Among his birthday presents
last year, Frank Sullivan
III found a very special
one: a wooden board. Mind
you, this was no ordinary
wood, for it was plucked
from the demolition of the Sullivan Victory
Groves packinghouse in Rockledge, an iconic
building that for decades was representative
of the once-robust citrus industry in Brevard.
Sullivan had been there as the wrecking ball
eradicated history.
“It was very hard to watch, but the packinghouses
are a thing of the past, as is the citrus
industry in this area,” the 84-year-old said.
36: SPACE COAST LIVING | SPACECOASTLIVING.COM
Squeezed
Development, disease ravages out
regional citrus industry
By Maria Sonnenberg
JASON HOOK
Hobby farmer Jerry Hunt cares for the hundreds of trees in his Merritt Island grove.
BREVARD COUNTY HISTORICAL COMMISSION
The packinghouse of Sullivan Victory Groves was for decades a landmark along U.S. I in Rockledge.
The building was demolished in 2020, marking the end of a three-generation business that provided
>> thousands of pounds of citrus to buyers around the world.
/SPACECOASTLIVING.COM