Youth Sailing Foundation says current location better than a move to Riverside Park

NEWS ANALYSIS

MARK SCHUMANN

Val Zudans – Taking a mean cleaver to City assets.

Currently operating from the south side of the City’s Waste Water Treatment site, the Youth Sailing League has been asked by several members of the City Council to instead accept space in Riverside Park.

Leaders of the Sailing League have proposed building a $2 million facility on the western shore of the Indian River Lagoon near the Alma Lee Loy Bridge. In a letter sent to Mayor Harry Howle last month, (below), Youth Sailing Foundation Executive Director, Stu Keiller, set out the reasons why a move to Riverside Park would not meet the organizations needs.

In order to make all the City owned land north and south of the Alma Lee Loy Bridge available for commercial development, Howle, along with Council members Lange Sykes and Val Zudans, seems determined to force the Sailing League to move to Riverside Park

Zudans, who is pushing to lease the Riverhouse in Riverside Park to a brewery, is now also calling for referendums that would strip City Charter protections for the River House, the power plant site and the waste water treatment plant site. Currently those sites cannot be sold or leased for commercial purposes without voter approval.

Last fall, when FPL-sponsored Zudans ran for the City Council, he dismissed as “fake news” reporting on his intentions to sell off City assets. Zudans is being added by Howle and Sykes, both of whom also enjoyed FPL support in their campaigns.

2 comments

These people are trying to turn Vero Beach into a Boca or Lauderdale . We need to look at the lack of funding for infrastructure like Aviation between 43 and 58. That is a death trap. We have enough Breweries, please

We cannot allow three people,who may NOT be on the council in two years decide the fate of the city of Vero forever.The people must have the final say after ALL the facts are in. We cannot allow any changes to the city charter at the whim of any council person.
Furthermore, before trying to sell off any public lands it is imperative to know what it will cost to clean up these lands and who will be responsible for the bill.