If you have ever pulled up to the end of 45th Street to fish off that old dock stretching into the Indian River Lagoon, you already know this place. Now Gifford Dock Park is getting a serious upgrade, and we get kayak rentals out of the deal.
The City of Vero Beach and Indian River County have teamed up to fund improvements at the 110-foot dock, one of the oldest public access points on the lagoon. The Vero Beach City Council approved a $50,000 contribution on September 22, 2026, as part of an interlocal agreement with the county. Two days later, the Florida Inland Navigation District approved a $75,000 grant for engineering design and permitting, and the county will match that grant dollar for dollar.
What Is Actually Being Built?
The biggest draw will be a rental kiosk where visitors can borrow kayaks or canoes for a nominal fee and paddle out to where manatees, dolphins, herons, and other water birds are regular sights. Right now the park offers the dock, a small sandy launch area, and a parking lot, and that is about it.
A pavilion is planned on the dock itself rather than elsewhere in the park, which preserves more room for parking and reduces shoreline erosion. The county will also build a walkway connecting the park to a 15-acre conservation parcel on the south side, and a living shoreline is planned to hold back future erosion along the bank.
The county acquired that adjoining tract in March 2026 for $1.64 million through its Environmental Lands Acquisition Program, with plans to develop it for passive recreation and environmental education alongside the Gifford Dock work. Wendy Swindell, the county's assistant director of parks and conservation, noted that once the county owned both properties, applying for a single grant to cover both as one project was the natural move. After design and permitting wrap up, the county can go back to the Florida Inland Navigation District and apply for construction funding.
Why Does This Place Matter So Much?
The dock has stood in some form since the 1880s. Local historian Ruth Stanbridge has spent years researching what it meant to the people who came before us. Before roads and before the railroad, she explains, the Indian River was the main highway into this part of Florida. Settlers arrived by boat seeking 160-acre land grants from the federal and state governments, and Gifford Dock, along with the now-defunct Quay Dock in Winter Beach about 4.5 miles to the north, was one of the front doors to what is now Indian River County.
The area was still part of Brevard County when local governments funded those docks to make boat travel easier. When the Florida East Coast Railroad came through soon after, laying tracks from Jacksonville to Miami, housing sprung up around the dock areas and neighborhoods took shape.
Many of those early homesteaders were Black families who arrived after the Civil War and found work on railroad crews and as farmers. The docks were central to their daily lives. Crops went out from here to market. Fish, oysters, and clams were sold right on the dock. Merchant boats tied up periodically and sold tools, equipment, household goods, and food that could not be grown locally.
Stanbridge hopes the finished park will include an educational display so visitors can connect what they see today to what happened here, and understand how much of our county's story began at this simple stretch of water.
Beth Powell, the county's director of parks, recreation and conservation, described Gifford Dock as a special place deeply tied to the heritage of Indian River County, and said the county looks forward to improving both properties in a way that honors that history while opening them up to more residents and visitors.
If you fish, paddle, or just like to stand on a dock and watch the water, something good is coming to 45th Street. Have you visited Gifford Dock Park before? Tell us your favorite memory of the place in the comments on our Facebook post.
My name is Ava Cook and I am a Freshman at Florida Southern College in Lakeland FL. I am currently a B.F.A musical theatre major with a minor in Business Administration. I love reading, singing, acting, dancing, and writing. My favorite part about Vero Beach and Indian River County as a whole is how close the community is. Vero Vine is important to me as it allows me to do my part it bringing the community together also, sharing events, small businesses, and other local happenings. If you have any questions or any recommendations for me, my email is always open [email protected].
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This story was featured in our November 5, 2026 weekly issue.
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