Brevard County Commission District 1

Brevard County District 1 contains the towns of Cocoa , Scottsmoor, Mims, Titusville , Port St. John, Canaveral Groves and Sharpes.

Notable named places in District 1 are: St. Johns National Wildlife Refuge, Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, Indian River Lagoon, Merritt Island, Kennedy Space Center.

Commissioner Rita Pritchett

Commissioner Rita Pritchett

Commissioner Rita Pritchett has been a life long resident of Brevard County. Rita was elected to the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners as District 1 Commissioner in November 2016 and elected for a second term in 2020. Prior to serving as District 1 Commissioner, Rita was a two term Titusville City Council Member.

Rita attended Brevard Community College and the University of Central Florida. She graduated with a Bachelors of Business Administration and Masters of the Science of Accountancy and is a licensed Certified Public Accountant. She is the Financial Director at a local church, New Life Space Coast.

Commissioner Pritchett is encouraged with the economic growth that has occurred in Brevard County. It’s a good day to live and work in Brevard.

Past Boards and Awards

  • Space Coast Daily Humanitarian Award
  • Two Term Titusville City Council Member
  • St. James AME Image Award
  • Brevard Nature Alliance
  • Brevard County Parks and Recreation Advisory Board
  • Parrish Medical Center
  • Tourism Development Council
  • Economic Development Commission
  • Affordable Housing Advisory Committee
  • MetroPlan Orlando
  • Space Coast Transportation Planning Governing Board

District 1 Staff

Adrienne Schmadeke, Chief of Staff

Adrienne Schmadeke was raised in Kansas and has been a Brevard County resident since 2013. She earned a bachelor's degree in nursing and was a Critical Care nurse for over a decade. Before joining Commissioner Pritchett’s staff, she was a Legislative Aide for three years for the District 4 Commission Office.

Keith Alward, Legislative Aide

Keith Alward was born and raised in Brevard County. He began working with Brevard County in 1976 as a Road & Bridge Department maintenance worker and retired in 2011 as South Area Manager. After retirement, he returned for five years to work for Brevard County with the Public Works Engineering Department. Before joining Commissioner Pritchett’s staff, Keith was a Legislative Aide for the District 4 Commission Office for over one year.

Susan Harwood, Secretary

Susan Harwood was raised in Orlando. She worked for Orlando Health South Lake Hospital, instructing smoking cessation classes for 15 years. In Brevard County, she was an Industry Program Specialist managing the Certified Production Technician Training Program with the Economic Development Commission of Florida’s Space Coast.