Indialantic, Florida

Indialantic (officially incorporated as Indialantic-By-The-Sea, though the official name is seldom used in casual parlance) is a town in Brevard County, Florida. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The town's population was 3,010 at the 2020 United States Census, up from 2,720 at the 2010 census.

The town's name is a portmanteau derived from the town's location between the Indian River Lagoon and the Atlantic Ocean.

History
From 1919 to 1921, the Dutchman Ernest Kouwenhoven, who bought the land that ultimately became Indialantic, settled in the area, and built a wooden bridge connecting Indialantic with Melbourne (Bridge #1)

In the 1920s – The Indialantic Hotel was built. Its name was later changed to the Tradewinds Hotel. The hotel was on what is now South Shannon Avenue, the current location of Tradewinds Terrace.

By 1924, the Indialantic Casino was built. Its name was later changed to the Bahama Beach Club. This is the location of Nance Park today.

From 1941 to 1947, the wooden bridge was replaced with a drawbridge, delayed by the war years. (Bridge #2)

In 1952, Indialantic was incorporated with the official (but rarely used in common parlance) name "Indialantic-By-The-Sea".

In 1985, a modern causeway was built with an elevated span to avoid obstructing boats using the Indian River (Bridge #3)

Geography
The exact coordinates for the Town of Indialantic is located at 28.08778°N, -80.56889°W.

Indialantic is situated on the barrier island that separates the Indian River Lagoon from the Atlantic Ocean. This island, approximately 40 mi in length, stretches south from Cape Canaveral to the Sebastian Inlet. The Melbourne Causeway connects Indialantic to the city of Melbourne across the Indian River Lagoon. Indialantic is bordered on the south by the town of Melbourne Beach and on the north by unincorporated Brevard County and Indian Harbor Beach, Florida.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 3.4 km2. 2.5 km2 of it is land, and 0.9 km2 of it (25.80%) is water.

Greater Indialantic
Greater Indialantic, outside the town boundaries, represents a parallel development of suburban beach homes, which for lack of a stronger identity, has assumed that of the nearest town. The Town of Indialantic is a 1 by community. The areas mentioned below are not in town but share a ZIP code with Indialantic.

This area starts with the town of Indialantic on the south and lies between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian River, extending north just short of the Eau Gallie Causeway (SR 518). It includes mostly unincorporated parts of Brevard County but also includes a development that is part of the city of Melbourne, otherwise a mainland community.

Included are these developments:


 * Canova Beach
 * Cloisters
 * Coventry
 * Highland Groves
 * Indialantic Heights
 * North Atlantic by the Sea
 * Ocean Park
 * Oceanside Village
 * Palm Colony
 * Puesta del Sol
 * Rio Linda
 * Rio Villa
 * River Shores
 * Riviera
 * Sanctuary (part of the City of Melbourne)
 * Shady Shores
 * Terrace Shores

Climate
The Town of Indialantic is part of the humid subtropical climate zone with a Köppen Climate Classification of "Cfa" (C = mild temperate, f = fully humid, and a = hot summer).

2010 and 2020 census
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 3,010 people, 1,251 households, and 757 families residing in the town.

In 2020, there were 1,586 housing units in the town.

In 2020, the top ancestries were 19.7% English, 14.3% German, 8.5% Italian, 7.1% Irish, 6.9% Scottish, 5.7% Polish, 3.8% French, and 1.2% Norwegian.

In 2020, the median age was 51.2 years old. A total of 23.3% of the population were 65 or older, with 13.0% between the ages of 65 and 74, 7.2% between the ages of 75 and 84, and 3.0% 85 or older. A total of 13.7% of the population were foreign born, of those 44.7% were born in Europe, 34.5% were born in Asia, 14.4% were born in Latin America, and 6.4% from North America.

In 2020, the median household income was $76,773, with families having $139,625, and married couples having $145,132. A total of 13.3% of the population were in poverty, with 17.7% of people under 18, 13.2% of people between the ages of 18 and 64, and 10.5% of people 65 or older being in poverty.

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 2,720 people, 1,316 households, and 817 families residing in the town.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,944 people, 1,330 households, and 848 families residing in the town. The population density was 2,840.6 PD/sqmi. There were 1,467 housing units at an average density of 1,415.5 /sqmi.

In 2000, there were 1,330 households, out of which 21.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.2% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.72.

In 2000, in the town, the population was spread out, with 17.6% under the age of 18, 4.7% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 27.3% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 46 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.4 males.

In 2000, the median income for a household in the town was $62,181, and the median income for a family was $76,109. Males had a median income of $51,830 versus $30,047 for females. The per capita income for the town was $41,126. About 1.1% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including none of those under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

In 2000, the per capita income of $41,126 places the town of Indialantic first in Brevard County and 58 in the state (out of 887 places).

Greater Indialantic
Here are the figures as of the 2000 census for the area with the Zip code 32903:

Total population = 12,792

Gender and age:
 * Male = 6,339 (49.6%)
 * Female = 6,453 (50.4%)
 * Median Age = 45.2, above US average of 35.3
 * Under 5 years = 583 (4.6%)
 * 18 years and over = 10,361 (81%)
 * 65 years and over = 2,887 (22.6%)

Racial characteristics:
 * White – 96.4%
 * Asian – 1.2%
 * Two or more races – 1.1%
 * Black or African American – 0.7%
 * Another Race – 0.5%

Households:
 * Size – 2.25
 * Family size – 2.74

Housing:
 * Owner occupied – 78.5%
 * Renter occupied – 21.5%
 * Vacant housing units – 11.3%

Social Characteristics:
 * High school graduate or higher – 95.2%
 * Bachelor's degree or higher – 47.5%
 * Veterans – 21.5%
 * Disability status (5 years and over) – 15%
 * Foreign born – 7.4%
 * Male, now married, except separated, (15 years and over) – 61.5%
 * Female, now married, except separated, (15 years and over) – 61.1%
 * Speak a language other than English at home (5 years and over) – 8.1%

Government
The town publishes a quarterly report to all residents.

As of 2024, officers are as follows:
 * Mayor – Mark McDermott
 * Deputy Mayor – Stuart "Stu" Glass
 * Council Member – Loren Strand
 * Council Member – Brett Miller
 * Council Member – Doug Wright

As of 2024, the following are all appointed or hired:
 * Town Manager – Michael Casey
 * Police Chief – Michael Connor
 * Public Works Director – Joe Gervais
 * Town Attorney – Paul Gougelman
 * Town Clerk – Mollie Carr
 * Fire Chief – Tom Flamm
 * Building Official – Clifford Stokes

In 2008, the town had a taxable real estate base of $367.69 million. The budget for fiscal year 2012 was $4,060,999.

Public safety
There are six paid firefighters plus fifteen active volunteers. Since 1985, residents have lit luminaria before Christmas when firemen have distributed candy to children from a firetruck, on every street.

Indialantic maintains a police force with 12 sworn police officers, including the chief of police. On average, officers respond to 4,000 calls for service a year with an approximate response time of under two minutes.

Emergency services are dispatched from the town's communications center, staffed by four full-time and five part-time dispatchers.

Past mayors

 * 1) John McLean 1952–1954
 * 2) Louis H. Mussler c. 1954–1958
 * 3) William Ballinger 1958–1959
 * 4) Harry Kane 1959–1961
 * 5) Timothy D. Deratany 1971–1977
 * 6) Clayton Test 1977–1979
 * 7) Constantine "Gus" Carey 1979–1981
 * 8) Andrea Deratany 1981–1984
 * 9) Gloria Gardner 1984–1985
 * 10) Barry Kronman 1985–1987
 * 11) Norbert "Norb" O'Hara 1987–1989
 * 12) David Lawrence Dean 1989–1992
 * 13) Bill Vernon 1992–1996
 * 14) Todd Deratany 1996–1998
 * 15) Robert Cochran 1998–2002
 * 16) Daniel Trott 2002–2006
 * 17) Robert Cochran 2006–2008
 * 18) David Berkman 2008–2022
 * 19) Mark McDermott 2022-now

Personal income
Economic characteristics, as of 2019:


 * In labor force, 1,228 of total 2,865 population
 * Travel time to work, minutes – 24.2%
 * Median household income in 1999 dollars – $59,773 ($41,994)
 * Median household income – $83,365 (compared to US average of $65,712)
 * Families below poverty level – 8.86 (compared to US average of 12.3%)
 * Median Home Value - $374,500

Events
The following events occur annually:
 * July Craft Show at Nance Park
 * Witch Way 5K run and Halloween Party in Nance Park in October
 * Indialantic Boardwalk Sprint Distance Triathlon, June
 * Annual Christmas Tree Lighting at Nance Park, December

Education
There are two local schools, both of which lie outside the city boundaries in the adjacent unincorporated part of Indialantic; they are under the jurisdiction of the Brevard County School Board: Indialantic Elementary and Hoover Middle School. The state evaluated Hoover "Grade A" from 2000 to 2008.

In 2005, Hoover contained grades 7 and 8. There were 512 students and 32 teachers, for a ratio of 16:1. 11.3% qualified for free or reduced lunch. Indialantic Elementary contained grades pre-kindergarten though sixth. There were 812 students and 54 teachers for a ratio of 15:1. 13.3% qualified for free or reduced lunch.

Media

 * Florida Today
 * The Hometown News is a free weekly paper distributed to each home
 * Space Coast Daily

Roads
Travelocity.com named route A1A, which runs along the Brevard shore, as the "Best Driving Route" in Florida. This runs close to the ocean. A secondary major route, paralleling it, is Riverside, which is close to the Indian River.

The Florida Department of Transportation maintains A1A and 192. Brevard County maintains North Riverside Drive. The town maintains 95568 ft of roadway. Most blocks are 650 ft long.

See State Roads in Florida for explanation of numbering system.


 * US 192.svg U.S. Route 192 – "Fifth Avenue"
 * Florida A1A.svg SR A1A – Miramar Avenue
 * Riverside Drive – 10,000 vehicles used this road daily in 2010. It runs throughout the length of Indialantic including "greater Indialantic" in the county

Notable people

 * Brian Bollinger, NFL player
 * Kathy Johnson, gymnast
 * Ernest Kouwen-Hoven, businessman
 * Robert F. Marx, pioneer scuba diver and author
 * Pat Neshek, MLB pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
 * Stefanie Scott, actress
 * John Siptroth, U.S. politician and public figure