VERO AT 100
LIVING HISTORY
TRIPSON FAMILY COLLECTION
Waldo Sexton grew up on a farm in Indiana and never strayed too far from
his roots. After arriving in Vero Beach in 1913, he would engage in citrus
growing, dairy farming and ranching, among many other pursuits.
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As Vero Beach prepares to celebrate its 100th anniversary
in , no one figure stands taller in
the city·s history than :aldo Seton. He is 9ero
Beach·s most iconic figure, celebrated and written
about more than any other.
4uirNy, eclectic, ubiTuitous, enigmatic.
:aldo·s entrepreneurial drive and vision permeated every
sector of early 9ero commerce real estate sales, residential
development, citrus cultivation, cattle ranching, dairy farming
and tourism.
His largerthanlife imprint remains indelibly planted on
9ero Beach through many of his worNs that still stand 0c.ee
Botanical *arden, the 'riftwood 5esort, and the 2cean *rill,
3atio and Sechuan 3alace restaurants.
He helped develop 9ero Beach &ountry &lub and negotiated
the sale for the land that would become the 5iomar
subdivision and -ohn·s ,sland. A collection of bells, many of
those acTuired by :aldo, can be seen placed discreetly at
venues throughout 9ero.
His passion for beautifying the city·s landscape etends
from the water oaNs at th Avenue to laurels along st
Street, royal palms on 5oyal 3alm Boulevard, 5oyal 3alm
3lace and 0c.ee Botanical *arden, and banyan trees
throughout the city.
At one time, he was president of corporations, of
which were still in eistence in . He created a test for confirming
the outstanding attributes of ,ndian 5iver citrus and
through his involvement in various organiations, including
the ,ndian 5iver &itrus League, he helped develop its worldwide
reputation.
He was a master publicist, stung in his pocNets 0c.ee
-ungle *ardens pamphlets and Áyers etolling the features
of 9ero Beach to hand out on virtually any trip he tooN ³ or
constantly prodding writers for publications liNe the New
York Times or Saturday Evening Post to spotlight him and his
attractions and the wonders of 9ero Beach.
An artist and amateur architect, his greatest gift was
salvaging the refuse of 3alm Beach mansions to create new
structures, perhaps Must as structurally sound but looNing as
if they had been haphaardly put together or were organic to
the landscape.
2ne of th century )lorida·s biggest dreamers and doers,
his legacy continues today, carefully nurtured by family
members and strangers aliNe.
)ascinated with his various worNs, who doesn·t automatically
embrace his spirit when hearing the story of his response
to a woman taNing a tour with him of the 'riftwood"
,mpressed with a morning tour led by :aldo, the woman
tooN another one in the afternoon. :hen the woman noted in
the afternoon tour that his stories about certain obMects were
not the same on the tour she had taNen earlier in the day, he
retorted ´0adam, ,·d rather be a liar than a bore.··
7he anecdote has given generations of 9ero natives and
newcomers the license to embellish stories about him to such
a point that much of what is shared about him today is more
apocrypha than fact.
LucNily, his penchant for publicity left a long trail of newspaper
interviews and articles about him ³ often enough to
identify inconsistencies and divine the truth through what he
repeated most often.
PRESERVING A LEGACY
)ive decades after his death, :aldo·s family has preserved
his legacy through their ownership of many of his worNs and
valuable properties. :hile all four of his children are now
dead, the real estate is controlled by Seton ,nc., a corporation
consisting of Seton descendants from the four families,
each controlling about percent of the shares.
7he properties are leased with strict provisions on any
changes or improvements that leaseholders can maNe, ensuring
that the character remains intact. Even his original
homestead on th Street remains in family hands, occupied
by his grandson 0arN 7ripson and altered little since his death.
:aldo·s legacy has also been preserved in the Archive &enter
at the ,ndian 5iver &ounty 0ain Library, which has an
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SEXTON COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY
Salesman Waldo Sexton, third from left, oversees the demonstration of the
Spalding Deep Tilling Machine in 1913, the year he arrived in Vero.