Indian River-Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve off Sebastian

The lagoon water off the Sebastian riverfront is part of the Indian River-Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve, state-owned submerged land in Brevard and Indian River counties that Florida law protects from most development.

An aquatic preserve is a legal status, not a park with gates. Section 258.36 of the Florida Statutes states the intent that state-owned submerged lands with exceptional biological, aesthetic and scientific value be set aside forever as aquatic preserves or sanctuaries for the benefit of future generations. The status controls what the state may permit on the lagoon bottom off Sebastian, Roseland and Wabasso: leases, docks, dredging and fill. Boating, fishing and paddling go on as usual.

The name traces the reach, from Malabar in Brevard County south to Vero Beach. FDEP describes the surrounding Indian River Lagoon as a lagoonal estuary with a limited connection to the ocean, and the FDEP Coastal Access Guide places Sebastian Inlet State Park on the barrier island directly opposite the preserve.

The preserve off Sebastian covers 28,000 acres by the FDEP preserve page count, or 29,000 acres by the FDEP Coastal Access Guide, and it stops at the Vero Beach city limit.

The FDEP preserve page lists Brevard and Indian River counties, an establishment year of 1970 and 28,000 acres. The Coastal Access Guide says the preserve envelops 29,000 acres of the Indian River Lagoon, a diverse estuary between temperate and subtropical climate zones, and its acreage table lists the preserve under Brevard alone even though it spans both counties. Neither page explains the 1,000-acre gap, so the lower official figure is the safer one to quote.

The southern line is written into law. Section 258.39 describes the boundary from county records and excludes those lands contained within the corporate boundary of the City of Vero Beach. South of that line the lagoon belongs to a separate preserve, the Indian River-Vero Beach to Fort Pierce Aquatic Preserve.

The Sebastian preserve began with a Cabinet resolution on October 21, 1969, was designated in 1970 and gained Outstanding Florida Waters status in 1979.

The 1986 state management plan records that it was not until October 21, 1969 that the Governor and Cabinet acted on an interagency advisory committee and adopted, by resolution, 18 waterbodies as aquatic preserves. FDEP states that the Indian River-Malabar to Vero Beach, Indian River-Vero Beach to Fort Pierce and Banana River preserves were designated by the Board of Trustees in 1970 (FDEP).

Two later steps raised the protection of the lagoon off Sebastian. All four Indian River Lagoon preserves were included in the Aquatic Preserves Act of 1975 passed by the Florida Legislature and were designated as Outstanding Florida Waters in 1979 (FDEP). The federal government followed: Indian River County notes that the Indian River Lagoon was designated an estuary of national significance in 1990 (Indian River County).

Boating, fishing and paddling are allowed in the preserve off Sebastian, while dredging, filling, drilling and new leases of the lagoon bottom are tightly limited by statute.

For the lagoon bottom off Sebastian, section 258.42 directs that no further sale, lease or transfer of sovereignty submerged lands be approved except when it is in the public interest. No further dredging or filling may be approved except listed activities under permit, such as minimum dredging for navigation projects. There shall be no drilling of gas or oil wells, and no excavation of minerals except the dredging of dead oyster shells approved by FDEP. Private residential docks may be approved for reasonable ingress or egress of riparian owners.

One clause applies to this preserve alone. For the Indian River-Malabar to Vero Beach Aquatic Preserve, a lease of sovereign submerged lands for a noncommercial dock may be deemed in the public interest when the dock is a reasonable exercise of riparian rights and consistent with the values the preserve protects (s. 258.39). That matters to owners along Indian River Drive and the Roseland shore who need a lease for a dock.

For boaters leaving the Sebastian ramps, the rule most likely to bite is seagrass. FDEP states that seagrass is protected within aquatic preserves, asks boaters to avoid shallow waters and raise the motor over seagrass, and warns that damage to seagrass can result in a fine up to $1,000 (FDEP). The 1986 plan also set a policy to prohibit trimming or removal of mangroves within the preserve except for legally authorized projects.

FDEP names seven public access points for the preserve, including MacWilliams Park Boat Ramp, Main Street Boat Ramp and Sebastian Inlet State Park, and charges no fee.

The FDEP access list is Christenson's Landing, MacWilliams Park Boat Ramp, Wabasso Causeway Boat Ramp, Main Street Boat Ramp, Sebastian Inlet State Park, Dale Wimbrow Park and Jorgenson's Landing. Parking depends on local regulations, and ADA accommodations are specific to each access point. Donations are accepted through Friends of the Spoil Islands, which FDEP also points to for visiting and camping on the spoil islands.

Boats also reach the preserve through Sebastian Inlet, which the Sebastian Inlet District says is manmade and whose channel is used by more than 15,000 boats annually. For an injured manatee, dolphin or sea turtle anywhere in the preserve, FDEP directs callers to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at 1-888-404-FWCC (3922) (FDEP).

The preserve off Sebastian holds seagrasses, red, black and white mangroves, manatees, dolphins, sea turtles and sport fish such as redfish, snook and tarpon.

FDEP lists oysters and horseshoe crabs, wading birds, seabirds and shorebirds, Atlantic bottlenose dolphin, West Indian manatee, green and loggerhead sea turtles, and redfish, black drum, tarpon, snook and mullet (FDEP). The 1986 plan added that Sebastian Creek was then under study because of the high incidence of manatees there.

Water chemistry follows the inlet. The 1986 plan states that Sebastian Inlet is the only opening to the ocean in this area and that salinities range from 20 to 26 parts per thousand near Malabar to 30 to 36 parts per thousand at Sebastian. It counted approximately 55 spoil islands built from Intracoastal Waterway dredge material, and FDEP states that spoil islands support the majority of bird rookeries in the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserve system.

The shoreline holds history as well. FDEP reports archaeological sites from 10,000 BC to 1700 AD adjacent to the preserve system, including the Spanish Fleet Survivors and Salvors Camp, Jungle Trail and Mount Elizabeth (FDEP).

FDEP manages the preserve as part of the Indian River Lagoon Aquatic Preserves, while Indian River County runs its own Lagoon Division on the county side of the water.

FDEP lists bird nesting protection, mangrove planting, oyster reef restoration and seagrass surveys as the preserve's conservation work, publishes a preserve contact number of 772-448-5930, and directs volunteers to [email protected] (FDEP). Its partner groups are the Environmental Learning Center in Wabasso and the Marine Resources Council.

The county reports newer work. The Indian River County Lagoon Division reports adoption of its Lagoon Management Plan on September 26, 2023, removal of 2 derelict vessels from the lagoon in winter 2026, and the launch of a pump out vessel program in 2026. It describes the lagoon as 156 miles long with 5 inlets and Sebastian Inlet at the north end of the county. The state plan most often cited for this preserve is the 1986 document used on this page, so the county figures are the newer measure of what is being done off Sebastian. Last verified: October 14, 2026, on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Indian River County websites.