Legislative Delegation and more local news...
- IRNA
- Oct 25
- 5 min read
October 25, 2025 Weekly Newsletter
Indian River Neighborhood Association
Takes Priorities to Legislative Delegation
This past Wednesday, Indian River County residents and officials had the opportunity to voice their concerns directly to state lawmakers during the annual Legislative Delegation Meeting, where Senator Erin Grall and Representative Robbie Brackett gathered input from community members and local organizations. The Indian River Neighborhood Association (IRNA) presented our set of legislative priorities focused on protecting the county's environmental integrity and restoring local decision-making authority. We extend our gratitude to Senator Grall and Representative Brackett for providing this forum for community engagement.
At the heart of IRNA's message was a request to restore and protect "home rule," the ability of local governments to address their unique challenges without state interference. Last session, Senate Bill 180 created a "regulatory paralysis," prohibiting local governments from adopting regulations deemed "more restrictive or burdensome" for one year following hurricane impacts. The Live Local Act forces cities and counties to approve high-density development projects regardless of zoning or future land use. Meanwhile, SB 180 simultaneously prevents counties and cities from updating infrastructure standards to handle the strain on stormwater systems, roads, and utilities. IRNA and other groups are calling for the full repeal of SB 180's most restrictive provisions and amendments to the Live Local Act that would restore requirements for public hearings and allow reasonable, context-sensitive design standards.
IRNA also called for accountability following the recent scandal in conservation land acquisition. Earlier this month, the Governor and Cabinet approved spending $83 million on a nearly 4-acre parcel in Destin with "virtually no actual conservation value." The seller, a major political donor, reportedly profited over 900% on a decade-old investment, and the deal completely bypassed the Florida Forever program's scientific review process. The transaction was rushed through in just two minutes without public comment, using appraisals that included millions for docks on sovereignty lands already owned by the public—money that could have instead purchased thousands of acres outright of critical habitat or even more land in conservation easements.
IRNA's other priorities also include modernizing waste management by phasing out biosolid land application, fully funding Indian River Lagoon at $100m annually, Everglades restoration at $750 million annually, and protecting public lands from inappropriate development. These priorities represent our vision for a sustainable Florida where local communities are empowered, state environmental investments are effective and free of corruption, and public trust in government is restored. As the 2025-2026 legislative session approaches, IRNA hopes our elected representatives will champion these causes that directly impact the health and future of Indian River County.
Vero Beach City Council Candidate Queations
We, along with our friends from CWC, asked all three candidates for Vero Beach City Council several questions relating to land use, our environment, and quality of life. We shared their answers in a recent newsletter and wanted to keep an easy link to them here. If you would like to see their responses to our questions, please click here.
We appreciate them taking the time to address our concerns and encourage all eligible voters in Vero Beach to vote!
New here? If this was forwarded to you, we'd love to have you join our community! Click here to sign up and receive our newsletter weekly.
Join the IRNA in building a stronger voice for our community. Your support empowers us to safeguard our natural resources, demand transparency from elected officials, and champion the changes we need to see—together, we can create lasting impact.
Span-tastic! 17th St. bridge repair completion date moved up again (Vero News) - The completion date for the 17th Street bridge repair has been advanced again to fall 2026, two years earlier than first projected, thanks to a quiet hurricane season, accelerated nighttime construction, and successful stockpTocking of materials by FDOT.
Vero, Shores cooperate on neighborhood’s sewer service (Vero News) - Driven by state environmental mandates and upcoming road improvements, the Town of Indian River Shores and the City of Vero Beach have agreed to cooperate on converting homes on Beachcomber and Pebble Lanes from septic tanks to Vero's sewer service, with the town offering residents a 10-year financing option for the conversion costs.
Vero airport renovations underway (Hometown News) - Vero Beach airport officials are overseeing terminal renovations and reconfiguring parking, including converting one lot to employee-only and developing another for overflow, while exploring a third-party lease for parking management to handle the increased traffic expected from new JetBlue and American Airlines flights.
County approves rezoning ag-to-residential (Hometown News) - The Indian River County Commission unanimously approved a rezoning request for 9.2 acres of agricultural land, allowing local developer Laurel Builders, Inc. to build up to 73 affordable housing units in a medium-density residential district.
New bill would help developers intimidate local regulators (VoteWater) - Florida's proposed House Bill 105 would allow developers to sue local governments for up to $50,000 over enforcement actions deemed "arbitrary or unreasonable," a measure seen as an attempt to intimidate regulators and obstruct the enforcement of rules.
The green turtle is making a serious comeback! After decades of being hunted nearly to oblivion and then struggling with fishing nets, habitat loss, and climate change, these ocean wanderers have staged an impressive recovery.
Their numbers have jumped about 28% since the 1970s, enough to move them from “endangered” all the way to “least concern” on the IUCN Red List. It’s not a complete victory though, some populations, especially in the North Indian Ocean and Central South Pacific, are still struggling, and there’s been a puzzling drop in nesting numbers at Costa Rica’s biggest breeding site recently.
Still, after watching these turtles decline for so long, this is genuinely encouraging news. The recovery shows what’s possible when countries ban hunting and trade, protect nesting beaches, and use things like turtle excluder devices on fishing gear. Turtle experts are cautiously celebrating while stressing that this progress only continues if we keep up the conservation work. Green turtles aren’t out of the woods yet, but they’re definitely heading in the right direction!
Read more here.
The Emerson Center announces 2026 E-Series Lecture lineup (Indian River Guardian) - The Emerson Center in Vero Beach has announced its 2026 E-Series, a five-presentation lineup designed to educate and inspire audiences with lectures on environmental conservation, wildlife protection, and a notable maritime survival story.
Dirty Money: Big Sugar campaign cash nears $2.5 million in 2025 (VoteWater) - Gil Smart argues that the nearly $2.5 million in 2025 political contributions from Florida's sugar industry, directed largely to PACs and individual lawmakers, constitutes "dirty money" used to perpetuate the industry's stranglehold on state water policy at the expense of Florida's fragile waterways.
Florida school districts boost security after hoax bomb threats to superintendents (Sebastian Daily) - School districts throughout Florida, including Indian River County, heightened security with extra patrols after more than 40 superintendents received a non-credible hoax email threatening to detonate explosives unless a $1,000 cryptocurrency ransom was paid.
Study Links Algal Bloom Toxin in Florida Lagoon to Dolphin Brain Damage Resembling Alzheimer’s (Sebastian Daily) - A study of dolphins stranded in Florida's Indian River Lagoon reveals that a neurotoxin from harmful algal blooms, found at significantly higher levels during bloom seasons, is associated with brain pathologies mirroring those found in humans with Alzheimer’s disease and CTE.
