We created this contest to coincide with the Water Lily contest going on at the McKee Botanical Garden this month in July. We were surprised at the number of submissions and believe this to be a great contest to bring back next year. Thank you to our wonderful sponsors and to all that submitted and voted. It is very nice to see everyone interacting and sharing photos in the community.
Below you will find the winners of the Best Flower Photo Contest...
1st Place
Florida Water Drops by Ellen Berman
Votes: 399 | Views: 1,174
Value: $350
Felicity Images: A photo session with Nellie Quiros at Felicity Images, and a custom photo app with your favorite twenty images., valued at: $350.
2nd Place
The Getty Villa by Sophie Spinelli
Votes: 296 | Views: 2,045
Value: $154
Riverside Theatre Comedy Zone: Four Tickets to any Comedy Show, valued at: $64. Eminence Hair Design: 1 Gift Certificate for a Mens or Womens Haircut (Sebastian), valued at: $55. Main Street Vero Beach: A City Scapes Drawing, Unframed, valued at: $35.
3rd Place
My Night Blooming Cereus by Bonnie Owings
Votes: 175 | Views: 982
Value: $120
Vero Beach Karate Association: One Month of Karate Lessons, Includes Uniform, valued at: $120.
4th Place
Sweet Summertime by Ali Dulac
Votes: 132 | Views: 288
Value: $89
River King Cruise: Two (2) River King Cruise Tickets, valued at: $64. The Hair Shop for Men: 1 hot towel, straight razor shave gift card., valued at: $25.
Raffle
Water Lily by Susan Crabtree
Votes: 33 | Views: 17
Value: $99
Curves: 1 Month Membership Certificate, valued at: $99.
Most Creative
Sun Baskin' by Raymond D'ware Gauntt
Votes: 46 | Views: 89
Value: $50
The Hair Shop for Men: 1 hot towel, straight razor shave gift card., valued at: $25. Chive: 1 Gift Certificate (Vero), valued at: $25.
Stacy Cook is the founder of VeroVine.com and Vero Beach Foodie on Facebook, and a nationally recognized digital strategist and business development leader with over 20 years of experience driving innovation in web development, digital marketing, and online business growth. With a unique blend of entrepreneurial grit, technical fluency, marketing mastery, and community-first thinking, Stacy has launched and scaled successful ventures across a spectrum of industries—from SaaS and e-commerce to media, dating, and hyperlocal publishing.
Born and raised in Lexington, Kentucky, Stacy began programming in high school and never looked back. While earning his B.S. in Telecommunications at the University of Kentucky, he simultaneously worked as a Computer Lab Administrator for the MLK Microlabs and ran his own web development company. He then served as a New Media Developer at Mikrotek ISP, managed internet marketing for Host Communications/Total Sports and the NCAA, and was named Vice President of Development at iHigh.com, a VC-backed startup revolutionizing real-time sports stats for media and fans.
Stacy’s post-college venture, Edit-X, launched in Denver and quickly became one of the most advanced CMS/e-commerce hybrid platforms available. The software was a decade ahead of its time, and its success led to partnerships across Fortune 500 clients and some of the largest privately owned dating platforms in the world. Stacy’s ability to drive traffic, increase engagement, and build custom tech positioned him as a trusted consultant for large-scale digital enterprises.
After successful chapters in Kentucky, Denver, and Miami, Stacy chose Vero Beach as home in 2011, drawn to its creative energy, natural beauty, and family-friendly lifestyle. Since then, he has become a cornerstone of the local digital scene, founding Vero Vine, the largest community-driven event platform in Indian River County, and Vero Beach Foodie, a 46,000-member strong food and lifestyle community hailed as the largest of its kind on the East Coast.
He also serves as the co-author of the Optimizer Handbook, founder of Starling Support, and a veteran Google Ads strategist who has audited over $5 million in digital ad waste and overseen ad accounts spending over $1M/month and managing over $400M in ad spend life-time. His work has empowered hundreds of businesses, agencies, and startups to scale with clarity, confidence, and precision.
A father of three (Ava, Aden, and Myla), Stacy splits his time between digital strategy, community advocacy, and building new tools for local businesses to thrive online. Whether he’s optimizing ad performance, launching grassroots campaigns, or spotlighting hidden gems across the Treasure Coast, Stacy brings passion, integrity, and creative energy to everything he does.
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