Snowbirds and returning winter tourists visiting the island’s public beaches and parks should notice some improvements since last season.
While most of the $13.4 million being spent sprucing up county facilities is being spent on the mainland, on projects ranging from signage and landscaping to ballfields and bathrooms, a variety of spots on the island are getting an upgrade as well.
For starters, invasive plants, such as Brazilian pepper and Scaevola taccada, have been removed from every county beach access site, replaced with native species, including seagrape, palmetto and wild coffee, said Wendy Swindell, Assistant Director of Parks and Recreation for Indian River County.
Species that do well will be augmented over the years to create a thick buffer for neighboring properties, Swindell said. This $68,551 project was completed last September with money from the Tree Ordinance and Natural Lands funds – money paid by developers to mitigate removing trees from their development sites.
By the end of 2025, every county park also will have new and improved signage, making it easier for visitors to park and to enjoy the amenities available at each location.
“An overall goal for the county is to develop some branding for our parks and conservation areas,” Swindell said. “A lot of it is driven toward improving the use of the parks. Many people just don’t know about all of the amenities at each site.”
This $38,000 project was paid for out of the General Fund.
Each year, county staff review the five-year plan for capital improvements and prioritize the various projects and the funding, Swindell said. “Some of these projects come about from comments from the public, and others come up based on the lifespan of the equipment and other elements at our properties,” she said. And some improvements are chosen to improve efficiency, such as new, energy-efficient lighting, she said.
At county parks on the barrier island – Treasure Shores, Round Island Oceanside, and Golden Sands parks – playgrounds have been upgraded with new equipment.
Those projects were completed last September at a cost of $451,021, paid from the 1 percent optional sales tax. Instituted in 1989 and renewed by voters in 2004 and 2019, the fund pays for infrastructure and capital improvements. The optional sales tax expires again in 2034.
The parking lot at Golden Sands Beach Park was resurfaced at a cost of $345,358, and Restrooms at Round Island Oceanside and Riverside parks, Treasure Shores Park, and Tracking Station Park have been connected to county sewer and water at a cost of $220,906. These projects were funded by the 1 percent optional sales tax.
Boaters will be pleased to know that aging boat docks at three waterside parks are being replaced.
Last year, the docks at Middleton’s Fish Camp on Blue Cypress Lake in western Indian River County were replaced at a cost of $15,500. Boat ramp docks at Dale Wimbrow Park in Roseland have been rebuilt at a cost of $42,000. Funds for these two projects come from the Boating Improvement Fund. And the dock at Donald McDonald Campground will be retrofitted this year; the estimated cost is $100,000, funded by the optional sales tax.
Donald McDonald Campground also had its roadways resurfaced last year; the cost was $177,390, paid with Boating Improvement Funds.
A fourth boating site, Wabasso Causeway Park, will receive parking lot and boat ramp improvements in the coming years. The county has secured a $75,000 grant from the Florida Inland Navigation District (FIND) to design these improvements. The new docks and ramps have been raised about 12 inches to accommodate for rising water levels during storms, county Parks Superintendent Brad Dewson said.
