John’s Island resident and local philanthropist Tom Corr has been as good a neighbor as anyone in our community, where he and his Vero Beach-based company continue to generously support charitable and civic causes, large and small. It was no surprise, then, that Corr last month pledged $100,000 to a now-burgeoning grassroots campaign to rebuild the storm-damaged and later-demolished Humiston Beach boardwalk. What was unexpected, however, was his willingness to publicly discuss his contribution – because, being an extremely humble and private man, he rarely does interviews. Yet Corr cared enough about this issue to take time away from a family trip to the Walt Disney World Resort last weekend to talk to Vero Beach 32963 about the importance of rebuilding the boardwalk and how the matter has been handled by our local governments. He didn’t mince words. Corr said the City Council was “shortsighted” when it voted in June to replace the Humiston boardwalk with a less-costly raised sidewalk along the western edge of the dunes. He also said the County Commission needs to partner with the city to help fund building a boardwalk. “I had a meeting with the mayor the other day, and I told him how I feel about the boardwalk,” Corr said, referring to a two-hour Christmas Eve breakfast conversation with John Cotugno at the Quail Valley River Club. “I told him the city needs to be more positive about it. “I’d be more than happy to talk to the commissioners, too,” he added. “Vero Beach, and especially Ocean Drive, generates a lot of tax dollars. Ocean Drive is the heart of the city, and I think a boardwalk brings the entire Ocean Drive area together. “The county needs to step up.” Reached by phone Saturday, Cotugno said he believes the City Council, embracing the recent surge of momentum in the community, is poised to change course and approve rebuilding a boardwalk – if the funding is there. In fact, the mayor said he already has engaged in extensive conversations with Jeff Pickering, president and CEO of the Indian River Community Foundation, which, it appears, will serve as the administrator of a boardwalk fund and manage the contributions. Cotugno said he has drafted a mission statement Pickering was expected to receive Monday. “We still need to approve a contract with the foundation,” the mayor said, adding that he expects the council to vote on the matter at its Jan. 14 meeting. The council has budgeted $1 million for the sidewalk option, which includes two pavilions and four dune crossovers, but Cotugno estimated the cost of building a faux-wood, composite-surface boardwalk at $2.2 million. The County Commission last month refused to help Vero Beach rebuild the boardwalk, instead offering to contribute up to $400,000 for a sidewalk – but only under the condition that its funding be reduced by any amount the city receives in federal, state or private grant money. It’s worth noting that two commissioners, Laura Moss and Joe Earman, wanted to help the city build a boardwalk, but they were out-voted by Chairman Joe Flescher, Vice Chairman Deryl Loar and Susan Adams. At the commission’s most recent meeting, Adams cast the lone vote against providing the city with the $400,000, saying she didn’t want to go above $200,000. Let’s hope Corr can change a few minds – because, if he doesn’t, this commission majority, which recently accepted nearly $4 million in budgeted-but-unspent funds from Tax Collector Carole Jean Jordan and Property Appraiser Wesley Davis, will find itself on the wrong side of history. Surely, these commissioners recognize that more county residents and tourists than city residents would use the boardwalk. They’ve got the money available. There’s no good reason for them to not double their contribution and remove their ridiculous funding condition. And they should do so at their Jan. 14 meeting. We have an opportunity to not only build a boardwalk that will benefit everyone here. This is a rare chance to build a much-needed bridge that connects the city, county and community. Call it a feel-good moment, if you will. “The boardwalk had been there since the 1930s, and it’s been down more than two years,” Corr said, alluding to the damage done by Hurricane Nicole in 2022. “It’s time to do something. “Rebuilding the boardwalk would be a legacy to leave our grandchildren,” he added. “This is what our responsibility is to future generations – to leave the community better than we found it.” Certainly, that’s what Corr and the George E. Warren Corporation, which supplies and distributes refined petroleum products in the United States, have done here for years. He has lived among us for more than 35 years. He has strolled along the Humiston boardwalk, and so did his mother before she died. Having grown up on the southern New Jersey coast, he was a boardwalk guy. Apparently, he still is. “We have a beautiful beach and beautiful ocean – we should have a beautiful boardwalk,” Corr said, adding that he prefers a composite boardwalk over a concrete structure. “A sidewalk doesn’t do it justice.” He then echoed a remark made by former Vero Beach mayor Tony Young, who was the only member of the public to speak in favor of rebuilding the Humiston boardwalk before the council opted for a sidewalk last summer. “The boardwalk is part of the fabric of Vero Beach,” Corr said. That’s why he has been talking for months about the city’s decision, finally reaching out to Councilman Taylor Dingle, who works at the John’s Island golf club, in early December. “I read your article in the newspaper, and I saw Taylor at the golf course, and we started talking about the boardwalk,” Corr said. “I told him I’m a strong supporter of the boardwalk – that I wasn’t going to build it myself, but maybe we could get some other people to contribute, too. “I have some friends that would be more than happy to support it.” Those words, along with Corr’s endorsement, should provide the council and commission with all the motivation they need to commit to rebuilding the boardwalk. Vero Beach 32963 has also championed the cause, launching the fundraising campaign with a $5,000 contribution after council members John Carroll and Aaron Vos said they’d each donate $3,500. Pledges from others are pouring in. Now, the city needs to define in detail the type of boardwalk it wants to build and start getting realistic cost estimates. Corr suggested city officials consult with local contractors who might be willing to donate supplies or offer to do the work at a discount. “We have some good people in this town,” he said. If the commissioners truly care about the best interests of our community – and they seize the opportunity to embrace this all-too-rare kumbaya moment – the county will put up $800,000, which is sitting unused in its general fund. Combined with the $1 million budgeted by the city, that’s $1.8 million for a $2.2 million project. Corr is confident private contributions can make up the $400,000 difference. “I don’t have any doubt we could do it,” he said. Even if the commissioners stubbornly refuse to budge on the $400,000, don’t bet against this community … or Corr. “Maybe not everyone wants a boardwalk,” he said, “but I do.”