One of Florida's Best-Kept Secrets

When I moved to the Melbourne area years, people in the know called it “Florida’s best-kept secret.” When I mention Melbourne, everyone assumes Australia. . . . .No, I explain, the “other” Melbourne. . . .

What I like is the small-town appeal , numerous high-tech companies and a university combined with the coastal environment. We have wide beaches, many of which are nesting grounds for sea turtles, and the city lies on the Indian River Lagoon, the most diverse estuary in North America.

Other coastal communities offer more activities (yes, I would like more restaurants, tango halls and museums but we take vacations for that), but on a daily basis we have sea breezes, bike and pedestrian paths along waterways and spectacular sunrises and sunsets. Maybe not as many as St. Exupéry’s Little Prince claimed to have seen in one day from his tiny planet. . . .

And we are in the midst of a recession. But all that is missing is that critical mass (and some much-needed funding) and a smart-growth policy to get innovative projects launched and still maintain the identity of what has been one of Florida’s best-kept secrets.