ED TAYLOR

Vero Beach Mayor Dick Winger believes that the most important issue facing our city is a timely solution to the pollution problems within the Indian River Lagoon; both in identifying the cause or causes and finding methods of restoration. During a recent interview with “Inside Vero Extra”, the mayor shared his vision of what he hopes the city council can accomplish in 2014.

“The lagoon is the most important issue we are facing,” the mayor said. “The work is not finished yet to understand the problems of the sea grass in the Indian River Lagoon.”

Winger stated that he hoped ongoing research would be able to identify and pinpoint the causes of the pollution. He did articulate five potential sources of the pollution including agricultural runoff draining into the lagoon through relief canals, street runoff which would include oils and other substances retained on and within the city roads, muck from the relief canals, septic tank emissions and fertilizer residue of nitrogen and phosphates

The city has recently enacted two fertilizer ordinances, the most recent amending the first requiring the same strict measures of compliance as required by the county ordinance. Winger also mentioned industrial waste as a potential cause of pollution but said that he did not believe it applied within the City of Vero Beach. Even though the city sewage treatment plant is located directly on the Indian River, nothing from that plant enters the lagoon. The solid wastes are converted to mulch and hauled to the landfill. The liquid wastes are recycled and used for irrigation on local golf courses or pumped into a deep injection well far below all aquifers.

Mayor Winger does not believe that recent discharges into the lagoon from Lake Okeechobee have caused any recognizable damage to the portion of the Indian River located within the city limits of Vero Beach. The Indian River Lagoon is approximately 156 miles long and is located in five counties; Martin to the south and Volusia to the north based upon figures from the St. John’s Water Management District. Although it has long been known as the Indian River here in Vero Beach, the name changes amongst and amid the various counties. However, the entirety of the estuary is known as the Indian River Lagoon. Numerous governmental agencies along the coast of the lagoon are all addressing this problem on a local level working with both the state and federal governments and their agencies such as the Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers.

“Whatever we can do, we should do,” Winger said. He added that he hoped the experts analyzing the problem will have some answers this year.” Harder choices will come later on if we find out the major problem is not agricultural or street runoff but septic which is much harder to solve.”

Mayor Winger, while stating the lagoon to be the most important issue facing the city, did articulate five other goals that he hopes can be accomplished this year. A primary goal, he said, is to complete the sale of the entire Vero Beach electric system to Florida Power and Light. Winger stated that he is optimistic that the sale will be completed in 2014 contractually. Although a contract for the sale has been signed by the city, there are still several outstanding contractual obligations that must be overcome before Florida Power and Light can take over the utility.

“Florida Power and Light has the ball.” Winger said.

In conjunction with this complete sale of the electric

system, the mayor wants to see the city on a firm financial basis both before and after “we turn over the keys “to Florida Power and Light. The mayor emphasized that it was essential to maintain services that the people of Vero Beach want and expect from their local government.

The next item on Mayor Winger’s list of goals is consistent with his campaign pledge to “keep Vero, Vero” by referring to the Vero Beach Vision Plan section 3.1 which in part states “in many ways the community desires to be what it always has been and remains today, but with all the advantages and conveniences of the future”

Winger also hopes to maintain a civil and functional government which operates on a day-to-day basis under the supervision of the city manager, Jim O’Connor, who is doing a good job according to the mayor.

As his sixth point Mayor Winger hopes for more citizen participation in city government. He hopes to encourage Vero Beach people to join commissions and/or advisory panels to assist the city council or make the effort to serve on the council themselves.”I would certainly like to see more young people get involved with our city government,” Winger said.

“Vero Beach is becoming prosperous again,” he said.  “Hopefully we can work together on these six items to chart the future of Vero Beach and achieve these goals”.