— A heated town hall on Friday saw Vero Beach residents demanding answers from city leaders about financial transparency and the future of major infrastructure projects Hosted by the Indian River Taxpayers Association the event featured pointed exchanges between residents and city officials including Mayor John Cotugno and City Manager Monte Falls At the center of the frustration: missed deadlines for financial audits and the fate of a $175 million wastewater treatment plant relocation “It’s my responsibility—but it’s not my fault,” Falls said during the meeting blaming the delays on former Finance Director Steven Dionne but the city remains unable to issue bonds until the audit issue is resolved That delay is impacting the wastewater treatment plant project a major undertaking aimed at relocating the facility inland near the Vero Beach Regional Airport Officials say the current site—on the Indian River Lagoon—poses environmental risks “There were three options: rehab the plant in place or join the county in a regional system,” Falls said adding that partnering with the county is still on the table if the City Council chooses to pursue it the city plans to rely on short-term loans from large banks to fund projects Residents also pressed leaders about the “Three Corners” development a proposed commercial and recreational complex at the west end of the 17th Street bridge City officials confirmed that negotiations with developer Clearpath remain ongoing “Vero Beach is no longer a small town—it’s growing and we’re preparing for what’s next,” Cotugno said in closing remarks News Index 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: former Shores mayor and force in local politics who led Indian River Shores for 11 years during two stints as mayor and turned the tiny town into a force to be reckoned with in county politics died peacefully at Cleveland Clinic Vero Beach Hospital on March 31 after an extended illness no announcement of his death was placed in the local media and no memorial service was scheduled and a number of Shores town officials who had worked closely with him over the years were caught by surprise Monday when informed of his passing Cadden graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology and served in the United States Air Force ROTC flying Strategic Air Command missions across the globe He went on to have a successful career in the corrugated container industry before retiring to Indian River Shores in 1999 and first took office as town mayor in 2001 Cadden deeply understood power dynamics and how to apply pressure to get things done When he and a group from John’s Island would settle on which local politicians to support Cadden would work living rooms all over 32963 collecting contribution checks to deliver to candidates ‘We need people to know we’re here,’” said former Shores Town Manager Robbie Stabe One of the battles Cadden played a major role in was the defeat of attempts to impose a charter form of government on Indian River County two decades ago Stabe said he and other current and retired Shores public safety officers also literally owe their quality of life to Cadden and his efforts huge supporter of the Public Safety Department Everybody loved Tom because he truly cared about the town the people and the employees,” Stabe said When Cadden found out that the triple-trained public safety agency did not have a pension plan he knew the town would not be able to build the ranks of officers that would provide the services town residents wanted and needed “Chief Bill Schauman and I had meeting after meeting with Tom discussing it and he was like ‘That's just not right.’ He said ‘How are we going to lure really good top-notch people when we're not even given a basic retirement like everybody else does?’” So Cadden and Stabe found a pension lawyer established the plan and then secured the town’s share of state revenue for the pension fund “Any of our guys would do anything for Tom Cadden because he really went to bat for us,” Stabe said If it wasn’t for Cadden standing his ground Stabe said the department would have withered from lack of funding and staffing or been absorbed into Indian River County Fire-Rescue by now Former Shores vice mayor Jerry Weick served with Cadden twice – at the close of Cadden’s first run as mayor (2001-2009) and then again when Cadden returned as mayor (2011-2014) Cadden was appointed as the town’s point person on contentious utilities issues Cadden served as liaison to both the City of Vero Beach and the Indian River County Commission “He was a good mayor,” Weick said He said Cadden was an “early endorser” of the effort to sell Vero electric to Florida Power & Light and he also worked to find a solution to the town’s high water-sewer and irrigation water rates “He was knowledgeable and was a CEO of a company so he was able to negotiate a little bit,” Weick said adding that he and Cadden helped lay the groundwork that others picked up and ran with on utility issues who picked up the utility baton from Cadden and Weick on the Vero Electric sale issue and saw the sale to Florida Power & Light to completion said upon learning of Cadden’s passing: “Tom provided great leadership and knowledge of the Shores community A terrific role model for those of us who followed.” Cadden stepped down from the Town Council in November 2014 when Joan The Caddens subsequently moved from their home in Sea Colony to Oak Harbor the former mayor eventually took up residence at Oak Harbor’s Somerset House Vero Beach's Central Beach area is known for its public beach accesses boutique shops and streets that are named for trees and flowers and laid out in alphabetical order and notable locations include Humiston Beach Park and Riverside Park with its theater and art museum Here are the restaurants that make up Central Beach's culinary scene roughly defined here as Cypress Road south to Flamevine Lane and from the Indian River lagoon east to the Atlantic Ocean: (CBS12) — A former preschool teacher was captured on surveillance grabbing and dragging a 4-year-old autistic boy an Indian River County Sheriff's Office (IRCSO) detective reported responding to a Vero Beach daycare on the 700 block of 20th Avenue regarding allegations of child abuse The detective said she met with the victim's mother and father who reported their four-year-old autistic son had been in a physical altercation with his teacher The victim's behavioural technician told the victim's mother that she had stepped out of the room to use the bathroom when the alleged assault occurred and that surveillance footage captured the incident See also: Martin County fugitive caught swiftly thanks to local tip and surveillance footage The technician told IRCSO that when she returned from the bathroom the four-year-old boy was on the ground and visibly upset The detective reported reviewing the surveillance footage which showed Wood grabbing the boy by both arms and snatching back his hands and pushing them towards his body as he attempted to pull them away The video then showed Wood pulling the boy's arms with enough force that his head snapped backwards and pushing the boy down on his head when he attempted to stand up Wood then held the boy there until his behavioural technician reentered the room according to the criminal probable cause affidavit The detective said she checked the four-year-old for injuries and found that he had a large inflamed area on his right arm near his shoulder which is consistent with the video of him being grabbed The victim's behavioural technician told the detective that she had never witnessed the boy pose any danger the proper restraint would be a 'basket hold,' which involves holding the boy's arms across his chest for a momentary pause The detective later paid Wood a visit at her home Wood told the detective that the four-year-old was hitting her She explained that she hadn't dragged the boy After further interrogation from the detective Wood admitted that the force was excessive and told the detective that she had been hit with "one too many crayons," according to the affidavit The detective found probable cause to book Wood for a count of child abuse Find more ways to stay up to date with your latest local news. 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Subscribe to our YouTube channel for the biggest stories and can't miss video Holy Cross theft suspect signals change of plea Former Holy Cross Catholic Church administrator Deborah True was expected to change her not guilty plea on first-degree felony theft charges today avoiding what could have been an arduous airing of the beachside church’s dirty laundry going back more than a decade with potentially hundreds of local victims testifying about stolen donations True is accused of stealing nearly $700,000 over a five-year time period when she managed church finances alongside parish priest Fr who has been out on bond living in Colorado since her arrest three years ago on April 23 requested today’s change of plea hearing Vero Beach criminal defense attorney Andrew Metcalf said “the case is close to final resolution but I can’t discuss the ramifications of what’s going to happen until it happens.” Murphy and True had worked in tandem since 1985 at a Catholic church in Stuart and transferred to Vero Beach together in 1997 so the church’s losses presumably go back farther than 2015 But due to the unavailability of bank records more than five years old when the investigation began Vero Beach police detectives could only document $553,000 in checks paid to True plus numerous electronic transfers made with funds siphoned off the donation plate into an off-books account to benefit True police estimate the losses to the central beach church to be about $1.5 million and church leaders seemed oblivious to what was going on it’s likely the truth will never come out about the case Kyle Eder in a phone interview was that 30-plus years ago single mother struggling financially while working at the Stuart church and holding down two other part-time jobs Murphy began to use church funds to help bail her out The financial assistance continued when Holy Cross inherited the priest and bookkeeper as a package deal in 1997 and in 2012 True and Murphy opened a bank account at PNC Wealth Management which they never reported to the Palm Beach Diocese or to the parish council they would deposit $1.46 million into that off-book account According to True’s statements to police Murphy would allegedly tell True how to divvy up the collections and special donations of stock proceeds between the legitimate bank accounts and the secret account True told police that after big-donation events like Christmas and Easter Murphy skimmed off the bounty into the secret bank account Nearly 80 checks were written to True on the account plus she would electronically transfer thousands of dollars at a time to pay her credit card debt and personal loans More than $33,000 was paid to Wells Fargo bank to cover True’s credit card purchases at stores like Bed Bath and Beyond $236,000 was used to pay off two PNC credit cards in True’s name with charges ranging from shoes to electronics airline tickets and rental cars to pet supplies as they dined and traveled out of state together and True took care of the priest when he fell ill True admittedly took more than $9,000 in cash that Murphy kept in a bag in the rectory deposited it into the secret account and paid off a large debt with it before closing the account – which she said she did to protect Murphy True retired from the Diocese four months after Murphy’s death and was arrested in September 2020 after the new priest and parish administrator began uncovering the theft Prominent members of the Vero island community had donations stolen or served on the parish council which was supposed to oversee the finances each person whose donation checks were deposited into the secret account might have been called to testify to examine the check and to say that the money was intended to support Holy Cross Catholic Church – not to be used by Fr Murphy and True to benefit True’s own finances “Sentencing will be on a separate date,” Assistant State Attorney Bill Long said last week based upon True scheduling a change of plea hearing before Judge Robert Meadows With the very serious charges True was facing “First Degree Grand Theft Pursuant to a Scheme or Course of Conduct” in the amount of $100,000 or more if found guilty she could have been sentenced up to 30 years in prison The total True is accused of stealing is $697,138.98 The fact that the money was taken from church donations could be seen as an exacerbating factor causing the judge to lean toward the higher end of the sentencing range even if it meant True was likely to die in state prison In June 2021 True purchased a two-story house with a three-car garage in Frederick It’s in this comfy setting where Meadows – who inherited the case from retired Circuit Court Judge Dan Vaughn – has allowed her to remain while awaiting trial True claimed her adult son has mental problems and needed her True had been skipping court appearances by getting waivers so she would not have to travel to Florida but in April 2024 Meadows ended that convenience requiring True to show up in court each time a status hearing or continuance came before the bench INDIAN RIVER COUNTY – A teacher at a Vero Beach area preschool and daycare was arrested on a child abuse charge over what law enforcement authorities said were her aggressive actions toward an autistic student which deputies said included forcefully grabbing and dragging the 4-year-old boy across the classroom floor was fired by the company that operates childcare facilities across the United States according to law enforcement and state records In a letter seen by TCPalm that was said to have been sent to parents of students in the boy's class “as of yesterday … no longer part of our team.” The statement attributed to Perkinson reads: “After careful thought we made the decision to part ways with Miss Alice out of our desire to provide only the best care for our little learners We want to assure you that this decision was made with the best interest of the children and the overall school environment in mind.” Jessica and Brent Perkinson established the daycare franchise at the property A mid-January inspection by the Florida Department of Children and Families reported 169 students and a staff of 30 Jessica Perkinson said by phone May 1 she would not comment on the law enforcement matter regarding the April 29 incident She said the business performs required background checks but would not say if the teacher had been the subject of previous complaints Details of the incident are reported by a Indian River County Sheriff's Office deputy who described the classroom video recording in Wood's arrest affidavit and knelt close to his face then grabbed his arms and pushed them toward his body “pulls him with enough force that his head snaps backwards,” and drags him for roughly 3 feet on the ground she placed her hand on his head and pushed down again The deputy wrote in the report the parents saw a “large inflamed area close to his shoulder,” which was an injury said to be consistent with actions in the footage The boy was found on the ground by one of his assigned behavior technicians who went to school co-owner Abigail Tuttle and said he appeared “visibly upset.” The behavioral therapist requested to watch the classroom video Tuttle notified the parents of the firing and said there had been a “physical alteration” between the boy and the teacher More: Martin County Sheriff's Office still investigating death of 17-year-old Fort Pierce boy More: Former St. Lucie County Republican Executive Committee chair jailed in Okeechobee More: Record amount of sargassum seaweed could blanket Treasure Coast beaches this summer the boy hit her and threw crayons and that he tripped while she was moving him and that she had been hit by “one to(o) many crayons.” The deputy wrote Wood then “admitted the force witnessed … was excessive,” and “she regretted doing it.” The deputy concluded the report saying the video did not show the boy hit Wood at any time Wood was charged with child abuse without great harm and released from jail on $5,000 bail April 30 Her attorney Andrew Metcalf did not return a phone call May 2 afternoon seeking comment It was the second time in less than a year a teacher at the preschool was fired with accusations of aggression, following a September 2024 Florida Department of Children and Families inspection that cited “aggressive demeaning or intimidating” behavior by a teacher That month a teacher was fired “for her inappropriate behavior towards a child during nap time," and the daycare was marked non-compliant by state certification standards for failing to report the incident “the day the parent notified them" instead reporting three days later at the time of the inspection Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm Police try to sort out road rage stabbing at South Beach Park the 156-space parking lot at South Beach Park is usually jammed Drivers yelling at others as they circle the lot and pedestrians yelling at drivers as they dodge cars But was that what escalated into a late-afternoon confrontation that produced a call to 911 Sunday Is that what ended with ambulances taking one man to HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce with a laceration to the abdomen and another man to Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital with a possible concussion Police were still trying to sort that out Monday Was this a road rage incident or something else did it begin in the park or start elsewhere What kind of knife caused the laceration How was the man with the possible concussion injured were released from the hospitals as of Monday a spokesperson for the Vero Beach Police Department detectives are searching for the motive behind the confrontation The bulldozers that last week knocked down the old dry storage boat facility at the Vero city marina to start the rehabilitation and upgrade plan in earnest have finally almost succeeded in making a believer of an old skeptic like Bruce Jackson known as “Captain Bruce,” has rented a slip at the city marina for at least 10 years to moor his Moonraker a 40-foot luxury manta sailing catamaran available for Indian River Lagoon cruises I’ve been hearing about plans to do something with the marina,” Jackson said or it never happened when they said it would happen or how they said it would happen “They wrote a lot about it in the local papers,” Jackson said Because once you thought you had it figured out the next day it was going to change again.” with the arrival of the Proctor Construction Co things finally did start to happen at the marina on the eastern shore of the Indian River Lagoon just north of the Merrill P The city marina is actually split into two parts that surround the Vero Beach Yacht Club a private club that has its own boat dock in the middle of the marina’s docks and has enjoyed friendly relations with its municipal neighbor To the south of the Yacht Club – and just north of the dog park – is the city marina’s boat storage facility where the old building was knocked down and a new 180-foot boat barn will be constructed along with two new docks to expand mooring space and meet increasing demand from residents and visitors To the north of the Yacht Club are the marina’s existing five docks with a fueling facility and an on-shore building that houses other amenities for boaters like showers and laundromats The old boat barn was knocked down in one day last week and after the debris will have been hauled away construction on the new facility will start almost immediately as all relevant permits have already been granted The entire marina rehabilitation project will take another eight to 10 months to complete “We are hoping that the new boat barn will be ready to accept boats after this year’s hurricane season,” said an employee at the city marina it would be better to be able to offer them storage space before the hurricane season starts but that early time frame probably isn’t realistic.” Employees and boaters alike seem to be genuinely excited that work has finally started on the project to ensure that Vero Beach can continue to be a favorite destination for boaters along Florida’s East Coast Several employees took pictures of the bulldozers knocking down the old buildings Adjacent to the new boat barn are the two new piers the marina has already built but no slips have yet been offered to boaters there “We won’t offer those slips for rent until after the dust has settled from the demolition of the old building and the construction of the new one,” the marina employee said which due to legal delays is now costing about $2 million more than the original price tag also includes replacing the most northerly pier of the existing marina which has badly deteriorated wooden planks The original cost of $7.6 million has swelled to $9.6 million because of increased costs of labor and materials called for financing with a combination of state grant money $2 million in city finds and a low-cost loan If the city cannot find other sources of additional grants the size of the loan would presumably have to be increased The start of the project was delayed for about two years while the city resolved legal issues raised by the Vero Beach Preservation Alliance a NIMBY group of local residents who objected to the marina expansion saying it would cause disruptions for nearby homeowners The group had sought to place a referendum on the Vero Beach ballot which would force the city council to seek voter approval for such plans Shortly after a judge threw out the request for such a referendum the citizens group stopped its efforts to hold up the project and was eventually disbanded the city had already agreed to reduce the size of its new boat barn from 210 to 180 feet which will mean less future revenue for the city The marina has been self-sufficient and contributed some money to the city coffers in all of its years of operation The marina charges boats using its facilities by the size of the vessel measured in feet Monthly rentals are $18 per foot per month and for the whole season Latest mall plan for calls for demolishing Sears building A new site plan submitted in early April by Illinois developer DTS Properties calls for demolishing the former Sears store at the Indian River Mall and demolishing or remodeling a portion of the eastern mall interior near the entrance to the former Macy’s building – reducing the entire mall structure by about 35 percent the first phase of an ambitious plan to convert the dying mall into a vibrant multi-use enclave featuring about 45,000 square feet of green space with open-air markets New or remodeled retail spaces range in size from about 4,000 square feet to around 58,000 square feet Some possible new tenants include Academy Sports + Outdoors Sprouts Farmers Market and a drive-thru fast-food restaurant Future phases are planned to include a 130-room hotel and five residential buildings with 56 units in each building About half the movie theaters would be removed and replaced with two free-standing retail stores current laws restrict building heights to 48 feet; the proposed height of the hotel is 58 feet Developer DTS may apply for a height variance or may have to cut back on the number of rooms This will be decided in phase 2 of the project The maximum height of the other proposed buildings is 27 feet while multi-family residential development is permissible in General Commercial (CG) zoned areas with a maximum density of eight units per acre the future land use designation is Regional Commercial (RG) So a future land use amendment would be required or DTS could seek approval for a stand-alone Mixed Use Planned Development (PD) That also will be addressed during phase 2 of the project The next meeting of the Technical Review Committee is scheduled for May 7 An agenda has not yet been made available to the public It is too early to know if the plans will require a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission The old mall’s other anchor store sites – occupied by JCPenney and Dillard’s – are owned and managed by other companies National Public Gardens Day is celebrated every second Friday of May before Mother's Day Here are 5 botanical gardens — the only three on the Treasure Coast and two nearby Opened in 2010 on 20 acres along North Fork of St. Lucie River; built using native plant communities as foundation Skateboarding: 5 of the best skate parks on the Treasure Coast Snorkeling: 5 of the best spots on the Treasure Coast this summer who established its collection of fruit trees to help produce new food resources 15 acres at Florida Tech; home to 400 species of palms at one point but freezes reduced number to about 60 VERO BEACH – In a season filled with lopsided results the Vero Beach girls lacrosse team added a rare item to its resume: a gritty come-from-behind win against a top-notch opponent the players responded when their backs were against the wall Vero Beach is headed back to states after rallying to defeat St Thomas Aquinas 7-6 in the Region 4-2A Final on Friday night from the Citrus Bowl at Billy Livings Field Addison Parris emerged as the hero as the senior snatched up a rebound and ripped the game-winning goal past Raiders goalkeeper Jackie Feldman with 4 minutes all the work we've done over the season to finally get to win and do what we were planning to do,” Parris said More: Vero Beach captures 22nd consecutive district title with win over Viera Regional roundup: Central flag football again denied by Wellington, Vero beach volleyball bounced The home team trailed 6-5 early in the fourth quarter before senior Amelia Elliott fired in the equalizer with 8:18 Vero won the ensuing draw and successfully milked the clock to seal the victory “I remember I looked down on the sidelines and talked to the coaches and I said We're gonna see what this team is made of,’” Vero Beach head coach Shannon Dean said “They battled back … We knew the cards were stacked against us a couple of times when we were down and they battled hard.” Vero Beach (19-3) was the top seed in the region while St Vero enters its Class 2A state semifinal as a No Friday from the Paradis Coast Sport Complex in Naples Following a STA turnover midway through the fourth Vero senior attacker Erin Dermody drew a yellow card as she was clobbered on a drive to the net Dermody went to the bench with Parris subbing in and taking her place for a free position shot Parris opted to pass it back to fellow senior Grayton Del Tufo as Vero reset its offense we have this thing for eight meters where if she doesn't think we should shoot it “So we just thought it’s be smarter to pass it around and have a little bit more possession to run the clock down.”  Feldman stopped a shot from junior Pressley Carroll “I just got to the ball and shot it in as fast as I could and didn't really think,” she recalled the game-winning goal was a full-circle moment She suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury that cost her much of her junior season Parris returned to the field following grueling rehab I don't care how long it takes for you to get back in game shape and rehab that knee We are going to need you at the end of the season.’ And look what happened,” Dean said The Raiders took their first and only lead early in the fourth on a goal from Jordan Palmer It’s not often that Vero Beach finds itself playing from behind in the late stages of a match the message to the players was “don’t panic.”  “We just couldn't get frantic,” Vero senior Jazmyn Morris said just remember the game plan we went over in our portable before the game and just not rush.” Morris figured into Parris’ game winner standing rising to the occasion as the stakes increased “Every single moment mattered so much,” Morris said “Even if it was just one ground ball or a draw one play could change the entire direction of the game and it was really nerve wracking Vero maintained possession due in large part to Addison Coya withstood hard contact and escaped multiple double and triple teams late to milk the clock “When we had the ball and we called the time out “And that's when we pulled it back and went into our stall Vero Beach is back at states after reaching the state semifinals last year The team lost to eventual state champion Bartram Trail 6-5 Parris was one of three players to be on the mend with ACL injuries in 2024 freshman defender Ava Cook and sophomore defender Sydney Pridgeon suffered ACL injuries during regionals Pridgeon has had ACL knee injuries in back-to-back seasons reached its expectations and returned to the state semifinals The program remains in the hunt for its first state title since 2015 “Our programs had so much success for so many years we expect our program to be in the Final Four every year we are just so excited to get there and it will be a great Final Four." Patrick Bernadeau is a sports reporter for Treasure Coast Newspapers on X at @PatBernadeau or via email at pbernadeau@gannett.com A potential SpaceX rocket launch is on the horizon — and if all goes according to plan Though rockets here launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island people from the Treasure Coast can sometimes see this #SoFlorida phenomenon Below is more information on rocket launches from NASA and Cape Canaveral and suggestions on where to watch them from this part of Florida Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all the missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot) For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space have posted rocket launch photos and video on X the social platform formerly known as Twitter get to your viewing destination early and prepare to stay later after the launch because of heavy traffic VERO BEACH — A group of residents who said they feel ignored and frustrated by U.S Mike Haridopolos hosting town halls via telephone instead of in-person will hold their own grassroots event next week The organizers plan to have the in-person town hall meeting with or without Haridopolos being there “The main two reasons I’ve organized this town hall is to bring community members together to be heard and to hold Mike Haridopolos accountable to his constituents,” Organizer Rebecca Carswell said “Haridopolos is avoiding his constituents and he needs to know that the people who voted him into office have questions and concerns they want answered.” Organizers said the telephone town halls allow Haridopolos to vet inquiries, avoid answering tough questions and give responses that don’t directly address the issues. Those planning to attend next week’s in-person town hall should fill out an RSVP form Please join your local community members on April 22 to voice your questions and concerns,” organizers said Carswell said she plans to hand deliver the attendee’s questions concerns and comments to Haridopolos’ office after the town hall Republican congressmen are coming across tense town hall sessions as voters raise questions about federal job cuts and budget wrangling from the new Trump administration Next week’s town hall will cover topics including the economy tariffs and 401k’s and retirement plans plummeting along with the violation of constitutional rights threats to Social Security and Medicaid and Veterans Affairs will not be present at the in-person town hall according to his Communications Director George Alderman Alderman said the telephone town halls are an efficient way to reach many constituents and take their questions live while also being respectful of people’s availability Haridopolos has made several stops to Indian River County this year. His most recent visit was in March, where he toured the beaches and saw the sand replenishment efforts from the county after serious damage from Hurricanes Nicole The Freshman legislator represents the 8th Congressional District which includes all of Brevard and Indian River counties Residents previously said they wanted Haridopolos to focus on issues including improving the National Flood Insurance Program expediting FEMA reimbursements to local government and boosting Medicare reimbursements to healthcare providers Haridopolos, of Indian Harbour Beach, has a “Request an Appearance” feature on his website where residents can seek out the Congressman to attend meetings speaking functions or non-speaking functions The congressman previously served in the Florida Legislature for 12 years and as Florida Senate president from 2010 to 2012 Haridopolos serves as chairperson of the Space and Aeronautics Subcommittee of the Committee on Science The congressman also serves as Majority Whip of the House Financial Services Committee and a steering committee member of the Republican Study Committee Haridopolos’ next telephone town hall will be at 5:30 p.m. on April 28, with an RSVP deadline the day before. Those interested in participating can sign up on Haridopolos’ website 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 LAKE WORTH — Caleb Smith didn't hit it hard The junior's walk-off sacrifice fly with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh gave Park Vista a 2-1 victory – and with it The Gatorade bath preceded a long sigh of relief from head coach Larry Greenstein who watched his guys battle for the duration of a truly wild three-game series that wrapped up May 3 “Would have been nice to win 1-0 and save a few years of my life The fourth-seeded Cobras (24-6) will face the third-seeded Jupiter Warriors (22-9) in the best-of-three regional finals beginning Wednesday The first two games will be played at Jupiter with a third game The winner of that series advances to the state tournament in Fort Myers Remembering Game 2 comeback: Park Vista stages massive rally against Vero Beach, forcing Game 3 Watch high school baseball live on the NFHS Network Park Vista's Cody Wexler battled his counterpart Cody Morgan in a pitcher's duel that stood in stark contrast to the series’ first two games which saw a total of 28 runs scored in Vero Beach who entered Game 3 with rotations and bullpens alike taxed to the limit After working out some earlier jitters and escaping a bases loaded jam in the first inning scattering seven hits against seven strikeouts and allowing a single earned run if I can get him for two or three innings Offense was tough to come by for both teams but Park Vista broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the fourth Following Will Bavaro's stand-up double to open the inning Anthony Espinoza laced a single into right field to score the game's first run Even with the traction the Cobras found in that inning the first four innings were over in 45 minutes It was the game's later stages where onlookers were reminded of whether they'd taken their blood pressure medication Vero Beach had a big opportunity to score in the top of the sixth putting runners at the corners with just one out A passed ball and an errant throw presented what could have been an opportunity to score the tying run but the Indians held runners in place on both occasions A questionable check swing kept Vero alive in the inning bringing head Coach Larry Greenstein out of the dugout in protest While he’d been on the receiving end of strikes all night long from Wexler catcher Anthony Iaciofano saved the day by firing his own strike to nail the lead runner and help end the threat "We trusted our guy and we knew what they were going to do," Iaciofano said Sweat wasn't done collecting on the collective brows of both teams — for if the first five innings went by without much drama Vero Beach's Jace Romans took a pitch off the leg in the top of the seventh inning to score the tying run watching his teammate cross home plate and the scoreboard even out at 1-1 But Park Vista would finally break through the tiring arm of Morgan loading up the bases with one out in the bottom half of the inning to mirror the chance Vero Beach had in the top half In his own words Smith has battled mental pressure all game long at the plate but when he stepped into the batter's box with a chance to win Game 3 crushing a pitch — but pulling it foul down the left field line sailing into center field far enough to make Antonio Casella's slide into home plate more theatrical than necessary 'I'm not God and I need to just do what I need to do and I'm build for the moment,'" Smith said there.' And I saw it going back and I was like With Jupiter up next in what promises to be a battle of public school dominance "All I've got to say is that they better be ready," he said Alex Peterman covers high school sports for The Palm Beach Post He can be reached at apeterman@gannett.com Former Holy Cross Catholic Church administrator Deborah True was expected to change her not guilty plea on first-degree felony theft charges today avoiding what could have been an arduous airing of the beachside church’s dirty laundry going back more than a decade with potentially hundreds of local victims testifying about stolen donations True is accused of stealing nearly $700,000 over a five-year time period when she managed church finances alongside parish priest Fr who has been out on bond living in Colorado since her arrest three years ago on April 23 requested today’s change of plea hearing Vero Beach criminal defense attorney Andrew Metcalf said “the case is close to final resolution but I can’t discuss the ramifications of what’s going to happen until it happens.” Murphy and True had worked in tandem since 1985 at a Catholic church in Stuart and transferred to Vero Beach together in 1997 so the church’s losses presumably go back farther than 2015 But due to the unavailability of bank records more than five years old when the investigation began Vero Beach police detectives could only document $553,000 in checks paid to True plus numerous electronic transfers made with funds siphoned off the donation plate into an off-books account to benefit True police estimate the losses to the central beach church to be about $1.5 million and church leaders seemed oblivious to what was going on it’s likely the truth will never come out about the case single mother struggling financially while working at the Stuart church and holding down two other part-time jobs Murphy began to use church funds to help bail her out The financial assistance continued when Holy Cross inherited the priest and bookkeeper as a package deal in 1997 and in 2012 True and Murphy opened a bank account at PNC Wealth Management which they never reported to the Palm Beach Diocese or to the parish council they would deposit $1.46 million into that off-book account Murphy would allegedly tell True how to divvy up the collections and special donations of stock proceeds between the legitimate bank accounts and the secret account True told police that after big-donation events like Christmas and Easter Murphy skimmed off the bounty into the secret bank account plus she would electronically transfer thousands of dollars at a time to pay her credit card debt and personal loans More than $33,000 was paid to Wells Fargo bank to cover True’s credit card purchases at stores like Bed Bath and Beyond $236,000 was used to pay off two PNC credit cards in True’s name airline tickets and rental cars to pet supplies as they dined and traveled out of state together and True took care of the priest when he fell ill True admittedly took more than $9,000 in cash that Murphy kept in a bag in the rectory deposited it into the secret account and paid off a large debt with it True retired from the Diocese four months after Murphy’s death and was arrested in September 2020 after the new priest and parish administrator began uncovering the theft Prominent members of the Vero island community had donations stolen or served on the parish council which was supposed to oversee the finances each person whose donation checks were deposited into the secret account might have been called to testify to examine the check and to say that the money was intended to support Holy Cross Catholic Church – not to be used by Fr Murphy and True to benefit True’s own finances “Sentencing will be on a separate date,” Assistant State Attorney Bill Long said last week based upon True scheduling a change of plea hearing before Judge Robert Meadows With the very serious charges True was facing “First Degree Grand Theft Pursuant to a Scheme or Course of Conduct” in the amount of $100,000 or more if found guilty she could have been sentenced up to 30 years in prison The fact that the money was taken from church donations could be seen as an exacerbating factor causing the judge to lean toward the higher end of the sentencing range In June 2021 True purchased a two-story house with a three-car garage in Frederick It’s in this comfy setting where Meadows – who inherited the case from retired Circuit Court Judge Dan Vaughn – has allowed her to remain while awaiting trial True claimed her adult son has mental problems and needed her True had been skipping court appearances by getting waivers so she would not have to travel to Florida but in April 2024 Meadows ended that convenience requiring True to show up in court each time a status hearing or continuance came before the bench Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 Nationwide protests erupted May 1 against the Trump administration its policies and the billionaires supporting them More than 1,000 demonstrations and rallies were scheduled in every state and abroad on May 1 which is historically known as May Day or International Workers' Day Protests centered on opposition to President Donald Trump and billionaire supporters, including Elon Musk, who has led the Department of Government Efficiency's slashing of the federal workforce the Martin County Democratic Executive Committee organized a rally from 5 to 7 p.m several organizations including Democrats of Indian River and the Democratic Club of Indian River County Countless numbers of people are expected to pour into the streets across the nation tonight to protest against President Donald Trump and his administration There are over 1,000 demonstrations and rallies planned for May 1 which historically is known as May Day or International Workers' Day There will be at least two on the Treasure Coast Here's what to know about May Day protests happening on the Treasure Coast and nationwide Hands off protest: Thousands gather Saturday across the Treasure Coast to protest President Donald Trump Development: St. Lucie County facing legal challenges year after deciding not to allow more high rises These two May Day protests are planned on the Treasure Coast: Organizers are also accusing the Trump administration Musk and wealthy backers of attempting to "erase labor rights May Day is celebrated on May 1 and is historically recognized as Workers' Day or International Workers' Day It became associated with workers' rights in 1886 when hundreds of thousands of laborers in Chicago participated in a multiday strike to push for an eight-hour workday It is also a seasonal celebration of spring marked by parades and bright colors USA Today reporter Christopher Cann contributed to this report 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 the ash from burning sugar cane falls on Stuart It actually deposits a fine ash on autos that is very hard to remove once wet with a morning dew I am a veteran who proudly served in the U.S I support veterans organizations to include the Navy SEAL Museum as an owner of a unit in Sea Palms Condominium we have several concerns regarding the proposed expansion of the museum property We respectfully request this expansion proposal be denied Anyone reading the messages from our local representatives in Tallahassee will not be comforted to find that their priorities right now are to re-name the Gulf of Mexico and to make harder the process for citizens filing petition initiatives Facing financial and insurance trials ever more damaging to homeowners and renters Debbie Mayfield is doing nothing to help you It's hard to imagine the city of Vero Beach being in any worse situation itself right now and all the city gets is happy talk and a kick in the pants (which it well deserves in the opinion of many) when requesting aid There appears to be little hope for fiscal responsibility beyond rhetoric and see what your representatives are doing While reading Ingrid Jacques' column in this newspaper ("Make it make sense: Liberals torch EVs to fight Trump I had to assume it was an April Fool's joke law enforcement supporting" MAGAs stormed the Capitol caused millions of dollars in damage to the lawmaking institution of the United States and assaulted police officers with flag poles and bear spray If this was not Jacques attempt at an April Fool's joke then it was hypocrisy of the highest order As a lifelong "traditional" Republican (think minimize government spending back in the day) I need to go on record as saying my view of the upcoming extension of the trillions of dollars in federal tax cuts will only massively add to the tens of trillions of dollars in federal debt we have already egregiously rung up This cash grab by the very and moderately wealthy (and supported by clueless citizenry who will never see real money) and not remotely countered by the majority of our congressional representatives previews an imminent horror show that can no longer be deferred to future generations we are fast-tracking our arrival to the grave we dug ourselves In the pursuit of financial gain by our representatives who evidently lack other viable career paths they have sold us out for their massive personal benefit and our country's accelerated demise Incompetence by our leaders is no longer relevant The implementation of new President Donald Trump tariffs will almost certainly touch off a recession as it aligns with established strategies of authoritarian regimes Trump has been working to tank the economy since his return to power knowing significant economic hardship can render the population more manageable Dictators exploit feelings of physical or economic insecurity Trump's policies will perpetuate greater insecurity has been employed in various countries worldwide ― with Hungary and Turkey as just the latest examples this strategy aims to demoralize the opposition as people eventually become disillusioned with the loss of their freedom and other once-cherished rights and finally mobilize they are often too late to turn back the totalitarian tide due to the capture and intimidation of civil society and the instruments of government I’m afraid the only viable solution is highly disruptive resistance I mean massive protests and general strikes that bring the country to a standstill I am hopeful that unions will spearhead this movement Democracy has served us well for over two centuries Donald Trump reached a degree of notoriety in the reality TV show “The Apprentice.”  He was noted primarily for uttering the words: “You’re fired.” This is ironic because Trump refuses to fire incompetent Cabinet-level officials he’s appointed would be an admission of his own incompetence because he’s told us he hires only the “best and brightest” to serve in his administration (Such is the behavior of insecure “leaders” who surround themselves with incompetent Jeffrey Goldberg revealed he was included in a highly sensitive Cabinet-level discussion about Yemeni war plans Those who participated in the conversation included Vice President JD Vance Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard This discussion of top-secret information was conducted on the commercial chat app Signal an extraordinary blunder by high-level officials This is an example of gross incompetence by political appointees who were well aware they were discussing critically sensitive war plans on a commercial application used by the general public (If only the actors in “Animal House” had access to social media when it was filmed.) Trump declared: “I don’t know anything about it.” His submissive press secretary gushed: “President Trump continues to have the utmost confidence in his national security team.”  a White House official in Moscow joined the conversation Embassy’s Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility where all such highly confidential discussions are required to be held Russia routinely conducts sophisticated surveillance of all American officials visiting Moscow How can any intelligent American consider this administration competent Elon Musk was one of the heroes of the Democrats and their leftist buddies For anyone living under a rock for the past 20 years Tesla is the leader in electric vehicle production Because he agreed with President Donald Trump’s agenda Musk became a Republican before the election fraud and abuse within the federal government his stone-turning ruffled a few feathers within the bureaucracy The left and Democratic groups responded with demonstrations There has been violence against Tesla owners dealers and charging stations — including firebombs and torching Teslas Democrats refuse to criticize such behavior Musk’s audit group) said only 0.15% of those laid-off were done involuntarily If you are worried DOGE will cut your Social Security DOGE is seeking to rid abuse so the United States can eventually balance the budget and pay down the national debt we need extreme measures to keep the United States solvent Remember Trump’s favorite quote: “Promises made so forgive me if I have to sound this out out loud his own government and everyone else on the face of the planet agree will raise prices for every consumer in America What Trump would like you to believe is eventually manufacturing will move back to America and these prices will go down Trump would like you to believe something that has never happened in the history of mankind: He tells you prices will drop when have prices ever dropped for anything once they’ve been raised and people are paying them The Trump administration is betting the entire American economy on something that has never happened What the American public is about to witness is the greatest transfer of wealth in the history of mankind All that extra money the Americans consumer is about to shell out where do you think that money is going to end up It will end up in the pockets of very same billionaires who stood on the stage with Trump when he was inaugurated VERO BEACH — The city filed its 2022-2023 annual financial report and audit on April 30 Now it waits to hear if it faces any financial penalties from the state Worst-case scenario would be the state withholding $258,000 — two months of half-cent sales tax revenue it's already received its half-cent sales tax payment for March leaving only April's approximately $130,000 in limbo we are glad we met the deadline we told the state," said City Manager Monte Falls in March to discuss a request for extension Collins is chair of the Joint Legislative Auditing Committee which oversees audits from each municipality and can authorize deadline extensions with or without the committee's approval neither Mayor John Cotugno nor Falls has heard whether the the extension was approved An extension likely would mean there's no penalty all revenue sharing is restored and funds will be released," said Falls "We have not had any paychecks bounce nor any retiree pension payments missed due to this issue." auditing service Cherry Bekaert and other outside help have been working to meet the deadline to work under Finance Director Steven Dionne After Dionne was fired in February for failing to file the audit on time "I thought I would start gradually," Burnham said as accounting manager for the city of Troy Burnham found herself navigating a similar situation due to staff shortages we had to just roll up our sleeves and get it done," explained Burnham "Vero Beach has had great audits in the past There is no reason we can't get back to that standard." On top of completing the audit in a short time frame she had to learn new financial software and juggle the city's numerous projects — without an assistant finance director Three Corners timeline: What's next for the Three Corners project? City beautification: Tree wrapping project underway in Vero Beach but Burnham likely won't be completed until August "This situation has set us back," Burnham explained "We'll have to work on the upcoming audit and budget in conjunction." "Lisa has been nothing short of fantastic," said Cotugno and delivered on their promise of April 30 we're at the light at the end of the tunnel." Nick Slater is TCPalm's Indian River County Watchdog reporter. You can reach him at Nick.Slater@tcpalm.com and 224-830-2875 The daughter of a longtime family pizza business in Vero Beach is branching out on her own quietly opened Niki’s Pizza on April 10 on Old Dixie Highway next to Dom’s Bar in the Vero Commerce Center plaza “It’s been a dream of mine since I was seven,” Capobianco-Carroll told TCPalm I spent a lot of time — like 8 years almost — missing the love of my life “But I didn’t want to cause havoc between my family and me She didn’t know how her family would take it until she sat them down last year but they said they were proud of her and encouraged her to open a pizzeria Capobianco-Carroll renovated the new space from top to bottom redoing the walls and floors and adding stainless steel throughout the kitchen She thought it would be a breeze to open a 28-seat pizzeria But one day she had to close because of oven issues and another she closed because she needed a break physically She kept customers updated by posting on social media so I’m trying to figure all that out,” Capobianco-Carroll said “I never thought I would be pumping out as much as I’m pumping out of here.” She didn’t know what she would’ve done without him to help her open “It’s a newborn baby — I’ve been working nonstop,” Capobianco-Carroll said The outpouring from the community has been amazing.” The menu features New York-style whole pizzas as well as a gluten-free cauliflower crust at 10-11 inches including a hot or cold Italian — or a chicken Coming soon: New cafe, coffee shop opening downtown this summer Best pizza: Who won TCPalm's March Madness style basketball bracket? Tuesday-Saturday (sometimes closes 2-4 p.m.) 772-205-2099, Facebook VERO BEACH — Before the high school baseball playoffs, Larry Greenstein spoke with his Park Vista High team about the “Miracle on Ice.”  the United States ice hockey team defeated then powerful Russia in the semifinal round before going on to win the gold medal “I think I just witnessed another miracle,” Greenstein said Palm Beach County high school baseball: Previewing every second round regional series Watch high school baseball live on the NFHS Network Held to one hit during five scoreless innings the top of the order got it going in the sixth for fourth-seeded Park Vista by drawing the first two walks of the game issued by Vero Beach starter Sebastian Dimitroff Anthony Espinoza plated the first run with a double on a 3-2 pitch Anthony Inciofano drove in two more with a double to knock Dimitroff from the game Michael Myers had a run-scoring double before Tristan Pokabla socked a home run over the left-field fence to make it 7-6 against reliever Brandon Walker Johnny Iaciofano greeted Ashton Wetmiller with a single really good,” Greenstein said of Dimitroff “I give credit to our guys for digging deep Aiden Buster to the rescueAlready thin on pitching Greenstein turned to seldom-used Buster to start the fifth inning with his team down 7-0 Buster was cut from the Park Vista team as a freshman and sophomore It was “the love of the game” that kept Buster coming back for more “Wrestling helped me out a lot,” Buster said “When you’re on the mat and you’re one-on-one I just zoned out and I guess I did the job.” Making his sixth appearance of the season and owner of an earned run average close to 10 Buster retired the first eight hitters he faced “I said a prayer and it went my way tonight,” Buster said “This season really hasn’t been the best for me Tonight hopefully is big for a lot of us.” He had such a heart,” Greenstein said of his senior right-hander Still there was that elusive 21st out to record Marshall Cobb kept Vero Beach (27-3) alive with a single to right Pinch-hitter Wyatt Scruggs then doubled to left Park Vista caught the runner scrambling to get back to third base and Michael Maynes applied the tag to send the visitors into a frenzy “That was the best comeback I’ve ever seen,” Buster said They got the runs and I just kept them from scoring runs.” “It’s amazing when a bunch of guys pull together for one guy He had the juice flowing,” Greenstein said of Buster but that’s all inside him with the help of his team.” top-seeded Vero Beach plated two runs in the second inning three in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 7-0 lead Cole Morgan hit his second home run of the season and had a run-scoring single on an 0-2 pitch Cobb knocked in a pair of runs with a single Jordan Tomas pushed across another with a bases-loaded walk “They kept adding runs and the task got taller,” Greenstein said That’s why you have to play all seven innings.” “I explain it as baseball,” Vero Beach coach Bryan Rahal said “Sometimes you get going and their hitting got a little contagious I as a coach didn’t do enough to stop that Deciding game SaturdayThe teams will play seven innings (or more) Saturday to decide which team goes to the regional final Greenstein said it was too early to look to Saturday “We get to practice tomorrow (Friday),” Greenstein said after his team raised its mark to 23-6 Rahal also looks forward to Friday's practice “We’ll come out tomorrow and try to fix some of the things we didn’t do well tonight,” Rahal said “Sharpen up some of the things we did and get ready to go play on Saturday.” Bryan does an awesome job with his whole staff Saturday's winner will play the winner of the deciding game between second-seeded Harmony and third-seeded Jupiter in a series that begins May 7 at the higher seed INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A 21-year-old Vero Beach woman was killed after veering into the path of an oncoming truck while turning left onto Oslo Road on Monday Fire rescue crews used machinery to free the woman’s body from the car “The driver failed to observe the closing distance of (the second vehicle),” troopers said in a statement was taken to the HCA Florida Vero Beach Emergency Room with nonlife-threatening injuries The collision closed east and westbound lanes on Oslo Road The wreck involving a 2008 Honda Civic and a 2024 Ford F-250 carrying a trailer happened about 3:14 p.m at the Oslo Road and 66th Avenue intersection Troopers said the woman was driving the Honda southbound on 66th Avenue while the man was traveling west in the Ford pickup The woman reached the intersection and tried to turn onto eastbound Oslo Road The front of the Ford struck the left side of the car The woman was pronounced dead at the scene Officials reopened eastbound lanes on Oslo Road by 7 p.m It was unclear when the westbound lanes would reopen to traffic Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 Florida is overflowing with options for waterfront restaurants USA TODAY Network’s Florida dining and entertainment team recently put together a list of the top 10 waterfront dining restaurants in the Sunshine State See which Treasure Coast restaurant made the list as well as the other restaurants ranging from north to south and east to west across the state is one of Vero Beach pioneer Waldo Sexton's historic landmarks he built it using the timbers of a dairy barn destroyed in a storm Waldo's was supposed to be a family beach house but evolved into the Driftwood Resort with an oceanfront restaurant and bar It has indoor and outdoor seating with a guest-only pool in the middle live music on the weekends and a wooden deck that sits on the beach Its beachside munchies include Key West conch fritters and Breconshire nachos as well as its world-famous chicken wings and signature chicken salad New restaurant: Daughter of longtime Vero Beach family pizzeria opens her own place Here are the other Florida waterfront restaurants outside the Treasure Coast that made the list: VERO BEACH — Now that the city has chosen its developer for the long-awaited Three Corners project it must follow a strict timeline to complete the negotiation process was unanimously chosen April 22 as the developer city-owned waterfront property at Indian River Boulevard and 17th Street Negotiations are expected to play out in three steps leading up to the signing of a final development agreement the city has the right to negotiate with the second-place finisher — The Blue at Vero Beach LLC Marquette; Edgar Jones & Co.; SuDa; and The Continental Companies Deep dive: Vero Beach taps Clearpath as developer for long-awaited Three Corners project Mysterious jet: Luxurious South Korean passenger plane at Vero Beach Regional Airport Clearpath believes the best way to tackle the $249 million according to Clearpath Services founder Randy Lloyd A consultant estimates the project will cost $216 million Clearpath's plan includes a waterfront event center central community park and amphitheater; a children's wonder museum of science health and technology; a 20,000-square-foot boutique grocery store market and food court; and 705 parking spaces Big Blue — the decommissioned municipal power plant and centerpiece of the project — is expected to anchor the development and comprise 122,000 square feet while eight condo villas and 11 fishing-village cottages round out lodging accommodations Joann's closed 112 stores nationwide on April 28 after going-out-of-business sales began following the company's filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January On the Treasure Coast, the Joann's location in Vero Beach closed its doors on April 26, USA Today reported. The Jensen Beach location remained open as of April 29 Here's what to know about the closing sales Joann's initially announced it would close about 500 of its 800 stores in February, but after its second Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in less than a year Joann's remaining assets were put up for auction Retail liquidator GA Group and Joann's term lenders won the bidding for the struggling company on Feb Joann's collaborated with the new ownership group and announced it would shut down operations after conducting going-out-of-business sales at all stores Which Joann's are still open?: 20 Florida Joann fabrics stores closed in April. Did yours? Joann's is advertising between 40% to 70% off everything in store The company has stopped accepting online orders The company is urging customers to beware of fake Joann's websites since the company disabled online ordering on March 5 The last Joann's location remaining on the Treasure Coast is 3563 N.W See places you can shop at insteadHave a half-knit sweater that needs more yarn In addition to local craft stores and thrift shops here are some online and in-person alternatives for Joann's: Aldi will be opening a new location in Jensen Beach replacing the former Winn-Dixie at 1105 N.E This Aldi was one of the former Winn-Dixies converted as part of Aldi's 2024 acquisition deal but it is on Aldi's website under the grand openings tab with the other store just over 3 miles away The 2024 acquisition deal would have some Winn-Dixie stores converted into Aldi, but less than a year later, Aldi sold Southeastern Grocers, which includes Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket, to a consortium of investors. Southeastern Grocers, under the new ownership of the consortium, will continue to operate the remaining Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores, keep the stores it plans to convert into Aldi stores and get rid of the rest There are no Harveys on the Treasure Coast Currently, Indian River County has no Aldi. These two conversions would bring Aldi to the county, over 10 years after the first Aldi opened on the Treasure Coast in St New plaza: New restaurants in Pineapple Passage in downtown Jensen Beach Timeline: 11 years ago Costco eyed Palm City for a Treasure Coast store The global discount grocery store chain was founded by Anna Albrecht Albrecht Discount's name was shortened to Aldi in 1962 store in Iowa in 1976 and now has over 2,508 stores and is headquartered in Batavia 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? Nearly 80 percent of Vero Beach voters approved a November 2022 referendum to commercially develop the 17-acre parcel that now contains a defunct municipal power plant because they wanted to eat play and socialize on the city’s mainland waterfront despite the daunting challenges presented by the current construction market voted unanimously last week to move forward with the first phase of its Three Corners project choosing a group headed by Indiana-based Clearpath Services to make a 20-year dream a reality should expect this much-anticipated endeavor – if it doesn’t get derailed during negotiations – to be a significant moneymaker for the city Based on current projections and estimated costs city officials and taxpayers shouldn’t expect to clear much more than $1 million per year when the site is fully developed and operational And while every dollar that finds its way into Vero Beach’s coffers is welcome the revenues generated by developing the northern tier of the Three Corners property will pale in comparison to the nearly $6 million in annual transfers to the city’s general fund from its shuttered electric utility “That’s not why we’re doing this,” Mayor John Cotugno said last week because this is what the citizens told us they want – access to the lagoon a waterfront hub that we currently don’t have “We’re not doing this because we expect to make money,” he added never the driving force behind pursuing this project The goal was to develop the site at no cost to the city and generate enough revenue to mitigate our expenses once the place is open.” Truth be told: If money were the prevailing factor selling the property would have been more prudent though it’s highly unlikely city voters would have given their blessing to any referendum that would permit it The value of the power-plant parcel was appraised at $17 million last year Throw in the 17 acres south of the 17th Street bridge – on which the city’s still-operating soon-to-be-moved wastewater-treatment plant currently sits – and we’re talking about the city taking in more than $35 million As one city official put it: “It would take 50 years to get that kind of money from the Three Corners.” You might also add to the equation the property-tax revenue the city could have collected from a new owner especially if that lagoon-front property were sold to a residential or mixed-use developer that’s not going to happen – not in the foreseeable future – even if the city’s plans for the Three Corners site fall through Nor is there much of a chance the property might be used to create a mainland version of the island’s Riverside Park Not only does the city already provide the community with an abundance of park land but parks are amenities that produce additional costs – not revenue How much revenue can we expect to be generated from a fully developed first phase of the city’s Three Corners Master Plan Those numbers will be determined by the terms of the long-term property lease the city negotiates with Clearpath later this year along with how popular the place becomes once it opens to the public While Clearpath told council members it plans to open the site in phases – starting with a waterfront village marina and tiki bar that could operate by the end of 2027 – the entire project isn’t expected to be completed until at least 2028 have projected stabilized annual net revenues of slightly more than $34 million in the sixth year of the development’s operations That number refers to the predictable and consistent income the property is projected to generate year after year after it has reached a stable operating state During last week’s interviews with Clearpath and The Blue at Vero Beach – the other partnership that submitted a Three Corners proposal – Cotugno asked if the developers would consider sharing a percentage of their revenues with the city It’s too soon to know how such a revenue-sharing clause would impact the amount of money the city might seek in lease payments but it’s difficult to imagine Clearpath agreeing to give up any revenue knowing it will need to absorb tens of millions of dollars in infrastructure costs “I’m assuming everything is negotiable,” Cotugno said It’s more likely that Clearpath will ask the city’s negotiators to forgo lease payments until the development is completed and fully operational – and that time could be five years away which has no intention of covering any Three Corners development costs probably will agree to at least some lease-payment forbearance during the construction phase let’s say the city negotiates a lease that brings in 5 percent of the total land value which is not unreasonable for a waterfront property in Florida Clearpath would pay the city $850,000 per year Add to that figure the $415,000 the city would collect annually in ad valorem taxes based on Vero Beach’s current 2.768 millage rate and an estimated $150 million in assessed value of the property and its buildings The city would not get a dime of the tourist-tax dollars from the 245 hotel rooms in Clearpath’s proposal – the county refuses to share those revenues with its municipalities – but it would receive a percentage of the sales-tax money generated on the site that revenues from Three Corners development could contribute somewhere between $1.2 million and $1.5 million annually to the city’s general fund But the city would be required to provide public safety which city officials say would require four police officers and could cost up to $500,000 per year and it becomes obvious the project will not be a cash cow for the city and its taxpayers “But the Three Corners project is not an immediate panacea to what faces us now and it’s not the silver bullet that solves all our problems in the future.” That’s not why city voters overwhelmingly endorsed the referendum to develop the site into a dining recreational and social gathering place on the mainland waterfront They want what voters think Vero Beach sorely needs and the council is trying to give them what they want A Vero Beach man is accused of pulling a knife on deputies while they investigated him for arson (CBS12) — A Vero Beach man is accused of pulling a knife on deputies while they investigated him for arson Indian River County Sheriff's Office (IRCSO) deputies were called to the 5400 block of US-1 to a call The Indian River County Fire Department (IRCFD) was also dispatched to the location for a reported fire a passing motorist spotted the fire and called the department because they were concerned there may be a brush fire When firefighters arrived to extinguish the fire was standing near the fire and kicking sand onto it See also: Martin County deputies arrest 'traveling parking lot burglar' at Publix Firefighters stated that Runions cursed at them and was "very aggressive" before grabbing his belongings and heading north along US-1 Deputies say they attempted to stop Runions the deputy said they pulled in front of Runions and exited their vehicle to confront him he immediately acted hostile and had a knife on his belt the deputy gave Runions commands that he was not free Deputies say they pulled their guns on Runions and demanded he put the knife in the shopping cart he was pushing After he dropped it into his shopping cart prompting deputies to pull the shopping cart away from him It took two deputies to force Runions to the ground and handcuff him Because he obstructed the deputies' attempt to investigate possible arson Runions was booked on counts of resisting an officer without violence Armstrong Williams takes on the news of the week and asks the questions you want answered. Don’t miss our weekly town hall. bro': Driver's escape attempt ends in fiery crash in Vero Beach by Gershon Harrell (CBS12) — A driver's attempt to flee Vero Beach police officers ended in a fiery crash According to the Indian River County Sheriff's Office (IRCSO) officers tried to initiate a traffic stop on a vehicle near 26th Street causing officers to lose sight of the vehicle See also: West Palm Beach police arrest nine in prostitution sting operation That's when IRCSO deputies got involved and began tracking down the vehicle deputies came across the vehicle completely engulfed in flames in a small field near the west side of 26th Street and 82nd Avenue IRCSO deputies and Vero Beach officers arrived on the scene to assist IRCSO speculates the vehicle may have crashed into a tree while fleeing with help from the Vero Beach Police Department were able to pull the driver from the burning vehicle Body camera footage shows deputies running to the burning vehicle The driver of the vehicle has the door open but is struggling to get out of the car "My leg don't work bro," the driver can be heard saying as deputies pulled him out of the burning vehicle Deputies identified the driver as Donald James Jr. Deputies say James was an inmate on release for a past murder and now faces a new felony charge for fleeing and eluding Lucie West Centennial High softball team endured through tons of suspense and nail biting en route to its previous two district titles But this year, the team didn’t need to go through extra innings or walk-off home run to complete its three-peat Hailey Brereton’s two-run shot in the bottom of the first inning gave the home team a lead it wouldn’t relinquish tossing a complete-game shutout in the Eagles’ 6-0 win over Vero Beach during the District 7-7A title game on Thursday District Softball roundup: John Carroll, Sebastian River, Okeechobee among area district champions Region Baseball: Vero Beach, Martin County fall Thursday, each headed to winner-take-all Game 3s Watch the best regional softball games in Florida Among the players who’ve had a chance to hoist the district title each of the past three seasons senior Autumn Prakash still thinks about the one that got away but happy is to take three out of four as a consolation but freshman year was a little bit of a slip-up,” she said with a smile “But I’m glad we pulled through and stayed strong for the rest of the three years.” Centennial (15-7) was the top seed in the district while Vero was seeded second After reaching the region championship game a year ago the Eagles will host a regional quarterfinal on Thursday Vero Beach (13-11) is in line for an at-large postseason berth as the team began the week ranked seventh in Region 2-7A Centennial has won three games against Vero who despite playing the Eagles the best out of the teams in the district According to Vero Beach head coach Aquaria Baines the three-time reigning district champs have two key items going for them but obviously they have a very strong pitcher that dominates in the circle so it makes it a little more challenging,” Baines said we’re not necessarily going to be able to win Centennial out-hit its opponent 10-2 while Brereton finished with 13 strikeouts Here are four takeaways from the May 1 game Brereton’s blast over the fence wasn’t a fluke The Murray State signee has displayed the ability to hit bombs clubbing four home runs through 51 at-bats this season That’s also twice as many long balls as she hit through her previous 166 at-bat during her first three seasons “I kind of just thought to be confident and just have fun in the box,” she said “I’ve worked on some new things that have worked for me that may not have worked in the past I’ve never been this confident in the box.” With last year’s graduation of long-time power hitter Keyhara Alleyne Brereton has filled the void in the power department Kylie Coblentz was the only player in the Eagles batting order to not produce a base hit Centennial got production throughout the lineup freshman Rayne Cohen going 3-for-3 at the plate to No 9 hitter Giuliana Cavallo delivering a key RBI double in the third If the team continues to hit from 1-through-9 “This team is more dangerous than any team I’ve ever been on,” said Prakash ”Our bond is unbreakable and we’re just a whole family.”  Centennial head coach Richard Vasquez adds: “We’re going to keep the same system going We’ve been working hard in the cage and it’s been just practice Following the departure of junior Gabrielle Espich Vero has leaned on a freshman in the circle Taylor Stevens has done an admirable job filling the role as the team’s No a role she’ll continue to have heading into the postseason In the team’s district semifinal win over Treasure Coast Stevens fought through control issues - 10 walks - to keep the Titans largely off the scoreboard She allowed one hit and one earned run while striking out seven The freshman could not replicate that success on Thursday “She proved herself and kept us in this game I think she’s going to be very important and strong for us in these upcoming seasons.” Whenever hitters saw a two-strike count against Brereton Vero players and coaches in the dugout shouted The senior mixed her riseball and changeup well with the latter often serving as the punch-out pitch She also tinkered with her mechanics mid-game As opposed to going all the way back and having a straight arm on her swing back she bent her up and brought it up to produce more momentum to push forward and fire The results suggest that the adjustments worked But Brereton hasn’t been thrilled with her results this season to this point Although she still ranks among area leaders in ERA (1.63) strikeouts (206) and opponents batting average (.144) each stat is not on pace with her performance from the previous two years What does she believe is the reason for her “subpar” senior campaign She pinned it out the pressure to make it state Centennial fell short of that goal after dropping a heart-breaker to Jupiter in the regional finals a season ago But by using the district championship as an example I haven’t performed as well as I had last year or the year before because I was so worried about states,” Brereton said “But I think the over-thinking is going to make everything worse And I think we have a good chance if we all stick together like how we did today.” 3B; Carlee Reeves: 1-for-3; Crysaria Joseph: 0-for-2 Baseball season on the Treasure Coast ended Saturday night when Vero Beach High the last of the three area teams remaining in the regional semifinals Vero Beach dropped the final two games of the best-of-3 series to bow out Martin County High lost earlier Saturday and John Carroll Catholic High fell earlier in the week in their respective regional semifinals More: Martin County’s season ends after falling victim to late rally against Viera Game 2 results: Vero Beach, Martin County fall Thursday, each headed to winner-take-all Game 3s which won its first 16 games of the season and was ranked 19th in the state in the Florida High School Athletic Association rankings heading into the regionals After taking its regional quarterfinal series in three games over Palm Beach Central Vero Beach won the first game of the series with Park Vista Vero Beach squandered a seven-run lead and lost 8-7 when Park Vista tallied eight runs in the sixth inning Vero Beach’s first two hitters Ashton Wetmiller and Jace Romans opened the game with singles Vero Beach left the bases loaded in the first without scoring and had a runner picked off third base in the sixth inning The only run Vero Beach scored came in the top of the seventh inning when Romans was hit with a pitch with the bases loaded with one out Park Vista plated the winning run in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly ending Vero Beach’s season Finishing 27-4 this season after going 24-5 and reaching the 7A State Final 4 a year ago Martin County pulled out a nice victory in the first game of the best-of-3 series with Viera The Tigers scored three runs in the top of the seventh to break a 2-all tie in a 5-2 victory Wednesday at USSSA Stadium in Viera The Hawks came back with wins in the next two games to advance to the regional final Viera banged out 11 hits in an 11-1 decision in a game stopped after 4 ½ innings because of the 10-run mercy rule the Hawks rebounded from a 2-1 deficit with four runs in the final two innings to take a 5-2 verdict They are a very good team,” Martin County coach Brett Hawkins said Saturday “They hit the ball when they had to hit the ball.” Second-seeded Viera (22-11) will go on to play top-seeded Bloomingdale (26-5) in the best-of-3 regional final The first two games Wednesday and Thursday are in Valrico “They make every play,” Hawkins said of Viera They throw the ball over the plate and they challenge.” Martin County finished 21-10 in Hawkins’ ninth season as coach John Carroll Catholic put up good fights against The First Academy out of Orlando The Rams dropped the opener 4-3 when the top-seeded Royals scored a run in the bottom of the fifth inning to break a 3-all tie fifth-seeded John Carroll Catholic owned a 2-1 lead entering the bottom of the fifth inning before The First Academy scored two runs in each the fifth and sixth innings to capture a 5-2 victory and win the series Playing the 84th-toughest schedule in the state John Carroll Catholic graduates six seniors: Camrin Weeks The First Academy plays second-seeded Lakeland Christian for the 2A-2 crown senior Joseph Cuccurullo struck out three in 1 ⅓ innings in a 5-2 victory over Viera in the first game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal round series Cuccurullo allowed two hits and one run during five innings in a 5-2 loss to Viera in the third game of the regional semifinal junior Cody Morgan allowed six hits and three runs with five strikeouts during six innings of a 10-3 decision over Park Vista in the first game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal round series senior Cole Morgan allowed four hits and two runs in 6 ⅔ innings in the third game of the regional semifinal Top hitting performancesJohn Carroll CatholicApril 28 sophomore Brennan Jones went 2-for-3 with a run scored and run batted in during a 4-3 loss to The First Academy out of Orlando in the first game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal series sophomore Brycen Payne hit a solo home run during a 4-3 loss to The First Academy out of Orlando in the first game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal series senior Taggert Cameron went 1-for-2 with a double in a 5-2 loss to The First Academy in the second game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal series senior Tanner Paskoski knocked in two runs in a 5-2 victory over Viera in the first game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal round series drove in a run and scored another in a 5-2 decision over Viera in the first game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal round series junior Cody Morgan went 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles and drove in three runs in a 10-3 triumph over Park Vista in the first game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal round series doubled and drove in three runs in a 10-3 decision over Park Vista in the first game of the best-of-3 regional semifinal round series senior Cole Morgan went 2-for-4 including his second home run of the season knocked in two runs and scored two others in an 8-7 loss to Park Vista in the second game of the regional semifinal sophomore Hunter Johnston went 2-for-2 and reached base three times in a 2-1 loss to Park Vista in the third game of the regional semifinal Dennis Maffezzoli is a freelance contributor for Treasure Coast Newspapers The other night I learned a little about the character of people in Indian River County It was April 15, the night of the Jackie Robinson Day minor league baseball game at Holman Stadium in Vero Beach I’d volunteered to help the United Way of Indian River County and MLB staff at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex handle a possible crowd of 5,000 people I wanted to experience what it was like to be one of the scores of volunteers it took to put on one of the most exciting events on the local calendar The complex and stadium (which now have dugout roofs that obstruct some views) had been renovated The old Dodgertown nine-hole golf course on 43rd Avenue had been turned into a county park and parking lot I helped to set up portable lighting in what would be the main parking lot on 43rd Avenue New parking patterns at Holman StadiumAbout 4:30 p.m Teens from the Indian River County sheriff's explorer program oversaw parking for folks with handicapped stickers and license plates These vehicles were parked in areas just east of the stadium and in the triangular lot just north of the complex Jackie Robinson Lane and Aviation Boulevard for most events the only way to get into the stadium is on the east side many vehicles had to be turned around by explorers after they'd gotten almost to the special parking areas I was asked to catch motorists before they came all the way down Dodger Road to confirm motorists coming south off Aviation Boulevard were headed in the right direction Opinion: Don't complain; now's time to say what you want with Indian River County roads The other half should have been parking in the big 43rd Avenue lot westbound Aviation Boulevard to 43rd Avenue then north on 43rd Avenue to get to the lot People reacted in various waysEventually, I was joined by volunteer Melissa Ogonoski United Way’s former chief financial officer We handled what seemed like hundreds of vehicles food-delivery drivers and parents dropping off their children Our supervisor added a few directional signs on Aviation Boulevard and got a Vero Beach police officer to direct traffic at the intersection of Aviation and Flight Safety some folks weren’t pleased to learn they’d have to turn around and get back in traffic complaining about what he perceived to be a lack of organization Given the proliferation of whining seen nowadays I was heartened only one person verbally harassed me because of some signs they saw on the way in Only one person — I’d say in his 40s — tried to get in using a different tactic Then he showed me what appeared to be a police identification badge from Suffolk County he’d have to turn around in the hotel parking lot and head to 43rd Avenue I could ensure there was enough parking closer to the stadium so folks with handicapped documentation local first responders and others who needed to be close to the stadium could be served appropriately Opinion: What makes Jackie Robinson Day game so special in Vero Beach? Ogonoski said she was happy to help United Way which has a mission "to improve lives by mobilizing the caring power of our community." “It was great just to be part of the community,” she said The big lift came from other volunteers and staff of the training complex and United Way the United Way's community impact coordinator and her team organized 100 volunteers to execute a plan that saw 4,301 fans in attendance we often say that being part of this work means being part of something bigger than ourselves," Morgan wrote in a thank-you email to volunteers "Last night was a shining example of that spirit — a testament to the power of community Lord only knows what a community can pull off when it works together Like a fun community gathering that helped raise money for local people in need served by United Way This column reflects the opinion of Laurence Reisman Contact him via email at larry.reisman@tcpalm.com Facebook.com/larryreisman or Twitter @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 (This story was updated to add new information and because an earlier version included inaccuracies from an obituary and previously published reports which a family corrected when TCPalm asked about inconsistencies.) Girodano's Deli in Vero Beach is expanding and changing its menu — but not its name or signature Italian sub The 48-year-old Miracle Mile sub shop is expanding into the adjacent storefront where there will be a new and larger dining area There currently are only a few two-top cafe tables Day said he plans to install a flattop grill to offer more hot sandwiches and he's focused on getting lunch customers in and out in 5-10 minutes He also wants to make the deli into more of a traditional Italian market and deli He's still debating on whether he will add breakfast or not Richard Gumina is an "old-school Italian who's always wanted to own a deli," Day said Restaurant review: Girodano’s Deli the place for a submarine sandwich, lunch platters All things food: Roundups of the latest reviews, inspections, new and best restaurants The Guminas bought the deli from "The Daves" — Dave Koch and Dave D’Albora — who ran it from 2017 until 2024. The Vero Beach natives and longtime childhood friends had been going to the deli since they were children in Little League and eventually worked as line cooks together at Bobby's Restaurant & Lounge They bought the deli from John and Gizella Bozsik, natives of Budapest, Hungary, who ran it from 2003 until 2017. They infused some of their Hungarian national dishes to the menu such as soups, crepes, goulash, stuffed cabbage and chicken paprikash, according to their daughter, Nikolett Connelly, who owns Elle 7 Twenty salon and spa in Vero Beach But the Bozsiks had to change the name from Giordano's to Girodano's to settle a federal trademark infringement lawsuit filed by a Chicago pizza company known for its authenticate deep-dish pizza filed in 2014 Is it Giordano's or Girodano's? The story behind Vero Beach Italian deli's strange name The Bozsiks bought the deli from sisters Lena Strumas and Carmen Bracken, who ran it for less than a year after buying it in 2002 from Gerard "Jerry" Giordano Giordano moved to Vero Beach from Brooklyn he built the Miracle Mile strip mall at 774 21st St His wife opened Francesca Marie Boutique clothing store on the east end Ed Charabini opened an Italian deli on the west end but Rectenwald didn't know the original name "My father knew nothing about cooking nor running anything related to the food services industry but he just happened to be a natural," she said "He turned it into a true little New York Italian deli Giordano also worked construction and owned several different businesses in Vero Beach including Vero Carpets and Vero Carpets Cleaning near the airport He also helped found the Italian American Civic Association according to a previous Indian River Press Journal article when he died in January 2024 at the age of 92 Cheryl Smith is TCPalm's entertainment editor Some features on this page require the use of a different browser Spoil Island SL3 underwent large-scale enhancement in 2010 the island was replanted with native vegetation and the campsites were refurbished. The spoil island is well on its way to a healthy natural ecosystem Indian River-Vero Beach to Fort Pierce Aquatic Preserve is 12 miles long and encompasses 9,500 acres The aquatic preserve extends from the southern Vero Beach corporate limit south to the north U.S Highway A1A bridge in Fort Pierce and includes Big Starvation Cove The aquatic preserve is bordered by the cities of Vero Beach and Fort Pierce The aquatic preserve is accessible from the east by U.S Numerous parks and boat ramps provide direct public access to the aquatic preserve The Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves is a proud partner of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics and was selected as a 2017 & 2018 Leave No Trace hot spot. To learn more about Leave No Trace in the Indian River Lagoon, contact Matthew Anderson, 772-448-5935 The Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves provides a variety of volunteer opportunities from projects in ecosystem science Volunteers help with activities such as wildlife monitoring annual seagrass monitoring or microplastic sampling The Shoreline Restoration Project enables volunteers to get involved in shoreline stabilization through native plantings volunteers take a hand in improving visitor access through activities such as invasive plant removal or installing picnic tables For more information, please contact our office at IRLAP@FloridaDEP.gov or call 772-448-5935 For other opportunities to help preserve the Indian River Lagoon and surrounding aquatic preserves, consider joining the Friends of the Spoil Islands The spoil islands of the aquatic preserve are popular destinations for picnicking and camping The Florida Department of State's Division of Historical Resources Master Site File indicates there are scores of historical sites adjacent to the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves (IRLAP) System and include Spanish Fleet Survivors and Salvors Camp Many of the aboriginal shell mounds along the IRLAP System were destroyed for roadfill for U.S There are currently no Events/Public Notices that match the selected criteria VERO BEACH — More than 2,000 people gathered Saturday in Vero Beach to protest President Trump and Elon Musk over policies targeting Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, federal employees, schools, undocumented immigrants and health and human services. The local protest was part of a nationwide movement called Hands Off! which claims that Trump and Musk are carrying out an “assault on our government said the event was “energetic and a complete sense of solidarity.” “We are standing up for democracy,” said Macchia president of the Young Democrats of Indian River County “Democrats feel alone in (Indian River County) Millions of people attended more than 1,300 Hands Off! protests across the country and globe on Saturday, objecting to cuts to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid programs, along with massive layoffs at federal agencies, according to the Hands Off! website who heads the Department of Government Efficiency demonstrators of all ages held up signs from noon to 1 p.m at the State Road 60 and 58th Avenue intersection Organizers said 600 people RSVP’d for the protest It just isn’t Americans getting impacted This has to stop,” said Naomi Estes-Tullo event co-organizer and precinct captain for the Democrats of Indian River County They can’t say we’re silent if we’re out there protesting.” said he is a Vietnam veteran with a son who has a disability and depends on Medicaid said Trump’s policies were a haphazard There’s no rhyme or reason to what’s being done,” said Tullo a co-organizer for the protest in Vero Beach “It’s frightening to see how little a president cares for anyone or anything other than his own power and ego.” a precinct captain for the Democrats of Indian River County said Saturday’s event was the third protest by the group this year against Trump and his policies Tullo said the recent protest by far had the biggest turnout organized by Democrats of Indian River County comes as Trump continues to increase tariff rates on imports from U.S which are projected to add over $1,200 a year to typical home expenses are a massive new tax hike paid by working families gasoline and more while creating economic chaos and instability across the globe,” said William Evans chairman for the Democrats of Indian River County “This tax increase on middle-class families will provide the revenue to help pay for tax cuts for billionaires and corporations many of which are shipping American jobs overseas We reject an agenda where billionaires win and everyday Americans lose Macchia said Vero Beach residents should take a stand against the disgusting overreach that is happening on a national level Macchia said she was impressed with how many people came to support the local protest “Today showed that Vero Beach and our country do not stand for fascism,” Macchia said Those who want more information about the Democrats of Indian River County can visit the organization’s website Privacy Policy | Copyright © 2025 32963 Media LLC All rights reserved   |    Contact: [email protected]   |   Vero Beach, Florida, USA | Orlando Web Design by: M5 The municipal power plant at that intersection has been out of service since 2015 City leaders are now evaluating two potential developers after the previous selection was disqualified last year due to an email controversy representatives from ClearPath Services and Blue at Vero Beach LLC presented their proposals to the selection committee The committee will soon recommend one of the developers to the city council The developer that had been picked in the initial bidding process See also: Surf's up, Fort Pierce: $600M surf park community underway the community has anticipated this redevelopment which has remained a popular topic during local discussions The next meeting to discuss the project is scheduled for April 22 where city leaders will make the important decision between the two candidates The project says it will include restaurants and a marina that would include 100 slips and could accommodate yachts up to 125 feet long They also plan to include a large meeting hall and music venues Many residents are excited about the potential increase in foot traffic and new amenities while others express concerns about possible traffic issues that may arise There is also a desire among some locals for a homegrown developer to be selected as they believe it would benefit Vero Beach the most VERO BEACH — Breeze Airways' success helped it land the No 2 spot on the Fast Company magazine list of most innovative travel and hospitality companies which produces annual lists of the most innovative companies touted Breeze for "creating a low-cost carrier that’s poised to remain low-cost for travelers." "We like to think we're a tech company who happens to fly airplanes," Breeze Airways CEO David Neeleman told TCPalm "We saw a need for an airline to fly into underserved markets while making the experience special for people who fly with us." The four-year-old airline made its first profit in the fourth quarter of 2024 Serving Vero Beach is an example of how Breeze is looking to innovate Following the abrupt departure of Elite Airways in 2022 Vero Beach Regional Airport was left without a commercial carrier "We saw a need in Vero," explained Neeleman perfectly sandwiched between Orlando and West Palm Beach." The analytics Breeze utilizes — and gut feelings from Neeleman and his team — led the fledgling airline to begin service to Vero Beach in February 2023 which is the area from which people are drawn," said Neeleman "We saw that Vero was in a catchment area gap was Breeze's second-most-traveled by number of flights The airline is the lone commercial provider for 87% of its routes allowing it to charge 44% less than other airlines operating similar routes Breeze also takes into account travel patterns when determining routes "We've seen travel patterns in guests that mimic the routes of Interstate 95 or (Interstate) 70 "When we make our determination in choosing routes which create less noise than other common passenger aircraft Airport buzz: Vero Beach Airport is profitable, in-part to Breeze Airways Not too rough: Sandridge Golf Club getting new $11.2 million clubhouse with restaurant and banquet hall Breeze offers seven nonstop destinations from Vero Beach: Neeleman said he hopes to increase the number of destinations from Vero Beach to 10 or even 12 in the future "We are always exploring potential new spots to land," Neeleman said "We love Vero and hope to give it even more destinations in the future." as season winds down and seasonal visitors migrate north Breeze is reducing its schedule only a little we've shut down routes for the summer," Neeleman explained less-traveled routes will probably have less flights for a few months." The airport has been thrilled with its partnership with Breeze and they have been a great partner with us," said Airport Director Todd Scher "It is an amazing thing to have a commercial airline connect our seaside town to other parts of the country." Nick Slater is TCPalm's Indian River County Watchdog reporter. You can reach him at Nick.Slater@tcpalm.com and 224-830-2875.