Brevard County public pools and swim lessons

Brevard County Parks and Recreation runs two public pools, both in central Brevard: the Dr. Joe Lee Smith Aquatic Center in Cocoa and the McLarty Park Aquatic Center in Rockledge (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page).

The county describes its aquatic offer as swim lessons, lap swim, open swim and special events, and lists (321) 302-1658 for more information (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page). The Dr. Joe Lee Smith park page places the Cocoa pool two blocks south of SR 520 at the corner of Stone and Washington Streets, and gives the park and community center address as 415 Stone St. (Dr. Joe Lee Smith Park page). The aquatics page lists the pool itself at 419 Washington Ave.

The park sits inside the City of Cocoa, and the city's own facility listing for Joe Lee Smith Park names Brevard County Parks and Recreation, 321-633-1874, as the contact, with dawn to dusk park hours (City of Cocoa Joe Lee Smith Park listing). McLarty Park in Rockledge is a county park as well, and the county lists its center line as (321) 633-1870 (McLarty Park page).

A swim at a county pool costs $1.00 or $2.00 per person, depending on the pool and the session type (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page).

All times and fees in the table are the regular hours printed on the Brevard County Aquatic Activities page; the county pages publish no resident and non-resident split for these pools. On open swim, the Cocoa pool lists open swim at $1.00 per person, while McLarty lists open swim at $2.00 per person, the same as lap swim at either pool. The pool rules on the same page add that all patrons must pay the daily fee in accordance with Brevard County Parks and Recreation.

The two pools also split the week. Lap swimmers have early weekday mornings at McLarty and late mornings on Tuesday and Thursday in Cocoa, and each pool takes one weekend afternoon of open swim: Sunday in Cocoa and Saturday in Rockledge (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page). The county's monthly aquatics calendar on the same page shows the sessions as they are scheduled and marks canceled events in red, so it is the place to check a particular day rather than any copy of the hours.

The county aquatics page describes both pools as open year-round with heaters, but neither opens if the water temperature is below 74 degrees (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page).

Two county pages describe the Rockledge pool differently. The aquatics page lists the McLarty Park Aquatic Center as a 25-yard pool open year-round with heaters (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page). The McLarty Park page says the pool is open for swim classes and public swim during the guarded summer season (McLarty Park page). The Cocoa pool reads the same on both of its county pages: the Dr. Joe Lee Smith park page calls it a 25-yard swimming pool with heaters, open year-round for open swim and lap swim sessions (Dr. Joe Lee Smith Park page).

The 74-degree note sits beside the posted hours of both pools, and each pool has its own line: (321) 433-4407 for Cocoa and (321) 635-7895 for Rockledge (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page). The community center hours on the two park pages are a separate schedule and do not cover the pools; both park pages send readers to the aquatics page for pool hours (McLarty Park page; Dr. Joe Lee Smith Park page).

Brevard County Parks and Recreation offers American Red Cross swim lessons at the McLarty Park Aquatic Center in Rockledge, in three age groups (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page).

The class names, ages and lengths come from the Brevard County Aquatic Activities page. Registration runs through the county's online registration portal linked from that page, which also posts a 2026 Aquatics Programs PDF. The county calendar on the page names further programs beyond the three lesson levels, including Dolphin Squad and Aqua Zumba sessions, and the calendar and the portal are where the county posts what is open for sign-up.

A family comparing options across the county will find that the city pools run their own lessons on their own terms. The City of Melbourne, for example, lists swim lesson fees per session of $50 for residents and $60 for non-residents for a 30-minute class, and a financial assistance form for lessons (City of Melbourne Pools page). Sign-up for the county lessons goes through the county registration portal instead (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page).

Children under 12 must be accompanied and supervised by a responsible adult, and swimmers under 18 must take a standard swim test before joining aquatic activities at the county aquatic centers (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page).

The posted rules on the Brevard County Aquatic Activities page add three more points that apply in Cocoa and Rockledge alike. Non-swimmers must wear a flotation device, and only a US Coast Guard approved device may be used. Every patron pays the daily fee. The page adds that additional pool rules are posted at the aquatic center.

The county also states that it intends to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and asks anyone who needs a reasonable accommodation to take part in a county program to contact the sponsoring department or use the ADA grievance form at ADACompliance@BrevardFL.gov (Brevard County Aquatic Activities page). For a swim lesson or pool visit, the sponsoring department is Parks and Recreation, which the page lists at 2725 Judge Fran Jamieson Way in Viera, (321) 633-2046.

The Cocoa and Rockledge pools both sit inside larger county parks with community centers, courts and playgrounds, so a swim can be paired with other programs at the same address (McLarty Park page; Dr. Joe Lee Smith Park page).

McLarty Park in Rockledge covers 19.85 acres and lists 2 lighted tennis and pickleball courts, 2 basketball courts (1 lighted), 3 lighted baseball fields, 2 lighted t-ball fields, a playground, a large pavilion with a barbecue pit and free parking (McLarty Park page). Its 6,336 square foot community center has a small kitchen, game room, multi-purpose room and arts and crafts room, and the page lists public hours of Monday through Thursday 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM and Friday 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM, closed Saturdays and Sundays, outside day camp sessions and certain holidays.

Dr. Joe Lee Smith Park in Cocoa covers 3.2 acres and is described as a hub for after school programs, neighborhood events, indoor basketball and pickleball (Dr. Joe Lee Smith Park page). It has an 8,068 square foot community center with a small meeting room, a 6,762 square foot gymnasium, a playground, a lighted outdoor basketball court and free parking. The center's posted public hours are Monday through Thursday 3:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Friday 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM and Saturday 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, closed Sunday, and the park line is (321) 633-1872.

The Florida Department of Health permits and inspects public pools across Florida, Brevard County included, under Chapter 64E-9 of the Florida Administrative Code (Florida Department of Health public swimming pools page).

That chapter sets sanitation and safety standards, which the department enforces through operating permits and inspections done by the Environmental Public Health section of the department in each county, and the same page lists a Brevard County contact (state public pool page).

The department's page lists the Brevard County health department contact at 321-633-2100 and offers an online search of inspection results for public pools and bathing places by county (Florida Department of Health public swimming pools page). It also notes that a building department cannot issue a certificate of completion or occupancy for a public pool until the department issues the operating permit.

Outside the two county pools, Brevard's other public pools belong to the cities, each with its own fees and seasons. The City of Melbourne runs three pools, Sherwood, Fee and Eddie Lee Taylor, Sr., and its season passes are valid at all three (City of Melbourne Pools page). The City of Cocoa Beach runs the Cocoa Beach Aquatic Center at 4800 Tom Warriner Blvd., a 50 meter temperature-regulated pool open to residents and non-residents (City of Cocoa Beach Aquatic Center listing). Separate Digital Towns guides cover the Melbourne public pools and the Indian Harbour Beach pool.

Last verified: October 21, 2026, by rereading the county Aquatic Activities page and the McLarty Park and Dr. Joe Lee Smith Park directory pages, the City of Cocoa park listing, the Melbourne and Cocoa Beach pool pages and the state health department's public pool page.