Brevard County Judge Benjamin B. Garagozlo submitted his resignation on April 15, 2026, just five days before the end of his term on January 5, 2027, according to the Brevard County Supervisor of Elections. The move, which became effective December 31, 2026, erased a judicial race that had already drawn two candidates, Andrea Fant and Margaret 'Maggie' Wagner, and removed their names from the candidate list. The resignation was confirmed by the Supervisor of Elections (SOE) on Friday, April 20, 2026, the business day before the qualifying period for judicial races was set to open.
Governor Ron DeSantis has accepted Garagozlo's resignation, as confirmed by the SOE. The position is now 'no longer up for election during the 2026 cycle,' meaning the race will not proceed. Fant and Wagner had already submitted qualifying paperwork for the race, which they had campaigned for over the past year. Fant raised $9,985.03 and spent $2,198.39 on her campaign, while Wagner raised $2,154.50 and spent $800.99. Both candidates are now marked as 'Active-Withdrawn' in state campaign finance records, though neither withdrew voluntarily.
The SOE removed Fant and Wagner from the candidate list administratively, citing the resignation as the reason. The timing of Garagozlo's resignation—submitted just days before the end of his term—has raised questions about its impact on the election process. The qualifying period for judicial races was set to begin Monday, April 23, 2026, but the SOE's announcement came the day before, leaving candidates with no opportunity to contest the decision.
Legal experts have not yet commented publicly on the implications of Garagozlo's resignation, but the move has drawn scrutiny for its timing. The SOE has not indicated whether the resignation was influenced by external factors, and no further details about the process have been released. The race's cancellation has left voters without a say in the selection of the next judge, a decision that will now be made by DeSantis.