Electronics graveyard

I’m always amazed at the number of TVs and computers that are discarded at the county’s recycling centers. (This photo was taken at the Oslo center on Old Dixie Highway.)

Back from the dead

I hadn’t heard anything from the Civic Association of Indian River County in about a decade.

Then, out of nowhere, the group filed a protest against the proposed sale of the city of Vero Beach’s electric system to Florida Power & Light.

The group lacks stature and credibility.

The Civic Association wants a referendum on the sale, which is expected to close by Oct. 1.

Voters have made their intentions clear through the years (starting in 2009) that the city should get out of the electric business.

How they do it in Lexington, Kentucky

Let’s face it, the signs in Vero Beach to discourage panhandling have lost their effectiveness.

They seemed to work the first few weeks, but I now see many of the same faces at the same locations every day. Many times, the panhandlers set up shop right underneath the signs.

Richard Granata took this photo of a anti-panhandling sign last month when he was in Lexington, Kentucky (see above).

The message is more direct than the signs in Vero Beach (see below).

Live auctions coming to mall

The Indian River Mall has leased space to a church, so why not auction company?

Manor Auctions is leasing a 6,000 square-foot space (it’s a prime location, near the food court) and plans to hold three live auctions in July.

Owner Paul Barattini says the “Transformer”-like figure, shown in the photo above, has helped draw people into the showroom. (People have taken selfies with it.) Safe to assume it won’t be auctioned off anytime soon.

For more about the mall’s new tenant, check out this week’s issue.

New restaurant opening soon

American Grill + Bar is the latest restaurant trying to make a go of it in South Vero Square.

In recent years, at the same location, YNot, JR’s American Bar and Grill and Blue 42 have come and gone.

Musa Alici, who previously owned a restaurant in Cocoa, discovered the restaurant space at South Vero Beach after making a “fateful” stop at the nearby Wendy’s.

Read about Alici’s plans for American Grill + Bar in this week’s issue.

Coffee shop is her ‘Plan B’

Lisa Myers opened Café Latte Da because she wanted to spend more time with her 86-year-old father.

The coffee shop, located on U.S. 1 in Sebastian, opened in late March.

Lisa’s father, Bill Myers, visits the shop every day.

For more about her venture, see this week’s issue.