Indian River County has placed nearly 500 concrete oyster reef balls in a double ring around Lauren's Island, the small spoil island just south of the Merrill Barber Bridge. It sits in one of the busiest stretches of paddling water in Vero Beach. A county environmental specialist told WQCS it is "a popular area where people are coming in and out of Riverside." The county designed the reef around the boats and kayaks that already pass this island, and progress shows up slowly, one season at a time, to anyone who passes often.
What Sits in the Water Now
The project is small and specific. Here are the numbers from the Indian River County Oyster Restoration page and from WQCS's July 2026 report, which interviewed county staff:
Detail | What the county reported |
|---|---|
Location | Lauren's Island, just south of the Merrill Barber Bridge, near Riverside Park |
Number of units | Almost 500 concrete reef balls |
Weight of each unit | About 50 pounds |
Layout | Two rows forming a ring, about 350 linear feet |
Openings | A 5 to 6 foot gap roughly every 55 feet |
Material | Marine-safe concrete mixed with crushed shell |
Who placed them | County staff and volunteers |
Fifty pounds is light for marine construction. Each unit is about what two volunteers can carry. That's why the reef reads as a low, dotted ring at the water's edge, not a wall.
Why This Island, and Why the Gaps
Melissa Meisenburg, an environmental specialist with the county's Natural Resources Division, told WQCS that the site was chosen in part because of a freshwater discharge from a drainage area next to Riverside Park, and that oysters have a specific salinity they prefer. The island also once supported oyster habitat that has since disappeared. The ring puts that habitat back where it used to be.
The gaps are there for two kinds of traffic. Fish and other marine life need to move in and out of the enclosed water. People use the area too, and the county planned for them. Meisenburg described the reasoning to WQCS:
"We did place signage around it to notify boaters because it's also a popular area where people are coming in and out of Riverside. Whether they're renting boats or kayaking, we obviously don't want anybody to run into it."
The signs mark a hazard and a habitat. The reef balls sit low, so read them as an obstacle and give the ring a wide berth instead of threading the openings in a boat. The openings are sized for marine life, and the reef works best when it's left alone.
What Grows There, and What to Look For Next
The reef balls are hollow, with openings at the top and scattered around the sides. Small organisms can shelter inside them. The crushed shell in the concrete helps attract oysters. Meisenburg explained that oyster larvae look for hard surfaces and are drawn to the calcium carbonate an existing reef releases. The shell in the mix imitates that cue.
As of the July report, the county was already seeing small crabs, shrimp, tunicates and some macroalgae on the units, with oysters starting to accumulate. The next step is what Meisenburg called "bridging," where oysters grow over one another until they join one reef ball to the next.
If you paddle past regularly, bridging is the change to watch for. Over successive seasons, a ring of separate gray domes should start to look like one continuous rough edge. That won't happen quickly. The county has said it will monitor the site over multiple years, not just one.
The scale explains the patience. Each adult oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water a day. A few hundred feet of established reef adds up to a meaningful amount of filtered lagoon water. The county lists the goals as clearer water, habitat, and a natural breakwater that stabilizes shorelines and reduces erosion.
The Season Arriving on Top of It
While the reef grows on its multi-year schedule, the lagoon around it is shifting into its cooler months. Indian River County's Explore the Lagoon page notes that manatees use the lagoon as winter habitat and return to warmer water as temperatures fall. Its guidance is to keep a safe distance and not to approach, touch, feed or chase them. Bottlenose dolphins stay all year, and the county puts the average resident population at 1,032. The same page counts more than 370 bird species in the lagoon and says spoil islands like Lauren's provide important nesting and foraging habitat.
Speed rules matter more once manatees are in the water. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Indian River County map shows year-round slow-speed protection west of the marked Intracoastal Waterway channel, which includes the lagoon-side water in this area. That map also says its configuration was accurate as of January 2015. FWC advises boaters to follow the regulations posted on the water, and its current zone maps are on the FWC manatee data and maps page, which is the place to check before heading out.
Changes are pending. In a February 4, 2026 release, FWC said commissioners had approved proposed amendments to three Indian River County zones for advertising, including the Vero Beach Power Plant No Entry Zone. Staff will hold a public comment period and meetings before the proposals return to the Commission for a final hearing. Until that happens, those amendments are proposals, not rules. This is general information, not legal advice. Anyone running a boat here should confirm current regulations with FWC directly.
Getting On the Water Near the Island
Two outfitters list operations at 3321 Bridge Plaza Drive, near the bridge:
- Paddles By The Sea rents kayaks and paddleboards from the Vero Tackle & Watersports and Riverside Cafe dock. It lists hours of 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
- Vero Tackle & Watersports offers pontoon boat rentals, single, tandem and group kayak and paddleboard rentals, and tours. It lists hours of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.
The two sites post different hours for the same address, so call ahead before planning an early launch.
Veterans Memorial Island Sanctuary is the other landmark on this stretch. It was once a spoil island called Farley Island and opened as a memorial on May 3, 1964, reached from Riverside Park by a pedestrian bridge. Lauren's Island is a working restoration site, so view the reef from the water and keep a respectful distance from the ring.
The Lagoon Calendar Through January
For a guided look at the same water, the Environmental Learning Center has a full late-fall schedule on its lagoon-island campus:
- Family Fishing Day on Saturday, October 31.
- Guided kayak excursions on November 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 and 28.
- "Water, Wonder & Wellness," a two-hour lagoon boat tour, on November 22.
- WinterGreen Night Lights, December 10 to 12, with December 10 for members and public nights on December 11 and 12 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. The event includes guided canoe trips through lit mangroves.
- Lagoonapalooza on January 23, 2027, with pontoon and kayak trips, music, food trucks and a touch tank.
Across the bridge, the mainland shoreline has its own slow-moving project. As WQCS reported on October 16, the City of Vero Beach granted a fourth extension for lease negotiations on the proposed $250 million Three Corners redevelopment of the former "Big Blue" power plant site. City officials and the developer, Clearpath, are required to meet in person before the City Council's December 8 meeting. The reef off Lauren's Island will be in its own early, uneventful stage of growth when the council takes that up.
The riverfront between the Merrill Barber Bridge and Riverside Park is water our team knows from the shore, the dock and the deck. If you own on the Indian River Lagoon or are considering a place on it, O'Dare Boga Dobson Group would be glad to talk through how this stretch of water is changing. Work With Us.