Where Spring Started Vero Beach, Florida

Indian River County, Florida

The story of Vero Beach

Everything below is a single verifiable claim with a citation attached. Where the record is a local legend rather than a document, it says so.

Old Vero Beach Community Building 2
Old Vero Beach Community Building 2 Mackenziecerjan · CC BY-SA 4.0
0306011948Dodgers arrive602008Dodgers leave12019reopened as a training complex
spring training seasons — 1948 to 2008 as a season-by-season bar, then the 2019 reopening under a new name.

founding

How it started

  • 1919

    Vero was chartered on 10 June 1919 with 71 residents, and was renamed Vero Beach on 19 May 1925 when it became the seat of the newly formed Indian River County.

    Vero Beach, Florida

etymology

How it got its name

  • There are many theories about where the name Vero came from and no consensus among them.

    Vero Beach, Florida

industry

What it lived on

  • Citrus - the Indian River name is a fruit brand as much as a place - though the industry has been badly hurt in recent years by citrus greening disease.

    Vero Beach, Florida

claim to fame

What it is known for

  • 1948

    The Brooklyn and then Los Angeles Dodgers trained here from 1948 until they left for Glendale in 2008. The site became the Jackie Robinson Training Complex under Major League Baseball on 2 January 2019.

    Vero Beach, Florida

landmark

What still stands