Sometime after dark one night in March, vandals drove vehicles into the center grass field at Round Island Riverside Park, leaving deep, muddy ruts in the ground and prompting more frequent nighttime police patrols.
Though county officials don’t have a dollar amount for the damage, the incident underscores a security issue related to county parks – while most of them are technically closed to the public at sunset each night, many of the parks are not gated to prevent vehicle access.
This recent vandalism is the second time someone left ruts at Round Island Riverside Park and just the latest in a string of recent mischief at county parks, Indian River County Parks Director Beth Powell said. “We are working with the Indian River County Sheriff’s office to increase security, but I don’t see any reason to close the park,” she said…