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Vero Beach Real Estate

Paul Kitchen and Starfish Real Estate provide clients, family and close friends with professional, honest and dependable service. A resident of Vero Beach, Paul is extremely familiar with the local neighborhoods including PELICAN COVE, school districts and the Vero Beach Real Estate market in this beautiful Indian River County town.

Paul Kitchen
Broker-Owner
Starfish Real Estate
40 Royal Palm Pointe
Vero Beach, FL 32960
(772) 539-8420
(772) 539-8360 fax
(800) 793-7304 toll free
Vero Beach Real Estate
Vero Beach Real Estate Blog

The Wall Street Journals LAURA LANDRO wrote a great piece on Vero Beach Florida.

Singer Gloria Estefan made her first foray into Florida hotels in 1992, when she bought the landmark Cardozo on sizzling South Beach’s Ocean Drive. She’s opened her latest resort on an Ocean Drive as well — in an unlikely outpost about 150 miles north: sleepy Vero Beach, with little sizzle but plenty of old-style Florida charm.

Far from the bustle of overbuilt South Florida, Vero Beach lies on a stretch of Atlantic turf aptly dubbed the Treasure Coast, in a transitional climate zone where oak trees and pine forests thrive alongside the palms and colorful tropical flora of balmier points south. Indian River Lagoon divides the city into sections on the mainland and a barrier island. It all makes for spectacular fishing, kayaking, bird-watching and boating, as well as miles of white sand beaches where you can walk for a long time and encounter no one.

But one can also dive into a Mickey Mouse-shaped pool and have pancakes with Goofy and friends at a Victorian-style Disney time-share resort a few miles out of town. (It’s on a real beach, as opposed to the ersatz ones at the Orlando flagship.) Closer to town, Ms. Estefan’s new Costa d’Este Beach Resort, with its whitewashed façade and elegant cascading entry fountain, sits next door to the quirky, historic Driftwood Inn, a time-share resort known for its weathered timbers and antique artifacts, some salvaged from old mansions and hotels. Elsewhere on the island, the Vero Beach Hotel features West Indian décor in a more low-key upscale hotel-condo managed by Kimpton Hotels.

Click here to read the rest of the article…

The Orlando Sentinel has a cool article on Vero Beach, a laid-back city by the sea. Here’s an excerpt:

The teens who skateboard along Ocean Drive still call this onetime citrus and ranching town “Zero Beach.” But don’t tell that to pop star Gloria Estefan.

Longtime owners of an Art Deco hotel on Miami Beach’s better-known Ocean Drive, Estefan and her husband, Emilio, just opened a “personal luxury resort,” Costa d’Este. It’s down the street from the new four-diamond Vero Beach Hotel & Club.

And don’t tell best-selling author Carl Hiaasen. He moved to this laid-back town of 18,000 three years ago for the Old Florida charm whose demise he mourns in his novels.

And certainly don’t tell Kathy Gelb and her husband, George. Like a lot of retirees, they scouted both Florida coasts before deciding on the state’s new “it” destination just 100 miles southeast of Orlando.

What made Vero Beach stand out is what it doesn’t have: traffic jams and high-rises that blot out the sun.

“That’s really what brought us here,” said Gelb, who had lived in Coral Gables for 25 years. “They have good zoning. They know how not to ruin a coastline. They wrote the book on it.”

Indeed, they did — more than 30 years ago. When two 13-story towers called The Village Spires opened up in the early 1970s, they sold like mad. But Mayor Thomas White remembers that city fathers looked at each other in dismay and said, “Ahh, we don’t want this in Vero Beach.”

The residents still don’t. They’ve imposed a three-story height restriction on houses — five stories for commercial property — and require variances be approved by public referendum.

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91.4

No, we’re not talking about the temperature, though that’s probably it! Actually, what we’re referring to is the list to sell ratio for May of 2008 in Vero Beach. Listings sold for an average of 91.4% of the asking price. Our buyers need to understand that the majority of homes are priced correctly. Prices have rolled back dramatically from the top of the market. Interest rates are low, and educated buyers are making great deals on Vero Beach Real Estate.

Click here for recent sales in Vero Beach.

Costa d’Este Beach Resort, Singer Gloria Estefan’s $50-million hotel in Vero Beach Florida will open its doors June 23, 2008. Costa d’Este Beach Resort was rebuilt around the Palm Court Hotel that was severely damaged by hurricanes in 2004.

A large opening celebration will be this fall to draw attention to the resort, according to resort publicists. The 94 guest rooms cost $189, a rate that will rise to $249 on Oct. 1.

Three blocks north is the Vero Beach Hotel and Club, at 3500 Ocean Drive, which also was rebuilt after the hurricanes. The club is an all-suite hotel with 113 rooms renting for $169.

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On March 12, 2007, CNBC ran this piece on Vero Beach, Florida:

Welcome to Vero Beach, Fla., where the rich come to live and play. “On the Money’s” Mike Hegedus reports.

The future of the Baltimore Orioles’ spring training in Fort Lauderdale took a big hit Friday, and that may bode well for Indian River County in its hunt to replace the Los Angeles Dodgers.

The Federal Aviation Administration told Fort Lauderdale officials they won’t agree to the city’s deal with the Orioles for a new stadium unless the team’s annual payments to the FAA increase by more than 1,000 percent. Any plans to overhaul Fort Lauderdale Stadium need to be approved by the FAA because the facility sits on airport land.

“Unless the FAA changes their mind, I would imagine they (the Orioles) would move,” he said.

Craig Callan, Dodgers vice president of spring training and minor league facilities, said, “I think that’s great news for Vero Beach. There’s all good reasons for the Orioles to be in Vero Beach, and what a ‘wow’ that would be for the community.”

Indian River County Administrator Joe Baird has been negotiating with a team for the past several months.

TROUBLE IN FORT LAUDERDALE

• The Federal Aviation Administration told Fort Lauderdale officials they won’t agree to the city’s deal with the Orioles for a new stadium unless the team’s annual payments to the FAA increase by more than 1,000 percent.
• Any plans to overhaul Fort Lauderdale Stadium need to be approved by the FAA because the facility sits on airport land.

DODGERS’ PLANS

• The Dodgers have not yet notified Indian River County whether they will leave by 2009 or 2010, though their new facility in Glendale, Ariz., is expected to open in 2009.

Visit TC Palm for more of this article…

Piper Aircraft, Inc., the State of Florida and Indian River County today announced an agreement that will keep the general aviation manufacturer’s headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Indian River County.

“Florida is a state that leads the nation in encouraging aviation, and Piper Aircraft is one of general aviation’s uncontested leaders,” said Florida Governor Charlie Crist. “This agreement is an investment in Florida. It represents thousands of jobs and hundreds of millions of dollars in wages, economic development and other contributions for Indian River County, surrounding local communities and our state.”

“We are pleased and honored to announce our decision to remain and expand our operations in Indian River County,” said Piper President & CEO James K. Bass. “Our decision is not just a vote of confidence for our hometown, it is also a commitment by Piper to Indian River County and the State of Florida.”

The decision to stay came after an extensive site selection process that addressed fundamental issues and needs that Piper cited as vital in remaining competitive and prospering in what is a very challenging industry.

Indian River County Administrator Joseph Baird underscored the value Piper has brought to Indian River County over the 50 years it has called Vero Beach home. Citing an economic impact study conducted by The Washington Economic Group in March 2007, he said that the joint county and state incentive package is an investment in Piper, which will return much more to the community and the state.

“The Washington Economic Group’s study showed that Piper contributes $518 million per year to our local economy,” Baird said, referring to the study commissioned by the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce. “That investment is made up of the millions of dollars the company pays in taxes and to local suppliers, as well as the huge ripple effect that comes from Piper employees who spend their paychecks locally in our stores and restaurants and contribute to our community organizations and charitable causes.”

In signing the agreement, Piper accepted a $32 million incentive package from the state and county – to be paid out over three years – and made a commitment to remain and grow in Indian River County. The agreement ended a two-year, site-selection review process that in recent months had narrowed the field to three locations, including Piper’s current site in Vero Beach, Fla.

Bass said Piper’s decision factored in many criteria and ultimately concluded that remaining in Indian River County was the best choice for many different reasons.

“One of the most important factors in our decision to stay has been our workforce,” Bass said. “Indian River County and its surrounding communities are home for the vast majority of the men and women of Piper. The incentive package demonstrates a commitment to making our community a place where business and industry not only want to stay, but where others will seek to relocate.

“We have a skilled workforce and many talented people in our county and throughout the state,” he said. “By helping Piper stay and continue to invest in Indian River County, state and local officials are sending the message that Florida is a friend of business and industry. To that end, I look forward to encouraging businesses and industries to move to Indian River County and the state.”

Click here for the full announcement…

In Trulia Trends, Vero Beach Real Estate is #2 in Price Movers with a reported 8% increase in median prices last month. Vero Beach weathered the housing bath well thanks to higher median incomes, more builder restraint during the boom years and fewer unsold units today.