Vandals Destroy Cocoa Expo Dome, $10,000 Reward Offered
By Space Coast Daily // June 6, 2014
iconic landmark is near total ruin
Dome Frame Sits On Property Now Owned By Automobile Dealer Mike Erdman
BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA — An iconic landmark is near total ruin after a vandal drove a piece of heavy machinery into the frame of the Cocoa Expo Sports Center dome.
The dome frame sits on property now owned by automobile dealer Mike Erdman.
The property will ultimately be utilized as a new site for a Mike Erdman Cadillac / Nissan dealership. According to Kelly Brabbs, service director of Mike Erdman Cadillac Nissan, four of the dome’s eight supporting legs were destroyed.
“Whoever destroyed it must have been experienced with machines,” Brabbs said.
“They figured out how to turn it on and override an alarm. Whoever did this was very selfish and they destroyed a historical landmark that was a home to a lot of great memories. It was an iconic type of structure. We had several conversations about turning it into a waiting area for customers.”
A $10,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person or persons who committed the crime.
If you have information about the crime, call Sharon at Mike Erdman Cadillac / Nissan at 321-453-2050, or the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office at 321-633-7162.
DOME ORIGINALLY PART OF ‘CIRCUS WORLD’
The dome structure was originally built at the Cocoa Expo location in 1984 after it had been purchased, dismantled and transferred from the since closed “Circus World” attraction near Orlando to Cocoa Expo.
The structure was approximately 35 feet tall and covered an area of approximately 10,000 square feet.
Each of the structure’s steel supports were buried in 8-foot deep concrete footers and were also anchored with high-tensile steels cables, due to the unusual nature of the construction.
For many years, the dome had a well-recognizable yellow canvas cover at the Cocoa Expo and it was used for a wide variety of events including batting tunnels, concerts, shows and meetings.
The Vans Warped Tour and many other events were successfully staged under the then “yellow dome.”
In 2009, the dome and approximately 13 acres of Cocoa Expo property were sold to Mike Erdman for around $3.5 million by Cocoa Expo Inc. The property purchased by Erdman from Cocoa Expo has been sitting dormant since that time.
In addition to the dome and property purchased from Cocoa Expo, Erdman had earlier purchased a contiguous 12 acres of property and his plan was to build a large auto dealership at the combined location.
