Say goodbye to Centennial Fountain, the crumbling, controversial structure at the southwest corner of Pocahontas Park in downtown Vero Beach. Then, toward the end of May, prepare to say hello to a newly landscaped “Rotary Corner.”
The fountain – and the park itself – have for years been a favorite gathering place for homeless residents, who slept on the concrete benches along 14th Avenue and sometimes used the fountain to bathe.
Hoping to discourage gathering at the park, the city removed the concrete benches in 2023. That same year, in a kind of philanthropic Jujitsu, The Source, a homelessness outreach ministry, launched Community Works in collaboration with the city – a program that pays homeless residents to clean up the park, as well as other public spaces in the community…