VERO BEACH — A man was in custody after a beachside stabbing that left another man with serious injuries to his abdomen late Sunday A road rage incident in a parking lot led to the altercation between the two men a spokesperson for the Vero Beach Police Department “We currently have one male detained and being held for questioning as a possible suspect,” Callahan said Vero Beach police officers responded to the incident about 6:35 p.m in the 1700 block of Ocean Drive in the South Beach Park parking lot Police spoke with witnesses and combed the area for evidence The injured man was taken by ambulance to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce Charges for the suspect were still being determined “We will know further after the investigation is complete and the detective collects evidence and statements from all parties and witnesses involved,” Callahan said No further information was immediately available Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 This function has been disabled for Vero News VERO BEACH – One man was stabbed and another sustained a head injury in what police said was a "road rage" incident in the parking lot of a popular beach park Both men were taken to hospitals following the altercation just after 6:30 p.m Deputy Chief Matthew Monaco said a couple was on foot walking through the South Beach Park parking area and encountered a vehicle they believed was traveling too fast through the parking lot After stating their concerns to the driver of the vehicle a fight ensued between the driver and the man who was on foot “(One man) was stabbed in the abdomen,” said police spokesperson Kelsea Callahan (but) he is currently in stable condition.” One person was held by police for questioning later that night but there have been no arrests because of what Callahan said were conflicting accounts of the incident from those involved Detectives are speaking with witnesses who were at the park that evening The man who sustained a single stab wound was taken by ambulance to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce while the man with a head injury was taken to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital for evaluation of a possible concussion (This story was updated with new information.) More: Van rolls over in crash that leaves 5 dead, at least 3 of whom are from Fort Pierce More: $11 million Sebastian Inlet State Park project to wrap up as sea turtle nesting starts More: After feds cancel $64 million grant for Texas railroad, could Brightline grant be at risk? Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm A man is behind bars after he was accused of exposing him to a teenage girl at a park in Vero Beach According to the Vero Beach Police Department The victim told officers she noticed the man acting strangely while he walked by her and her adult friend (CBS12) — A man who was out of jail on a pretrial is behind bars after he was accused of exposing him to a teenage girl at a park in Vero Beach Police say the man walked into the restroom and as he left he stood in the doorway exposing himself to her The man then went to the parking lot where he entered a blue SUV and fled the area See also: Is your tax money funding hate? Federal grants tied to controversial groups The victim's friend took several photos of the man and the SUV with her cell phone which were then given to the Vero Beach Police officers were able to identify the man as Nicholas Wagner It was also learned he was arrested in March 2024 when he was an employee at the Treasure Coast Boys Academy and was on a pretrial release for lewd or lascivious molestation on a child aged 12 or 16 years old While he was on a pre-trial release he was ordered to wear a GPS ankle monitor which is how officers confirmed he was at South Beach Park the morning of the incident Wagner was arrested and located at a Holiday Inn is currently being held at the Indian River County Jail Read Today’s Top Story: Matthew Gardner’s Q1 2025 market insights The Exclusive Group has expanded to Vero Beach with the addition of Douglas Elliman agent Michael Merrill will work from Douglas Elliman’s Vero Beach office at 3001 Ocean Drive He brings a sales volume of about $100 million for 2024 will have a total sales volume of $1 billion this year and website in this browser for the next time I comment Copyright © 2025 South Florida Agent magazine Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — No one was aboard a large sailboat that ran aground earlier this week just south of South Beach Park Florida Fish and Wildlife officers and police have notified the owner about the vessel washing ashore Vero Beach police officers responded to reports of the incident shortly after 7:23 a.m A caller told dispatchers she could see the boat from her condo unit in the 1600 block of Ocean Drive An incident report showed the boat appeared to be drifting south It was unclear Thursday if the vessel was towed away from the area Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 VERO BEACH — Hundreds of community members gathered Easter morning at South Beach Park for a sunrise service Multiple congregations came together on the beach April 20 to listen to pastors and ministry leaders from the community lead the service Scripture was read and hymns were sung as worshipers raised their hands in praise The multi-church sunrise service has taken place on South Beach Park for about 20 years “I feel completely blessed,” said Lisa Saunders of Vero Beach The 30-minute sunrise service was one of many across the Treasure Coast Easter is the most important event in the Christian religion marking the resurrection of Jesus Christ after his crucifixion and burial which developer Rory O’Dare calls “the most undervalued neighborhood” on the island There are four substantial projects underway along a quarter mile stretch of A1A between East Causeway Boulevard and Castaway Cove restaurant and retail mixed-use development next to the 7-Eleven across from Johnny D’s Market & Bistro; Palm Coast Development is building two new homes at the southeast corner of East Causeway and A1A; and right across the street Dale Sorensen Real Estate is renovating the old PNC bank building into a new office a boutique subdivision with a beachy vibe where construction is about to begin on three $2-million-plus spec homes “We are at the starting line,” said O’Dare “There will be three houses here by Mother’s Day.” The 0.7-acre site fills the entire block between Sandpiper and Jasmine Lanes a well-known dentist here in Vero,” said O’Dare “You couldn’t notice the house because it was like a jungle in there with a lot of Florida holly trees and seagrapes.” O’Dare laid out the small subdivision on the single-family lot via a plat overlay at the city’s suggestion but that seemed like too much concrete for me,” he said “I wanted more space and greenery on the site “I have a background in the nursery and landscaping business and there will be lots of beautiful landscaping including a heavy landscape buffer along A1A We preserved the old oaks on the site to make it nicer.” central great rooms open to their kitchens covered lanais and optional small swimming pools They also have individual names – Sandpiper will have 3,074 square feet of air-conditioned living space is named after O’Dare’s first granddaughter who was born last year to island real estate agent Lily O’Dare It will have 2,641 square feet of air-conditioned space will have 2,875 square feet of air-conditioned space and nearly 1,000 square feet of additional space under roof O’Dare said the three homes will have list prices between $2.1 million and $2.45 million “I know that sounds high to people who have been in Vero for a long time but in today’s market it is reasonable for new construction east of A1A,” O’Dare told Vero Beach 32963 3,150-square-foot Palm Coast homes adjacent to The Enclave will be offered at around $3 million according to Douglas Elliman listing agent Sally Daley and new homes not on the water in Central Beach are being listed and sold for $4 million and more “Our real estate market is in flux right now with uncertainty tied to political upheaval and foreign wars but I think there are three buyers for brand new hurricane resistant homes in this location,” O’Dare said beachy neighborhood with restaurants and parks where you can get a lot more for your money than in Central Beach.” O’Dare spotted the property in the summer of 2023 and it went under contract to another buyer who intended to split the lot and build two houses Those buyers ran into problems with their plan and the deal fell out of escrow “Karl Dietrich at Alex MacWilliam was the listing agent,” O’Dare said “He called and asked if I was still interested I took five rough site plans to Jason Jeffries and his team at the city and got their input on what would work for them “Getting work done with the city and county is not as bad as many people might say Working with these guys is kind of a pleasure O’Dare closed on the property in September 2023 “That was a little longer than I expected,” O’Dare said “It was hard to find a good engineer in 2023 They were all still busy with the Covid building boom And it took some time to line up the private financing.” Sitework included bringing in more than 100 truckloads of fill to raise the subdivision site several feet elevating the houses to protect them from flooding The houses will be built simultaneously and taken to what O’Dare called a “white box” phase by May White box means that the concrete block shells will be complete I hope to have buyers under contract who can then come in and pick their own bath and kitchen fixtures and finishes flooring and other details to customize the house to their taste,” O’Dare said There will be two entrances to the subdivision one off Sandpiper that serves two houses and one off Jasmine for the third house so residents won’t have to turn off or merge onto A1A near the busy intersection with East Causeway which leads to the 17th Street Bridge to the mainland More information about the new subdivision including home renderings and floorplans can be found at riomarbeach.com Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 As The Tides prepares to spend one final year in the Cardinal Drive space where Chef Leanne Kelleher has fed island fans for nearly a quarter century a temporary new home – where the wildly popular restaurant will spend the 2026 season – is taking shape three-building mixed-use project – which will include restaurant retail and office space – is rising in concrete and steel at 1410 Highway A1A across from Johnny D’s Market & Bistro five blocks south of the 17th Street causeway occupying the entire first floor of the project The Tides will be housed in the building at the back of the project and Kelleher will also operate a full-service gourmet market in the building across the courtyard “We poured the second-floor last week and the concrete block walls are going up,” developer Anthony DeChellis told Vero Beach 32963 “We are ahead of schedule on the construction and will be open for business in early 2026.” Kelleher is making the move because her Cardinal location “It was built as a residence in the 1950s and it is worn out,” said DeChellis whose father Carlo DeChellis also was a well-known restaurateur in Vero In the spot on Cardinal now occupied by the The Tides a new Anglo-Caribbean style building will arise designed by Moulton Layne which also drew up plans for the South Beach project while Kelleher continues to operate the market and a second restaurant at 1410 A1A “The plan has always been to move back to Cardinal Drive The second restaurant will be slightly different from The Tides but I don’t have all the details worked out yet.” “We want to provide the South Beach area with a market sort of like Ryders salads and sauces along with entrees from The Tides kitchen that you can pick up to take home “It will be a full-service market where you can grab a breakfast sandwich or something for lunch and I will keep it open in the evening so people have time to stop by after work and pick up dinner.” Kelleher said that while she has not run a market before she “knows a lot of people in the market business but we have our feelers out all over the country and we will find the right people “We will run our catering business out of the market and Chef Sue Torres will be able to expand that business with the extra space we’ll have.” who said she will have to double the size of her staff expressed confidence the initial move will be quick and smooth with just a week of downtime between the last meal served at the Cardinal location and the first at 1410 A1A and we will work night and day to get it done,” she said “I have shiny new kitchen equipment that will be going to the new place I bought it knowing that we will be moving there so it will work perfectly We will have a nice big kitchen down there Kelleher expects the move back to Cardinal to go smoothly in part because she has collaborated with DeChellis and Moulton Layne throughout the design process “I have been involved since day one with the original drawings and I just had a meeting with the architects the other day,” she said He is very approachable and really interested in The Tides succeeding He has been coming to the restaurant forever “We are both Vero locals and have known each other for 40 years My first job in the business was working for his father “The new place will echo the existing Tides,” Kelleher continued There are comforts in the existing restaurant we want to recreate People really like it but in the current location it is standing room only We want to keep the feeling we have but make more room.” DeChellis is president of Windward Partners He grew up in Vero Beach after his parents moved the family from New Jersey to a home on Windward Way in the Moorings in 1974 the University of Chicago and a successful career in banking and wealth management holding top positions with several major financial institutions DeChellis bought the 1410 A1A site for $675,000 in 2008 when he was CEO of Credit Suisse Private Banking was torn down after being damaged by the 2004 hurricanes DeChellis and his team drew up plans for a mixed-use development on the site similar to the one now taking shape but DeChellis hit the pause button at some point deciding the market was not ripe for the project With all that has happened in Vero in recent years I am confident the market will now sustain the building,” he said With the restaurant and retail space spoken for and three of four office spaces taken more than a year before the project’s projected completion All that remains for lease is one 2,500-foot office space and some square footage on the top floor of the central three-story building “I plan to move my office to that space unless a large tenant comes along who needs it,” DeChellis said purchasing the oceanfront estate of the Gonzalez family “There are a lot of great things happening in Vero Beach and I want to be in that mix helping shape what will be here for the next generation.” Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 The climb back to Tallahassee is setting up to be steeper than years past for the Vero Beach High beach volleyball team Still, continued success for the program hasn’t been predicated on simply turning on a light switch. An approach sustained since the season’s opening serve has carried the team to yet another district championship Vero hopes that momentum will roll through regionals Vero Beach captured its fourth consecutive district title after collecting 5-0 sweeps over Melbourne and Viera on Thursday during the District 7-3A tournament from Vero Beach High School 3 seed in the Region 2-3A tournament after the FHSAA announced regional brackets on Friday morning We’re really proud of the work these girls put in,” Vero Beach head coach Matt Heath said “It’s really validating to have success year after year.” Playoff baseball: Vero Beach fends off elimination behind Sebastian Dimitroff gem More beach volleyball: In just two years, South Fork goes from sand novice to district champs Vero was the top seed in district while the Bulldogs were seeded fourth who advanced to the district final with a 3-1 win over No The hosts had no trouble through much of the lineup as four of their five duo didn’t drop a set: No 4 pairing of Paige Keen and Abigail Tucker dropped a set in its match against Viera Vero Beach improved its record to 11-1 this season Eight of the team’s victories have come in 5-0 sweeps the team in its fourth year of existence is in search of its fourth state tournament appearance Vero may have to play twice as an away team before making it to Tallahassee Jupiter is the top seed in the region while undefeated Winter Park is seeded second Vero Beach handed the Warriors their only loss in a 3-2 battle on April 8 another meeting between the two teams would be played in Jupiter with the regional title at stake Vero Beach has prepared for this journey not just with its play on the sand Heath has placed an emphasis on meditation with hope of putting things in perspective and visualizing the path ahead “We’ve been working on the mental side all year … I’ve tried to make them realize that the physical is only half the battle.” Heath said “We’ve got to be strong mentally and physically Fort Pierce Central also qualified for the playoffs in Region 2-3A fresh off capturing its first-ever district crown Then go watch your favorite teams as they play toward a state title Kayak: Save on flights, hotels, and more Last-minute supplies: Walmart has you covered Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com 3, 2, 1... It's launch day! On April 28, get ready to go outside to watch United Launch Alliance launch its Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral a global constellation of over 3,200 broadband satellites that will compete for SpaceX's Starlink network customers In October 2023, United Launch Alliance sent two Amazon Project Kuiper prototype satellites into space via an Atlas V rocket Here's what to know about the launch tonight ULA released a map showing the Atlas V launch of Kuiper 1 for Amazon and its intended flight path and launch visibility Here is when Atlas V will be visible on the Treasure Coast after its launch Launch + 30 secondsLaunch + 90 secondsLaunch + 150 secondsLaunch + 210 secondsLaunch + 270 secondsLaunch + 330 secondsLaunch + 390 secondsVisibility is dependent on weather conditions If you can't get a good view from where you are check the livestream of the launch that will begin about 20 minutes ahead of liftoff The webcast will be available here Martin and St. Lucie counties are expected to have a mostly clear evening with a slight chance of showers, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. Indian River County is expected to have a slight chance of showers in the evening Rocket launch in Florida?: Here’s a list of waterfront restaurants on the Treasure Coast All things food: Roundups of the latest reviews, inspections, new and best restaurants Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on Twitter @gonthescene (CBS12) — A disturbing incident in Vero Beach has sparked outrage after a man was accused of exposing himself to a minor—while wearing an ankle monitor Nicholas Wagner is now back behind bars after this unsettling event occurred in broad daylight It happened on January 10th at South Beach Park just over the Alma Lee Loy Bridge—a spot known for being quiet and family-friendly “You don’t really see much going on here except for people using the beach usually if it’s a nice day,” said one resident That peaceful image was shattered when Vero Beach police say a woman and a young girl handing out religious materials near the pavilions Wagner walked into a nearby restroom and remained there for an unusually long time police say he stood in the doorway of the restroom—fully exposed—locking eyes with the young girl and making no attempt to cover himself because we have nieces and nephews visiting in a few weeks and maybe they walk back there and see a creep like that The pair quickly gathered their belongings and left but managed to snap photos of Wagner and his car before leaving—images that became critical to the investigation Detectives identified the suspect as Nicholas Edward Wagner confirming his presence at the park through his GPS ankle monitor See also: Dog falls from moving pickup truck on I-95 rescued; owner remains unknown despite being under electronic surveillance could move so freely and engage in such behavior how was he able to roam around like this and just freely act like that It’s just—it's an awful thing to hear,” said another resident Court records reveal Wagner was already awaiting trial for previous charges involving child molestation he’s accused of inappropriately touching a student while working at the Treasure Coast Boys Academy Wagner now faces new charges of indecent exposure and violating his pretrial release Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. Sign up for our newsletter to get the day's top headlines delivered right to your inbox. Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can't miss video A leader in the travel and tourism industry Kara Franker has served in executive leadership roles for several destination organizations Kara has been featured as a travel expert for Southern Living she serves as Editor-in-Chief of several luxury lifestyle print magazines in the Miami Palm Beach and Aspen markets for Modern Luxury (CBS12) — A food pantry and comfort centers are opening to assist those affected by Hurricane Milton TheIndian River County Emergency Services Department announced on Wednesday that three comfort centers and a food pantry will open in Vero Beach The food pantry will be open from Monday through Friday at the Salvation Army at 2655 5th Street SW The comfort centers offer a space for residents affected by the hurricane to use the bathroom Residents are asked to provide their own toiletries and laundry soap Those looking for more information on post-storm resources can visit the Indian River County Government website croaking and rattles associated with tropical storm-type weather No matter how many times you’ve sat through a hurricane ― count me in for nearly 40 years of them in Florida — the noise is unsettling. To me, more unsettling than the 98 tornado warnings the weather service delivered to South Florida cellphones the day before from its Tampa Bay Remembering Tropical Storm GordonThe devastating impact of tornadoes in our own community — and the deaths and destruction our neighbors in Spanish Lakes Country Club Village faced — was the biggest of several takeaways of the storm for me: I learned not to take my safety from tornadoes for granted, not that I can cower in fear. It's important to prepare for the worst, as Vero Beach’s Mike Brownstein told me he did when his daughter called from Miami to tell him a tornado was headed to his home near the city marina She’d been watching a YouTube storm-chasing streamer ― perhaps Ryan Hall who my son in southern Indiana watches during tornado breakouts and suggested I watch Wednesday ― when she saw a tornado approach his home The tornadoes and Spanish Lakes tragedy reminded me of Tropical Storm Gordon, which headed this way from north of Fort Myers Nov. 15, 1994, according to the weather service One of two tornadoes on Florida's east coast killed a person and injured 40 as 50 manufactured homes were demolished and 100 damaged in Barefoot Bay and Snug Harbor just north of the Indian River County line the damage struck me as an example ― as Hurricane Andrew did in 1992 but more proximate — of how close we can be to losing it all to Mother Nature Many of us take stormwater drainage for granted but floods are an every-storm occurrence for some people In 2004’s Hurricane Frances water in the deep swale in my backyard never got high enough to reach the drain that empties into the canal across the street After 7 inches of rain in the prelude to Milton it was the first time in 30 years the water reached that drain As taxed as the Indian River Farms Water Control District canal was across the street, it did an amazing job draining the swales and stormwater from the rights of way and streets. David Gunter, the district’s superintendent, told me the day before Milton he was “cautiously optimistic” about the hurricane That can’t be said of other Indian River County home just south of Vero Beach and 17th Street near canals that lead to the Indian River Lagoon Too many of its homes flood, as I’ve witnessed for decades told me about damage from Milton and the need for Indian River County to do a better job of managing the stormwater The kind of flooding that damages homes regularly is not acceptable It’s probably impossible to replace the regular-guy, engaging personality Nate McCollum had as the county employee who kept residents as calm as possible during regular cable TV briefings for hurricanes in the 2000s Ryan Lloyd, the county’s deputy director of emergency services, takes a more direct, matter-of-fact approach He was great in the days leading to Milton, doing videos with me And while the National Weather Service has the best information and supplies the county with it He told me Tuesday to plan to be off the streets by noon Wednesday — the storm with tornadoes hit between 2:30 and 5:30 p.m ― then pretty much nailed the time of when we’d start feeling Milton’s tropical storm-force wind He was right on when he said to be prepared for 45 to 55 mph sustained winds and 70 to 80 mph gusts Sheriff Eric Flowers was spot on with the time when it could be possible bridges could close for high winds: midnight to 3 a.m letting folks evacuating from the west coast know our shelters had capacity to hold them “We are here to help you,” Lloyd said of the team of county employees As it has done following prior local hurricanes, the United Way of Indian River County has created a disaster response and recovery fund. You can contribute at unitedwayirc.org/hurricane Jeff Pickering, president and CEO of the Indian River Community Foundation announced it would donate $1 million to the cause nobody can overcome the kind of torrential rain and wind Milton brought,” Pickering said in a prepared statement “This financial support will be distributed through our trusted United Way to local charities to help those who need it most.” I hope we can all get behind efforts like this or any others to help our neighbors in need many of my TCPalm peers have dealt with similar kinds of challenges our community has from having no power to having limited or no cellphone service and internet critical to doing our jobs in a 21st century world and 24/7 news cycle Thank you to everyone who makes life easier for others while we deal with the aftermath of Milton, facing seven more weeks of hurricane season. This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com Facebook.com/larryreisman or X @LaurenceReisman If you are a subscriber, thank you. If not, become a subscriber to get the latest local news on the latest local news on the Treasure Coast Del Taco's first South Florida location is coming to Port St Lucie location will be located at 10950 US 1 and is slated to open in during the first or second week of January 61 Holdings Founder & Managing Partner Oliver Hurd told TCPalm Lucie was picked at the first South Florida site due to its growth He also said his group is planning to open another Del Taco location in Stuart next year Here's what to know about Del Taco's expansion into Florida There are currently 10 locations in Florida The closest one to the Treasure Coast is in Melbourne The menu featured a mix of Mexican staples such as tacos and tostadas and American fast-food classics such as french fries and cheeseburgers the Tex-Mex fast-food chain has expanded nationwide with 597 U.S Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene On April 28, get ready to go outside to watch United Launch Alliance launch its massive Atlas V rocket from Cape Canaveral In October 2023, United Launch Alliance sent two Amazon Project Kuiper prototype satellites into space via an Atlas V rocket Parts of Florida and as far north as Toronto will be able to see this launch To get a view of the launch from the Treasure Coast If you are watching from any of these locations you should make sure not to block traffic or rights of way on bridges and to follow posted rules at beaches FLORIDA TODAY Space Team's live coverage starts two hours before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space What is Amazon rocket launch?: Info about Jeff Bezos plan to launch Project Kuiper Dinner with a view: Treasure Coast restaurants with views of the ocean or river — and a rocket launch 905 Shorewinds DriveBlind Creek Beachside North and South Fort PierceFrederick Douglass Memorial Park Fort PierceNormandy Beach in Jensen BeachPepper Park Beachside Jensen BeachWhere to watch a space launch in Martin CountyState Road A1A causeway in StuartHouse of Refuge and beach StuartRick Neale contributed to this report (CBS12) — A crash on I-95 South in Vero Beach caused traffic delays on Wednesday morning near Mile Marker 151 on I-95 South in Vero Beach Officials stated that the crash blocked the two right lanes See also: Teens lead multi-county chase after stealing packages from post office in St. Lucie County Florida 511's latest update stated that the crash had cleared A 36-year-old Melbourne man was killed in a two-vehicle collision Sunday in south Brevard County, according to the Florida Highway Patrol. The deadly crash happened at about 5:36 p.m near the intersection of State Road A1A and Seagrape Road Highway Patrol investigators said a 65-year-old Vero Beach man was driving a Dodge Ram south on State Road A1A while the Melbourne driver was in a Hyundai Velostar heading northbound The Melbourne man was pronounced dead at the scene while the Vero Beach man was airlifted to Holmes Regional Medical Center An investigation into which vehicle may have veered out of its lane continues J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or jgallop@floridatoday.com. X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop. News Index Dining Guide Calendar Want to purchase reprints of your favorite 32963 or VeroNews.com photos Copies of Vero Beach 32963 can be obtained at the following locations: Vero intrigued by annexation of South Beach Some South Beach residents fed up with problems caused by vacation rentals in their neighborhoods want the City of Vero Beach – which prohibits short-term rentals – to provide preliminary data on the impact of annexation on their property taxes and other costs it seems some costs would go up while others would be reduced South Beach property owners would pay Vero’s property tax rate of $2.38 per $1,000 of taxable value instead of Indian River County’s municipal tax of $1.07 per $1,000 and they would be subject to a 10 percent “utility tax” city residents now pay but they would cease paying a 6 percent franchise fee to the County on water-sewer and electric bills South Beach residents would also give up any hope of getting off the Vero Beach electric system by a decision of the Florida Supreme Court or by some legislative tactic Issues with garbage collection would also need to be worked out as Vero operates its own solid waste collection operation South Beach is already on Vero’s water and sewer system “We’d love it,” Council member Dick Winger said of the proposed annexation which would increase the city’s population by 25 percent “The only [financial change] that amounts to anything is the difference between $1.07 and $2.38 But you’d lose the 6 percent franchise fee The water and sewer are going to be almost a wash and the garbage is going to be almost a wash.” Mayor Jay Kramer said “the tax would go down as well,” anticipating that the city’s expenses would be spread among more taxpayers but Winger and Council member Pilar Turner cautioned that would depend upon on what the council decided to do with the extra money Vero has lots of projects on the shelf that it has no money to complete including road repairs and  stormwater projects The city also has roughly $40 million in unfunded pension liabilities for its non-police employees City Manager Jim O’Connor said Vero studied South Beach annexation in 1997 and the results  overwhelmingly showed “annexation would be a benefit to the City of Vero Beach.” The move would shift potentially millions of dollars from County coffers to Vero’s general fund but the impetus for the annexation would need to emerge from and be approved by South Beach residents O’Connor said he and the staff would put some figures together but the concept would first have to pass muster with the South Beach Property Owners Association – a group that has been vehemently anti-Vero electric Staff will take about five sample properties of different values and calculate the annual increase in costs so residents can compare that to their own situation The biggest benefit South Beach residents would get from annexation is better police protection and vacation-rental code enforcement from the Vero Beach Police Department which would replace the Indian River Sheriff’s Office as the primary law enforcement agency extending Vero’s jurisdiction on the island to the Indian River-St Code enforcement was brought under the umbrella of Police Chief David Currey in 2015 so uniformed officers work in tandem with code enforcement officers to curb disruptions from parties or noise caused by vacation renters Vero allows vacation rentals of 30 days or longer the outspoken owner of a multi-million-dollar property at the south end of the island who says he represents his South Beach neighbors stated he doesn’t care how much extra he has to pay in taxes to get Vero Beach Police Department protection He is weary of a neighboring vacation rental being used as a beach wedding and party venue South Beach residents will line up to become part of the City of Vero Beach we feel we have a better home with you than where we are at the moment,” Conway told the Vero Beach City Council last week during a 30-minute presentation “Certainly we would welcome you into the City of Vero Beach I do believe the city has many strengths and many things to offer,” said Turner who has in her three campaigns for office received financial support from South Beach residents we can’t actively go out and seek annexation.” City Attorney Wayne Coment said what Conway is talking about is voluntary annexation and that a referendum of South Beach residents would likely be required Conway believes if he and his neighbors were covered under Vero’s code the disturbances he suffers from short-term renters partygoers and wedding guests could be halted If the big crowds and celebrations go away he claims his property values – which he said have suffered from the juxtaposition to a busy vacation-rental property – would rebound after heavy lobbying from vacation rental managers and Disney vacation rental interests passed a law in 2011 giving the state the sole power to regulate short-term rentals Cities and counties can keep any rules they had on the books but they cannot enact new prohibitions or tighten existing code to restrict property owners from renting out their homes Indian River County at the time chose to back off and not run afoul of state law devised revisions to Vero’s code that are yet to be tested in court to see if they violate the 2011 law or a follow-on measure that passed subsequently Should the property owners prevail and Vero be told by the courts that its tweaks clarifications and changes to definitions in the code overstepped the city’s powers Vero would be left with the code it had on the books prior to June 2011 and police would have little power to cite vacation rental properties Indian River County has approved a limited parking ordinance change and appointed an ad-hoc Short-term Rental Committee That committee has been criticized for being stacked with members who support property owners’ rights to rent out their homes The other hurdle to Conway’s quest for annexation is that the vacation rental issue mainly affects South Beach residents who live outside gated communities and who are not governed by the by-laws of a homeowner association or condo association Gated communities can and do police short-term rentals with their own rules and deed restrictions which often are more stringent than Vero’s so homeowners in those subdivisions may not rally to Conway’s cause Pristine beaches bringing surge in summer visitors Hotels and restaurants on our barrier island report seeing an increase in business in recent days as the algae disaster to the south diverts tourists to Vero Beach where the ocean and lagoon are unaffected by the Lake Okeechobee pollution that is plaguing Stuart the Caribbean Court Boutique Hotel used Facebook and three exclamation points to tell the world: “Our Beaches are Open!!!” With the toxic blue-green algae in Martin County’s waterways making national TV news Vero Beach hotels such as Caribbean Court and South Beach Place wanted to spread the word that the smelly guacamole-thick sludge has not affected Indian River County’s waterways and that they are open for business said tourists who don’t know how far the algae slime in Stuart and the St Lucie River is from Vero Beach were calling her hotel to get the lowdown on whether the bloom was contaminating waterways in Indian River County Zachariasz said she reassured them the algae blooms are miles to the south in Martin County said tourists who had originally booked hotel rooms in the Stuart-Jensen Beach area were calling her boutique 18-room suite hotel to see if they could switch and stay here over the Fourth of July weekend “People were looking for rooms north of the algae,” Santamarina said “We were putting it on social media and saying The contamination was created by the Army Corps of Engineers releasing Lake Okeechobee’s water down the St Lucie River to reduce the lake’s water level and avoid stressing the protective earthen dike that encircles the big lake Zachariasz said that even after they were told the algae was south of Vero Beach two customers cancelled their July Fourth weekend stays because they thought the green goo-like algae was harming Vero Beach area waterways But she said she was able to convince other guests to come “We explain it’s not in our county,” Zachariasz said her hotel posted on July 5: “We are 48 miles north of the closest closed beach due to algae content,” referring to Bathtub Reef Beach where Martin County officials had warned beach-goers to stay out of the water on July Fourth weekend guests were calling The Islander Inn on Ocean Drive to see if algae was a problem around here “People might want to come up here now,” Moreton said manager of the Nino’s Cafe on the beachfront estimated that he’s talked to 10 or 20 guests in the past two weeks who are staying in Vero Beach hotels after cancelling rooms in the Stuart area because of the algae problems He said some Nino’s customers who cancelled in Martin County are staying at the neighboring Costa d’ Este hotel on Ocean Drive “They made different vacation plans and came here,” Baker said Though it is something akin to a tragedy for the environment in and around Stuart the algae goo in Martin County seems to have bolstered Costa d’ Este's business during the holiday weekend “We experienced record-breaking numbers over July Fourth weekend and we speculate that it was due in part to the fact that beaches further south were closed over the holidays,” said Maggie O’Briant Potential customers have called Costa d’ Este to inquire about the location of the algae “We have received a few calls; guests are happy to hear that Vero Beach remains untouched and open for swimming,” O’Briant said “Our Florida guests are aware that Vero Beach is far north of the algae-affected areas,” she said “Of the few people that have called [from out of state] Zachariasz wonders how many potential tourists simply said no thanks to the Treasure Coast and Vero Beach without calling to find out the situation “It might be hard to measure the impact because some may have never called in the first place,” she said are fighting for their lives after overdosing on psilocybin mushrooms laced with LSD according to Indian River County Sheriff’s deputies Deputies said the suspect knew exactly what he was doing when he agreed to sell drugs to a minor But what he didn’t expect was that just a few hours after meeting up at South County Park in Vero Beach the two kids would end up in the emergency room screaming uncontrollably and losing control of their bodies authorities apprehended the two men they suspect are responsible: Kenneth Morris Jr. Deputies said that one of the juveniles had contacted Kenneth via a messaging app called Telegram arranging to meet at the park early Tuesday morning to purchase psychedelic mushrooms “He’s selling this to clearly underage kids and not only did we charged with possession we also charged with child abuse,” Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers said it wasn’t long after the boys ingested the mushrooms that they were rushed to the ER Both reportedly had to be held down and sedated by hospital staff eventually lost the ability to breathe on his own and had to be intubated The two victims were later transferred to other hospitals to receive more specialized treatment they had to be transported to the higher-level children's hospitals intubated taking in over the purchase of some mushrooms,” Flowers said deputies used the victim’s phone to get in touch with Kenneth and set up a fake drug deal Flowers added that Kenneth rode as a passenger while Jamaurie drove to the meeting place “When they recovered the mushrooms from the dealer odd that they definitely believed something was different about them,” Flowers said The report states the drugs tested positive for psilocybin “We're glad to have these two scumbags off the street,” Flowers said “Anybody else who's thinking about doing this and Indian River County is not the place.” See also:Smell of marijuana leads to deputies find gun in school in St. Lucie County Kenneth is facing several felony charges including two counts of aggravated child abuse sale or delivery of a controlled substance possession with intent to sell or deliver a controlled substance unlawful use of a two-way communication device and possession of marijuana exceeding twenty grams He is being held at the Indian River County Jail on a combined bond of $225,000 Jamaurie is charged with one count of selling or delivering a controlled substance Flowers said the most recent update he has on the two victims is that they are still hospitalized and receiving treatment Your browser is not supported for this experience.We recommend using Chrome Vero Beach, an elegant city on Florida’s Atlantic Coast, is a haven for golf, water sports, and fishing This Treasure Coast gem boasts 26 miles of beaches, an uncrowded shoreline, posh resorts, and a sophisticated arts and entertainment scene making it an ideal destination for a relaxing getaway or fish from the shore before setting out for some in-town adventures Plan your stay at Visit Indian River County County and city parks offer ample access to Vero’s beaches Vero Beach offers access to one of the most diverse ecosystems in North America There is no shortage of family-friendly activities in Vero Beach Vero Beach is the place to see opera performances Vero Beach’s coastline and waterways are perfect for an action-packed vacation that includes surfing Planning a dog-friendly vacation is easy in Vero Beach Vero Beach offers wheelchair-accessible beach access points Sit down to dinner just a stone’s throw away from the lapping ocean waves take a drive to an old-fashioned country diner or stop in for a casual bite at a local cafe Find unique stores, boutiques, and antique treasures while shopping along the streets of Vero Beach Vero Beach is home to stellar golf courses and an MLB-managed all-inclusive sports training complex for baseball By Kara Franker The international singer and her husband opened Costa d'Este hotel in Vero Beach in 2008 and transformed it into a world-class.. By Jeanette Scott I recently named Vero Beach Main Street as one of my favorite places to go shopping on the Treasure Coast Copyright © document.write(new Date().getFullYear())2021 VISIT FLORIDA. All rights reserved. VISIT FLORIDA® is a service mark of the Florida Tourism Industry Marketing Corporation, d/b/a VISIT FLORIDA, registered in the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office. | Contact Us Reading the recent email from Indian River County I was reminded of how the Lord works in mysterious ways Instead of a church and its new 400-student school building on almost vacant 9 acres kitty-corner from the 750-student Citrus Elementary at Fourth Street and 27th Avenue now it looks like faith-based ministry Habitat for Humanity could build 32 homes instead but passes the intersection to go to work and other places the possibility homes could be built instead of a school and its related traffic seems like a huge win I raised traffic concerns in 2019, when Glendale Christian School and its Baptist church sponsor received Planning and Zoning Commission approval to move their then 64-year-old compound down 27th from Eighth Street Indian River County to help: Can old Gifford Gardens site rise from the ashes and be a model for affordable housing? In 2022, the Rev. Randy Fullerton, trying to be a good neighbor, had vehicles in mind when school engineers unveiled in 2022 plans for a large on-site loop and other road work to ensure traffic would be kept to a minimum He declined to discuss future plans the other day seeking reasonably priced land to build homes for people who otherwise would not be able to afford them saw the church's real estate listing and reached a deal to acquire the property Will anyone agree to help? Amid housing crisis, lots of talk, little action on Indian River committee “The Sebastian-Vero Beach MSA (metropolitan statistical area) fell a staggering 76 places, moving from being a relatively affordable place to among the least affordable communities in the country,” the coalition wrote in its annual Home Matter Report That might be good if you want to sell your home and move elsewhere Home inflation has driven up costs for everyone via property insurance to prices we pay to local businesses they have to pay workers enough to live nearby or commute (and spend money on gasoline) from more affordable cities like Palm Bay About the same time that housing report came out last year, I called out the county’s Affordable Housing Committee for giving lip service to its mission Earlier this year, the county was of little help to The Source, facing health department charges while trying to renovate a former motel complex operating since 1936 between U.S 1 and Indian River Drive south of Sebastian The Source was putting in a sewer system and renovating 18 units The Vero Beach nonprofit planned to lease units from $450 to $650 a month Meantime, a group formed by the United Way of Indian River County began seeking solutions They can’t come fast enough ― at least based on a meeting held earlier this month of a county committee tasked with reviewing Habitat’s plans National trendsetter: Report: Vero Beach, Sebastian among least affordable in U.S.; leaders seek plan Barriers to affordability continueI thought the phone-in meeting with the county’s Technical Review Committee would be perfunctory how controversial would reviews of things like fire codes stormwater plans and traffic regulations be this is not Habitat’s first subdivision and it wants to build something the county claims it desperately wants: affordable housing the meeting threw Habitat officials and me for a loop when planners said the project would have to go to the zoning commission because lots ― 50 by 100 feet — were too small for a regular subdivision Wasn’t it obvious Habitat for Humanity builds affordable housing and should get fast-tracked through the system said officials were following existing rules which require the zoning board to review subdivisions of more than 25 homes While the county tries to fast-track legitimate affordable housing projects like Habitat’s Sobczak said he’s working on proposed changes for consideration by the county commission The second red flag I heard in the meeting was planners saying they wanted the subdivision to have only one access road They were worried access from Fourth Street and 27th Avenue would lead to resident complaints of people “cutting through” the neighborhood and was against county policy Despite pushback from Habitat officials and an offer to install speed bumps county officials remained unyielding — even if the school would have had links to 27th Avenue and Fourth Street said the rationale is to limit potential accident points but I thought “cutting through” was the whole point of the county’s grid system: to improve traffic flow Would county planners and engineers rather have gated which could lead to Habitat building fewer homes I asked Loomis about what I heard at the meeting saying he wanted to have a good relationship with the county He was optimistic things would be resolved county policies require it to have open space a nearly 1-acre preserve and stormwater ponds It also would have a homeowners association in an effort to keep homes Loomis said zoning would have allowed 54 units where Loomis worked previously (and I’ve seen this in Houston) I just hope the development moves faster than a proposal to build 14 homes on the 3.3-acre site of a 1960s-era, 55-unit apartment complex demolished in 2011 In May 2022, Habitat officials suggested they might be able to build three- and four-bedroom homes of about 1,125 and 1,322 square feet Then there were talks Habitat or the county could buy adjacent land “We just want to get the project done,” Loomis said Loomis also is facing challenges on lots elsewhere Habitat is developing that cannot hook up to sewer systems. New state regulations have added about $5,000 per home to the cost even if he can find companies to work on upgraded septic tanks now required by law Loomis said he's looking forward to Sobczak’s efforts to review local regulations which requires folks who buy their houses to help build them with volunteers and staff offers financial counseling and referrals to hundreds of other clients “We want to build more; we just want to keep the costs down,” Loomis said Imagine if everyone could find a home they could afford Then there'd be more evidence the Lord was working in mysterious ways Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @LaurenceReisman (CBS12) — An arrest has been made in the murder of a man in Indian River County last year The sheriff's office identified 24-year-old Durakai Lee Thomas as the suspect in the killing of Justin Bechtold The shooting happened during a marijuana transaction last August at 4350 5th Street in South Vero Beach Deputies initially responded to the area after someone called 911 to report a "man down" situation Authorities called in the SWAT team for a potential barricade situation but no one was found in the home The sheriff's office said authorities arrested Thomas in Tallahassee on Wednesday one of the island’s favorite fine-dining restaurants will move to a new mixed-use development at 1410 A1A across from Johnny D’s when the restaurant/retail/office project is complete in 2025 “We are moving,” said The Tides chef and owner who has already drawn up the design for her new restaurant working with project developer Anthony DeChellis a Moorings resident and financier whose family has a long history in the restaurant business in Vero Beach “We will have a nice big kitchen down there which will allow us to do more,” Kelleher told Vero Beach 32963 on Sunday “I think the dining room space will be a little larger who got site plan approval for his approximately 13,500-square-foot mixed-use project from the city in October owns the old frame building where The Tides is now along with the rest of the property that fronts on Cardinal Drive between Camelia and Bougainvillea He and his team are working on plans to redevelop the property “He is taking this building down,” said Kelleher of the 73-year-old structure where The Tides has long served memorable meals to island residents “I don’t want to be out of business for year or two while he builds a new building Both Kelleher and DeChellis say there is a tentative plan for Kelleher to continue operating her new South Beach location while also reopening on Cardinal Drive but who knows what will happen between now and then,” Kelleher said The site plan approved by the city and a rendering provided by DeChellis show a handsome West Indies-style complex on a 1.15-acre lot at 1410 A1A where Charley Brown’s restaurant used to stand The property is bordered by Turtle Cove Lane on the north and by a 7-Eleven on the south There will be two 2-story buildings separated by a covered courtyard and one 3-story section that extends south from the courtyard The 2-story buildings that flank the courtyard are about 5,000 square feet The 2,500-square-foot first floor of one building will house The Tides which will also have about 900 square feet of outdoor dining space in the courtyard The other first floor is designated for retail and DeChellis said it will likely be a market possibly run by Kelleher in conjunction with The Tides “We’ve had a lot of interest from people wanting to open a market there,” he told Vero Beach 32963 The second floors of both 2-story buildings and the third floor of the 3-story building will be office space totaling 7,650 square feet “There has been great interest in the office space “There’s no pediatrician within 10 or 15 miles of St and I am excited about the idea of possibly having one move into the project “The office space on the third floor of the middle tower – 1,200 or 1,400 square feet – is earmarked for my office,” DeChellis said “If someone else came along and really wanted that space for their business but right now I am planning to take it myself.” “We will go in for our construction permits in the next month or two and start construction in the first quarter of 2024,” said DeCellis Edward’s School and fishing in the Moorings canals before going on to Rollins College He was CEO of Credit Suisse Private Banking in 2008 when he paid $675,000 for the 1410 A1A development site he and his team drew up plans for a mixed-use development on the site similar to the one now in the works “This will be a Class-A-plus building,” he said “With all that has happened in Vero in recent years I am confident the market will now sustain the building.” DeChellis was CEO and president of Boston Private Bank & Trust when it was acquired by Silicon Valley Bank in 2021 for $900 million in cash and stock DeChellis made a number of additional real estate investments on the island he bought 1401 Highway A1A from ONE Sotheby’s International Realty broker-associate Michael Thorpe paying $2.15 million for the 16,000-square-foot office building Built by Proctor Construction in 2003 and located across the street from the mixed-use development site the building houses the main Vero office of ONE Sotheby’s which acquired Thorpe’s real estate business in 2019 but not the building he operated from paying $1.8 million for a little more than half an acre of land and two commercial structures including the 4,000-square foot building where The Tides is located L-shaped office building next door to The Tides on the north side paying $3 million for the Colonial-style frame structure and another third of an acre DeChellis said the Central Beach redevelopment project would involve tearing down the existing buildings and “replacing them with better buildings” in the Anglo-Caribbean style popular on the island He said plans are being drawn up now by Moulton Layne Architects the same firm that designed his mixed-use project in South Beach “Contractors who are bidding on the mixed-use project tell us it will take 12 to 14 months to finish,” DeChellis said which would push completion into spring/summer 2025 it will take another couple of months to fit out the restaurant Tides will move in and we will demo the Cardinal building.” I have shiny new kitchen equipment that will be going to the new place I bought it knowing that we will be moving there so it will work perfectly.” The entrepreneur and chef said it will be only a week between the last meal served at the Cardinal location and the first at 1410 A1A “I will work night and day to get it done,” she said “We will have it all figured out and my whole staff will be helping We did that when we moved into our current location We were painting until midnight the day before we opened There was the normal hand wringing at the Planning and Zoning Board meeting in October by neighbors concerned about parking and noise but DeChellis and city officials were able to answer the objections and the board approved the site plan unanimously “The site is more than an acre and there will be plenty of space for construction workers to park on our property island residents should be grateful that DeChellis is a local with the best interest of 32963 at heart He was in talks at one point with Southland Corp. looking at the possibility of incorporating their property into a larger mixed-use project After acquiring Speedway’s 3,800 stores for $21 billion in 2021 floating the idea of DeChellis building a big 16-pump Speedway station that would occupy the existing 7-Eleven site and his property “That would not have been right for the island Vero Beach is one of the more special towns in Florida and a place where I have a big personal stake There are a lot of great things happening in Vero and I want to be in that mix helping shape [an upgraded built environment] … that will be here for the next generation,” said DeChellis Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 TREASURE COAST — Heavy thunderstorms and drenching rain left several streets flooded Monday throughout the Treasure Coast The torrential downpour also caused Vero Beach and Fort Pierce to break daily rainfall records according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne Meteorologists issued several weather advisories throughout the day as the showers trekked south The rain left some streets overflowing with water including 35th Avenue between 8th and 12th streets in the Vero Beach South area Other sections that saw flooding include 41st Avenue Rosewood Magnet Elementary School and 36th Avenue near Leisure Square recreation center The rainfall total in Vero Beach was 3.21 inches as of 8 p.m. breaking the previous daily record of 1.81 inches set on this same day in 1955 surpassing the previous daily record of 1.90 inches set on July 31 Motorists who approach a flooded street should think “It’s never smart to go through a flooded roadway,” Law said “You don’t know what’s underneath You don’t know the depth of the water or if the roadway has been washed out.” More rain was expected later this week for Vero Beach Chances of showers were 60 percent for Tuesday, 50 percent for Wednesday and 40 percent for Thursday and Friday, forecasters said The days will have temperatures near the high 80s Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 Now that half the 900 island homes with septic tanks in the Vero city limits are equipped with a Septic Tank Effluent Pump (STEP) system or are on the waiting list the city is looking at converting more than 1,400 homes with septic tanks on the South Barrier Island and in the Town of Indian River Shores into new sewer customers STEP systems drain off the liquid waste from septic tanks reducing the chances that raw sewage would leach into the Indian River Lagoon Vero focused on its city customers on the island first due to their proximity to the lagoon there are still 444 septic tanks on the barrier island within the city limits not hooked up to a STEP system Three fourths of those are more than 40 years old and many are direct waterfront Of the island septic owners who had their systems inspected There are still roughly 75 homeowners who have not complied with Vero’s Dec 31 deadline to have an inspection and pump-out operating through the Vero Beach Police Department Utilities Commission Member Judy Orcutt said she’d like to see more people convert and for the process to happen much more quickly that’s a lot of septic systems in Central Beach and Bethel Creek … and so many so close to the water.” Building on the accomplishment of getting half the island septics converted to sewer – and most of the remaining septics inspected and pumped out – the city has opened STEP system sign-up to mainland city customers as there are about 600 septic tanks in Vero mainland neighborhoods The first mainland informational meeting about STEP conversion will be 6 p.m The city is sending letters to targeted neighborhoods in the 14th Avenue area for this meeting; residents of other neighborhoods with septic tanks will be invited to future meetings Even if residents are not inspired to hook up to Vero’s sewer system strictly out of a desire to protect the lagoon the city’s plan to tighten up the time elapsed between inspections and pump-outs of septic tanks inside city limits from every five years to every three years could motivate residents to hook up to sewer service That would enable them to take advantage of $4,500 in early sign-up credits and to have the city finance the costs over a 10-year period rather than being forced to convert to sewer after septic system failure Septic systems installed prior to 1983 are of special concern as they lack design upgrades intended to reduce seepage into groundwater or into the lagoon Once mainland STEP conversions begin taking off is to address the 1,300 septic tanks in the unincorporated South Beach area and the 165 septic tanks in Indian River Shores Vero Water-Sewer Utilities Director Rob Bolton said the city has plotted the locations of all the septic tanks on its utility system and is using those to determine the areas to take action on first “We have not picked a specific neighborhood for South Beach yet We have hired Tetra Tech to evaluate the impact to the lagoon Their analysis will probably steer the direction for which areas are the worst,” Bolton said To implement STEP conversions on the South Barrier Island and in Indian River Shores beyond those who voluntarily wish to become sewer customers Vero would need to coordinate with the county and Shores governments on septic tank regulation Indian River Shores has no ordinance on the books regulating existing septic tanks There’s also the matter of financing the hook-up fees paid to the city Vero holds the note on those costs for 10 years for city residents but South Barrier Island and Shores residents might need to look elsewhere to spread out their payments Another matter that would need to be settled before South Beach and Shores STEP conversions could begin en masse has to do with franchise agreements The Shores franchise agreement is up in 2027 the South Beach customers don’t even have a valid franchise agreement with Vero and both sets of outside city customers are looking at other options for service providers Vero presumably won’t make a significant investment in new sewer infrastructure in those areas until long-term franchise agreements are in place Each resident is responsible for the cost of purchasing the STEP equipment and installing the system but the city will need to run the main sewer lines down each street Bolton said the city is looking at various types of grants that could offset the cost of expanding the city’s sewer network into neighborhoods with no existing sewer lines Bolton told the city’s Utilities Commission recently that having grant money to help connect septic tanks in the most environmentally sensitive areas to the sewer system would give the “most bang for the buck” in terms of impact on the lagoon would also be accumulating more monthly sewer ratepayers to pay for further enhancements to the utility system Bolton said one big snag in completing STEP conversions is that the needed contractors are swamped right now with new construction projects and commitments to developers “I can tell you they’re not in any rush to get them in,” he said adding that only one or two installations per week get completed But his department has a backlog of 40 applications they’re still processing so those people will also get in line for a contractor homeowners wait – even if their septic tank has failed Bolton said he has no dedicated staff working on processing STEP paperwork lessons learned in the first wave of STEP system conversions on the barrier island will result in a smoother it’s going to take a long time to hook up everyone who wants or is required to install a STEP system Planning for STEP conversions adding to the inflow to be treated is part of Vero’s projections about how much capacity the utility will need 10 Vero is slated to begin constructing its new wastewater treatment and water reclamation plant at the airport within the next two years so the plant on the river can be torn down to make way for the planned riverfront development on both the power plant and sewer plant sites Inflow projections are needed to inform the design of the new plant Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 VERO BEACH — Parts of South Beach Park will be closed Wednesday morning as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues its search for abandoned munitions from the defunct Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base Corps officials said the southern part of the parking lot and the southern approach to the beach will be closed until about noon The public is asked to stay clear of designated safety zones where crews are digging parts of the parking lot and the northern approach Residents living in some condominiums near the park have already been asked to evacuate for their safety during the search A hospitality area at Country Inn and Suites on State Road 60 will accommodate residents with amenities Past searches south of the city and along the barrier islands have prompted similar evacuations as workers dug for long-buried and still potentially dangerous World War II-era explosives More: Search for World War II-era bombs to resume in Vero Beach More: Researchers collecting data prior to search for more buried WWII munitions in Indian River County Wednesday is the first in the latest round of excavations announced by the Corps last month. The searches are slated to continue through June The munitions are remnants from underwater demolitions training conducted at the base which stretched from Vero Beach to Jensen Beach and covered nearly 20,000 acres It was abandoned in 1946 and the site is now managed by the Army Corps of Engineers More: Unexploded WWII-era rocket found in Orchid Island garden display by Army Corps contractors More: Vero Beach homes to be evacuated as workers search for remnants of World War II military training A variety of ancient ordnances have been found over the decades including a large demolition rocket known as Tiny Tim, unearthed by a construction crew in January 2017 Contact Rogers at 772-978-2224 or eric.rogers@tcpalm.com Want more Treasure Coast breaking news coverage? If you're already a subscriber to TCPalm, thank you! If not, please subscribe and help support coverage of the Treasure Coast's most important breaking news. Readers may recall several previous restaurants that have inhabited the north end of the South Vero Square shopping center Florida restaurateur Gary Sofen and his managing partner Kevin Foster have recruited Chef Ryan Fitton to reign over the Vero Beach kitchen now They have partnered in bringing food from several cuisines; comfortable dining in a cheery ambiance featuring lively murals created by Kenny McGuire Studio of Tallahassee; and two large bars — one inside and one outside and a smaller private room holds about 20 guests Restaurant reviews: Looking for the best food in town? All things food: New and best restaurants, reviews and inspections I would have to guess that the Twisted Lime menu has something for everyone we sampled delicacies from Asia and Mexico as well as traditional Southern fare Plenty of menu items were perfect for vegetarians then topped with chipotle ranch and cotija cheese perfectly smooth Mexican queso blanco ($9) served with nacho chips and the crispy My burger-eater passed over the assortment of smash burgers and surprised me by choosing instead the Asian garlic shrimp soba noodles ($23) He enjoyed the sauteed shrimp in a sweet and sour garlic sauce with onions A very nice "no-meat" option is the Korean fried cauliflower tacos ($13 for two) Although they were a bit "juicier" than my vegetarian friend had imagined they would be She had them with a side of Mexican street corn that is served cold and flavorful Another friend had recommended Twisted Lime’s chicken tortilla soup ($6) telling me it was loaded with chicken and oh-so delicious I also had a Southern Cobb salad ($15) with crisp greens and veggies which I would have enjoyed a lot more had the chicken been warm Twisted Lime’s fried ice cream ($10) is a very large ball of vanilla ice cream with a delicious coating fried and drizzled with chocolate and caramel This is a must for anyone who loves cinnamon sugar Maribeth Renne dines anonymously at the expense of TCPalm. Contact her at maribeth.d.renne@gmail.com News Index Deal locks in South Beach residents to Vero utility services for 30 years South barrier island residents who live outside the Vero Beach city limits are now locked into receiving their water wastewater and reclaimed water services from Vero for at least the next 30 years paying the same rates as island customers who live in the city On the same Tuesday morning the City Council voted unanimously to adopt the new franchise agreement – which includes a 15-year renewal clause triggered by the written consent of both parties – the County Commission engaged in a sometimes-testy debate before voting 3-2 to approve the new contract Commissioners Joe Flescher and Deryl Loar dissented saying there was no reason to rush into an agreement of that length Loar attempted to derail discussion of the topic But the other three commissioners voted against them “I would say the rush is that we’ve been operating without an agreement for five years,” Commissioner Susan Adams said adding that negotiations between the city and county had been ongoing for “at least six years,” and that it was “irresponsible” to not address the proposal recommended by the staffs of both local governments “We need to close this out and move on.” Vero Beach has been providing those services to residents of the unincorporated county on the barrier island south of Castaway Cove since the 1950s the parties have been operating without a contract since 2017 when the previous 30-year franchise agreement expired County Attorney Dylan Reingold provided a detailed explanation of the agreement which he said gave neither side everything it wanted The county didn’t get the “phase-in” of city rates – which are higher than county rates – for its residents covered by the agreement but the city agreed to not impose any surcharges on its outside-the-city customers – something it statutorily could do – and provide the same level of service it offers city residents The county also retained its ability to discuss with Indian River Shores officials the feasibility of providing water which is currently engaged in a legal battle with the city over rate increases the county recognizes as permanent the 1989 Territorial Agreement that identifies the unincorporated south barrier island and aforementioned mainland parcels as part of the city’s water and sewer services area That means the county may not replace the city as the provider of those services through the duration of the agreement appear to preclude the county from doing so and that it’s likely the city would go to court to challenge any such attempt Even if the county could overcome those legal hurdles it would need to build water and sewer lines from the mainland – across a wide section of the Indian River Lagoon – to the south barrier island Any such project would require a “significant financial commitment” by both the county and south barrier island residents who would bear most of the costs “With all that in mind: Understanding the statutory limitations on the county the potential lawsuit that could ensue based upon the 1989 Territorial Agreement and the limitations in our ability to even get to the south barrier island,” Reingold told the commissioners “I thought this was an important agreement to put in place to resolve our issues with the city.” He said the city likely would pursue statutory and legal remedies to protect its service territories in the unincorporated county if the commission rejected the agreement “If we don’t get this done,” Reingold said “I don’t know how the city of Vero Beach will react.” along with commissioners Adams and Laura Moss It’s a very equitable solution.” didn’t commit until Interim County Administrator Mike Zito confirmed that it would be “extremely difficult” for the county to “physically logistically and operationally” provide water and sewer services to the south barrier island He also checked with Reingold to make sure the agreement didn’t “in any way interfere with the legal issues” between the city and Indian River Shores Three Shores officials – Mayor Brian Foley Councilman Bob Auwaerter and Town Manager Jim Harpring – addressed the commissioners during the meeting’s public-comment segment urging the county to delay action on the proposed agreement citing their ongoing legal clash over water and sewer rates the city charges town residents questioned whether the city could be trusted to abide by the agreement which places no restriction on future rate increases “The commission will be abandoning south barrier island residents by allowing city to charge whatever the city wants to charge,” said Harpring Foley said the city “reneged” on its franchise agreement with the town then warned commissioners: “Be cautious about who you deal with.” The Shores officials said the town was willing to pay for a study to determine the feasibility of the county providing service to the south barrier island The “follow-up” study would be an addendum to the Shores’ already-completed study of the feasibility of the county’s ability to provide water and sewer services to the town South barrier island resident Doug Demuth who said he was speaking on behalf of a coalition of property-owners’ associations that represent more than 1,600 homeowners in that area also asked the commission to table its vote on the agreement He said the county should form a committee of staffers and residents to further investigate the agreement and explore other options He expressed concern that the city would raise rates to cover any costs above the estimated $82 million it plans to spend to build a new wastewater treatment plant at the airport He also suggested the agreement be reduced to 10 years to provide recourse if south barrier island residents are unhappy with the city’s service or rates “It’s 30 years of subjugation,” DeMuth said calling the city’s rate increases “predatory” and describing the agreement as “egregious.” Flescher employed even more dramatic rhetoric in emphasizing the importance of issue and urging the other commissioners to postpone taking action on the agreement so they could seek more input – specifically from the follow-up feasibility study offered by the town Flescher argued there were too many unknowns in the agreement warning that it could be in place for 45 years and saying the commission has an obligation to not rush to judgment “How irresponsible do we want to be?” he asked “We’ve been trying to come to a franchise agreement for at least five years,” she said “There was plenty of opportunity for input before voting against the proposed agreement countered attacks on the length of the agreement saying 30 years is not unusual for a contract that will require the city to invest in maintaining replacing and possibly expanding its water and sewer infrastructure The Sebastian River Area is one of Florida's authentic Treasure Coast communities on the Indian River Lagoon and is home to America's first National Wildlife Refuge Pelican Island The Sebastian River Area is located on the central east coast of Florida in the northernmost part of Indian River County about 15 miles north of Vero Beach and 20 miles south of Melbourne The area is well known for the rare antiquities that have washed upon its shores and treasure hunters continue to search Sebastian beaches for gold jewelry and other artifacts Sebastian Inlet, Florida is the premier saltwater fishing spot on Florida's east coast favored by anglers for catching snook redfish bluefish and Spanish mackerel from its jetties The Indian River Lagoon North America's most biologically diverse estuary the St Sebastian River Blue Cypress Lake and the Stick Marsh also are fishing hot spots and a boater's paradise Surfing is a popular recreation and several major competitions are held here every year The Indian River Lagoon National Scenic Byway a nationally designated byway runs through the Sebastian River Area Golden Sands has east-coast sunrises and long stretches of quiet undisturbed sandy beach that have little or no artificial light essential factor to the reproductive success and survival of the 15 000 to 20 000 sea turtles nesting here annually Golden Sands in Indian River County is the starting point of Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge a 248-acre refuge spanning 20.5 miles that is designated to protect habitat for what is the most significant area for loggerhead sea turtle nesting in the Western Hemisphere and the most significant area for green turtle nesting in North America Golden Sands Beach has ADA beach access lifeguards a playground restrooms and showers paved parking and picnic pavilions 8302 North Highway A1A (1/2 mile south of CR 510) Vero Beach FL 32963 This beautiful stretch of unspoiled beach is a hot spot for treasure hunters It’s an area where a Spanish treasure galleon from the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet is suspected to have sunk evidenced by the number of silver coins found there Seagrape Trail is an unguarded beach with a paved parking area and a boardwalk access to the beach 9700 S Highway A1A Melbourne Beach FL 32951 Other favorite activities include swimming scuba diving snorkeling shelling and sunbathing Visitors can relax with a stroll down the mile-long Hammock Trail Waterfront pavilions and picnic areas are great for family outings Full-facility campsites and a boat ramp are available and beach wheelchairs are available upon request Beautiful sand dunes and verdant grounds await at this tranquil beach in Indian River County a great place to be one with nature Children can enjoy the pirate-ship-themed playground on-site and there are plenty of picnic tables and shady spots to relax There is ADA beach access walking trails restrooms and showers picnic tables and a playground Treasure Shores Beach Park is an unguarded beach 8102 North Highway A1A (1.25 miles south of CR 510) Turtle Trail in Indian River County boasts clear sunrises wide open spaces blue skies turquoise seas and golden sands perfect for setting up a chair and umbrella to take in all the surrounding beauty You may come across a few beachcombers here and there as they search for rare antiquities and other lost treasure from the 1715 Spanish Plate Fleet Amenities include a paved parking area and boardwalk access to the beach 1820 County Road 510 (east of State Road A1A) Vero Beach FL 32963 This Sebastian beach in FL is a favorite for treasure hunters and surfers alike It has an exposed beach break that offers both left- and right-hand waves In 2013 treasure hunters recovered 48 gold coins off the coast Wabasso Beach amenities include ADA beach access restroom facilities a boardwalk paved parking showers a playground and close proximity to pizza subs snacks and more If you're yearning for glittering white beaches that tempt you to ditch your shoes The soccer coach from Lauderhill was in a good mood last weekend despite traveling about 2.5 hours before his team lost 3-0 in a game at the Hobart Soccer Complex in Indian River County The Lauderhillians were 10 minutes from the beach and a short ride to dinner at Captain Hiram’s in Sebastian Coming to the Vero Beach area was like a vacation This Broward County perspective of the less-congested Treasure Coast helps explain the surge of South Floridians moving to Martin But as my colleague, Blake Fontenay, has pointed out in his coverage of Martin and St the surge increasingly is made possible by people we elect ― state legislators and city and county council and commission members — who can’t seem to say no to developers The tidal wave of growth is headed north to Indian River County Looking ahead: What do we want from downtown Vero Beach? A place lots more people want to move to, visit? The nitty gritty: Is this future of downtown Vero Beach? Duany finale draws applause to big, bold master plan More growth: Giddy over I-95-Oslo work south of Vero Beach? Don't be: Jobs, industry, growth big issues Close to Indian River County: What would the beaver say? Is Indrio Road exit off Interstate 95 best spot for Buc-ee's? Prudence, fortitude critical: St. Lucie County shouldn't abandon growth management strategy without giving it a chance Fontenay has described how developers have successfully lobbied Martin County commissioners to build subdivisions outside what’s called the urban services area — where it’s supposed to be too rural for the government to provide paved roads water and sewer utilities and other services In Stuart’s last election, voters elected a commissioner seeking to halt the city commission’s ongoing approval of multi-story condominiums and apartments Tradition ― supposed to be a well-planned community with a traditional town center — has sprawled out of control Heading north toward Indrio Road, St. Lucie County's well-thought-out Towns, Villages and Countryside Plan ― agreed to in 2006 by county commissioners after buy-in by property owners and others ― is facing death by a thousand cuts. preserve the environment and create walkable neighborhoods where people could work the TVC area may fall victim to out-of-town landowners and easily influenced county commissioners On Tuesday, St. Lucie County commissioners will again be asked to tweak the plan — by altering rules regarding garages and more — as part of rezoning 178 acres at the northeast corner of Interstate 95 and Indrio Road for 1,090 homes and 420,000 square feet of commercial property commissioners could be asked to approve one of the largest supersized convenience stores any of us have ever seen Buc-ee’s provides great jobs — the last I saw cashiers made $16 an hour and the assistant car wash manager $125,000 ― but … As I wrote months ago Buc-ee’s stores are cool to visit while plying interstates because they have the cleanest restrooms and decent food But they probably are no fun to live around especially if you have to use the suddenly congested interchanges where the stores are located Lucie County wants at an interchange north of a truck-stop haven home of gas depots and distribution centers” I don't think so. Land around the Indrio Road exit, based on the early 2000s community planning process, was supposed to be the product of an award-winning urban plan. where Fellsmere is applying for federal funds to engineer a north-south road to connect State Road 60 with County Road 512 west of I-95 A small part of it could lead to what City Manager Mark Mathes said should be a doubling of city population over the next five years Other agricultural land is at risk of development in thousands of acres annexed by Sebastian and in other parts of the county where city leaders are reviewing how downtown can finally attract a hotel or residences They fear zoning limits — 17 units per acre put in the city charter years ago ― are the culprit It would be good to add lodging downtown — it’s needed, as history shows — but maybe not at the 110 units per acre proposed by urban designer Andres Duany after a week of meetings in town last month City planners months ago suggested 30-plus units per acre might work Prudent planning has been a tradition in Vero Beach for decades. A 1953 comprehensive plan Jackson Stewart Back then, planner George W. Simons Jr. outlined numerous city challenges from needing a bridge at 17th Street over the Indian River Lagoon to underground and flyover railroad crossings He compared Vero Beach (then 4,700 population) to West Palm Beach (43,000) and Fort Lauderdale (36,000) noting growth was heading to Indian River County “Because of its strategic location, the character of its terrain and vegetation, and the character of development it has experienced in recent years, it is reasonable to believe that Vero Beach will follow a similar trend of growth,” he wrote, projecting the Hibiscus City would reach 22,000 people by 1980. (By 2022, Vero Beach had only 17,096 people, according to Census Bureau estimates.) As Indian River County has exploded to almost 170,000 people (Sebastian has become its most populated city at 26,364) Naples?It's why Vero Beach City Council should be extra careful studying the plan Duany & Co While the council hopes to ask voters to increase allowable units per acre on the November ballot lots more research and public feedback likely will be needed first People flock to Indian River County now ― too fast for roads to keep up — in part because of Vero Beach’s quality downtown Remember, as Bob Brackett, preservation specialist and major investor in downtown’s resurgence the past two decades, has said. Vero Beach is not Mount Dora; it’s not Delray Beach. And many of us don’t want to live in Naples but bring back downtown residents it has lost over the decades (CBS12) — The manhunt for a man accused of killing his wife in Vero Beach ended in South Florida The Indian River County Sheriff's Office said the body found in a car near the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise is that of Pedro Torres Torres was wanted for the killing of his 45-year-old wife on Sunday Deputies responded to a home along 102nd Avenue around 7:45 a.m. Vicky Torres was found dead inside the home Detectives believe her husband killed her before fleeing to South Florida in a 2011 Toyota Sienna according to the sheriff's office.Torres was known to frequent Broward County and seemed possessive of his wife and three kids They also say they would only see Vicky Torres come outside to check the mail we have experienced another domestic violence homicide in our county," Indian River County Sheriff Deryl Loar said We know that domestic violence is a crime that spans all socioeconomic boundaries We are working with our partners in South Florida to locate and apprehend Pedro Torres so he can be held accountable for this crime." The sheriff's office partners with SafeSpace Inc. the only certified domestic violence shelter and outreach organization on the Treasure Coast If you or someone you know is living in a domestic violence situation