PALM BAY, FL (The Palm Bayer) —

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Post-Primary Election Advisory

In the August 18 primary election, incumbents Kenny Johnson (Seat 4, 54.0%) and Mike Jaffe (Seat 5, 58.7%) won outright by exceeding the 50% charter threshold. Because both candidates secured absolute majorities, neither Seat 4 nor Seat 5 will appear on the November 3, 2026 general election ballot. For the full canvassing breakdown, read Palm Bay 2026 Primary Election Results: Johnson and Jaffe Win Outright. Palm Bay voters casting ballots on November 3 will decide Brevard County Commission races, Florida constitutional amendments, Brevard County School Board contests, and judicial retention elections.

The qualifying window for the 2026 Palm Bay municipal elections closed June 12, 2026, finalizing the field of candidates who competed for Seats 4 and 5 on the City Council. Exactly three candidates qualified to run for Seat 4, and exactly three candidates qualified for Seat 5 for the August 18, 2026 primary election.

These municipal elections arrived during an intense debate over residential growth, municipal transparency, and public safety. Because municipal races in Palm Bay are nonpartisan, all registered voters residing within the city limits were eligible to cast ballots in both contests, regardless of their political party affiliation.

Primary Election Rules and Mechanics

The primary election scheduled for August 18, 2026, operated under specific charter rules for municipal races. If any single candidate in either the Seat 4 or Seat 5 contest secured more than 50 percent of the total votes cast in the primary, that candidate won the seat outright. In such cases, no runoff election is held for that seat, and the winner is sworn in to begin their term.

If no candidate in a race received a majority of the votes, the primary would have served as an elimination round, advancing the top two vote-getters to the general election on November 3, 2026. Because both incumbents cleared the majority threshold on August 18, both contests ended in the primary round.

Seat 4: Incumbent Challenge and Platform Debates

Incumbent Councilmember Kenny Johnson secured reelection to a full four-year term ending in November 2030, winning outright with 54.0 percent of the vote in the August 18 primary. Johnson has anchored his platform on municipal oversight, developer accountability, and strict enforcement of infrastructure concurrency. As rapid residential growth outpaces municipal services in South Palm Bay, Johnson has consistently pressed developers to pay their proportionate share of utility and roadway expansions rather than offloading burdens onto existing taxpayers.

That concurrency fight directly impacts major developments along the southern corridor, including JTD Land Company Acquires Sun Terra Lakes for $53 Million. The 2,548 residential units planned there require $24.42 million in utility impact fees and consume over 26 percent of the initial treatment capacity at the South Regional Water Reclamation Facility. Concurrently, Johnson has supported shifting the municipal tax base toward high-wage industrial employment, backing utility expansions to recruit aerospace and defense manufacturers to the Bombardier Boulevard corridor featured in the DeSantis $3.5M Job Growth Grant for Phoenix Business Park.

During his preceding term, Johnson advocated for establishing an independent Inspector General to eliminate administrative filtering between city staff and the council. He also formally requested an operational audit of city departments during the fiscal year 2026 budget discussions.

Alfy Agarie (Eliminated in August 18 Primary), the operations director for Alfy’s Trucking Inc., finished second in the primary with 27.7 percent of the vote. A long-time Palm Bay resident, Agarie focused his platform on commercial expansion and neighborhood drainage needs. Agarie previously ran for Seat 3 in 2024, narrowly losing a runoff contest with 49.45 percent of the vote.

Michael J. Bruyette (Eliminated in August 18 Primary), a concrete specialist and foreman at Leo’s Concrete Specialties, finished third with 18.3 percent of the vote. Bruyette advocated for a temporary moratorium on residential building permits, prioritizing commercial development, and hiring 40 additional police officers, including an auxiliary precinct in The Compound. Bruyette maintained an active social media presence throughout the race to communicate his positions directly to voters.

Public records show Bruyette was convicted of second-degree murder and conspiracy in Massachusetts in 1986. While the conviction prompted questions regarding municipal office-holding qualifications in Florida, Bruyette legally qualified after his civil rights were restored following the completion of his sentence.

Seat 5: Audits, Lawsuits, and Development Directives

Incumbent Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe won reelection to a full four-year term ending in November 2030, capturing 58.7 percent of the vote to secure an outright primary victory. Jaffe, a licensed real estate broker and contractor first elected in a November 2024 special election, centered his campaign on commercial corridor development, fiscal restraint in the Capital Improvement Plan, and aggressive land preservation.

In The Compound, Jaffe supported creating a municipal land trust to lock up surplus city-owned acreage for environmental conservation and stormwater retention. On zoning matters, Jaffe has separated light industrial and corporate campuses from hazardous uses that threaten surrounding neighborhoods. That position was demonstrated in the City Council’s unanimous 5-0 rejection of a bulk propane depot on Bombardier Blvd, voting down a 60,000-gallon liquefied propane gas facility in favor of light manufacturing and aerospace facilities. Jaffe also sponsored the controversial 2025 council rule limiting general public comments to Palm Bay residents and verified business owners to manage meeting operational expenses.

Santa Isabel Wright (Eliminated in August 18 Primary) finished second with 27.8 percent of the vote. Wright, a community organizer, Hispanic Chamber representative, and owner of Cornerstone Management Solutions, previously campaigned for mayor. Her platform emphasized civic transparency, municipal accountability, and mandatory external audits, alongside community projects like Heritage Park.

Her candidacy unfolded during an active legal battle against the city administration. On May 28, 2026, Wright and her husband William A. Wright filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the City of Palm Bay, the Palm Bay Police Department, and individual officers Travis Dumont, Monica Schuck, and Pierre Richerd (Brevard County Circuit Court Case No. 05-2026-CA-032364-XXCA-BC). Wright campaigned for a seat on the very governing council her lawsuit targets.

Eduardo Macaya (Eliminated in August 18 Primary), owner of a local landscaping firm who previously ran in the 2024 special election, finished third with 13.5 percent of the vote. Macaya campaigned on basic infrastructure, targeting road resurfacing, traffic management, and stormwater ditch maintenance while warning that unrestrained residential sprawl strains emergency response resources.

Campaign Finance: A Detailed Audit of Candidates’ War Chests

Public records filed with the Palm Bay City Clerk show a stark contrast in fundraising and expenditures across both council races. While the incumbents amassed significant war chest contributions from business entities and professional associations, their challengers were largely self-funded or operated on minimal budgets.

The financial filings also reveal several regulatory oversights and missing documents. Candidate reports range from detailed ledgers to delinquent submissions that violate statutory deadlines.

Seat 4 Campaign Finance and Candidate Filing Discrepancies

In the Seat 4 race, incumbent Kenny Johnson held a massive financial advantage, raising $17,000.00. Johnson’s reports show thirteen $1,000.00 maximum contributions from business entities, developers, and attorneys, while his expenditures consisted solely of the $182.31 municipal qualifying fee. This left him with $16,817.69 in net campaign funds during the primary campaign.

In contrast, Johnson’s opponents operated with limited resources. Alfred R. “Alfy” Agarie reported $500.00 in monetary contributions, consisting entirely of a self-loan, and spent $313.41 on qualifying fees, checks, and internet services. Michael J. Bruyette raised $2,280.00, which included self-loans totaling $2,080.00 and $200.00 in individual contributions. Bruyette spent $1,955.14, with the majority allocated to campaign signs.

Furthermore, city records indicate Bruyette switched his candidacy from Seat 5 to Seat 4 without filing the required campaign amendment form, and his filings contained a double-reported self-loan of $80.00.

Candidate Contributions Expenditures Net Funds Primary Source Document
Kenny Johnson (Incumbent) $17,000.00 $182.31 $16,817.69 Kenny Johnson Q2/P1 Report (PDF)
Alfy Agarie $500.00 $313.41 $186.59 Alfy Agarie P1 Report (PDF)
Michael J. Bruyette $2,280.00 $1,955.14 $324.86 Michael J. Bruyette Q2/P1 Report (PDF)

Seat 5 Campaign Finance and Delinquent Reports

Incumbent Deputy Mayor Mike Jaffe led the Seat 5 race financially with $17,025.00 in total contributions and $7,689.45 in expenditures. Jaffe’s campaign was seeded with ten $1,000.00 maximum contributions in late 2025 and funded significant outreach, including entry fees for local parades, community barbecues, and consulting services. His net campaign reserves stood at $9,335.55.

Jaffe’s challengers reported minimal financial activity. Santa Isabel Wright raised $250.00 through a personal self-loan, spending $182.31 on her qualifying fee. Meanwhile, Eduardo Macaya’s campaign ledger showed no contributions or expenditures, and city clerk records flagged his primary P1 report as delinquent. The mandatory report was due on June 19, 2026, leaving his $182.31 qualifying fee unaccounted for under state campaign finance laws during qualifying.

Candidate Contributions Expenditures Net Funds Primary Source Document
Mike Jaffe (Incumbent) $17,025.00 $7,689.45 $9,335.55 Mike Jaffe Q2/P1 Report (PDF)
Santa Isabel Wright $250.00 $182.31 $67.69 Santa Isabel Wright Q2/P1 Report (PDF)
Eduardo Macaya $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 Eduardo Macaya P1 Report (PDF)

Candidate Directory and Official Documents

Below is the directory of candidates for the 2026 Palm Bay City Council Seats 4 and 5 races. For candidates who have submitted official biographical data sheets to the City Clerk, direct links to those documents on the city’s server are provided below.

City Council Seat 4

City Council Seat 5

Official Candidate Portal

For additional details, qualifying records, or to view the original postings, visit the official city clerk’s elections portal.

City of Palm Bay Candidate Information Portal

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