The Merritt Island Dragon or Merrit Island River Dragon was a dragon-shaped green concrete structure that stood at the southern tip of Merritt Island, Florida, known as Dragon Point, where the Indian RiverLagoon splits to form the Banana River Lagoon. The dragon was built in 1971 by Florida artist Lewis VanDercar and property owner Aynn Christal.[1] In 1981, the statue was expanded for new property owner Warren McFadden, with the addition of a tail, an extended neck, two cavepeople a caveman named Fred and a cavewoman named Wilma[2] and four hatchling dragons named Joy, Sunshine, Charity, and Freedom.[3] The statues were located between the cities of Melbourne and Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, north of the Eau Gallie Causeway.
The dragon was created from 20 short tons (18t) of concrete and steel, and stood 35 feet (11m) high and 65 feet (20m) long.[4] Known as "Annie", the dragon served as a landmark for both locals and boaters, and also as a playhouse for children.[5] On special occasions, the dragon would breathe fire. The idea for the sculpture was inspired by the American Indian legend which held that seeing a dragon rising from the mist where the Banana and Indian Rivers met was a sign of good fortune.[6]
In August 2002, the sculpture was badly damaged, and partially collapsed into the water during a storm; vandalism was blamed for contributing to the statue's destruction.[1]
Restoration
The owner and the Brevard County Commissioners were unable to agree on a rehabilitation effort; there was a plan in 2004 to reconstruct the sculpture,[7] while in 2008, a developer planned a luxury hotel and spa on the Dragon Point site with a reconstructed dragon statue as its centerpiece,[8] but both plans fell through.[9]
Save Dragon Point, an organization dedicated to rebuilding the dragon statue, was founded in May 2012. In August, the mansion on the property where the dragon had stood was scheduled to be demolished and the property sold.[10] Save Dragon Point changed its name to Annie and Kids Arts and Education Foundation.[11]
In January 2015, Don Facciobene, local builder and developer, bought the property. He announced that a new dragon named "Rojak" will be built. According to the story of Dragon Point, Rojak is Annie's fifth hatchling who was kept hidden.[12] An inaugural Dragon Boat Festival was planned for June 13, 2015, with proceeds intended to benefit Save Dragon Point.[13]
In April 2015, a plan was announced to build Rojak by 2017.[14] Demolition work began at Dragon Point in March of 2017, clearing room for a future multi-million dollar riverfront mansion and Rojak.
In popular culture
A children's book about the dragon, River Dragon: A Real Florida Fairy Tale, was published in 2003.[15]
Brevard County is a county located in the east central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 606,612, making it the 10th-most populated county in Florida. The official county seat is located in Titusville. Brevard County comprises the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, FL Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is located along the east Florida coast and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean.
Cocoa is a city in Brevard County, Florida. The population was 19,041 at the 2020 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Cocoa Beach is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The population was 11,539 at the 2018 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Indian Harbour Beach is a coastal city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 9,019 at the 2020 census.
Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located 72 miles (116 km) southeast of Orlando and 175 miles (282 km) northwest of Miami. As of the 2020 Decennial Census, there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population. Melbourne is a principal city of the Palm Bay – Melbourne – Titusville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 1969, the city was expanded by merging with nearby Eau Gallie.
Melbourne Beach is a town in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population had 3,231 residents at the 2020 United States Census.
Merritt Island is a peninsula, commonly referred to as an island, in Brevard County, Florida, United States, located on the eastern Florida coast, along the Atlantic Ocean. It is also the name of an unincorporated town in the central and southern parts of the island and a census-designated place (CDP).
Titusville is a city in and the county seat of Brevard County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 48,789. Titusville is located along the Indian River, west of Merritt Island and the Kennedy Space Center, and south-southwest of the Canaveral National Seashore. It is a principal city of the Palm Bay–Melbourne–Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
The Indian River Lagoon is a grouping of three lagoons: the Mosquito Lagoon, the Banana River, and the Indian River, on the Atlantic Coast of Florida; one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the Northern Hemisphere and is home to more than 4,300 species of plants and animals.
The Indian River is a 121-mile (195 km) long brackish lagoon in Florida. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system, which in turn forms part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. It was originally named Rio de Ais after the Ais Indian tribe, who lived along the east coast of Florida, but was later given its current name.
The Banana River is a 31-mile-long (50 km) lagoon that lies between Cape Canaveral and Merritt Island in Brevard County, Florida in the United States. It is part of the Indian River Lagoon system, and connects at its south end to the Indian River; it is the only part of the lagoon system not in the Intracoastal Waterway. It also has an outlet to the Atlantic Ocean via a lock into Port Canaveral. The lagoon includes salt marshes, mangrove swamps, seagrass beds, drift algae, oyster bars, tidal flats, and spoil islands, providing habitats for many marine species. These are brackish waters mixed of salt and fresh water; waist deep with a soft bottom sand/grass. Commercial and recreational activities in the lagoon generate more than US$ 800 million annually for the local economy.
Eau Gallie is a section of the city of Melbourne, Florida, located on the city's northern side. It was an independent city in Brevard County from 1860 until 1969.
State Road 404 (SR 404), the Pineda Causeway, is an east–west divided highway currently running from Interstate 95 (I-95) to SR A1A at Patrick Space Force Base, Florida, US. It was opened as a toll road in 1971 and classified as a state road two years later. The tolls were removed in 1990. It was named after Pineda, a former village east of Suntree on U.S. Route 1 (US 1). With interchanges at US 1 (SR 5), South Tropical Trail, and South Patrick Drive (SR 513), the Pineda Causeway is the primary access for Patrick Space Force Base and the southern end of Merritt Island. From US 1 to the eastern terminus, it is part of the Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway system.
The Merritt Island Causeway, mostly in Merritt Island, connects Cocoa, Merritt Island, Florida, and Cocoa Beach, Florida. The causeway transits the Willard Peebles bridge over the Banana River Lagoon. In the 1960s, SR A1A was routed over the eastern causeway from present day SR 520 and SR A1A, to the present day intersection of SR 520 and SR 3 on Merritt Island. The eastern section is known as the Cocoa Beach Causeway.
The Eau Gallie Causeway connects Eau Gallie, Florida, with SR A1A near Indian Harbour Beach, across the Indian River Lagoon. Located entirely within the Melbourne city limits, the causeway consists of a main bridge crossing over the Intracoastal Waterway and a relief bridge. The bridge is a key link in SR 518, Eau Gallie Boulevard, of which the causeway is a part.
Environmental issues in Brevard County in Florida United States are highlighted by the amount of waterline, the amount of wetlands, the quantity of residents and visitors to the area, as well as the usual threat to air quality from commuters. Assisting in this is the Florida Space Coast Clean Cities Coalition which is headquartered in Brevard.
Brevard County, Florida has transportation available in the usual modes for a coastal county - highways, shipping, and airlines.
South Beaches is an unofficial area in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It includes cities, towns and unincorporated area on the barrier island south of Patrick Space Force Base. The cities and towns include: South Patrick Shores, Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic and Melbourne Beach, and the city of Melbourne.
Brevard County has a county government, municipal governments, and various Florida state and U.S. federal agencies.
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