Brevard is a celebration of the short time that I lived in West Melbourne, Florida (August 1985 - June 1987). Although I didn't get to explore much of the area, these are a few of my favorite places around Melbourne.
From Wikipedia:
The Merritt Island Dragon or Merrit Island River Dragon was a dragon-shaped green concrete structure that stood at the southern tip of Merritt Island, known as Dragon Point, where the Indian River Lagoon splits to form the Banana River Lagoon. The dragon was built in 1971 by Florida artist Lewis VanDercar and property owner Aynn Christal. In 1981, the statue was expanded for new property owner Warren McFadden, with the addition of a tail, an extended neck, two cavepeople a caveman named Fred and a cavewoman named Wilma and four hatchling dragons named Joy, Sunshine, Charity, and Freedom. The statues were located between the cities of Melbourne and Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, north of the Eau Gallie Causeway.
The dragon was created from 20 short tons (18 t) of concrete and steel, and stood 35 feet (11 m) high and 65 feet (20 m) long. Known as "Annie", the dragon served as a landmark for both locals and boaters, and also as a playhouse for children. On special occasions, the dragon would breathe fire. The idea for the sculpture was inspired by the American Indian legend which held that seeing a dragon rising from the mist where the Banana and Indian Rivers met was a sign of good fortune.
In August 2002, the sculpture was badly damaged, and partially collapsed into the water during a storm; vandalism was blamed for contributing to the statue's destruction.
Restoration
The owner and the Brevard County Commissioners were unable to agree on a rehabilitation effort; there was a plan in 2004 to reconstruct the sculpture, while in 2008, a developer planned a luxury hotel and spa on the Dragon Point site with a reconstructed dragon statue as its centerpiece, but both plans fell through.
Save Dragon Point, an organization dedicated to rebuilding the dragon statue, was founded in May 2012. In August, the mansion on the property where the dragon had stood was scheduled to be demolished and the property sold. Save Dragon Point changed its name to Annie and Kids Arts and Education Foundation.
In January 2015, Don Facciobene, local builder and developer, bought the property. He announced that a new dragon named "Rojak" will be built. According to the story of Dragon Point, Rojak is Annie's fifth hatchling who was kept hidden. An inaugural Dragon Boat Festival was planned for June 13, 2015, with proceeds intended to benefit Save Dragon Point.
In April 2015, a plan was announced to build Rojak by 2017. Demolition work began at Dragon Point in March of 2017, clearing room for a future multi-million dollar riverfront mansion and Rojak.
From Wikipedia:
Erna Nixon Park is a public park located on 1200 Evans Road, Melbourne, Florida. It contains a 3,000-foot (910 m) elevated boardwalk through a natural Florida hammock. The park contains ferns and old live oaks with hanging Spanish moss. It provides a natural habitat for several species of birds and small animals, such as the gopher tortoise and indigo snake. The park also hosts frequent events, such as the semi-annual Moonlight Stroll that takes place in the evening and includes live music. The park is named after Melbourne Village naturalist Erna Nixon (B: November 3, 1891).
The Erna Nixon Park Nature Center features exhibits of animal mounts and live small animals.
brevardfl.gov/ParksAndRecreation/ParksByCity/ParksInWestMelbourne/ErnaNixon
From Wikipedia:
Turkey Creek Sanctuary is a small nature reserve in the city of Palm Bay in Brevard County, Florida, and incorporates both salty hammock and sand pine ridge habitats. It has 1.85 miles (3 km) of boardwalk paths and 1.5 miles (2.4 km) of jogging trails through native forest to Turkey Creek, an excellent site for seeing birds, turtles, manatees, alligators as well as other local wildlife. The creek is an important breeding ground for both salt and fresh water fish and is accessible via a canoe deck. The Sanctuary is part of the East Florida section of the Great Florida Birding Trail.
The property was donated to the Florida Audubon Society and the city of Palm Bay in 1978, and fundraising to conserve the area began in 1981. By 1994 113 acres (46 ha) was under the protection of the voluntary management committee. The park is open daily, from 7am to sunset.
It occasionally is threatened by environmental concerns. Heavy rains in September 2014 caused partially treated wastewater to spill into Turkey Creek.
The Margaret Hames Nature Center was opened in 1992 and offers environmental education programs, including nature day camps.
www.palmbayflorida.org/Home/Components/FacilityDirectory/FacilityDirectory/86/1647
From Wikipedia:
Indialantic (officially incorporated as Indialantic-By-The-Sea, though the official name is seldom used in casual parlance) is a town in Brevard County, Florida. The town's population was 2,720 at the 2010 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The town's name is a portmanteau derived from the town's location between the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indialantic,_Florida
released June 15, 2022
