COMMENTARY
MILT THOMAS
A photograph above will run on the front cover of the September issue of Inside Vero.
Why is a photo of a cemetery so important that it earns the cover of Inside Vero? Because it isn’t just any cemetery – it’s our cemetery. Just like Arlington National is our cemetery. It belongs to the people of the United States and represents the sacrifice those service men and women made to preserve our way of life. It is hallowed ground.
Crestlawn Cemetery represents the same to the people of Vero Beach. It is also hallowed ground and represents the accomplishments and the sacrifices of all those who came before us to make Vero Beach the special community it is today.
The idea of selling Arlington National Cemetery or turning over management of it to a private company would be a sacrilege. Likewise, selling or turning over management of Crestlawn Cemetery for a profit or to reduce costs would also be a sacrilege.
But that is the issue we face today – preserving our city’s heritage in the face of an ideological whim to achieve smaller government. It is a battle that should never have to be fought, perpetuated by people with no connection to the soul of Vero Beach who feel ideology trumps emotion.
You don’t have to be a native of Vero Beach to feel its uniqueness. Why did you move here? Was it the beaches? The Indian River Lagoon? The shopping? The small town atmosphere? Residents and visitors alike consider Vero a special place. It didn’t just happen that way. It became Vero Beach because of the people who cared, cared enough to have a vision for its future and invest the money and energy it took to build that vision.
Now Vero Beach is under siege, by a mammoth energy company bent on eliminating all municipally owned electric utililties (i.e. competition) around the state and starting with Vero Beach, where it has invested millions to get its way. We are under siege by our neighbors, Indian River Shores and even our very own County Commission, determined to not only free themselves from Vero Electric, but to do it in such a way that the city could face bankruptcy. We are under siege by limited government fanatics who are helping FPL achieve its goal and working from the inside because they see Vero Beach as too much government. How else do you explain or tolerate an elected city official who wants to be reelected so she can help make all this happen and at the same time slash city budgets and staff as well as sell off city assets in her effort to achieve limited government.
Do any of these people care about Vero Beach, it’s history and the legacy of so many people who made it the great place to live it is today?
Can you imagine selling MacWilliam Park, named in honor of Alex MacWilliam, the visionary who is responsible for creating Veteran’s Memorial Island, creating Riverside Park, and so much more. Should the park bearing his name be sold to the highest bidder?
Troy Moody died fighting World War II in the prime of his llfe. Should the park named for him be put up for bid?
What about Holman Stadium, named after the man most responsible for bringing the Dodgers to Vero Beach? The Dodger team is gone but the history remains thanks to the tremendous efforts by Peter O’Malley to win back the Dodgertown name, not because of personal gain, but because he believed in his heart that Vero Beach deserved to be known forever as Historic Dodgertown. But is it safe from sale and destruction in order to create yet another faceless, high priced subdivision? Not with elected county and city officials who believe Dodgertown is just a commodity and an example of “government overreach.”
Conn Beach is not under assault, but is named after Joe Conn, who created the Bethel-by-the-sea development. Why is a public beach named after him? Because he donated the most valuable Bethel Creek property he owned to the city for Jaycee Park. He also convinced the developers of Vero Isles to dump their excess fill in swampy land across the street so a new shopping center could be built in the area now known as Miracle Mile.
James Tew does not have a park or monument named for him, but he was a winter visitor and CEO of B.F. Goodrich Tire Company who wanted to fly his corporate airplane, named the Silvertown, directly to Vero. So he and Bud Holman were instrumental in the creation of the Silvertown Airport, later named the Vero Beach Municipal Airport.
And how do you think the swamp that stretched to the horizons became Vero Beach? Herman Zeuch’s Indian River Farms Company and engineer R. D. Carter, drained the swamp and cleared the way.
So what do Herman Zeuch, James Tew, R.D. Carter, Joe Conn, Bud Holman, Troy Moody and Alex MacWilliam have in common besides their collective vision to create the community we love today? They are all buried in Crestlawn Cemetery.
How could anyone ignore that history for the sake of a faceless ideology espoused by people who see Vero Beach merely as an example of government overreach and bent on selling off or defunding its assets?
The next time you exit I-95 at State Road 60, look for the first signs of Vero’s uniqueness. If all you see are national chain stores, restaurants, shopping centers and planned communities, you might as well live off any other I-95 exit in Florida for the same view. That is the future for all of Vero Beach unless we act to preserve our heritage.
Editor’s Note: A photograph similar to the one above will appear on the front cover of the September issue of Inside Vero, and will be accompanied by commentary from Milt Thomas, Jim Thompson and Tony Young, along with the full text of remarks Alma Lee Loy delivered in two separate appearances before the Vero Beach City Council, all addressing the importance of protecting Crestlawn Cemetery and other public lands from sale or lease by the decision of a simple majority of the City Council.
At its 9:30 a.m. meeting Aug. 19, the City Council is scheduled to vote on whether to adopt language for a City Charter referendum to go before Vero Beach voters in November. If Councilwoman Pilar Turner is successful in again delaying the Council’s vote, as she did in July, the public may have to wait yet another year to protect Crestlawn Cemetery and other public lands from sale or lease without voter approval.
Indian River Guardian 
We cannot allow Pilar Turner to be successful in her quest to sell our cemetery or any other piece of Vero’s heritage.
She has consistantly done her best to sell everything that makes Vero, Vero.
Her usual tactics are to try and delay the vote or just plain vote “no”
Turner’s actions are all too obvious to those who follow Vero’s political life.
Well said! This is not Generic Beach – it is Vero Beach, a unique community that was built on the sweat and blood, hopes and dreams of a few good people. I believe many of us are willing to fight for the legacy of this special place. See you at the August 19th meeting.
I would rather privatize! Government is inefficient and only give power to beaureucrats.
Thank you, Milt. I think the word we may be looking for is “a sense of place”. Anthropologists, sociologists, and, even, urban planners recognize that certain places have strong identities and hold special meanings for people and their communities. It is not just one place, but a collection of places – natural and historic – that balance out our emotions and give us “a sense of place”. This legacy – these special places – left to all of us by decades of dedicated people must be protected and preserved for future generations.
It is very crucial for Milt and Inside Vero to keep the voting citizens of Vero Beach and Indian River County up to date on the names and antics of these politicians. Its equally important that we, the voting citizens of Vero Beach and Indian River County get out and not just vote them out of office, but spread the word to our friends and neighbors so that the voice of Vero Beach and Indian River County can not only be heard, but felt as well. Milt, please consider doing articles on these politicians, their voting records and their antics so that we can spread the word.