Vero Beach Council Candidates Answers, Fix SB 180, and more
- IRNA
- Oct 11
- 6 min read
Vero Beach City Council Candidates
Respond to Community Questions
The Indian River Neighborhood Association (IRNA) and the Clean Water Coalition of Indian River County (CWC) sent comprehensive questionnaires to all candidates running for Vero Beach City Council, seeking their positions on critical issues facing the community.
The Questionnaire Process
All candidates received identical questions on the same day and were give 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, neither IRNA nor CWC will endorse candidates in this election. Instead, we are focused on voter education, with responses being shared through email newsletters reaching over 2,000 combined subscribers and on social media platforms.
Key Issues Addressed
The questionnaire covered major topics affecting Vero Beach's future including infrastructure investments for JetBlue's arrival, the septic-to-sewer conversion deadline, Three Corners marina development, lagoon protection, and climate resilience.
Candidate Participation
All three Vero Beach City Council candidates submitted their responses. Click their name below to see that candidate's responses.
Sebastian Race Update
IRNA and CWC also prepared questions for Sebastian City Council candidates. However, the race became uncontested when Sherrie Matthews was declared the winner.
A Thank You to the Candidates
IRNA and CWC extend our appreciation to John Cotugno, Taylor Dingle, and Brian Heady 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 Vero Beach residents can make informed decisions at the ballot box.
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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.
Florida's SB 180:
A Disaster Relief Bill That Became
a Local Planning Takeover
The Bottom Line: A 2025 "hurricane relief" bill is blocking Florida communities from protecting themselves against flooding, sprawl, and overdevelopment.
What Happened
Senate Bill 180 passed quietly in late 2025, marketed as disaster recovery legislation. But hidden amendments gutted local planning power statewide.
The Damage
Section 28 freezes local regulations:
Blocks "more restrictive" land-use rules than those existing before recent hurricanes
Applies retroactively to August 1, 2024 — threatening protections already on the books
Extends freeze for one year after any future hurricane
Section 18 creates automatic paralysis:
Freezes stronger local planning for one year within 100 miles of future hurricanes
Prevents stormwater, floodplain, and resilience protections when communities need them most
Real-World Impact:
Local governments getting sued for protecting wetlands and rural lands
Orange County's Vision 2050 comprehensive plan rejected by the state
Communities unable to address flooding, water quality, or overdevelopment
Why It Matters
Every community is different, but SB 180 imposes one-size-fits-all rules from Tallahassee — favoring developers over local voices.
Act Now
Committee weeks are happening right now — this is when bills get shaped before the January session.
Contact our legislators today and tell them to fix SB 180's damaging provisions and restore local planning authority.
Take Action Here with 1000 Friends of Florida's Form. Just fill in your address and the form will do the rest!
Early pressure works. Lawmakers are listening now before votes become final.
Deal will preserve old Hale Groves as conservation land (Vero News) - Pending county commission approval, Indian River County will use a voter-approved environmental fund to purchase the 22-acre historic Hale Groves site for $2.54 million and an adjoining 11.74-acre parcel for $1.26 million, creating a combined conservation area to protect the Indian River Lagoon from likely dense development.
Tourism sharply up here defying statewide trend (Vero News) - Tourist tax collections in Indian River County increased by 18.3 percent during the first seven months of 2025, defying a flat or slightly down statewide tourism trend that has been impacted by a 20 percent drop in Canadian visitors.
Community spirit soars as 1,000+ help with ‘Coastal Cleanup’ (Vero News) - More than 1,000 volunteers participating in the International Coastal Cleanup in Indian River County removed 4,064 pounds of debris, including a record-breaking 43,043 individual pieces of trash from 25 locations, with finds ranging from common plastics to a brick of cocaine.
Vero debates growing airport woes (Hometown News TC) - The rapid expansion of commercial flights at Vero Beach Regional Airport, with JetBlue and American Airlines set to join the popular Breeze Airways, has city officials scrambling to address significant parking shortages and the limitations of the one-gate terminal while cautiously planning for long-term solutions.
Watch bald eagle be released back into the wild (TCPalm) - On Sept. 4, the eagle was found on the ground at the FPL site on Glades Cut Off Road in St. Lucie County. Watch the video here.
Water & Lagoon Committee Report
The IRNA Water & Lagoon Committee met on September 25th to discuss ongoing efforts to address water quality and quantity issues in our community. Some of the issues we covered are below.
Septic-to-Sewer Progress
The City of Vero Beach has completed 743 of 1,460 possible septic conversions—just over 50% progress after seven years of work. STEP System service has expanded to Indian River Shores, with one of 16 possible connections completed, and will extend to South County in October near St. Edward's School. However, a significant concern remains: at the current pace of about 50 connections per year, the city will not meet the 2028 deadline for remaining conversions. One of the bottlenecks is that the city has only one crew for lateral installations, which is frequently diverted to handle emergencies. Equipment supply shortages and the complexity of monitoring failed tanks have also slowed progress. Though there are other barriers to conversion including cost and education. Many residents may not know that their septic drain field fluids can reach the water table and the Lagoon! So there is still a lot of work to do here.
Indian River County continues work on projects in Hobart Landing, Orchid Island, the Sebastian Redevelopment Area, and West Wabasso. The county is also developing a "quick connect" plan to link homes near existing sewer main lines. Good progress is happening in both local utilities, but more action is always needed.
Regional Water Supply Challenges
Our committee is increasingly focused on long-term water supply planning across the region served by the St. Johns River Water Management District. There's a concerning lack of data about our county's water resources. The last comprehensive hydrology study was conducted in 1988. We already know there is saltwater intrusion into the aquifer, but we don't know how far it extends. We're not certain what we don't know about our aquifer capacity, monitoring wells, and overall water availability. While solutions like desalination and reservoirs exist if needed, implementing them takes years of planning. Our committee will work to advocate for better data collection and long-term strategic planning to ensure water security for inevitable future growth in the local utilities.
Mercury in the Lagoon
Dr. John Trefry delivered an informative presentation on mercury levels in the Indian River Lagoon. The good news: most lagoon fish are safe to eat in moderation (2-3 servings per week of fish like flounder and drum). However, top predators like sharks and king mackerel should be avoided due to mercury biomagnification—the process by which mercury concentrations increase up the food chain. Dr. Trefry emphasized the need for more research on dissolved mercury levels in water and plankton, which form the foundation of the food web.
We're deeply grateful to Dr. Trefry, who is retiring to spend more time with his family. His service as our science advisor has educated us and made us more effective advocates for the lagoon.
Our next meeting is October 23rd at 2 PM. If you're interested in joining us, reach out to Dan Lamson, our Executive Director at Info@IndianRiverNA.com or reply to this email! We'd love for you to get involved!
US Marks First Hurricane‑Free September in a Decade (Sebastian Daily) - For the first time in a decade, the continental United States experienced a September without a hurricane landfall, as high-pressure systems and wind shear steered storms out into the Atlantic Ocean.
October 2025 Peligram (Pelican Island Audubon Society) - The Pelican Island Audubon Society's October 2025 newsletter announces a "Light As A Feather" photography exhibit and meetings on lagoon health, while featuring articles on lost nature words from dictionaries and threats to nature's artistry from pollution, and promoting educational programs like the Audubon Advocates for 5th-grade students.
Dip in mortgage interest rates seen giving Vero realty market late summer boost (Vero News) - A recent dip in mortgage interest rates to a yearly low of 6.13% in early September stimulated the Vero Beach real estate market by increasing financed deals, purchase loans, and pending sales , though the future market direction remains murky due to conflicting expert predictions and other influencing factors like stock market performance and local market seasonality.
Daylight Saving Time Ends Nov. 2 Amid Stalled Push for Permanent Switch in Florida (Sebastian Daily) - As most Americans prepare to set their clocks back an hour on November 2, 2025, Florida's 2018 law to adopt permanent Daylight Saving Time remains stalled, awaiting a required act of Congress where similar federal bills have seen no recent movement in committee.
‘Dirty money’ at work: Florida buys 4 acres for a whopping $83 million from big political donor (VoteWater.org) - "Dirty money" influences Florida's government, citing the state's approval to pay a major political donor an "insane" $83.3 million for four acres of land that was purchased for about $8 million less than a decade ago, while the state's primary conservation program received a fraction of that funding.
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