In 1973, Thomas Nason went knocking on doors in the Bethel Creek and Silver Shores neighborhoods on the barrier island, trying to get signatures on a petition. Written by Nason, the petition asked the City of Vero Beach to create a beach access structure at the eastern end of Bahia Mar Road, across from where Pelican Plaza is today.
Last week, some 53 years later, the wooden walkway and stairs over the dune in that location were renamed in honor of Nason, who died this summer.
In 1973, the area north of the beach access, which is now occupied by Oceangate condominium, was thick brush and woods. To the south was the Ocean Fishing Pier and Motel, a busy tourist destination that was also popular with local fishermen. The pier is still there, but Seaquay condominium has replaced the motel.
People who lived in the Bethel Creek and Silver Shores neighborhoods had to trudge out of their subdivisions and then hike north or south on A1A to get to a public beach access point.
Nason got his neighbors on Bahia Mar Road and in surrounding neighborhoods to sign his petition, which was presented to the city council on Dec. 18, 1973. Eight days later, the city secured a 15-foot-wide easement over the dune from The Spanish Main, a landholding corporation that owned much of the property in the area.
The dune crossover was constructed in early 1974 and since then tens of thousands of residents and visitors have used it to access one of the most pristine beaches on Florida’s Atlantic coast.
But that wasn’t the end of Nason’s Vero Beach story. His success getting the neighborhood beach access built marked the start of more than two decades of public service for Nason, who passed away July 11 at age 93.
Nason – who had a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology and an MBA from Wright State University – became the city’s finance director in 1973. Over the next 23 years, he went on to serve as utilities director, assistant city manager, and finally city manager, sometimes holding multiple positions at the same time, taking care of city business.
Even after he retired in 1996, he continued to consult for other city department heads and was briefly rehired as interim city manager from November 2003 through May 2004 while the city looked for a permanent city manager.
“My dad was a humble guy,” Nason’s daughter, Laurie Nason Zeck, told city council members at their Sept. 22 meeting. “He would never have asked for this for himself. But he did want to preserve access to our beautiful beaches for the public. Naming the walkway would be an honor and lasting tribute to a man whose devoted service and vision continue to enrich the lives of Vero Beach’s citizens every day.”
During his tenure with the city, Nason helped usher in many of the policies and improvements that have made Vero Beach the desirable community it is today, said his son, Bruce Nason, who still lives on Bahia Mar Drive, near the beach access. Building height restrictions that limit residential buildings to 35 feet and commercial or mixed-use structures to 50 feet high were enacted while he was a city leader. He was also involved in the creation of Memorial Island and the establishment of Riverside Theatre, among other developments that are essential features of Vero Beach, according to Bruce Nason.
“Dad was extremely smart,” said another son, Walter Nason. “The electrical engineering degree gave him the foundation to run the utilities department. And the MBA made him an excellent finance director. But he wasn’t just book smart. He could plumb, he could wire, do carpentry. He could tear down an automatic transmission and put it back together.”
The siblings asked current City Manager Monte Falls how they could apply to have the beach access named for their father, describing their father’s service to the city and how he petitioned his neighbors to have the Bahia Beach access built.
The city council approved the application 4-0 on Sept. 22. Mayor John Cotugno told the siblings that the city will create a sign naming the beach access The Thomas R. Nason Memorial Walkway.
Photos by Joshua Kodis
