In With The New

It’s hard to believe almost 50 years have passed since E. Llwyd Ecclestone Sr. first laid eyes on the jungle-like 1,600-plus acres stretching between the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway in Indian River Shores. It was just what the residential developer had been looking for.  

Ecclestone’s vision was to create a private, family-oriented community he would call John’s Island. Houses would nestle among the many majestic oaks, and three championship golf courses would attract buyers, golf bags and clubs in hand.  

Preserving the land so generously blessed by nature was a priority then and remains so today — as stricter building codes, technical advances and societal trends have led to the need for new construction. 

As David Lyons, vice president of Croom Construction explains, “This year marks the 25th anniversary of Hurricane Andrew, a category five hurricane that caused tremendous damage to South Florida. As a result of the storm surge and flooding, FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) increased flood elevations. They’ve increased them even more in the years since, which means that a number of homes built in John’s Island during the 1970s and 1980s are below the flood zone and lack adequate protection from hurricane conditions There is a market demand for hurricane code compliant, more energy efficient homes.” 

Thanks to a partnership formed by Lyons, Charles Croom and Ned Sherwood, that demand is being met. To date the partnership has purchased properties and Croom has built three new houses. A fourth is in the works. More are on the drawing board, and a virtual reality tour prior to construction provides a sense of place to potential buyers attracted to the John’s Island lifestyle and more often than not, eager to play what is often referred to as “the King of Sports.”