Brevard County's Group 8 judicial election was cancelled after a retired judge's retirement letter was intercepted by the Governor's office and recharacterized as a resignation, according to documents obtained by The Space Coast Rocket. The move, which occurred three days before the qualifying period opened, ended a race that two candidates had prepared for nearly a year. Judge Benjamin B. Garagozlo did not resign. He retired. He never submitted a resignation to Governor Ron DeSantis and had no knowledge his retirement letter would be used to cancel the election for his seat. The documents show the letter, dated April 15, 2026, was sent to Chief Justice Carlos G. Muniz of the Florida Supreme Court and copied to Chief Judge Melanie Chase of the 18th Judicial Circuit. It was not addressed to the Governor's office. The Space Coast Rocket's investigation reveals the letter was intercepted through an administrative pipeline created by DeSantis' office. Officials recharacterized the retirement as a resignation and 'accepted' it with strategic precision, triggering the cancellation. The Brevard County Supervisor of Elections initially claimed the vacancy was engineered by the judge, but the new documents contradict that narrative. Garagozlo's letter explicitly states his retirement would take effect December 31, 2026. No resignation was ever submitted. The Supervisor of Elections did not immediately respond to requests for comment. The two candidates, whose names were not disclosed in the documents, had spent nearly a year campaigning for the seat. The investigation raises questions about the Governor's office role in intercepting and altering the letter. The Florida Supreme Court has not commented on the matter. The case is now under review by state election officials.