The salty air along Ocean Drive carries a slightly sweeter scent these days, thanks to the blossoming success of the Green Heart Tribe, a Women’s Beautification Committee, which hosted its second annual Vero in Bloom: Hats in the Garden Luncheon at McKee Botanical Garden, selling out the event within 24 hours. Cindy O’Dare, a Green Heart Tribe board member with Jordan Wakeland, Deana Marchant, Stephanie MacWilliam and Margaret Anne Evans, said they were only able to take on the extensive undertaking thanks to the help of dedicated volunteers. Attendees were attired in their best floral garden party attire, complete with festive hats and fascinators that rivaled the most glorious of floral arrangements, with everything from orchids to bird cages. The ladies enjoyed champagne while perusing garden-themed items under a tent near the garden’s entrance, before being summoned to lunch by the ringing of Waldo’s Bell. Guests dined on a refreshing luncheon by Elizabeth D. Kennedy & Co. Catering in the Hall of Giants and at tables under the cover of tents in the Spanish Kitchen, both beautifully decorated by cascades of flowers. In a nod to McKee’s ‘Jungle Garden’ past and its more refined present, flowered fans adorned each place setting, a decorative note that proved as functional as it was charming, providing a stylish way to stir the afternoon breeze while evoking the early days of McKee nearly a century ago. Inspired by the New York Central Park Conservancy, the local group was formed to foster the enhancement of public spaces, with a focus on Ocean Drive, particularly the area between Acacia Road and Flamevine Lane. O’Dare reflected on the completion of Phase One, the revitalization of the corners stretching from Flamevine Lane to Beachland Boulevard. “Any corner we could get, we did,” said O’Dare. “We actually have to lease the corners. We pay the city for the privilege of paying for the pots, the flowers, and the ongoing maintenance,” she explained. The vibrant floral displays have “changed the face of Ocean Drive,” according to O’Dare, inspiring local merchants to step up their own storefront aesthetics in response. The momentum is now shifting toward Phase Two, which will include floral installations at three corners on Cardinal and along Ocean Drive in front of Humiston Park. “We want to do lighting, new plantings, and hanging flowerpots from the concrete poles in front of Humiston,” said O’Dare, adding that it would be reminiscent of bygone days. Phase Three, she said, includes the medians on A1A between the Riomar area and Quail Valley River Club. It’s a difficult undertaking as it involves plenty of red tape at the city and county levels as well as the Florida Department of Transportation. The guest speaker was David Monn, an event planner and interior designer known as the “Architect of Style.” He has orchestrated events for every White House administration since Clinton, designed the Bergdorf Goodman windows and recently appeared in the Melania Trump documentary. “Having him speak about event planning and design was a huge win for us,” said O’Dare, who hopes that with community support, beauty can be planted firmly in the heart of the barrier island. For more information, visit GreenHeartTribe.org. <em>Photos by Joshua Kodis</em> [gallery ids="233123,233124,233125,233126,233127,233128,233129,233130,233131,233132,233133,233134,233135,233136,233137,233139,233140,233141,233142,233143,233144,233145,233146,233147,233148"]