5 Reasons Why Vero Beach Will Thrive Over The Next 10 Years

Most people think Vero Beach is a very quiet, sleepy beach town. But, while a lot of people are chasing Palm Beach and Miami, there's something quietly going on here in Vero Beach. And today, I'm breaking down five reasons why that's happening in Vero Beach, Florida. Number one, Vero attracts buyers from all over the globe who are looking for the lifestyle here of a quieter barrier island, limited, smart growth, protection of our Indian River waterway and all of our live oaks. So, buyers that are coming to Vero are retirees who could live anywhere.

There are families that are coming to raise their kids here. And there are affordable private schools and beautiful public schools. It's attracting folks that can work remotely. So, a large swath of demographic is choosing the experience and saying, "This is what we're looking for and Vero Beach offers." So, what does this really mean in terms of the types of folks that are coming here? It means the market doesn't spike. When people come to Vero, they stay here. It means they love the community and they're willing to even explore different areas within the same community.

And I'm saving the best part where we're going to talk about Vero's development, but we're going to talk about that in a couple of minutes. So, stay tuned. Why slow growth works. Slow growth means we're not racing to build out every nook and cranny of land. Most of our riverfront that hasn't been developed is preserved and is owned by our Indian River Land Trust who does a great job. It means that there is slow growth, but it's thoughtful. We make sure that there's infrastructure to support communities. Other parts of Florida almost feel like the building happens and the infrastructure is struggling to catch up.

This doesn't happen here. And that maintains quality of life for everybody and it means slow and steady growth of values. So, bottom line, Vero is positioned for that delicate dance between slow growth and growth that's too fast, growth that's smart, that supports values. It means as properties continue to increase in value in South Florida, we expect a continued influx of people from South Florida up here seeking more affordability, a quieter pace of life, and they all go hand in hand. And so, it positions Vero long-term to have fundamentals that support property values.

The slower pace of sales volume encourages people that are intentional about wanting to be here, and that's a very good thing for everybody. So, what is it about Vero aside from the controlled growth? Well, the controlled growth does create loyalty, and it creates a quality of life and less hurried, frantic pace, no six-lane roads. You can get to the beach. Remember, our beaches are remarkably free of charge. And so, it really creates loyalty and a quality of life that most people find they can't find elsewhere. And so, that creates long-term residents, which is good for a community.

Vero is chosen because it's not Miami or Orlando. They're both fabulous. They're very different choices. There's more, more, more of everything. So, the geography of where Vero is is also super advantageous for when you want to have a weekend in the city, or you want to go to the theme parks, or you want to go to Winter Park. It's doable, but then you can come home to your haven in Vero. So, people come to Vero because they want the benefits of Florida without the hustle and bustle of the cities that they can get to easily and come back.

By the way, if we haven't met, I'm Sally Daley. I've helped over hundreds of clients buy and sell here in Vero Beach and find their slice of paradise. Be delighted to do the same thing for you. DM me or call me. Be delighted to help sort out if Vero or one of the other beautiful places along the East Coast of Florida is right for you. And if you're interested in exploring Naples, Savannah, Miami, I have wonderful trusted colleagues. So, I'd be delighted to be a connector to help you with someone who can be the local expert to help you figure out what is the right spot for you.

So, let's talk about something that a lot of people get wrong. They assume the economy is only limited to hospitality and recreation. Wrong. For a long time, we have been blessed by having a company called Piper Aircraft here. Piper has long been loyal to Vero and has operations here and is one of our chief employers. Cleveland Clinic, we're delighted to have here. They came to Vero several years ago and bring world-class health care. Our school district employs a lot of people. But, in addition, we obviously always have hotels, restaurants. But, we also have a lot of folks that are self-employed or work as attorneys or physicians.

There's lots of ways to earn a living here. And increasingly, because of our airport, Breeze Airport is here, going up and down the Eastern Seaboard. Shout out to them. They're fantastic. JetBlue is now here. Yay, we love JetBlue. It's attracting folks that have more mobility in their work. And what does that do? It's bringing younger families to Vero Beach. So, don't make the mistake of assuming that Vero Beach is only home to an economy that is based on hospitality. So, Vero is no longer the only place that is serviced by hospitality providers.

It's a lot more than that and it's ever-changing. And let's talk about education. Harbor Branch Oceanographic, shout out to them. Right over the barrier island on the Fort Pierce line is home to really sophisticated oceanographic programs and related industries and research, and that's pulling really interesting folks here. There's all kinds of related industries there as well, and it's happening. So, research and support of all things oceanographic are really a growing industry here in Vero Beach and the Fort Pierce area. So, back to my teaser about let's talk about a project that typifies the Vero approach.

One of the wonderful things about Vero Beach and the philosophy of slow and controlled growth and height restrictions that's been in place since 1977 is that there's thoughtful development to improve the town, not ruin its aesthetic and hurt it. One such project is happening, we've talked about it before, called the Three Corners Project. End of the Barber Bridge, which is our main bridge in the middle part of town, there is a corner that is right now dominated by an old power plant. Well, number of years ago the city wisely said, "We shouldn't be in the electric business." And they sold the utility to FPL.

Shout out to them. So, then the city was left with a conundrum. Well, what do we do with this valuable three corners sitting right on the Indian River, literally on the gateway connecting the barrier island to the mainland? So, the powers that be said, "Let's put out a call for proposals and see what developers think they might want to do with the project." So, that has gone on for a number of years and the RFPs came in and the top two contenders have decided to work together and they are presently now soliciting funding and hopefully the start of next year they're going to commence building on a mashup of, from the renders are super exciting, combination of boutique hotel, marina with some much-needed slips because there are more people with boats than we We slips, parks, outside dining, shopping.

It's going to be fabulous. So, we're super excited about the prospect of this project coming to town. And is it going to help or hurt the quality of life for everybody? So, what does that mean for Vero? It means the darling Ocean Drive retail district, which is limited in scope and height on purpose, remains unchanged. Its value isn't diluted. The Jungle Trail north of town with the Shell Path Trail that follows the contours of the river. Wonderful for birding, dog walking, biking, is unchanged. The public parks are unchanged. This is literally converting what's now not a functional piece of land cuz the utility is not being used into an asset that helps and enhances and doesn't dilute the quality of life or the value of all the other wonderful assets that we have here in Vero Beach.

What else have we done that's enhanced the quality of life? A couple of things. Sailing is a big thing here. Our river, because it's an estuary, you know, there's not tons of alligators here. Sailing is really a thing. And a bunch of wonderful individuals got together. Vero is very into supporting causes that they love. One of the greatest things about Vero. Some folks got together and they said, "If we can get the land, we're going to work with the city and we're going to develop funds." And guess what they developed?

A brilliant new two-story sailing and rowing facility right off Alex MacWilliam Park, right in the heart of the barrier island. And it's a wonderful facility that encourages all things water, from sailing to rowing, all ages. So, that's kind of a public-private partnership. There's a new park on the barrier island just south of the Moorings, which is a nature preserve that has wonderful ways to hike and bike around. So, there's all kinds of new developments that are in Vero that enhance the quality of life. And let's talk about McKee Gardens. McKee Gardens is kind of quintessential Vero project.

Back in the day, before Disney World, pardon me, when things like the mermaid excursions in the middle of the island were a thing, one of them was here in Vero Beach. It was a botanic botanical garden called McKee Botanical Garden. And McKee Gardens right now is a gem in Vero Beach, and they have fabulous programming for children and families. At Christmas, it's illuminated with lights. They often have glass exhibitions that go throughout it. There's a wonderful car exhibition that goes throughout it. So, that is kind of another quintessential public-private partnership of assets that enhance the quality of life without taking anything away from the beaches, the parks, the ocean drive, the jungle trail that have been here long since they were.

What's the number one differentiator? Lifestyle matters. In a nutshell, Vero Beach buyers are discerning, educated, they do their due diligence, and quite often, they have the ability to choose many different places that are all fabulous. So, what they are saying is lifestyle matters almost more than locale. It means they're looking for quality of life often comprised of privacy, low growth, smart zoning, and a quality of life and ability to get to beaches and a beautiful river that's an estuary and offers quality of life and experience that they cannot find elsewhere, and they could buy elsewhere.

So, it's not even necessarily they're saying, "We want Vero Beach." They're saying, "We want this kind of a lifestyle." Guess what? Vero Beach offers it. So, within Vero Beach, where you want to land. And so, increasingly buyers are shopping lifestyle first, community second. And there's examples all over the region. Archie Carr Wildlife Preserve, Pelican Island, our beautiful public beaches that are controlled. All of it's all over the place. Round Island, you've got Jungle Trail, there's preserves everywhere. It's not going anywhere. And the fact that these exist and the riverfront land that's not been developed is largely acquired by the Land Trust, those are all markers and signals that say to you, "This is a community where I can come now and if I like it now, I can be assured it's going to be that way in 10, 15, 20 years." So, you're not going to have to find your new place because of growth and changing what got you here in the first place.

So, in conclusion, Vero Beach is not going to blow up. Vero Beach is going to be slow and steady wins the race. The race being quality of life, controlled development, smart appreciation for an investment that you will love living in as well as appreciating over the course of however long you are here. So, in a nutshell, that's why Vero Beach is poised to grow slowly, smartly, now and in the future and provide a quality of life and a lifestyle experience that we think is worthy of your consideration. And if you're thinking of exploring, you can also write to me through our contact form and I'm going to provide a link below to some driving tours.

If you say, "Sally, I'm intrigued. What does it really look like?" You can always see so much online when you're looking at a house, right? Well, we're going to link below some actual driving tours where I'm in the car and I'm showing you some of our most popular neighborhoods. So, look for those links before down below and reach out to me, DM me, call me and I'd love to help you sort out whether or not Vero Beach is right for you.