The late Alma Lee Loy, affectionately known as the First Lady of Vero Beach, is set to receive a lasting tribute in the city she helped shape for nearly a century. As part of the nationwide preparations for the 250th anniversary of the United States, the Florida Historical Marker Council has officially approved a new historical marker to commemorate her lifelong civic and women’s rights advocacy. Notably, Loy is the exclusive honoree selected from the Treasure Coast region for this state-wide initiative.
The newly approved historical marker will be permanently installed at the Indian River County Chamber of Commerce, located at 1216 21st Street in Vero Beach. The physical display will stand proudly on a 6-foot pole, featuring a plaque measuring 42 inches wide by 30 inches tall. While an official unveiling date has not yet been set, the installation will cement Loy’s legacy as a cornerstone of local progression.
The Florida Women’s Historical Marker Initiative approved this marker as part of a project celebrating twelve women whose achievements transformed their communities and, in many cases, the nation itself, honoring contributions that helped shape Florida’s civic, educational, athletic, environmental, architectural, aviation, and cultural history.
Born on June 10, 1929, exactly one decade after the founding of Vero Beach, Loy’s roots in Indian River County ran deep. After graduating from Vero Beach High School in 1947 and earning a business administration degree from the University of Miami, she quickly began making local history. Loy started her career as one of Florida’s first female sports columnists, writing for the Vero Beach Press Journal. By 1955, she had partnered with Lucy Pope Auxier to open Alma Lee’s children’s clothing store along State Road 60, funding the beloved local venture with the money she saved from her journalism career.
Her influence expanded rapidly into local leadership and public service. In 1963, she broke new ground as the first female president of the Vero Beach and Indian River County Chamber of Commerce. Her unwavering dedication to community development led her to become a founding member of the Vero Beach City Recreation Board, a charter member of the Vero Beach Downtown Merchants Association, and the founding co-chairman of the Environmental Learning Center. In 1968, she achieved another massive milestone by becoming the first woman elected to the Indian River County Commission, eventually serving as its first female chairman.
Loy’s tangible impact on local infrastructure remains highly visible throughout Vero Beach today. During the 1970s, she was instrumental in raising $300,000 for the construction of Leisure Square on 17th Street. She also fervently championed the construction of the 17th Street Bridge in 1979, which was rightfully renamed in her honor in 2012. Even at 90 years old, she remained an active community planner, serving on the Three Corners Steering Committee and supporting Indian River County’s 2018 purchase of the former Dodgertown Golf Club to preserve it as a public recreation space.
Throughout her lifetime, Loy received numerous accolades, including the Woman of the Year recognition from the Indian River Safety Council in 1961. In 2010, the local Chamber of Commerce building was officially named the Alma Lee Loy Building, and in 2019, she was celebrated as the grand marshal for the Vero Beach centennial parade.
At the state level, Loy was appointed as an original member of the Florida Commission on the Status of Women in 1964 and received the Florida Spirit of Community award in 2018 for being a positive role model. Following her passing on April 10, 2020, at the age of 90, she was posthumously inducted into the Florida Women’s Hall of Fame.
Loy joins an elite group of eleven other pioneering women recognized across the state by the Florida Women’s Historical Marker Initiative, including:
- Chris Evert (Broward County) – International tennis champion with a record-breaking modern-era winning percentage.
- Helen Digges Spivey (Citrus County) – Famed environmental advocate known for protecting Florida’s manatees.
- Jacqueline Cochran (Escambia County) – Record-breaking aviator who directed the Women Airforce Service Pilots during World War II.
- Marion Manley (Miami-Dade County) – One of Florida’s first licensed female architects.
- Barbara Mabrity (Monroe County) – A resilient Key West lighthouse keeper who safeguarded navigational beacons through multiple hurricanes.
- Mary McLeod Bethune (Volusia County) – Renowned educator, presidential advisor, and founder of Bethune-Cookman University.
