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Covenant Builders
Vol. 1, No. 1October 2026$1 · Free to Sebastian residents

The Sebastian Porch

Neighborhood news for Sebastian

Full edition · Facts checked October 9, 2026

Septic and sewer

On septic in Sebastian? A state deadline is less than four years away.

By July 1, 2030, most septic tanks near the lagoon must connect to sewer or be upgraded. In Sebastian, your sewer comes from the county, not the city.

If your house in Sebastian sits on a septic tank, a 2023 state law sets the clock. Under the Indian River Lagoon Protection Program, by July 1, 2030, an existing septic system in the program area must connect to central sewer where it is available, or be upgraded to an enhanced system that removes at least 65% of the nitrogen. Since January 1, 2024, every new septic system in the area has had to be that enhanced type.

One thing surprises a lot of Sebastian owners: the City of Sebastian does not run the sewer. Indian River County provides sewer service here, so the letters, the connection rules and the assistance program all come from the county.

County staff gave these ranges at public workshops in September: $5,000 to $8,000 to connect to a gravity sewer main, $11,000 to more than $20,000 when a lift or grinder pump is needed, and $15,000 to $25,000 to retrofit an existing tank to the enhanced type. The county is setting up a Sewer Connection Assistance Program of up to $15,000 per eligible property; as of early October it had not opened for applications.

Along the waterfront, the city and county have been extending sewer lines through Sebastian’s Community Redevelopment Area so every parcel there can connect. A Florida Department of Environmental Protection grant helps residents and businesses in that area with the cost of closing the septic tank and hooking up.

What to do this month: look up your address on the county’s program site, ircs2sprogram.com; open every letter from county utilities; and get more than one price from a licensed plumber. Questions go to the county program team at 772-770-5300.

Also this month

On the ballot

Two city council seats are up on November 3

Five candidates are running for two at-large Sebastian City Council seats, each a two-year term: Robert Gable, Damien Gilliams, Richard Gillmor, Sherrie Matthews (the incumbent) and Deborah Shellenberger. Mail ballots are already out. After the election the council chooses its own mayor and vice mayor. At a candidate forum, growth, annexation, the city budget, septic-to-sewer and the lagoon took most of the time.

Your tax bill

City sets its tax rate at the rollback rate

On September 14 the council voted unanimously for a tentative city tax rate of 3.3318 mills for the budget year that began October 1, down from 3.4455 mills last year. That is the rollback rate: the rate that raises about the same property tax money as last year, not counting new construction. Staff said balancing the budget at that rate uses about $262,000 of city reserves. The city rate is one line on your bill; the county, school board and other districts set their own.

Taxes

Amendment 3: what it could mean for the city budget

Amendment 3 would raise the homestead exemption on non-school property taxes and cut the yearly assessment cap on non-homestead property from 10% to 5%. It needs 60% to pass. A city budget workshop estimated a first-year hit to Sebastian’s budget of about $2.8 million. Indian River County holds a public forum on local impacts on October 14, 6–7:30 p.m., at the County Fairgrounds.

Pets

60-day rabies alert next door in Fellsmere

The health department issued a 60-day rabies alert after a bat captured September 24 near Sonrise Place in Fellsmere tested positive. Keep pets’ rabies shots current, keep them leashed, do not leave pet food outside, and keep bats and other wildlife out of the house. Report bites or scratches to the health department at 772-794-7472.

Storm season

Six weeks left in hurricane season. Here are five checks for this month.

The Atlantic season runs June 1 to November 30. October storms still happen, and most of these checks take an afternoon and cost nothing.

Most of us stop thinking about hurricanes once the kids are back in school. The calendar says otherwise: the season does not close until November 30. A quiet Saturday this month is the cheapest time to find a problem, because nobody is booked solid yet.

None of these need a ladder. Do them from the ground, the garage and the attic hatch.

  1. 1.Walk the roof line from the yard

    Look for shingles that are lifted, curled, cracked or missing, and for metal flashing pulling away from walls. Binoculars help.

  2. 2.Clear the gutters and downspouts

    Water that backs up during a downpour soaks the fascia and finds its way into the walls.

  3. 3.Find your shutter hardware now

    Count the panels, wing nuts and anchors, and test one opening. The middle of a storm warning is a bad time to find a missing bolt.

  4. 4.Check the garage door

    It is the biggest opening on most houses. Look for a wind-rating label and any bracing, and note what you find.

  5. 5.Take dated photos of your house

    Every side, the roof from the street, windows, doors, fence and equipment labels. Keep them somewhere other than your phone. A before-the-storm record of your home is worth having for your own files.

Sebastian then

The first national wildlife refuge is in our backyard

In 1903 a three-acre island in the lagoon started the whole system.

On March 14, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt set aside Pelican Island, in the Indian River Lagoon off Sebastian, as a federal bird reservation "for the protection of nesting birds." He acted with encouragement from ornithologist Frank Chapman and the Florida Audubon Society.

It was the first federal bird reservation, and it became the first national wildlife refuge, the start of today’s National Wildlife Refuge System. By the end of his presidency Roosevelt had created 55 bird reservations and national game preserves, nine more of them in Florida.

Audubon hired Paul Kroegel as the refuge’s first warden. The island itself has shrunk from about 5.5 acres in 1903 to about 3 acres, worn away by erosion, but the refuge around it now covers more than 5,400 acres of wetland and upland.

Ask the builder

"Why does my insurance company keep asking how old my roof is?"

Because roof age is one of the first things an insurer looks at when it writes or renews a Florida policy.

If you do not know your roof’s age, you are not alone. Many homes have changed hands since the last reroof, and the paperwork went with the previous owner.

The building permit record usually has the answer, because a reroof needs a permit. Inside city limits, that record is with the City of Sebastian Building Department. Outside city limits, it is with Indian River County.

Have a question about your house? Text it to (772) 473-7115 and we may answer it in a future issue.

From our sponsor

Get your free Roof Report Card

We walk your roof line, attic and edges and grade what we can see from A to F, with photos and plain words. You get the card by text. Nothing to buy, and nothing comes attached to it.

Rather talk? Call or text (772) 473-7115.

A Report Card is a visual walk-through, not a 4-point, wind mitigation or roof certification form, and not an engineering inspection.

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