Indialantic's Front Yard Belongs to the State. Here's What That Means for Nance Park

"This is just a concept that sets a vision for possible future projects. A funding source has not been identified."

Mayor Mark McDermott wrote that in January 2026, when the Town of Indialantic posted the Land Design vision boards for Nance Park and Wavecrest Avenue. The boards showed an event lawn, a pavilion, a community center and an elevated boardwalk running the length of Wavecrest. Nine months later, the bigger news about the park isn't a drawing at all. It's a property question the town raised in August, and any version of those boards has to get past it first.

The town pays for a park it doesn't own

At the August 12, 2026 council meeting, the mayor laid out the arrangement. The State of Florida owns Nance Park. Indialantic leases it from Brevard County. The town pays for all maintenance and improvements, and every improvement has to be approved through the County.

That last part matters most for the boardwalk boards. Paver plazas, a new building and an event lawn are all improvements, and under the current setup each one goes through the County before it happens.

The mayor told the council he had recently learned the park could be transferred from the State to the town through a local bill backed by the Brevard Legislative Delegation. Council reached consensus to let him contact Senator Mayfield's office and ask her to put the matter before the delegation. That was a consensus to make a request. It was not a vote on a bill. The town records reviewed for this post don't show what happened next.

Meanwhile, the town is already doing the work of an owner. The July 2026 Public Works report says Evins and Andrew maintain Nance Park and the boardwalk area seven days a week. It also credits Evins Thermitus with routine upkeep of Nance Park and Wave Crest Avenue. The paving on Wavecrest from North Miramar Avenue to the Nance Park entrance was finished by January 30, 2026.

The southwest corner has changed hands before

This is the second time Indialantic has tried to bring this ground under its control. The first time, the prize was a building.

The Indialantic Casino stood in what is now the southwest corner of James H. Nance Park, at the ocean end of Fifth Avenue. The address today is 201 North Miramar Avenue. Architect William Christen designed it as a two-story Mediterranean Revival building, and Herbert Earle developed it. It opened on December 22, 1923, with shops, an Olympic-size saltwater pool, a tall diving tower and wading pools.

Weekly rates in 1924 for ocean-view rooms, including board, were $20 for singles and $35 for doubles.

The casino hosted wedding receptions, banquets, cotillions, a midnight New Year's Eve dinner and the 1925 Miss Melbourne and Miss Florida pageants. Its pool trained World War II personnel from the Banana River Naval Station. Karl Abbott bought it in 1944 and renamed it the Bahama Beach Club, and it ran as a private club from 1949 until the Town of Indialantic acquired it in 1967. After a period of decline, the building came down in 1970.

The building is gone, but it still shapes the current plans. The January boards replace today's bathroom building with a community center that has small rentable event space and public restrooms for beachgoers. The town's note says that if the project goes forward, it would work with an architect so the building pays homage to the old casino. A rentable hall where people gather for social events is close to what the casino offered a century ago. Building it on state land would still need County approval.

What the boards put on the table, and where they stand now

Here is what Land Design's concept proposed for the two halves of the beachfront:

1. Nance Park. Parking consolidated to make room for an event lawn. Two sport courts, with the sport left open: volleyball, basketball, pickleball or tennis. A pavilion with a paver walking plaza. The Mikey Goodwin Playground stays as it is.
2. Wavecrest in front of the cafes. Pavers and a public seating plaza on the Nance Park side, outside Bizzarro's and Cafe Surfinista. Removable bollards would let that stretch close to cars for farmers' market-style events. The town's note says both business owners "LOVED this concept."
3. The full length of Wavecrest. An elevated boardwalk for ocean views, routed around the sea grapes to protect the dune and raised so nesting sea turtles can pass underneath. The Sea Turtle Preservation Society supported that design. Entrance plazas would go at the end of Fifth Avenue and at each side-street entrance from A1A.
4. Stormwater. Pavers in non-traffic areas such as parking spots, plus bioswales, rain gardens and native plantings.

The two businesses named on the boards have been on that block a long time. Bizzarro's, at 4 Wave Crest Avenue, serves New York-style pizza. Its own site says the shop has had the same owner for more than 25 years. Cafe Surfinista, at 2 Wave Crest Avenue, is the second location of a local staple. Its menu runs to açaí and pitaya bowls, juices and smoothies. For more morning spots nearby, see our Indialantic coffee guide.

Since January, the concept has gone through review but hasn't moved toward construction. On May 13, 2026, Carrie Read of Land Design presented the master-planning and conceptual design scope to Town Council. The only public comment concerned how much money the town makes from parking. The minutes record discussion but no vote. The town's Sustainable Community and Resiliency Committee listed the redesign as tabled business in March, noting that Land Design had brought more concepts and the mayor had asked the committee for help. It was still listed as tabled in April, June and September.

The budget shows the same thing. Council adopted a $7,425,158 budget for FY2026–27 at its September 21 final hearing, including $6,555,983 in the General Fund. The town manager's highlighted capital items are North Palm Avenue paving and the Fifth Avenue median. Nance Park and Wavecrest aren't on that list. The only park grant in the committee records was for Gus Carey and Orlando parks, and it was not awarded.

So the boards are still a vision with no funding behind them. The step the town actually took this year was the August request to own the land the boards would be built on.

The fall calendar still runs through the park

Even without a lawn or pavilion, Nance Park is where the town holds its seasonal events. Here are the dates on the books as of early October 2026:

The October 2 Town Manager memo says the Halloween event is at Nance Park "to provide a safe and enjoyable environment for all participants." An August committee draft listed a 5 to 7 p.m. street party, but the October 2 memo's 4 to 6 p.m. time is the most recent. Last year's tree lighting was held at Nance Park. The 2026 listing doesn't name a venue yet, so check the town calendar before you go.

Council also approved a Mikey Strong Foundation special event at Nance Park, with amplified music and alcohol. The minutes don't give a date.

Getting to Wavecrest this month

The road to the park is changing too. The Florida Department of Transportation is starting a $3.5 million resurfacing and safety project on State Road A1A. It covers about three miles, from Oak Street in Melbourne Beach north to U.S. 192 at Fifth Avenue. The work includes a rebuilt signal at Ocean Avenue and Oak Street, upgraded lighting, sidewalk improvements, ADA-compliant curb ramps and audible pedestrian signals. Pigott Asphalt and Sitework is the contractor.

From Monday, October 5 through Friday, October 9, expect intermittent flagging in both directions on A1A between Oak Street and U.S. 192, from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m., for striping work. The town expects the project to finish in early 2027, and FDOT's estimate is spring 2027. Both say the schedule can change. Updates are posted on FDOT's project page.

On the town's own streets, the current paving program is close to done. South Ramona Avenue, First Avenue, the 100 blocks of Second and Third Avenues, the 100 through 300 blocks of Fourth Avenue, the 400 block of Ninth Avenue, North Shannon Avenue from Fifth to Grosse Pointe, and the town lot in the 200 block of Fourth Avenue are all finished. The only work left is new speed humps on the 100 blocks of First, Second and Third Avenues.

For now, Nance Park still depends on approvals from the State and the County. It will host the Halloween event on October 24, and anything bigger on the boards waits on the land transfer.

If you own a home near Fifth Avenue or Wavecrest and want to know how projects like these could affect its value, Megan Ross and The Ross Group follow Indialantic town business closely. Start with an instant home valuation or schedule a free consultation, and we'll walk through the numbers for your street.

This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.