Indian River is located on the southeastern/east-central coast of Florida. While the area has been known by various names throughout its history, it was established as it's current name in 1925, marking this year (2025) as its centennial (100 year) birthday. IRC is composed of the following areas: Vero Beach (additional West Vero Corridor, VB South), Sebastian, Fellsmere, Indian River Shores, Gifford, Wabasso, Winter Beach, Orchid, Roseland, North Beach, South Beach and Florida Ridge.
Indian River County gets its name from the water-body that extends 156 miles between the mainland and the Barrier Island(s)—in conjunction with the ancient Native population who inhabited its shores, the Ais. Spanish explorers were said to have called the area the Rio de Ais, which translates in English to 'Indian River.'
The Indian River is not a river but is in fact, an estuary—more specifically a Lagoon, which is a shallow estuary that is separated from the ocean by barrier islands. The Lagoon supports a wide variety of fish, plants, animals and other wild lifeforms, as well as recreational activities; however, it has fallen into a dire state of ailment and requires apt Revitalization efforts.
"The pattern of community development which occurred in Vero Beach provides insight into some important aspects of Florida's history. Although the coastal waters in the region attracted fishermen, settlement of [the] area did not occur until the 1880's. During that decade, the problem of lack of transportation which had deterred settler was solved by railroad construction. In 1891, a post office named Vero was established at the home of Henry Gifford who has settled on the site in 1881. When the railroad was extended south to Lake Worth in 1894, a depot was built in Vero. With the railroad came tourism and growing interest in the area."
-FL Historical Marker @ Vero Beach Women's Club
Established in 1915, the City of Vero Beach is the seat of IRC. Some of the things it's known for are its pristine beaches, its highly successful citrus/agriculture industry, extensive boating/watersports, fishing, Dodgertown training facilities, its rich history, arts and culture scene, and wealthy residents; some of Vero's once great industries are ailing from what the once were.
AME has been headquartered in Vero for almost 6 years, and in that time has found a home, peace of mind and boundless inspiration—namely in the formulation of this company. AME aims to help Vero grow, while also working in congruence and preservation of the qualities that make it unique. It is Our belief that by placing Our preliminary focus on Vero, the seat of the County (and one of, if not the most distressed part of the Lagoon), that a standard may be achieved in better harmonizing/improving the Lagoon and its surrounding areas.
It is the intention of AME to aid in the efforts to Revitalize IRC through focus on three key historic industries—the Lagoon, Agriculture and Boating. It is of Our perception that these industries are intimately related and that by viewing/working on them as a cohesive ecosystem, they may affectively revitalize one another and have a larger reverberatory improvement on the greater ecosystem which is IRC as a whole. The ultimate goal of this effort is to create jobs, revenue and enterprise.
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