known as Cocoa Ranch. On August 4, 1989, they broke ground in this unincorporated area for the new community of Viera. It is derived from viera meaning 'faith' in Slovak, in honor of family patriarch Andrew Duda, who immigrated to the United States in 1912 from what became Slovakia. Starting in 1990, the Duda family started developing a new community with a mix of land uses, including a variety of housing types, offices, medical and industrial parks, shopping centers and recreational facilities. Todd Pokrywa was appointed President of The Viera Company effective September 1, 2018. The Viera Development of Regional Impact (DRI) was approved in 1990 for about , making up Viera East. In 1992 construction began on what would become Viera East. In 1995, a expansion was approved by Brevard County as a Substantial Deviation to the original DRI. Application was made for Substantial Deviation #2 in 2006 and was approved to plan for the final expansion of the community. The expansion will include to be set aside as managed protected land, conservation areas, parks and open space. The Viera Wilderness Park ( to be set aside during the expansion) will join with the River Lakes Conservation Area, which includes of Cocoa Ranch purchased by the St. Johns River Water Management District in 1999. Additional acres will be set aside within development areas to serve as conservation, parks and open space bringing the total actively managed protected land in the expansion area to over 50 percent of the total area. Economy Viera has more than 350 businesses, including financial services, health care, and retail. Retail The Avenue Viera, an open-air shopping center, opened in 2004. It contains over 100 shops/restaurants with 600,000 square feet of retail/restaurant space and a multiplex movie theater. There are several nationally known restaurant chains and department stores. Industry Viera has several organizations, government offices and non-profits, such as the Brevard Zoo, Brevard Public Schools, the Brevard County Clerk of Courts, and Viera Hospital. The first Park-N-Ride lot, in unincorporated Brevard County, is located there. Government offices The county's administration complex is located in Viera west of Interstate 95. The government branches and offices include the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners, County Manager, Planning and Development, Housing and Human Services, Public Works, Public Safety, Health Services and Clinic at Viera, Children's Medical Services, Utility Services, and the Metropolitan Planning Organization. The Harry T. and