Issue 60 • Dec. 1-7, 2015
Available every week in Indian River County
CenterState Bank is Known for Building Relationships...
Give them what they really want. DISTINGUISHED EDUCATION
Vanessa Hughes Assistant Vice President Assistant Branch Manager (NMLS# 737449)
· Auto & RV Purchase or Refinance · Equity Lines or Loans · Personal Loans · Lot Loans · Local Decision Making
Diana Walker Vice President Branch Manager (NMLS# 769974)
We Believe In You
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Attention
Owned & Operated by the Colkitt Family Since 1970
BEAD COLLECTORS! Life has its
Chuck Bateman Agent
SR 60 E, Vero Beach, FL 32960 next to Alan’s Bicycle Center
772-567-1106 chuck@chuckbatemaninsurance.com
Call 772-567-1106 for a FREE auto quote
Good Neighbor Agent since 1987
Chad & Joey Colkitt
Call 562-4660 860 11th Street, Vero Beach www.colkittac.com
Knowledge is the key to finding the right property. Let me provide you with the knowledge you need.
Cheryl Goff
772-713-6178
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PAM COOPER’S PATHWAYS: The story behind Waldo Sexton’s 1913 arrival in IRC What does Barberton, Ohio and Vero Beach, most likely is where Waldo developed his passion Florida have in common? The answer: Waldo for collectibles. In addition, Waldo oversaw Sexton and the Indian River Farms. erecting the buildings on the Barber farms. Now Waldo attended what is now Indiana State we understand about his desire to build, such as the University when he was 21 to study medicine. Driftwood and Ocean Grill. He changed his mind and received a degree in During the time he worked for Barber, Waldo Animal Husbandry at Purdue. After graduation met Charles McKee, brother to Arthur of “McKee Pam Cooper in 1911, his first job interview was with O.C. Jungle Gardens” fame. Charles had a patent on the (Ohio Columbus) Barber of Barberton, Ohio, known as Spalding Deep Tilling Machine and he convinced Waldo the “Diamond Match King.” Waldo received his first and to be a sales representative. most likely his last rejection. According to Barber’s diary, Close to the same time, he met sales representatives he asked Waldo what he wanted his first-year salary to be. of the Indian River Farms Company in Cleveland, where Waldo gave an amount. Barber laughed and said he had he learned about Vero. Waldo became a “Farms” sales men making 10 times that and Waldo didn’t think high representative. He arrived in IRC when he was 28 in 1913. enough of himself and, therefore, wasn’t worth hiring. He fell in love with the area and immediately bought land Barber eventually hired him after much persistence and set up new businesses. by Waldo. One of the jobs that Barber gave him was to Pam Cooper is supervisor of the Archive Center & Genealogy Department at the Indian River County main library. inventory his antique collection at the mansion, which
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JUST WONDERING: What are the top employers in Indian River County? The top employers in Indian River County in 2015 (with the number of employees, both full-time and part-time, in parentheses): 1) School District of Indian River County (2,113) 2) Indian River Medical Center (1,753) 3) Indian River County (1,328) 4) Publix (1,250) 5) Piper Aircraft (850) 6) Walmart (693) 7) Sebastian River Medical Center (569) 8) John’s Island (526) 9) City of Vero Beach (424) 10) Medical Data Systems (400) 11) Visiting Nurse Association (399) 12) Indian River Estates (350) 13) Disney’s Vero Beach Resort (300)
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– Source: Indian River County Chamber of Commerce
LEMMON DROPS: Local housing prices not returning to ‘06 levels anytime soon Six bite-size Lemmon Drops to nibble on while debating the semifinal pairings in college football’s playoffs:
• The last time I exchanged emails with Chris Lafakis, a
senior economist at Moody’s Analytics, he predicted we would be “under water” on our house until 2027. Like many people who bought a home in 2006, the Lemmons owe more on their mortgage than the house is worth. When I worked for the Press Journal, I wrote a column every October about our rush to buy a house when we moved here. We bought it before we had sold our house in Ohio. Why the rush? A magazine ranked Vero Beach the No. 2 housing market in the country for five-year appreciation. We wanted to buy before housing prices went up even more. We all know what happened. The market tanked. Being “under water” with our mortgage is just a way of life now. I’m not complaining – we love our house and, as far as investing goes, we got what we deserved. We were greedy,
hoping the house would appreciate in value by 64 percent (as the magazine predicted). When we’re ready to downsize and sell the house, we’d be happy to break even. You might say, as far as real-estate investments are concerned, we’ve been humbled. In those October columns on Russ Lemmon the local housing market, I usually quoted Lafakis because I wanted to get an outsider’s perspective. I decided to check in with Lafakis a few weeks ago to see how much longer the homebuyers from 2006 will be “under water.” He had some good news. The break-even year is now 2022! “We expect steady job gains and population growth that’s
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three times the national average will ensure that Vero Beach ranks in the top 50 of the 400 metropolitan statistical areas and divisions in terms of five-year house price appreciation,” he said. “Across the nation, house prices in 11 states have reached new highs, but in Vero Beach they remain 36 percent below the peak reached nearly nine years ago. These weaknesses mean that it will take until 2022 for house prices to fully recover.” Hey, I’ll take that over 2027. Back in April, I wrote that the still-under-construction Jennifer’s Bakery – located on westbound State Road 60 just east of the railroad tracks – wouldn’t be opening. The reason being, Jennifer and Sam Boksmati (who previously owned Fillin’ n’ Chillin’) decided to get a divorce. The divorce became final a few weeks ago, and Sam is now planning to open a restaurant at the same location. It’ll be called Sammy’s Mediterranean Café. Out of nowhere, the Sebastian-Vero Beach metropolitan
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area was named the “Drunkest City” in Florida by the website 24/7 Wall Street (247wallst.com). Perhaps if I were still in my 20s, I’d be bragging to my college buddies about the title, but now I just shrug my shoulders and say, “How do they come up with lists like this?” Give J&J Auto Works credit for being ahead of the political curve. It has had signs for Donald Trump and Ted Cruz in front of the business for a few months. What was once the Homeless Assistance Center, and then the Homeless Family Center, is now being called The Hope for Families Center. The new name doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue, especially when compared to the previous names, but the mission remains the same. With the hype building for “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” I’m starting to wonder if I’m the only person in Indian River County (between the ages of 40 and 70, anyway) who has never seen any of the “Star Wars” movies.
• • •
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Minuteman is moving this fall to 983 12th Street, behind the car Wash.
Meet me at Table 51 Some trivia: Whether at Bob Evans or C.J. Cannon’s, Russ and his wife usually eat breakfast at Table 51. In what will be an occasional feature, Russ breaks bread with someone you may or may not know.
“It’s a powered parachute,” he says. He’s usually in the air for 45 minutes to an hour. And to think, he didn’t start flying until age 57. “I never had a hobby,” the former City of Vero Beach employee said. John Massung received a dose of reality on Nov. 1. While flying in his powered parachute, John is That’s when he became eligible for Medicare. constantly taking photos of the scenery below. “It’s hard to believe,” he said. “I think it officially John’s daughter, Elaine, who lives in England, John Massung posts the eye-catching photos on the website makes you old – or, you’re on the far end of middle age.” IndianRiverByAir.com. His 65th birthday was Nov. 28. “She gave me this as a retirement present,” John said of Not that he’s ready to flip the switch to full retirement mode. the website. He’s having too much fun with his morning routine. He John’s wife, Kim, downloads the photos from John’s heads to the Sebastian airport and, if weather conditions camera and uses a file-sharing program so their daughter permit, flies around northern Indian River County. can retrieve them. It’s a low-tech airplane – it has a four-cylinder, The year’s best photos are used in a calendar. The 2016 100-horsepower engine and he steers it with his feet. Its calendar is now on sale. To order one, you can go to the cruising speed is only 27 miles per hour. Indian River By Air page on Facebook or the website.
To Feed the Poor and Homebound Clothe the Needy and Distressed Prevent Homelessness Disaster Relief Aid Donate used items to the Thrift Store (Free Pick-up) Donate nonperishable items to the Food Pantry Make a Cash Donation Volunteer to Ring the Bell During the Red Kettle Campaign 100% of the Funds raised stays in the community
THE SALVATION ARMY OF INDIAN RIVER COUNTY 978-0265 . PO Box 2864, Vero Beach, FL 32961 This Ad underwritten by John and Emilie
Start your recovery today and call
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Don’t suffer in silence, recovery is a journey we take together.
Top 500 countdown Russ Lemmon, who loves music (and lists), spent a lot of time putting together his Top 500 favorite songs of all-time. For the next few years, Lemmon Lines will be counting ‘em down. 323. “Brown Eyed Girl” (1967) Van Morrison Memory: It’s hard to not sing along with this one. 322. “Rain on the Scarecrow” (1986) John Mellencamp Memory: Such powerful lyrics, as the Indiana native went to bat for farmers. 321. “Chasing Cars” (2006) Snow Patrol Memory: I’ll always associate this song with our move from Ohio to Florida. All the songs thus far in the countdown can be found on LemmonLines.com.
Fun facts The number of births in Indian River County has been relatively steady during the past five years. The number has been between 1,217 (in 2013) and 1,305 (in 2010) throughout the five-year period. In 2014, there were 1,282 births in the county. – Source: Florida Department of Health
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Prices and specifications are subject to change without notice. Oral representation cannot be relied upon as correctly stated representations of the developer. For correct representations, make reference to this advertisement and to the documents required by section 718.503, Florida Statutes, to be furnished by a developer to a buyer or lessee. Images displayed may not be the actual property for sale, but may be model or other homes built of similar design.