 5. Both are four-year terms running November 2026 to November 2030. The top two vote-getters in each seat advance to the November 3, 2026 general election.

Quoted from the notice:

Notice is hereby given that the City of Palm Bay, Florida, under its municipal charter, will hold a municipal primary election on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., in the City of Palm Bay, at which time the two (2) primary candidates for each seat below to receive the highest number of votes shall be candidates in the general election to serve for the term specified: Two (2) Councilmembers (Seat 4 and Seat 5), to serve from November 2026 to November 2030. The qualifying period for these offices begins on Monday, June 8, 2026, at 12:00 P.M. (noon); and ends on Friday, June 12, 2026, at 12:00 P.M. (noon).

Terese M. Jones, CMC, City Clerk

Who has announced, and what June 12 means

As of May 4, four candidates have announced for Seat 4 and one for Seat 5, per the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections. Both incumbents are running.

Seat 4 (incumbent Kenny Johnson) - David Rodriguez, announced December 18, 2025 - Michael J. Bruyette, announced February 11, 2026 (after withdrawing from Seat 5 the same day) - Alfy Agarie, announced February 20, 2026 - Kenny Johnson, announced March 4, 2026

Seat 5 (incumbent Mike Jaffe) - Mike Jaffe, announced July 1, 2025

“Announced” is not “qualified.” Every candidate must file qualifying papers with the City Clerk during the June 8 to 12 window. Anyone announced who fails to qualify by noon June 12 is off the ballot. Anyone not yet announced can still file in that window and run. The field is not set until the clock runs out.

Per F.S. 99.061(7)(c), the Clerk’s qualifying review is ministerial. She does not judge whether the papers are accurate, only whether they are filed.

Vote by mail: request now, return by 7 p.m. on Election Day

Florida’s vote-by-mail rules changed under SB 90. A request is no longer permanent. One request covers elections through the end of the calendar year of the next regularly scheduled general election, then expires. Voters who last requested before 2024 likely have no active request on file for 2026. Confirm status with the Brevard SOE.

Brevard County offers five ways to request a vote-by-mail ballot:

  • Online: votebrevard.gov, Mail Ballot Request Service
  • Mail: Form DS-DE 160 to PO Box 410819, Melbourne, FL 32941-0819
  • Email: Form DS-DE 160 to MailBallotStaff@VoteBrevard.gov
  • Fax: 321-637-5460
  • Phone: 321-633-2127

A request requires full name, date of birth, Brevard County address, Florida DL or ID (or last 4 of SSN), and which elections the ballot covers. The Palm Bay SOE office is at 450 Cogan Drive SE.

Deadlines per F.S. 101.62 and F.S. 97.055:

  • VBM request deadline, primary: Thursday, August 6, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
  • VBM request deadline, general: Thursday, October 22, 2026, 5:00 p.m.
  • Voter registration book closing, primary: Monday, July 20, 2026
  • Voter registration book closing, general: Monday, October 5, 2026
  • Ballot return deadline: 7:00 p.m. on Election Day, at any Brevard SOE office

A postmark is not enough. Ballots must be received at an SOE office by 7 p.m. Election Day. Voters can mail the postage-paid envelope, drop it at a Secure Ballot Intake Station in any SOE office lobby, or have a designee return it (designees may not carry more than two non-family ballots per election). The signature on the certificate envelope must match the voter registration record.

What comes next

The Palm Bayer’s full election coverage starts the moment qualifying closes June 12. Florida’s 2026 campaign finance calendar puts Q2 reports on a short cycle (April 1 to May 31), due June 10. That report is the first hard look at who has the money to run a real race. Combined with the qualified field on June 12, the June 10 to 12 window is when the 2026 race actually takes shape.

Until then, this is a notice and a calendar. Check VBM status now. Register or update an address before the July 20 book closing. Watch the Clerk’s office for the qualified candidate list on June 12.

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