Tornado watch issued for Indian River County

Heavy winds from storm knock down Chase Bank sign, topple tree onto vehicle

VERO BEACH — A severe thunderstorm with powerful wind gusts knocked down a Chase Bank sign near Beachland Boulevard Wednesday. The storm also toppled a tree onto a firefighter's personal vehicle, Vero Beach police spokesperson Officer Kelsea Marty said. "No one was inside. (The vehicle) was unoccupied," Marty said. No injuries were immediately reported. Motorists driving along Beachland Boulevard were able to see the damaged Chase Bank sign laying flat on the grassy area in front of the business. The incident where the tree fell on the firefighter's vehicle happened at the fire station near the 1300 block of Old Dixie Highway, Marty said. The weather disturbance - which also dumped hail throughout other parts of Central Florida - snapped ...

Temps to warm up this week following cold front

VERO BEACH — Seems Jack Frost is done with his winter vacation in Vero. Now temperatures will sizzle up to 80 degrees this week along many of the sunshine state's beach towns, according to the National Weather Service in Melbourne. The warm weather will come just in time for the New Year's holiday weekend. Vero Beach will have highs in the 70s Wednesday through Friday, which will dip to the 60s in the evenings, forecasters said. Saturday - New Year's Eve - and Sunday - New Year's Day - will have highs in the 80s, which will drop to the 60s at night. The week will have sunny skies, while the weekend will be a mix of partly sunny and ...

Fellsmere among towns impacted by Hurricane Irma to get infrastructure award

Fellsmere is among several Florida towns that will receive an infrastructure award that will go toward restoration and improvement projects following the damage left behind by the 2017 Hurricane Irma, state officials said Friday. The city of Fellsmere will receive $4,068,300 under the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity's Rebuild Florida Infrastructure Repair Program. The funds will aim to increase accessibility to the city's water plant. "Florida communities are still recovering from the impacts of Hurricane Irma, and helping them rebuild remains a top priority," Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a statement. "This funding will not only help to ensure Hurricane Irma-impacted communities are restored, but also help improve their resiliency against future events." Nearly $100 million has been awarded to ...