What does 427 feet of boardwalk cost when someone donates the foundation? At Humiston Beach Park, even with the concrete pilings given free, the bill comes to about $2.98 million, and the city still needed roughly $460,000 of it as of October 1. Work starts Sunday, November 1.
To close that gap, the city has put a price on each part of the structure. A plank, a bench, a dune crossover and each of the two pavilions now has a donation amount attached. That list is the clearest guide to what will rise on the dune at 3000 Ocean Drive between now and March. It also shows how much of the boardwalk Vero Beach is paying for directly.
How the Town Ended Up Paying for the Expensive Option
The first boardwalk at Humiston was wooden and dates to the 1930s. The concrete version that most current beachgoers remember went up in 1973: a 427-foot walkway with benches and a pavilion facing the ocean. Hurricane Ian weakened it in late September 2022. A few weeks later, Hurricane Nicole washed out the dune beneath it and finished it off. The city declared it unsafe, and crews finished tearing out parts of it on January 11, 2023.
Next came the cheaper plan. On June 11, 2024, the City Council chose a raised sidewalk with pavilions and dune crossovers instead of a new concrete boardwalk. TCPalm reported the 4-0 vote under a headline calling it a farewell to the boardwalk. Residents objected to losing the historic structure. On January 14, 2025, the council voted unanimously to drop the sidewalk plan and rebuild the boardwalk, WPTV reported. The same action let residents donate toward the construction.
So the boardwalk is a choice the community made, and the community has been paying toward it ever since.
The Pilings Were Free. The Rest Was Not.
In August 2026, seven companies bid on the job. Ferreira Construction of Hobe Sound won with a low bid of $1,767,109. Earlier in the summer the city had expected the project to cost as much as $5 million, so the bids looked like good news at first. Vero News reported on October 1 that other costs then pushed the project back into deficit. Public Works Director Matthew Mitts listed what the construction contract does not cover:
- About $125,000 already spent demolishing the old boardwalk and making the remaining pavilion and beach access safe
- $280,625 for design and permitting by Kimley-Horn
- $337,577 for construction-phase services, which include turtle-nest monitoring and engineering inspections for the length of the job
- About $111,000 to ship the pilings
- $353,422 in contingency, roughly 20 percent of the construction contract
Those costs bring the total to $2,975,141.
The largest single contribution is not on that list because it is not cash. Clayton Sembler, whose company CDS Manufacturing makes prestressed concrete, donated the pilings the new boardwalk will stand on. They are valued at $850,000. That is more than double what Indian River County or the state has put in.
Council member John Carroll told Vero News the contingency "protects the city and makes sure that we get the project finished." He pointed out that several structures have stood on that spot over the decades. "It wouldn't be surprising to run into some pipes, old sections of seawall, or other debris during construction," he said. If the unexpected costs come in lower, the budget will be adjusted.
Where the $2.5 Million Came From
As of Vero News' October 1 accounting, the city had $2,515,953 available. The sources it listed add to within $10 of that figure:
| Source | Amount |
|---|---|
| City of Vero Beach, five-year capital improvement plan | $1,000,000 |
| FEMA, for Ian and Nicole damage | $460,230 |
| Indian River County | $400,000 |
| State of Florida, 2025-2026 budget | $350,000 |
| Community campaign, cash received | $145,713 |
| Community campaign, pledges | $160,000 |
A state line is missing from that table. The city was on track for another $400,000 in the state's 2026-2027 budget, but Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed it shortly before signing the budget on June 29. Mitts said he knew of no other grants available. The remaining $460,000 is almost exactly what the veto took away, and it will have to come from local donors.
The community campaign started with a donation from Vero Beach 32963 and is managed by the Indian River Community Foundation. In June the council approved a five-member Humiston Boardwalk Citizens Committee, plus one alternate, by a 5-0 vote. Its job is to restart fundraising and handle donor recognition. The cash total barely changed over the summer, from $145,213 in July to $145,713 by October. The committee's new target is $500,000.
A Donor List That Matches the Blueprint
The committee's recognition tiers, approved by the City Council, line up one-for-one with the parts of the new boardwalk.
| Gift | What it's attached to | How many | Total if all are taken |
|---|---|---|---|
| $1,100 | Engraved Trex deck plank | 236 | $259,600 |
| $10,000 | Brass plaque on a new bench | 21 | $210,000 |
| $25,000 | Plaque on a dune crossover | 8, two on each of four crossovers | $200,000 |
| $100,000 | Naming of the 22-by-12-foot north pavilion | 1 | $100,000 |
| $250,000 | Naming of the 42-by-12-foot south pavilion | 1 | $250,000 |
The table also shows what the new structure will look like. It will have two pavilions, with the larger one at the south end, and four crossovers to the sand. Alongside the 21 new benches, 32 benches saved from the 1973 boardwalk will return, and they still carry their original donors' plaques. A founders plaque will go at the main entrance. The committee also plans to meet with Sembler about how to recognize the pilings.
The numbers add up in an encouraging way. If all 236 engraved planks sell, they would cover more than half of the $460,000 gap on their own. The plank tier is the one most households can reach. At the committee's October 5 meeting, Mitts showed members what an engraved board will look like, and the committee approved a flyer that still needed sign-off from the Community Foundation. Donations go through rebuildhumiston.org or 772-492-1407.
What the Park Looks Like From November to March
On Sunday, November 1, 2026, the committee plans to hold a groundbreaking at the boardwalk at 4 p.m. The plan includes a tent in the park, samples of the planks and plaques on display, and Jeff Pickering of the Indian River Community Foundation invited to speak. Carroll has described the event as a celebration with music and food that also raises money.
Construction starts the same day, which is the day sea turtle nesting season ends. The goal is to finish before the next season opens next March. According to Vero News' September coverage of the contract, parts of the park and beach will close as needed, and residents will get advance notice. The city has not published a schedule showing how parking, the playground, restrooms or the lifeguard stand will be affected during those closures. The city lists all of those among Humiston's amenities today, along with picnic shelters, grills and ADA beach access.
That includes Saturday mornings. The Farmers Market Oceanside still lists its hours as 8 a.m. to noon at 3000 Ocean Drive. It was started by the Oceanside Business Association and is now hosted by Business Inspiring Kindness, Inc. As of this week, the market's site has not posted any construction schedule.
On days when the Humiston sand is roped off, the city runs three other beaches along the same stretch of Ocean Drive, and parking at all of them is free.
- Jaycee Park, 5205 Ocean Drive, to the north. It has its own long boardwalk, pavilions, a playground and parking.
- Sexton Plaza, the Ocean Drive beach access that the county lists with Humiston in the Oceanside district.
- South Beach Park, at Ocean Drive and East Causeway Boulevard, with parking and lifeguards.
The streets around the park stay open throughout. The county's Oceanside guide lists Ocean Grill, The Tides, Citrus Grillhouse, Bobby's, Maison Martinique, Di Mare and The Wave Kitchen & Bar among the district's restaurants. Its shops include Twig Swim & Sportswear Shop, Sea Glass Boutique, Sara Campbell and Charleston Shoe Co. Through the winter, the work on the dune will be going on right beside them, and 236 boards for the new deck are still available for engraving.
At Luke Webb & Associates, we follow Central Beach projects like the Humiston rebuild because they shape daily life on this part of the island. If you own near Ocean Drive and want to understand what the new boardwalk could mean for your property, request a private consultation.
