Francis Manor boardwalk dedication

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, ...

11-year-old breaks into church, steals laptop on Christmas Day

GIFFORD — An 11-year-old who deputies said broke into a church and stole a laptop on Christmas Day, was detained. Deputies also arrested the boy's mother after saying she failed to report the boy as missing. The Gifford youth told deputies he stole the $700 laptop because "he wanted something to play with," reports show. Deputies said the juvenile was a runaway. An arrest report noted the incident took place at St. Peter's Missionary Baptist Church, located just south of St. Peter's Academy. Both facilities have the same address at 4250 38th Avenue, Gifford. The report indicated the child previously attended the church or school, but it was unclear which one. Deputies charged the youth with burglary of a structure ...

Brian Foley new Shores Mayor

The newly sworn-in Indian River Shores Town Council has chosen Mayor Brian Foley and Vice Mayor Jesse “Sam” Carroll to lead the town into 2021. Both elected to their first four-year terms in November 2018 Foley and Carroll were the only two incumbents remaining as all three of their colleagues — Mayor Tom Slater, Vice Mayor Bob Auwaerter and Councilwoman Deb Peniston — did not seek re-election.  Replacing the outgoing members are Councilman Christian Hendricks, Councilman John McCord and Councilwoman Mary Alice Smith, who took their seats, briefed on Florida’s Sunshine laws and assigned various committee memberships and tasks. McCord, a retired energy executive, will take over the role as the town’s representative on the Vero Beach Utilities Committee, a ...