The County Commission last week voted 4-1 to contribute $400,000 to Vero’s plan to rebuild the Humiston Park boardwalk, which was severely damaged by Hurricane Nicole in 2022 and later demolished for public-safety reasons.
Susan Adams voiced the lone opposition, standing by her earlier position that $400,000 was too much – even though the commission’s offer comes with the condition that any federal or state funds the city receives for the boardwalk project will be deducted from the county’s contribution.
The Vero Beach City Council, citing budget limitations, had voted in June to replace the boardwalk with a less-costly sidewalk to be built on a berm along the western edge of the dunes.
In December, however, council members expressed a willingness to reconsider their decision, after witnessing a sudden surge in community sentiment and financial support for a boardwalk.
Vero Beach 32963 launched the fund-raising effort with a $5,000 contribution after council members John Carroll and Aaron Vos each offered to write checks for $3,500.
It was John’s Island resident and local philanthropist Tom Corr, however, who provided the headline-grabbing jolt necessary to make sure the community took the fundraising effort seriously – by saying he would contribute $100,000.
The council then received another big-money pledge: Grand Harbor resident Charlene Friedman, a Vero Beach-based real-estate developer and another local philanthropist, wrote a letter stating she would give $50,000 to the boardwalk fund.
Last month, County Commission Chairman Joe Flescher said CDS Manufacturing, which is based in Quincy with a plant here, offered to donate structural materials worth up to $700,000 in today’s market to help build the boardwalk.
Flescher said the offer came after he had conversations with former state representative and county tax collector Charlie Sembler and his brother, Clayton, who owns CDS, which makes pre-stressed and pre-cast concrete beams, pilings and other structures for construction projects.
City officials estimate the cost of building a boardwalk to be at least $2.3 million – $1.3 million more than the council has budgeted. The city, which has received more than $175,000 in pledges, has approved the Indian River Community Foundation to manage the boardwalk contributions.
To donate, visit the rebuildhumiston.org website.
