Philanthropic expert speaks to local professional advisors

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, ...

Fertilizer restrictions to go into effect next month

A reminder from the Indian River Neighborhood Association to residents of Indian River County, City of Vero Beach, Sebastian and Orchid. We are coming into our rainy season when more nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorous are likely to be washed from our lawns, driveways and roads into the storm water system and, ultimately, into our local waterways such as the Indian River Lagoon. The fertilizer ordinances passed by our communities goes into effect June 1st. It prohibits the use of lawn fertilizer between June 1st and September 30th. No fertilizer containing Phosphorous is to be used anytime. All fertilizers must contain at least 50% slow release Nitrogen. Finally, no fertilizer is to be applied within 10 feet of any ...

John’s Island woman’s estate leaves $500K gift for ELC

INDIAN RIVER COUNTY — A woman who once lived on John's Island willed $500,000 from her estate to the Environmental Learning Center to support its mission in promoting connections to the natural environment. Officials said Marie G. Gookin left the bequest gift to the ELC. The center received the first installment this month from Gookin, who included the organization in her estate plans back in 1994. "We were thrilled to receive this very generous gift from the estate of Mrs. Gookin," ELC Board Chair Don Barr said in a statement. "The gift is particularly significant as the ELC begins the implementation of our master plan and enhances programming in an effort to attract more visitors." Gookin, described as a dedicated ...