BCC Candidates Answer our Questions, Water Saving Tips, and More
- IRNA
- 11 minutes ago
- 5 min read
The Indian River Neighborhood Association (IRNA), Pelican Island Audubon Society (PIAS), and the Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County (CWC) sent comprehensive questionnaires to all candidates running for Board of County Commissioners, seeking their positions on important issues facing the community.
The Questionnaire Process
All candidates received identical questions on the same day and were given the same time to respond through an online form. The responses are published below unedited to maintain authenticity and allow voters to hear directly from candidates in their own words.
As 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations, IRNA, PIAS, and CWC will not endorse candidates in this election. Instead, we are focused on voter education, with responses being shared through email newsletters reaching thousands of combined subscribers and on social media platforms.
Issues Addressed
The questionnaire covered major topics affecting Indian River County's future, including the property tax amendment (Amendment 3/HJR 1F) and its impact on water infrastructure funding, sustaining Lagoon restoration under funding pressure, current water quality conditions in the Indian River Lagoon and Blue Cypress Lake, long-term potable water supply and utility expansion, and city-county collaboration on annexation and growth.
Candidate Participation
All candidates for Board of County Commissioners were given the opportunity to respond, but only five did:
Bob McPartlan (Dist 2)
Jennifer A. Pippin (Dist 2)
Daniel Brooks Robinson (Dist 2)
Marc Jaffe (Dist 4)
Deryl Byron Loar (Dist 4)
A Thank You to the Candidates
IRNA, CWC, and PIAS extend our appreciation to Jennifer Pippin, Bob McPartlan, Brooks Robinson, Marc Jaffe, and Deryl Loar for taking the time to respond to these important questions. Our organizations are grateful for each candidate's participation in this process, which helps ensure that Indian River County residents can make informed decisions at the ballot box.
PFAS Well Water Testing
IRNA is offering free, certified lab testing for PFAS ("forever chemicals") in private drinking water wells. Sign up, submit your water sample, and get your results, plus learn what they mean for your health.
We are especially searching for wells at or near Blue Cypress Lake, Fellsmere, Gifford, and Wabasso. There are only a few tests left! Reach out today!
Open to Indian River County home and business owners on private wells only (not connected to municipal water). Questions? Contact Missy@IndianRiverNA.com
Following up on last week's piece about irrigation systems, a reader made a good point we wanted to give its own space: all that talk about zones, controllers, and rain sensors assumes you're going to keep a lawn that needs watering in the first place. But you don't have to.
The most effective way to stop worrying about your irrigation system is to need it less. Swap out sections of lawn for native groundcovers, wildflowers, and shrubs, and you can shrink your water bill, your maintenance list, and your exposure to those Tuesday-morning "your grass looks bad" letters from the HOA, all at once.
Lawns tend to be thirsty because grass has shallow roots and needs consistent moisture to look good. Florida natives evolved for our actual rainfall pattern (long dry stretches, then downpours) so many of them need regular watering only while they're getting established, typically the first few months. After that, rainfall carries most of the load. Groundcovers like sunshine mimosa, frogfruit, and Carolina ponysfoot can fill in where turf used to be, and they don't ask for fertilizer or a weekly mow either.
You don't have to convert the whole yard to get the benefit. A common approach: keep a functional patch of turf for kids or pets, then convert the rest, especially the sides and back where nobody's playing catch, into planting beds. Group plants by water needs so you're not overwatering the drought-tolerant stuff to keep the thirsty stuff alive nearby. If you do irrigate the new beds while they establish, drip lines and soaker hoses put water at the root zone instead of into the air, which is a much smaller draw on your system than spray heads ever were.
If you're in an HOA, you have more legal footing than you might think. Florida Statute 373.185 defines this kind of water-conserving, native, drought-tolerant landscaping as "Florida-Friendly Landscaping," and Florida Statute 720.3075 says HOA covenants and bylaws can't be enforced to prohibit it outright. Your association can still require you to submit a plan for architectural review and can hold you to reasonable aesthetic standards (edging, bed borders, that sort of thing), but it can't force you into all-turf-all-the-time if what you're proposing genuinely fits the Florida-Friendly definition. It's worth reading your community's covenants before you dig, but the law is squarely in your corner.
P&Z Board backs Miracle Mile extension (Hometown News) - The Vero Beach Planning & Zoning Board unanimously recommended changing the future land use of a seven-acre parcel from residential to commercial to allow for a mixed-use extension of the Miracle Mile Business District.
Vero keeps next year’s millage flat (Hometown News) - The Vero Beach City Council approved a preliminary 2026-27 fiscal year budget that maintains the current millage rate while incorporating fee increases and utilizing unassigned reserve funds to fill three vacant police officer positions.
GoLine earns first national APTA award (Sebastian Daily) - Indian River Transit’s GoLine bus system won the 2026 Outstanding Public Transportation System award from the American Public Transportation Association after achieving a 17.2% annual increase in ridership.
City Council wants to impose new fees, raise others (Vero News) - The Vero Beach City Council adjusted its proposed 2026–2027 budget by introducing new municipal fees and raising existing ones to restore three police officer positions without increasing property tax rates.
New law has developers poised to build on thousands of acres of farmland around Florida (Seeking Rents) - Florida's expanded agricultural enclave law enables real estate developers to bypass local land-use restrictions and build major residential housing developments across thousands of acres of farmland and timberland.
A Special Offer from the Vero Beach Museum of Art
A big thank-you to the Vero Beach Museum of Art for offering IRNA members $1 off admission (up to 4 adults per party) to see James Prosek: At Work, on view now through October 25, 2026. Kids under 17, veterans, and active-duty military get in free.
The exhibition celebrates James Prosek's first 30 years of artmaking, presenting the remarkable breadth of his practice from on-the-spot field studies to studio work in painting, watercolor, and sculpture. His work spans plein air studies of birds in Suriname to ocean fish of the Atlantic, portraits of migratory animals in the Great Plains and Rockies, and encyclopedic investigations of eels, trout, and native plant life (all reflecting an artist known for deep observation and reverence for the natural world).
Print out the below PDF with the coupon and bring it to the Museum (a digital version on your phone works fine too) to claim your discount.
Learn more and plan your visit: https://www.vbmuseum.org/james-prosek-at-work/
Court finds Amendment 3 ballot language misleading; McPartlan, Robinson raised similar concerns (Sebastian Daily) - Florida circuit court ruled that the ballot title and summary for a proposed constitutional amendment expanding homestead property tax exemptions were misleading, ordering state officials to rewrite the language within ten days to accurately depict its fiscal and operational impacts on local governments.
Google Debug program could release millions of mosquitoes in Florida (USA Today) - Google has applied for an experimental use permit to release 32 million bacteria-sterilized male mosquitoes in Florida and California to help reduce populations of species that transmit diseases like West Nile virus.
Most Florida Waterways Fail Water Quality Standards as Enforcement Lags (Inside Climate News) - A new report by environmental groups shows that Florida pollution enforcement actions remain near historic lows while more than half of the state's waterbodies fail to meet water quality standards. We'll have more on this in coming weeks.
Florida author uses Vero Beach as inspiration, backdrop in new book (TCPalm) - Vero Beach author and psychic medium Pam Morley has released "Cardinal Choice," a romance novel set in a fictionalized version of her Florida hometown that follows a psychic medium who falls for a crime family's attorney.
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