Brevard County Commission Item J.1: Gamopin Land Purchase for West Cocoa Mud Lake Stormwater Project, October 20

On Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners is set to decide whether to buy 8.22 acres on Range Road in Cocoa from Gamopin, LLC for $745,000. The land would serve the Mud Lake portion of the West Cocoa Master Stormwater Improvements Project. The purchase is item J.1 under New Business, File No. 9227, and is listed for District 2. Commissioners meet at 9:00 a.m. that day in Building C at 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way in Viera, in the Commission Chambers.

The agenda report lists the funding source as the Natural Resources Management Department, Fund 1112. The price equals the average of two independent appraisals. The contract sets a closing on or before February 5, 2027.

The Range Road Parcel and the Mud Lake Flood Storage Plan

The agenda report places the land in Section 24, Township 24 South, Range 35 East, on Range Road south of Highway 524 in Cocoa. A property fact sheet in the agenda packet lists tax parcel ID 24-35-24-00-4 and describes raw land in its natural state, with wetlands and no improvements. It lists flood zones AE and X and notes that utilities are available.

The City of Cocoa zones the parcel C-N, Neighborhood Commercial, per the fact sheet. The packet's location map outlines the land on the west side of North Range Road, just north of Tiger Trail. Exhibit A to the contract describes two tracts, each bordering the west right-of-way line of Range Road.

The report describes the Mud Lake work as a West Cocoa project that improves control structures and creates a regional flood impoundment. It calls Mud Lake one part of a multiphase regional stormwater plan known as the West Cocoa Master Stormwater Improvements Project, which the report says increases flood protection for homes, businesses, and public infrastructure.

The Natural Resources Management Department has identified the Gamopin parcel as necessary to carry out the master project. The department proposes to use the land for flood storage to help reduce downstream flooding in the West Cocoa area.

Appraisals, Contract Terms, and the Statutes Cited

Two appraisals set the price. Integra Realty Resources valued the land at $690,000 in a July 15, 2026 appraisal, and Property Valuation and Consulting valued it at $800,000 in an August 25, 2026 appraisal. The department authorized the Land Acquisition Office to offer the $745,000 average, and the report states that the owner agreed to it. The report adds that the purchase follows the procedures in Administrative Order 37.

The fact sheet also cites a 2026 assessed value of $108,310 from Property Appraiser records and an August 12, 2005 sale of the property for $325,000 from Clerk of the Court records.

Under the contract, the county places a $100 deposit, credited toward the price, in escrow held by the Brevard County Clerk. If the contract is not signed and delivered by all parties, or the signing confirmed in writing, by November 10, 2026, the deposit will be returned at the county's option and the offer withdrawn. Other terms include the following:

• The county pays for a title search, a title insurance commitment, and an owner's title policy.

• The county has 60 days after the Board signs to inspect the land for environmental conditions, access, drainage, and other matters. It may end the contract if a Phase I or Phase II environmental assessment reveals contamination, or, before the inspection period runs out, with a full refund if the land cannot be used for its intended purpose.

• The seller warrants that no one else occupies the land, that no hazardous waste or contamination is present, and that it knows of no fact or restriction that would block stormwater use.

• A box marked on the form states that the county is not buying the land under threat of condemnation.

• Under the attached standards, the seller pays any documentary stamp tax on the deed, the county pays to record it, and taxes are prorated through the day before closing.

The contract requires the seller to comply with Section 196.295, Florida Statutes, which covers land acquired by a tax-exempt government by any means other than condemnation. When the transfer falls in the January 1 to November 1 window, the owner places the current year's prorated taxes in escrow with the county tax collector, and the rest of that year's taxes are canceled. In any such transfer, the owner must pay all taxes due from earlier years.

The seller also agrees to sign a beneficial interest and disclosure affidavit under Section 286.23, Florida Statutes. The statute requires a partnership, corporation, trust, or other representative holder conveying property to a government to disclose, under oath and at least 10 days before closing, the name and address of each person with a beneficial interest.

The attached standards also cite Section 627.7841, Florida Statutes, which requires a title insurer that disburses closing funds to insure against title defects recorded between the commitment's effective date and the recording of the deed. The standards waive a hold on sale proceeds of up to 5 days after closing if the title agent provides that coverage.

Implications for West Cocoa Residents, the Seller, and County Funds

For residents and property owners in West Cocoa, the agenda report ties the purchase to flood storage meant to ease flooding downstream. The report does not give storage volumes, a design, or a construction schedule for the Mud Lake work.

For the seller, a limited liability company affidavit in the packet, dated September 29, 2026, is signed by John S. Gal as a member of Gamopin, LLC. It states that the company is member-managed, has been registered in Florida since 2005, and is in good standing, and that Gal has authority to bind it. The standards also call for a lien affidavit and payment of any certified special assessment liens at closing.

For county finances, the purchase would draw on the department's stormwater utility funds for District 2, per the report. It also asks the Board to approve budget change requests that shift acquisition funding to this project from the Angel Avenue Stormwater Project, FP number 6964231. The report does not state the dollar amount of that shift.

How Item J.1 Comes Before the Board on October 20

The report asks the Board to take four actions: authorize the Chair to sign the contract, let the County Manager sign any later amendments or changes to it, approve the budget change requests moving funds from the Angel Avenue project, and let the County Manager sign all necessary budget amendments.

The agenda review sheet shows sign-off by the Land Acquisition supervisor on October 5, 2026 and by the County Attorney's Office on October 6, 2026.

Members of the public may address the Board on item J.1 by handing in a speaker card ahead of the item. Each speaker gets three minutes. Requests for special accommodations or an interpreter go to the County Manager's Office no later than 48 hours before the meeting. Space Coast Government Television (SCGTV) carries the meeting live.

Official Sources

Brevard County Board of County Commissioners Agenda, October 20, 2026

File No. 9227 legislation detail and agenda report

Gamopin, LLC Contract for Sale and Purchase, Property Fact Sheet, and Location Map

Section 196.295, Florida Statutes

Section 286.23, Florida Statutes

Section 627.7841, Florida Statutes

This post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship. Always consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction for advice tailored to your circumstances.