Good Morning from Florida's Indian River Lagoon

Good morning from te North Sebastian Conservation Area along Florida's Indian River Lagoon in Sebastian FL.  Today is Thursday September 17, 2026.

Welcome to today's Lagoon Life Report, where we explore the weather, wildlife, waterfront communities, parks, local food, and everyday moments that make life along the Indian River Lagoon so special.

Lagoon Conditions

Time:  11 AM
Air Temperature:  87 with a high of 87.  That didn't take long.
Humidity:  61% - it feels like fall!
Wind Direction & Speed:  13 from the NE - is summer ending?
Tide Stage:  9:30 low and 3 PM high
Moon Phase:  First Quarter - rise at 1 PM and set at 11:30 PM
Water Conditions:  Choppy to white caps and very high water level.  Clarity is awful.

Today's Lagoon Life:


Today I take a nice tour of the North Sebastian Conservation area.  This is a great tract of land that used to be orange groves.  You geta real sense of time gone by when you are in the woods there.  It's expansive at over 400 acres and I go so deep up in there I almost got nervous as to where I was.  

Check out all the details HERE.  

 

Lagoon Living Tip of the Day:

Saturday Morning: Go Pick Up the Lagoon

Here's one you can actually act on this weekend.

The International Coastal Cleanup is Saturday, September 19, from 8:00 to 11:00 AM, with multiple cleanup locations along Brevard County beaches and waterways. The local effort is being coordinated by Keep Brevard Beautiful.

It's part of the international cleanup effort started by the Ocean Conservancy, but the work couldn't be more local: residents walking their own beaches and waterways and removing trash before it gets farther into the ecosystem.

So this weekend's Lagoon Living prescription is pretty simple:

 

Three hours. A pair of gloves. Leave your little piece of Florida cleaner than you found it. 🧤🌊

I'm heading to the main St boat ramp in Sebastian to help out!  See you there?

 

Wildlife & Nature

I was really looking for scrub jays today but didn't see any.  There are 3 troupes of them in this preserve and most have been banded and counted!  I did see a really nice sized gopher tortoise at the entrance to the park!  HERE is a video of it doing some grass munching.

 

Today's Lagoon Spotlight

Featured Local Gem: Harris Establishment Farms

We've featured quite a few nonprofits lately, so today I'm taking the "community farm" fork in the road.

Harris Establishment Farms is a family-oriented U-pick and adventure farm in northwest Palm Bay, just up the road from our new Barefoot Bay headquarters. Its stated goal is to give people a genuine farm experience and inspire them to do more with their own property.

And the timing is excellent.

Their Fall Festival is happening now through November 1, with pumpkins, wagon rides, farm animals, a crop maze, flower fields and U-pick opportunities depending on what's currently available. As of this week, wildflowers are available, sunflowers are limited and the produce U-pick is temporarily closed.

The farm reopens tomorrow, Friday September 18, from 2:30 to 6:30 PM, followed by weekend hours of 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM.

💙 Why It Belongs in a Lagoon Report

At first glance, a flower farm in Palm Bay may not seem like an Indian River Lagoon story.

I think it absolutely is.

One of the things I want these daily Insights to keep doing is expanding our idea of what Lagoon Living means. The lagoon isn't an isolated strip of blue water. It's embedded in a community of neighborhoods, farms, gardens, businesses, parks and people stretching miles inland.

Local agriculture also reconnects people with something modern life makes remarkably easy to forget:

Food and flowers don't originate at Publix. They originate in dirt.

Taking kids onto a working farm, letting them pick something growing from the ground, feed an animal or wander through a crop maze creates a tiny connection between people and the land supporting them.

And there's another reason I like this particular discovery.

Since moving the Dock Report to Barefoot Bay, we're now sitting almost exactly between the communities of Indian River County and South Brevard.

That gives us a bigger backyard to explore.

The lagoon may be the spine of our lifestyle, but there are a whole lot of interesting ribs attached to it. 🌻🚜🌊

Learn More

Harris Establishment Farms

 

Lagoon Lifestyle & Real Estate

Look Up Before You Buy

Florida buyers spend plenty of time thinking about roofs, insurance and flood zones, but don't forget to look at the trees surrounding the house.

A beautiful mature oak or palm can be an asset. A large declining tree leaning toward the roof, septic field, driveway or power line can become an expensive welcome-to-the-neighborhood present.

During your inspection period, notice large limbs over the house, roots lifting pavement, dead sections in the canopy and trees growing extremely close to structures. If something concerns you, have a qualified arborist evaluate it rather than assuming it needs to come down.

Trees provide shade, wildlife habitat and character that can take decades to replace.

 

The goal isn't a treeless yard. It's knowing which trees came with the house and which ones might eventually come through it. 🌳🏡

 

Thinking About Life Along the Lagoon?

Whether you're planning a visit, considering a move, or simply enjoy following life along Florida's Indian River Lagoon, I hope these daily reports help you experience one of Florida's most beautiful regions.

If you're looking for local insight about waterfront living or real estate anywhere along the lagoon, I'd be happy to help.

Every report is another chapter in the story of life along Florida's Indian River Lagoon. Thanks for following along.

Chris Norris
Broker Associate | Treasure Coast Realty

Serving Florida's Space Coast & Treasure Coast along the Indian River Lagoon

ChrisNorrisRealEstate.com
SebastianLagoonLife.com
YouTube: @ChrisNorrisRealEstate