VERO BEACH
“We continue to see affluent buyers seek out our area not only for the weather and lifestyle, but also for the favorable business, school, and tax policies.”
– Dale Sorensen, Jr., Dale Sorensen Real Estate
Vero Beach, one of the jewels along Florida’s Treasure Coast, ranks among some of the most expensive ZIP Codes in the state. Dubbed the ‘Hamptons of the South,’ Vero Beach is low-key tropical escape for those who want to relax out of the spotlight. And while billionaires tend to congregate farther south in Palm Beach, Miami, and Fisher Island, many ultra-affluent individuals own second homes in the exclusive resort communities dotted across the Treasure Coast. Some have also been instrumental in the area’s development. Late Canadian retail billionaire Galen Weston founded Windsor, a private residential community and sporting club, in the 1990s. Entrepreneur Llwyd Ecclestone began developing John’s Island, a luxury ocean-to-river community in 1969.
Known for waterfront homes, lush golf courses and beautiful beaches, Vero Beach incorporates a barrier island across the Indian River. Waterfront homes in the Riomar area overlook the Atlantic ocean or the river waterway, and are highly prized by discerning buyers. A spectacular oceanfront Riomar estate that last traded in 2020 for US $4.4 million was recently sold by luxury brokerage Dale Sorensen Real Estate for US $14.4 million, an astonishing 225 percent increase in value. Other luxury hotspots among Vero Beach area barrier islands include the gated communities of Seagrove and the Moorings, as well as private Gem Island in nearby Indian River Shores. The enclave is part of the 1,650-acre John’s Island community. Dale Sorensen Real Estate agents sold a 1.4-acre estate there last year for US $9.5 million, the second-highest in Indian River County at the time of sale. Dale Sorensen Real Estate is the exclusive member of Forbes Global Properties in Florida’s Treasure and Space Coasts