Iris Lane, a busy little island street that is a popular shortcut from Beachland Boulevard to State Road A1A, is finally getting a sidewalk after years of pleas from residents, but not before one last objection from a City Council member who is unhappy about the cost.
Sidewalk projects can be flashpoints on the island. In April, sustained protests by residents caused Florida Department of Transportation to drastically scale back plans for a wide, 5-mile-long sidewalk on the east side of A1A that residents said was unnecessary and would destroy valuable landscaping. Eight years ago there was a long controversy about a proposed sidewalk along Live Oak Drive, complete with dueling yard signs and contentious city council meetings.
Some residents wanted the sidewalk for safety reasons while others opposed it. That one eventually was built and is an established feature of the neighborhood.
But there was no controversy on Iris Lane, where residents pleaded for a sidewalk as a safety measure on the busy street, saying heavy traffic is a hazard to pedestrians on their way to and from Riverside Park who are forced to walk in the street.
“I’ve been asking the city for a sidewalk ever since I bought my house here 15 years ago,” said Brian Havard, who lives with his wife at 555 Iris Lane. “People cut through here as a shortcut from the [Barber] bridge to A1A. So, we get a tremendous amount of traffic here and it gets worse all the time. We also get people towing boats heading for the boat ramps in Memorial Park.”
The City Council eventually responded to residents’ concerns, giving the go-ahead for an 8-foot-wide sidewalk that will be constructed on the south side of Iris between Mockingbird Drive and A1A, narrowing to 6 feet wide in three areas to curve around stormwater drains.
There was some last-minute controversy about the project at city hall, but it did not derail the pedestrian walkway.
The project was budgeted in the 2024-2025 fiscal year for an estimated $129,000 for design and construction. Since then, the estimate has ballooned to $189,900 for construction, plus $34,980 for design and consulting costs. It was this increase that raised the ire of Vero Beach City Council member John Carroll, who objected to the project last week.
“Why was the council left in the dark when the project budget nearly doubled?” Carroll asked during a regular meeting of the council on May 26. “I think department heads should be updating the council on these capital projects when things change or the scope of work expands, so that we can decide if this is a good use of taxpayer dollars.”
Carroll wanted to know why so much money was being spent on a sidewalk on a street with just 13 homes. “I urge the council to vote against this. Let’s find a better way because this is crazy,” he said.
City Manager Monte Falls explained that the sidewalks were necessary not just for safety on Iris Lane but to complete a loop of sidewalks that encircle Riverside Park. Consulting and design for the project has already been completed and paid for, Falls said. Council members were only being asked to approve the transfer of $110,000 from one part of the budget to another, and to approve the selection of the contractor, B Squared Contracting of Port St. Lucie.
Residents of the street were surveyed and voiced their approval for the sidewalks, and the project was included in last year’s approved budget, Falls said. Canceling the project at this stage would be unfair to those residents, he said.
Council members Aaron Vos, Linda Moore and Taylor Dingle agreed.
“I feel like sidewalks are a benefit to the whole community,” Moore said. “I also feel like we should keep our word when we commit to projects like this.”
“I gave my promise. I don’t want to backtrack,” Dingle added. “It’s a public safety improvement to the entire area around the park.”
One reason for increased costs is the drainage pipe that runs beneath the swale on the south side of the street, adjacent to Holy Cross Catholic Church, which carries storm runoff from A1A to the Indian River Lagoon. Some retaining walls with handrails had to be added to the sidewalk design due to the elevation, said City Public Works Director Matthew Mitts.
Engineers also had to design around a pedestrian signal cabinet that FDOT installed last year at the eastern end of Iris Lane where it meets A1A. FDOT also added a crosswalk at that intersection, which has invited more foot and bicycle traffic from people on their way to the jogging trail and other amenities in Riverside Park, Mitts said.
The council approved the funding transfer and contractor selection 4-1, with Carroll voting no.
Kristy Polackwich, who has lived with her husband, Nathan, and family at 515 Iris Lane for 23 years said she and her husband walk with their kids all the time. She loves the idea of a sidewalk.
“Usually, I feel that less concrete is better,” Polackwich said. “But we have a lot of foot traffic on Iris, so it makes a lot of sense. We need more sidewalks on the island and on the mainland. A walking community is a healthy community.”
“This sidewalk will provide a safe and stable pedestrian route that fills in a critical missing gap in pedestrian facilities between Riverside Park and A1A that will be enjoyed and utilized by the public for generations,” Mitts said.
Now that the budget transfer and contractor are approved, discussions will take place with B Squared Contracting about a start date. The contract duration is 75 days, Mitts said.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
