Welcome to New IRNA Team Member, Lunch Jan. 28, and more
- IRNA
- 12 minutes ago
- 5 min read
January 10, 2025 Weekly Newsletter
As we kick off 2026, we have exciting news to share: Missy Weiss is joining the Indian River Neighborhood Association as our Chief Science Officer!
If you've been involved in environmental work along the Indian River Lagoon, you likely already know Missy's name. She spent nearly seven years as Director of Citizen Science & Education at ORCA, where she built programs that engaged over 10,000 community volunteers in hands-on research and education. She has become a trusted voice in our community's environmental efforts.
Missy brings more than a decade of experience in applied research, citizen science, and environmental education—plus the kind of scientific expertise and community relationships that will strengthen IRNA's work protecting our lagoon, defending local conservation efforts, and holding decision-makers accountable. She's already contributed to our magazine and has been a valued partner in our shared mission.
We're thrilled to have Missy on our team as we tackle the challenges ahead. Welcome aboard, Missy!
You can reach out to Missy by email at Missy@IndianRiverNA.com.
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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.
Join Us for a Luncheon on January 28!
Learn about Beach Restoration in Vero Beach from Quintin Bergman, Coastal Resource Manager with the Natural Resources Department. There will be time for questions following the presentation.
Details:
Cost: $25 per person
Location: Bethel Creek House, 4405 A1A, Vero Beach, FL 32963 (across from Jaycee Beach Park)
Sign up at IndianRiverNA.com/lunch
You can pay online when you register, or bring a check or exact change the day of. Please sign up in advance, we cannot guarantee walk-ins will be able to eat.
We hope to see you there!
On housing site, Vero’s tough call was right one (Vero News) - Vero Beach City Council rejected using the old nursery site for affordable housing, prioritizing its critical role as a storm-debris storage area and citing environmental, logistical, and financial concerns, along with lack of public support for increased residential density.
Vero officials secure another $3.7M grant for sewage plant (Sebastian Daily) - Vero Beach secured a $3.7 million state grant for its new wastewater treatment plant, reducing the city's cost burden on the $164 million project aimed at improving water quality and redeveloping waterfront property.
Brightline seeks $100 million in new debt amid warnings of possible default (Sebastian Daily) - Brightline is seeking up to $100 million in new debt amid mounting financial pressure, legal disputes, and credit downgrades, as it struggles to meet ridership and revenue targets and faces a potential default on its senior bonds by early 2027.
Groundbreaking for Three Corners restaurants now projected for 2027 (TCPalm) - Vero Beach's long-planned Three Corners redevelopment is progressing with lease negotiations underway and initial construction likely delayed until mid-2027, while adjacent projects like the Youth Sailing Foundation center begin sooner and the current wastewater plant remains active until 2028.
Florida manatee deaths surge in 2025 with more than 600 found dead (Yahoo) - Florida recorded 628 manatee deaths in 2025 (its highest total since 2022) with most linked to reproductive issues, along with nearly 100 killed by boats and 33 from cold stress.
A Look at Who's Funding Sen. Erin Grall
VoteWater has released their campaign finance report on Senator Erin Grall, and it makes for illuminating reading.
The group has done the tedious work of combing through contribution records and categorizing donors by industry type. The picture that emerges helps explain why some of our legislators' votes don't always seem to align with the interests of the people they represent.
The agriculture industry has contributed over $34,000 to Grall's campaigns, including donations from Florida Cow PAC, Florida Citrus Mutual, and Lykes Bros. Inc. The phosphate mining industry (responsible for some of Florida's most significant water quality challenges) has chipped in around $21,000, including $15,000 from the Florida Phosphate Political Committee alone.
Then there are the utilities. NextEra Energy and its subsidiaries have contributed more than $31,000. Florida Power & Light added another $17,640. Duke Energy kicked in approximately $7,000.
The "Polluter PAC" category is particularly eye-opening. Floridians for Economic Advancement contributed $25,000. Voice of Florida Business PAC gave $20,000. Various other industry-aligned political committees added tens of thousands more.
Home builders and development interests (categorized under "Sprawl") contributed approximately $19,000.
None of this is illegal. These are all disclosed contributions, which is exactly how the system is supposed to work. Transparency matters.
But transparency only matters if people actually look. When a legislator votes against septic-to-sewer funding, or weakens environmental regulations, or undermines local government authority on development issues, it's worth asking: who's writing the checks?
VoteWater's full report is worth your time. Check it out here.
Deep Dive: Proposed EPA rule on wetlands would hammer Florida (VoteWater.org) - A proposed EPA rule change following the Supreme Court’s Sackett v. EPA decision could strip Clean Water Act protections from up to 70 million acres of U.S. wetlands—over 7.7 million acres in Florida alone—posing major risks to water quality, flood control, and wildlife habitat unless federal, state, or local governments intervene.
Sebastian launches first environmental poll to shape sustainability priorities (Sebastian Daily) - Sebastian has launched its first environmental poll to engage residents in shaping the city’s sustainability priorities and guide the direction of its Sustainable Sebastian initiatives focused on waste reduction, native landscaping, and community resilience.
South Florida Water Management District project targets cleaner discharges to Indian River Lagoon (WPBF) - The South Florida Water Management District is advancing multiple large-scale canal and reservoir projects to divert, store, and treat polluted water before it reaches the St. Lucie River and Indian River Lagoon, aiming to restore natural flow patterns and significantly improve regional water quality.
Oyster reef balls in Sebastian show early success after one year (Sebastian Daily) - One year after installation, oyster reef balls at Sebastian’s Riverview Park are successfully reducing shoreline erosion, fostering oyster growth, and promoting habitat restoration as part of a broader green infrastructure effort by ORCA to protect the Indian River Lagoon.
Florida wildlife corridor linking state parks would thwart development (TCPalm) - The Loxa-Lucie Headwaters Initiative aims to create a 70,000-acre wildlife corridor between two state parks in Martin County to protect threatened species, preserve wetlands, and prevent development, supported by land purchases, habitat restoration, and a new county sales tax funding conservation efforts.
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