Amphitheater Shows Exciting Progress

June 12, 2025 – The community is watching the progress of the Amphitheater at the Veterans Memorial Park with great interest and the magazine “Merritt Island Now” recently published a great article on how things are going. Here are some excerpts and be sure to read the entire article by clicking on the source link at the end of this post.

The ground-breaking ceremony for the Amphitheater was held in October 2024, and progress has been ongoing since then with completion expected by January 2026, but the hope is for early completion by Veterans Day, 2025.

Veterans Memorial Center’s (VMC) President Dean Schaaff said, “The Merritt Island Redevelopment Agency (MIRA) hopes to make this area the “downtown” of Merritt Island,” adding, “Depending on the weather, supply chain issues and other factors, the amphitheater could be completed earlier.”

The initial vision was MIRA’s, whose job it is to promote and approve improvements to Merritt Island.

Schaaff said, “MIRA has invested millions … to improve the park with paved walking paths, four bridges over an inlet from Sykes Creek and one providing entry form the west parking lot and two over the weirs that filter the water before entering the Banana River. Also included are a children’s playground, adult workout area, restrooms and a pavilion picnic area surrounded by flora and fauna. The south part of the park has been configured for the JROTC units … to hold ‘Raider’ challenges.”

The park hosts 10 events per year in support of the 14 Brevard JROTC programs, which include drill meets and competition – a 5k run, massive truck tire flips and a rope bridge event. On average 250 cadets from 10 or more schools compete with hundreds of parents and siblings. The veterans park provides the perfect space and terrain for these JROTC competitions.

“With the construction of the new hospital and the planned upgrade of the mall, this is the center of Merritt Island. The addition of the amphitheater will only add to this vision,” Schaaff said.

Once completed, Brevard Parks and Recreation will manage the amphitheater.

For the current and largest phase to date, all partners have nearly doubled their contributions, and the county commission approved the $8.2M phase 5-0 in August 2025, according to Weaver.

Weaver said the amphitheater gives the community “possibilities,” adding, “From the home base of the Space Coast Symphony Orchestra to major concert headliners to the best venue in the state for JROTC Drill meets, our expanded park of November 2025 will be unique and hold limitless possibilities for the future.”

Source: Merritt Island Now