

                                   EXHIBIT 5.1

December 7, 1999

Devcon International Corp.
1350 East Newport Center Drive, Suite 201
Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442

         Re:      Registration Statement on Form S-8 for Devcon International
                  Corp. 1999 Stock Option Plan

Ladies and Gentlemen:

         On the date hereof, Devcon International Corp., a Florida corporation
(the "Company"), sent for filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission
(the "Commission") a Registration Statement on Form S-8 (the "Registration
Statement"), under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Act"). The
Registration Statement relates to the offering and sale by the Company of up to
350,000 shares of the Company's Common Stock, par value $.10 per share (the
"Common Stock"), pursuant to stock options ("Options") granted or to be granted
under the Company's 1999 Stock Option Plan (the "1999 Plan"). We have acted as
counsel to the Company in connection with the preparation and filing of the
Registration Statement.

         In connection therewith, we have examined and relied upon the original
or a copy, certified to our satisfaction, of (i) the Amended and Restated
Articles of Incorporation and Amended and Restated Bylaws of the Company; (ii)
records of corporate proceedings of the Company authorizing the 1999 Plan; (iii)
the Registration Statement and exhibits thereto; and (iv) such other documents
and instruments as we have deemed necessary for the expression of the opinions
herein contained. In making the foregoing examinations, we have assumed the
genuineness of all signatures and the authenticity of all documents submitted to
us as originals, and the conformity to original documents of all documents
submitted to us as certified or photostatic copies. As to various questions of
fact material to this opinion, we have relied, to the extent we deemed
reasonably appropriate, upon representations of officers or directors of the
Company and upon documents, records and instruments furnished to us by the
Company, without independently checking or verifying the accuracy of such
documents, records and instruments.

         Based upon the foregoing examination, we are of the opinion that the
Company presently has available approximately 10,501,065 shares of authorized
and unissued Common Stock from which the 350,000 shares of Common Stock proposed
to be sold pursuant to the exercise of Options granted under the 1999 Plan may
be issued. In addition, assuming that the Company maintains an adequate number
of authorized and unissued shares of Common Stock available for issuance to
those persons who exercise their Options, and that the consideration for the
underlying shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the Options is actually
received by the Company as provided in the 1999 Plan, we are of the opinion that
the shares of Common Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of Options granted
under and in accordance with the terms of the 1999 Plan will be duly and validly
issued, fully paid and nonassessable.

         We hereby consent to the filing of this opinion as an exhibit to the
Registration Statement. In giving such consent, we do not admit that we come
within the category of persons whose consent is required by Section 7 of the Act
or the rules and regulations of the Commission thereunder.

                                                Sincerely,

                                                GREENBERG TRAURIG, P.A.

                                                By: /s/ ROBERT L. GROSSMAN
                                                    ----------------------------
                                                    Robert L. Grossman

