There is a quiet building boom under way on the barrier island, with new homes going up everywhere from the South County line, where a 40,000-square-foot estate is taking shape, to Ambersand Beach, where four oceanfront houses are under construction.
“We are busy and we are seeing activity continue to increase,” says county building official Scott McAdam. The county has been permitting four new houses a month this year in the 32963 area, and that doesn’t include homes going up in Indian River Shores, which has its own building department. McAdams staff has grown from 12 to 16 to keep up with the extra work.
The pace of the boom is somewhat hidden because so many neighborhoods where construction is taking place are behind gates, but the signs of a busy building season are everywhere.
“All the tradesmen I talk to are going strong,” says Joe Foglia, a builder with several multi-million home projects underway on the island. “It is a good sign and I think it will continue.”
The photos in this feature convey a sense of the range and volume of home construction taking place in the 32963 area this spring, bringing fresh faces and added tax revenue to the community.
