Sexton Plaza Outflow

Vero Beach, Florida

In 1914, Waldo Sexton came to Florida as a traveling, agricultural equipment salesman. Sexton bought 120 acres, began his trek as a Vero Beach pioneer and during the 1930s created many entrepreneurial opportunities in the area. His efforts caused the State to deem him a Great Floridian. The Sexton Plaza is named in his honor. The City of Vero Beach utilized city improvement funds and began transforming the parcel in 1999. During construction, the original 1958 was found and has been restored as a monument. The oceanside plaza was completed in 2008. The plaza hosts an assortment of shops and eateries. Views of the Atlantic ocean and the multitude of benches invite pedestrians to leisurely enjoy the area. Photo Courtesy of Betty Coleman.

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Water Quality

Passed water quality tests at least 95% of the time
Historical Status
This status is based on the latest sample, taken on May 30th, 2023. The Swim Guide - Florida updates the status of this beach as soon as test results become available. These results were posted to Swim Guide on June 6th, 2023 at 8:16 PM.

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Current Weather

21°C

Clear

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Monitoring Frequency

Source Information

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) adopted new water quality criteria January 2016 for the Healthy Beaches program. They reflect the most current recommendations and water quality grant requirements in the 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria from the US Environmental Protection Agency. Indian River County beaches are monitored by the Florida Healthy Beaches Program. Monitoring results are collected bi-weekly on Monday and results are posted to the Florida Healthy beaches website on Thursday. Samples are collected year round, however the peak season is from March to November. Swim Guide checks for the latest information daily, Monday - Friday.

The Florida Healthy Beaches Program Categories are:

Good = 0-35 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water;
Moderate = 36-70 Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water, and;
Poor = 71 or greater Enterococci / 100 mL of marine water.

The 2012 Recreational Water Quality Criteria recommends using 70 CFU per 100 mL as the Beach Action Value (BAV) to guide public health advisories. A Single Sample Maximum (SSM) at 70 CFU per 100 ml and a BAV are functionally the same. If the sample result is above the indicated value, the beach is resampled and tested the following day or a beach advisory is issued with the first test result. The Healthy Beaches program no longer uses geometric means to represent recreational water quality data.

On Swim Guide a beach is marked Green when it has a Good or Moderate standing meaning the SSM test results show Enterococci counts between 0- 70 cfu (colony forming units) / 100ml.
Swim Guide marks a beach Red when it has a Poor standing. This means the SSM test results show Enterococci counts exceeds the BAV of 70 cfu/100ml. These conservative advisories better inform vulnerable people (children, elderly, and the immunocompromised) who have elevated health risks due to water quality at the beach.
A beach is marked Grey when no current or reliable monitoring information is available.

Please note: Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, also called flesh eating disease, is a naturally occurring bacteria in some of Florida's waters. This bacteria can be lethal, especially when contracted by individuals with compromised immune systems. Concentrations of the bacteria are higher in the mouths of rivers near oceans. The bacteria is most dangerous when ingested in raw seafood but recent deaths are attributed to individuals who have waded in water with broken skin. Beach goers are urged to use caution and consult a physician if you suspect you have come in contact with the bacteria.

Water Quality Graph