Skateboarders take note – Vero Beach downtown, beach districts off limits

Low beach attendance for January; no water rescues

VERO BEACH — While chilly temperatures caused a drop in beach attendance last month, lifeguards are happy to report that there were no water rescues that occurred in January. "It's a great thing," Vero Beach Lifeguard Association officials said in a statement. "We hope people are paying attention to lifeguards and condition signs before they go into the water." The Vero Beach Lifeguard Association recently released its monthly report for the beaches at Jaycee Park, Humiston Park and South Beach Park. Lifeguards said about 54,105 beachgoers flocked to the shore in January. The highest beach-attendance record of 65,700 was set in 2019 for Vero Beach, lifeguards said. The record low for beach attendance was set in 2016 with 36,000 people, ...

Sheriff’s candidates say George Floyd’s death, national response will be an issue in their race

All five candidates for sheriff say the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis last month and subsequent nationwide protests will be an issue in the race here, and they expect to be asked about it as they campaign. Two of them – Fellsmere Police Chief Keith Touchberry and retired Sheriff’s Capt. Chuck Kirby – have addressed the incident extensively on their campaign Facebook pages, where they also discussed the strategies they would employ to prevent and respond to any such incidents involving their deputies. They also expressed a need to improve the relationship between the county’s largest law enforcement agency and the local black community. Touchberry condemned both the actions of the Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who knelt ...

‘No swimming’ advisory lifted for beaches, officials say

VERO BEACH — Authorities lifted a 'no swimming' advisory for three local beaches Tuesday after test samples showed that bacteria returned to normal levels, health department and city officials said. The result means it was safe to return to the water Tuesday, Vero Beach city officials said. The advisory - which was in place for nearly a week - was issued Jan. 31 for South Beach, Humiston Beach and Sexton Plaza Beach after high levels of fecal-related bacteria were reported at the locations. Environmental specialists with the Florida Department of Health in Indian River County collected water samples at the beaches Monday and on Jan. 28. The more recent collection of samples - tested at the Flowers Chemical Laboratory in Port St. ...