Malabar Land: County Votes October 20 on $2.425M Scrub Purchase
The Brevard County Board of County Commissioners takes up an option agreement at its October 20, 2026 meeting to buy 19.68 acres of Malabar land next to Jordan Scrub Sanctuary from AMC Malabar, LLC for $2,425,000. The item is listed for approval. The purchase runs through The Conservation Fund and the county's Environmentally Endangered Lands program, agenda item J.2. The parcels are tax accounts 2953282 and 2953285 in the Town of Malabar.
How the Malabar Land Price Was Set
The Conservation Fund's negotiation summary, dated October 6, 2026, lays out the numbers. Two appraisals with a November 6, 2025 date of value came in 38 percent apart: Callaway & Price at $2,575,500 and Tuttle, Armfield & Wagner at $1,860,000. Under the county's land acquisition manual the maximum approved offer was 120 percent of the lowest appraisal.
The fund offered $1,950,000 on January 15, 2026, then $2,100,000, then $2,200,000 on January 23. The landowner countered at $3,250,000, then $3,100,000, and on February 6 said verbally it would take between $2,600,000 and $2,700,000. A third appraisal by Property Valuation & Consulting, with a March 12, 2026 date of value, came in at $1,895,000, which moved the approved maximum to $2,274,000.
An offer at $2,274,000 on July 8, 2026 drew a counteroffer of $2,575,000 on July 15. In early September The Nature Conservancy confirmed a $550,000 grant from the Fish and Wildlife Service scrub-jay mitigation program. The EEL program approved a $2,425,000 offer on September 8, the landowner signed the option on September 15, 2026, and the county's share of the price is $1,875,000.
The draft resolution has the county exercise the option assigned by the Conservation Fund, sign the $550,000 grant agreement with The Nature Conservancy and record a notice of conservation restrictions against the land.
Also on the October 20 Agenda
Item J.1 is a contract to buy a parcel from Gamopin, LLC for the West Cocoa Master Stormwater Improvements Project at Mud Lake, District 2. The purchase price is $745,000 with a $100 deposit held by the Clerk, a 60-day inspection period after the Board signs, and closing on or before February 5, 2027. The seller warrants that no broker was engaged.
Items F.1 through F.3 accept three binding development plans: 26Z00020 with BT Rodes, LLC and Padgett Properties Trust in District 5, and 26Z00015 and 26Z00021 in District 1.
If you own land in Malabar or south Brevard and want to know what a public buyer or a private one would pay for it, call 321-514-0876 or use the contact page.
Sources
Brevard County Board of County Commissioners, October 20, 2026 agenda, read October 17, 2026: items J.2, J.1 and F.1 to F.3, with The Conservation Fund negotiation summary of October 6, 2026, the draft resolution and the Gamopin, LLC contract attached.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many acres is the Malabar scrub purchase?
About 19.68 acres next to Jordan Scrub Sanctuary in the Town of Malabar, per The Conservation Fund's October 6, 2026 negotiation summary.
What were the appraised values of the Malabar land?
$2,575,500 (Callaway & Price), $1,860,000 (Tuttle, Armfield & Wagner) and $1,895,000 (Property Valuation & Consulting), per the negotiation summary.
When is the Malabar purchase on the county agenda?
October 20, 2026, item J.2 on the Board of County Commissioners agenda, listed for approval.
Written by Cassandra Hartford, founder and CEO of Reach Commercial Real Estate. She has worked in Brevard County commercial real estate for 17 years, representing buyers, sellers, landlords, and tenants across Florida's Space Coast.
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