Brevard County · November 3, 2026
We started restoring the lagoon ten years ago. Now we decide whether to finish the job.
In 2016, Brevard voters approved a ½-cent sales tax dedicated to lagoon restoration. The 2026 ballot asks whether that existing funding stream continues for another ten years.
140 complete92 in progress171 not yet complete or in progress
Audit the claims in the Evidence Library ↗What did we get?
Your ten-year lagoon report card.
Big numbers first. Definitions, caveats and source records are one click deeper.
The plan has evolved over time; this is not the original 2016 project count or a statement that all 403 were scheduled for completion by 2026. Homeowner projects are counted separately.
So what remains unfinished?
171 projects in the current adopted plan are outside the completed and in-progress categories. Another 92 are already in design, under contract or under construction. The renewal question is not whether to begin a new restoration program. It is whether Brevard continues the existing effort long enough to finish it.
Is it working?
Some important indicators are improving. The lagoon is not yet recovered.
Seagrass extent
+72%
District mapping increased from 9,924 hectares in 2023 to 17,042 hectares in 2025. That is a 72% gain between those mapping years, not a return to historical extent or a measurement of SOIRL’s contribution.
Measured · 2023–2025 · supported with qualification See the measurement ↗Manatee mortality event
Closed
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service administratively closed the Atlantic-coast Florida manatee Unusual Mortality Event on March 14, 2025. The retrospectively defined event period ran December 1, 2020 through April 30, 2022; its 1,392 cases comprise 1,255 carcasses and 137 rescues, not 1,392 deaths. FWC reports that Atlantic-coast mortality returned to expected levels; habitat concerns and monitoring continue. The event period and the closure date are different, and closure does not establish full habitat or forage recovery.
Administrative · closed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; reported by FWC See the FWC record ↗What we are not claiming
System-wide improvement does not mean every basin improved equally, every project performed exactly as modeled, or restoration alone caused every ecological gain.
Recovery is measured by multiple indicators over time Audit the recovery evidence ↗It’s working. It isn’t finished.
Central lagoon areas remain troubled. Legacy muck remains. Storms can reverse gains. Recovery is a reason to finish the work, not a reason to stop measuring it.
The pivotal question
If it’s working, why isn’t it finished?
The next vote is not about starting lagoon restoration. It is about whether Brevard continues funding an unfinished restoration program.
Plan→
Engineer→
Permit→
Bid→
Build→
Verify
Septic-to-sewer systems, wastewater plants, stormwater infrastructure and muck-removal projects can spend years in design and permitting before construction begins.
Make it local
What has been done near you?
Choose your area to see the project records, status, category, costs and source documents currently indexed by the Evidence Library.
Get involved
What’s happening around the lagoon
Election / Civic
Volunteer Appreciation and Lagoon Renewal Kickoff
Location: Brevard Zoo Nyami Nyami River Lodge, Viera, FL (Brevard Zoo)
Host: Brevard Indian River Lagoon Coalition / Brevard Zoo
Advocacy and lagoon-renewal organizing event hosted by the named coalition and zoo; not a neutral science presentation. Listing is informational and does not imply endorsement.
Source information checked 2026-09-08. Confirm before attending.Volunteer
Hot Yoga and Beach Cleanup
Location: Cherie Down Park, 8330 Ridgewood Ave, Cape Canaveral, FL
Host: Keep Brevard Beautiful
Source information checked 2026-09-08. Confirm before attending.Volunteer
International Coastal Cleanup 2026 - Brevard County
Location: Multiple locations along Brevard County beaches and other waterways
Host: Keep Brevard Beautiful
Brevard County cleanup, separate from the Indian River County event. Choose a location and confirm availability with Keep Brevard Beautiful.
Source information checked 2026-09-08. Confirm before attending.Community events hosted by the organizations named above. Listings do not imply endorsement.
See all eventsWhere did my money go?
Collected, spent and in-progress are different categories.
$539.7M local surtax collected
$119.8Mcumulative actual expenditures
$335.2Massociated with work in progress
$84.7Mcalculated difference: collected − (spent + funding in progress). Not a cash balance or unrestricted funding available.
+$127.3M outside grants leveraged
Why hasn’t all the money been spent yet?
A wastewater plant, septic-to-sewer system, stormwater project or muck dredging operation is not bought off a shelf. Projects move through engineering, permitting, bidding, contracting and construction before money is finally paid out. The in-progress category is not established here as a legally committed total.
The central question
Why not finish what we already started?
Brevard already has projects engineered, permitted, contracted and under construction. Renewal continues the dedicated funding stream supporting that work. A NO vote does not automatically create a better replacement plan or another source of money.
Accountability? Absolutely. Starting over? That’s a different choice.
Before you vote
Ask the five questions that matter.
1. What did we accomplish?
140
Projects completed in the current County snapshot.
2. Where did the money go?
Separate collected, paid, committed and remaining funds instead of treating them as one number.
3. Did conditions improve?
Some important indicators have. Others remain weak. The honest answer is improving, not recovered.
4. What work is unfinished?
92 projects are in progress and 171 are outside complete/in-progress status.
5. What happens if I vote NO?
The existing half-cent levy expires December 31, 2026 (the vote is November 3, 2026), and no renewed revenue stream replaces it. Existing balances and contracts do not vanish, but no replacement plan or funding source appears automatically.
See the exact ballot and both outcomes →The actual decision
What does my vote change?
Dedicated funding continues.
- The ½-cent revenue stream continues for the next authorization period.
- Planned and unfinished work can continue receiving dedicated local funding.
- Ecological recovery is not guaranteed; measurement and accountability still matter.
The renewed revenue stream does not take effect.
- Existing legally available balances and contracts do not simply disappear.
- No automatic replacement funding source is created.
- No automatic replacement restoration program is created.
Five-minute conclusion