The City of Vero Beach got millions of dollars’ worth of good news last week when staff members opened seven bids from contractors vying to replace the boardwalk at Humiston Park that was destroyed by Hurricane Nicole in November of 2022.
The city most recently estimated the cost of the project at nearly $5 million, but three of the bids were for less than half that amount.
If one or more of the low bidders turn out to be qualified to undertake the job, that will mean that the project is already fully funded, instead of facing a $2-million shortfall.
Contractors were asked to bid on two versions of the new boardwalk – one with a standard aluminum railing along the length of the beachside structure, the other with an upgraded, more decorative metal railing.
The lowest numbers came in from Loren Jock Trucking, based in Stuart, which bid the job at $1,793,192 with the basic railing and $1,829,273 with the fancy railing, and Ferreira Construction, based in Hobe Sound, which submitted similar bids for the two versions – $1,767,109 and $1,839,748.
“We have those two really close bids and another one that comes in around $2 million, so it’s going to be somewhere in that ballpark,” said City Manager Monte Falls.
These estimates do not include the cost of prestressed concrete pilings, but those are being donated by Clayton Sembler of CDS Manufacturing, whose family has deep roots in Indian River County, dating back more than 120 years. The value of the pilings is estimated at approximately $850,000, according to Falls.
He said the cost to install the pilings is included in the bids.
The bids need to be verified, and references need to be checked before city staff select the lowest qualified bidder. That name will be presented to councilmembers for approval at the Aug. 25 city council meeting, Falls said.
First built in the 1930s as a wooden structure and later replaced with a concrete version, the 427-foot-long walkway with benches and a pavilion overlooking the ocean was “part of the fabric of Vero Beach,” in the words of former mayor Tony Young.
It took the city a while to get in gear in the aftermath of the destruction. The wrecked boardwalk wasn’t torn down until January 2024, more than a year after the storm. The pavilion that had been part of the boardwalk was preserved as a remnant.
In the summer of 2024, the city council voted to replace the shattered structure with a sidewalk set back slightly from the beach that would have cost a modest $800,000 and been more resistant to storm damage, but that vote brought first a sigh of community disappointment and then an outcry. Generations of island and mainland residents had grown up with the nostalgic boardwalk, and many people wanted it fully restored.
Not much happened until December 2024. That’s when the idea of a rebuild-the-boardwalk fund was suggested by city councilmembers John Carroll and Aaron Vos. Vero Beach 32963 championed the effort and donations surged.
By mid-January 2025, the city had received $175,000 in pledges, along with a promise of construction material worth hundreds of thousands more from the Sembler family.
Seeing the upsurge in enthusiasm, the city council that same month voted unanimously to drop the sidewalk plan and replace the beloved boardwalk, initially estimating the cost at $2.2 million.
Falls said work would begin in November 2025, after the end of turtle nesting season.
But as autumn neared, revised estimates pushed the anticipated cost up to $4.7 million or higher. Work did not begin that November.
Current plans call for a wooden beam structure atop prestressed concrete pillars, with timber framing and a deck made from Trex – a durable composite of recycled materials. There will be a 12-foot by 22-foot covered pavilion near the northern end of the boardwalk, with a 12-foot by 42-foot covered pavilion near the southern end, which will have a handicapped access ramp.
The city budgeted $1 million for the project as part of its five-year capital improvement plan, passed last year, and the State of Florida, FEMA and Indian River County have kicked in hundreds of thousands of dollars each. Along with money from the fundraising drive – $145,713 collected to date, plus another $160,000 in pledged donations – the city has put together about $3.1 million for the project, according to Carroll. That is a million more than needed if the low bids pan out.
“It’s a great day for the city. These are very competitive bids and are very representative of the scope of work we anticipate,” Carroll said. “We’re very fortunate that we have qualified contractors on this list. That’s important.”
The project is on target to begin in early November – a year late but now not a dollar short – following the end of sea turtle nesting season, Falls said. Completion is expected before next year’s nesting season begins on March 1. Portions of the park and beach will be closed as needed during construction and residents will be notified ahead of time, he said.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
