Editing Melbourne Beach, Florida (section)

==History==

The [[Ais people|Ais]] Indians resided in the area in pre-Columbian times. In 2010, a [[midden]] near Aquarina included a burial ground for a chief and two handmaidens.<ref name="fl00822">[http://www.floridatoday.com/article/20100818/NEWS0305/8180303/Melbourne+Beach+history+focus+of+display+at+Old+Town+Hall Florida Today]</ref>

It has been suggested that [[Juan Ponce de León]] landed near Melbourne Beach in 1513, where he then became the first [[Europe]]an to set foot in [[Florida]].<ref>And not at [[St. Augustine, Florida|St. Augustine]].</ref> A determination of this was made by a historian in the 1990s, who believed that the spot was "within five to eight nautical miles" on the barrier island with a proposed name of [[Ponce de León Island]].<ref name=BBN>Datzman, Ken. "Did the famous explorer Ponce de Leon first hit Melbourne Beach", ''[[Brevard Business News]]'', vol 30, no. 1 (Melbourne, Florida: January 2, 2012), p. 1 and 19.</ref> However, this suggestion has not been met with wide acceptance from historians who state that de Leon's landing place cannot be known within a leeway of less than a hundred miles or so.<ref>{{Cite news | first=Rick | last=Neale | title=Theory stirs strife | url=http://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013303100058| newspaper=[[Florida Today]] | location=[[Melbourne, Florida]] | pages= 3A | date=March 10, 2013 }}</ref> A statue of Ponce de León was erected at "Juan Ponce de León Landing" in Melbourne Beach to commemorate his discovery.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/2013/12/29/-ponce-de-len-statue-finally-makes-debut/4238257/|title= Ponce de León statue finally makes debut}}</ref>

Melbourne Beach is Brevard County's oldest beach community.

In 1879, a hotel, the Oak Lodge, was built for researchers and naturalists on a {{convert|164|acre|adj=on}} location near Aquarina.<ref name="fl00822"/>

In 1921, the [[Melbourne Causeway]] was built, connecting Melbourne Beach to the mainland via the town of [[Indialantic, Florida|Indialantic]]. In 1923, it was incorporated as a town.

In 1928, [[Harry J. Brooks]], attempting to set a long distance record, crashed a [[Ford Flivver]] off the coast of Melbourne Beach, resulting in his death.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Chronicle |volume=24-26|author=Historical Society of Michigan}}</ref>

The town's population oscillated until [[World War II]], when it began growing steadily. Currently, it is largely residential, with an elementary school, some businesses, and many condominiums in the unincorporated areas to the north and south.

In 2007, it was voted one of ten best bargain retirement spots in America.<ref name="autogenerated1">{{cite book | author = Brandon, Emily |title = 10 Bargain Retirement Spots | publisher = U.S. News & World Report | date = June 11, 2007}}</ref>

In 2016, a [[Publix]] located four miles south of Melbourne Beach sold one of the winning tickets in the $1.3 billion [[Powerball]].