Merritt Island sits between the Indian River and the Banana River, a peninsula of canal-front and lagoon-front lots where waterfront pools run more common than in much of Brevard.
Merritt Island has a smaller pool of local builders than most Florida cities, so these top picks are ranked on license standing, permit history, and real reviews to help you narrow it down fast.
A look at real project photos from Merritt Island's top-ranked builders — pulled straight from their own profiles, even though review volume here runs well below the state average.
Customer review volume for Merritt Island builders runs well below the state average — here's a real, recent sample anyway, good and bad.
“Josh (owner) and his team of professionals did a neat, efficient, craftsman-like job for my pool installation. From sales and planning (David), to execution (Krista, Brandon, Raymond, Chuck, and Gage), everything was superlative. They transformed my backyard into a glamorous oasis with a heated, crystal clear fiberglass pool. Josh takes great pride in his product…”
“Fantasy Pools turned our dream into reality. The process from the very beginning to the end was easy and they were very accommodating to last minute changes we wanted to make. Scott created a beautiful design for us and was so helpful when we were picking out design elements and upgrades. Josh made sure everything…”
“Words are definitely not enough to express on what this company did for me and my family. It started by a referral and met Scott, who designed our oasis. It only took one draft and we went with it! Joshua came out to meet us and take a look at our yard, and the following…”
“We just finished building a pool with Fantasy Pools and I had an incredibly positive experience. There is a lot of positive that can be said from the timing (which was unheard of fast), to the quality of the pool design and final product. But I think the most impressive to me is the customer…”
“They don't answer the phone or call you back if you leave a message”
Merritt Island is a long peninsula held between two lagoons, the Indian River on the west and the Banana River on the east, and much of its housing looks onto water or backs onto a canal. That shapes the pool work here. A builder used to dry interior lots has different habits from one who sets pools behind a seawall on soft, high-water-table ground, so match the contractor to the kind of site you own.
Confirm the license before the design talk starts. Florida requires a state-certified or state-registered pool and spa contractor, and the Florida DBPR license lookup shows the license number, its status, and any discipline on record. A residential pool contractor carries a CPC- or RP-prefixed license; a general handyman is not qualified to build an in-ground pool here.
Waterfront ground on Merritt Island brings a high water table and, on many parcels, a FEMA flood designation. Both change how a pool is engineered — the shell has to resist floating in saturated soil, and the pump and heater sit higher to survive a surge off the lagoon. Ask a prospective builder how they handle canal-front excavation and dewatering, and for recent jobs on the island rather than on the mainland.
Read each written proposal for what it leaves out. On the Space Coast a screen enclosure is close to standard for keeping love bugs, mosquitoes, and lagoon debris off the water, and each enclosure carries its own permit and inspection. A quote that drops the enclosure, the safety barrier, or the electrical bonding reads cheaper up front and climbs once the missing work returns. Confirm the contractor pulls the permit in their own name, books every county inspection, and keeps current liability and workers' compensation coverage.
Merritt Island has no city government of its own. It is an unincorporated community, so a residential pool here is permitted by Brevard County Planning and Development, not a municipal building office. Contractors file through the county's online BASS portal, and any in-ground pool or spa needs a building permit issued before excavation begins.
The county's residential pool package runs to a Notice of Commencement, the permit application, the pool specifications and engineered plans, and a plot plan showing the pool against property lines, the home, easements, and any seawall. Brevard reviews the submittal against the Florida Building Code and inspects at set stages — steel and electrical bonding before the shell is poured, plumbing, the safety barrier, and a final once the deck and enclosure are done.
Safety barriers are set by state law. The Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, Chapter 515, and the Florida Building Code require a barrier at least four feet high around every new residential pool, with no gaps a young child could slip through and gates that self-close and self-latch, opening away from the water with the release on the pool side.
Chapter 515 asks for one more layer on new pools on top of the barrier. Accepted options are an approved safety cover meeting the ASTM F1346 standard, exit alarms on the doors and windows with direct pool access, or a self-latching device on those doors set out of a small child's reach.
Flood is the local wrinkle. Merritt Island's lagoon-front and canal lots sit low, and large stretches fall inside a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area, which adds flood review to the permit. Expect an elevation certificate from a licensed surveyor and raised placement for the equipment pad. The county's floodplain staff can confirm a parcel's zone before the design is finalized.
The first thing many Merritt Island owners get wrong is who issues the permit. There is no Merritt Island city hall, so the permit, the inspections, and the code questions all run through Brevard County. Owners who assumed a local municipal office are sometimes caught off guard, and it changes where they file and who they call with a question.
Water is the other constant. On a canal or lagoon-front lot people want to know what the flood zone does to the build and to their insurance, where the equipment has to sit, and how a pool goes in next to a seawall on saturated ground. Cost creep comes up nearly as often. Owners have heard the sticker number on a pool rarely matches the final invoice, and on the island the usual reasons are the screen enclosure, flood-zone site work, and dewatering a wet lot — line items a thin quote hides and a complete one spells out. The questions below are the ones that come up most on island pool projects.
Brevard County does. Merritt Island is unincorporated and has no city building office of its own, so the permit, plan review, and inspections all go through Brevard County Planning and Development. Contractors file through the county's online BASS portal, and an in-ground pool or spa needs its permit issued before any excavation starts.
Often, yes. Canal-front and lagoon-front lots on Merritt Island sit low, and large parts of the island fall inside a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area. A flood designation adds review to the permit, calls for a surveyor's elevation certificate, and usually means the pump and heater are raised. It can factor into your homeowner's insurance too.
State law sets the floor. Under the Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act, a new residential pool needs a barrier at least four feet high with self-closing, self-latching gates that open away from the water. On top of that, the pool needs one more safety feature, such as an approved safety cover or exit alarms on doors with pool access.
Look the company up on the Florida DBPR license portal. A qualified residential pool contractor carries a state license, usually with a CPC or RP prefix, and the record shows whether it is active and clear of discipline. A general contractor's license alone does not cover in-ground pool construction in Florida.
Yes. Screen enclosures are close to standard on Space Coast pools for keeping out mosquitoes and lagoon debris, and each one needs its own building permit and inspection, separate from the pool shell. Fold it into the original contract so it is priced with the pool rather than billed as a costly add-on later.
Usually, with the right engineering. Saturated soil and a high water table near a seawall call for a shell designed to resist floating and often for dewatering during excavation. The pool and equipment pad have to keep documented setbacks from the property line and the seawall, so a builder who works island lots lays the site out around those limits first.
Every pool builder we currently track in Merritt Island — a shorter, more manageable list than in busier Florida cities.
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