Treasure Coast Business News November 17, 2026

ACT Computers becomes ACT Business Technology Solutions

ACT Computers is rebranding as ACT Business Technology Solutions to reflect its expanded business technology services, with an official brand rollout planned for Jan. 1, 2027. Founded in 1995, the Vero Beach-based company has evolved from a traditional computer services business into a technology solutions provider serving businesses and residential customers across the Treasure Coast, Space Coast and surrounding Florida communities.

The company’s business services include managed IT, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, automation and custom software development. ACT will continue to offer computer repair and technical support at its Vero Beach location.

“For more than three decades, our customers have trusted ACT to solve their technology problems,” said Jürgen Schwanitz, CEO of ACT. “Our new identity reflects the company we've become while preserving the relationships, experience and local service that have defined us since 1995.”

The German-American family-founded business remains focused on local service and practical technology solutions for Florida organizations.

ABOUT ACT
Founded in 1995 and headquartered in Vero Beach, ACT provides managed IT services, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence solutions, software development, networking, computer repair and technical support.

Orchid Island’s $8.2M beach club renovation

Orchid Island Golf & Beach Club is completing an $8.2 million Beach Club renovation for members to enjoy this season. The expanded Seaside Lounge is scheduled to open in December. Designed to complement the Beach Club Dining Room, the lounge will grow from 1,500 to 3,900 square feet and feature five large windows overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.

A new 4,100-square-foot beachfront spa and two Beach Suites are scheduled to open in the spring. The spa will feature four treatment rooms, manicure and pedicure stations, a hair salon, men’s and women’s locker rooms with steam and sauna facilities, and a relaxation area.

The project also includes new Orchid Island Realty offices, which are complete and open to clients buying or selling property in the community.

Peacock & Lewis Architecture, Master Planning and Design of North Palm Beach oversaw the project’s design. Jeannine Rohtla, an interior designer with the firm, is handling the spa’s design. Natalie Holtom will design the interiors of the Seaside Lounge and Beach Suites.

The Beach Club project follows a $5 million renovation of the Golf Club dining room and the addition of the 2,000-square-foot Pelican Pavilion. The pavilion includes six cushioned, regulation-size pickleball courts, a covered outdoor social area with seating for 32, a basketball court, a croquet court, bocce lanes and a playground. The Golf Club renovation debuted a year after architect Brandon Johnson completed a full renovation of the golf course.

“The Beach Club is the jewel of Orchid Island, where members relax, soak in the Atlantic Ocean breeze, swim, and meet their friends for drinks and dinner. Our members are really looking forward to our new Beach Club and spa,” said Rob Tench, general manager.

Orchid Island is at One Beachside Drive in Vero Beach. For more information, visit OrchidIslandFL.com.

About Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club

Orchid Island Golf and Beach Club spans the Atlantic Ocean to the Indian River along Florida’s Treasure Coast. The community offers a laid-back waterfront lifestyle with a resort-style pool, a spa, multiple dining venues and nearly a mile of secluded beach. Residents also have access to an Arnold Palmer-designed championship golf course and an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Housing options include riverfront and oceanfront estates, courtyard homes, cottages and mid-rise condominiums. For real estate inquiries, call 772-388-3888 or visit OrchidIslandFL.com.

Treasure Coast Food Bank opens new facility

Treasure Coast Food Bank celebrated the grand opening of its new 130,000-square-foot facility in Fort Pierce, expanding its capacity for food distribution, disaster response and workforce training. The facility will help families across the Treasure Coast access nutritious food, crisis support and job training opportunities.

Community leaders, elected officials, supporters and residents attended a dedication ceremony and ribbon-cutting at the facility, 401 Loop Road.

The facility includes an 80,000-square-foot warehouse with storage capacity equivalent to 100 semitruck loads of food. About 16,000 square feet of refrigerated and frozen storage will support expanded distribution of fresh produce, proteins and other perishable foods.

A 15,000-square-foot production kitchen will prepare daily meals for seniors and children in after-school and summer feeding programs. During disasters, the kitchen will be able to produce up to 25,000 meals a day for residents and first responders. Two large generators will support continued operations during power outages.

“As proud as I am of this building … Our greatest accomplishment will never be measured in square footage, the number of trucks we operate, or even the tens of thousands of meals we serve,” said Judith Cruz, president of Treasure Coast Food Bank, at the dedication. “They will be measured by the child who can concentrate in school, by the senior who no longer needs to choose between buying groceries and filling a prescription, and the parent who can breathe a little easier knowing that there’s food on the dinner table.”

Dedicated classrooms and a culinary training kitchen will support workforce training in culinary arts, commercial driving, hospitality, supply chain operations and other fields. The programs are designed to help residents earn industry credentials, find employment and build financial stability.

The facility also includes a resource center to help residents and partner agencies access food and other resources. A planned produce-washing and packaging area will expand opportunities to work with Florida farmers. An air-cooled warehouse will provide a more comfortable environment for volunteers throughout the year.

About Treasure Coast Food Bank

Treasure Coast Food Bank is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and member of the Feeding America network. It has served Indian River, Okeechobee, Martin and St. Lucie counties for nearly 40 years and is the Treasure Coast’s largest hunger-relief organization. The food bank provides hunger-relief services to 250,000 people experiencing food insecurity each year. Guided by its vision to “Feed, Unite, Flourish,” the organization is expanding its capacity to address the root causes of hunger and strengthen communities. For more information, visit stophunger.org.

One Email, One Wire, Gone: How Treasure Coast businesses can stop payment fraud

It usually starts with an ordinary email. A vendor you have paid for years writes to say their bank details have changed, or a title company sends updated wiring instructions an hour before closing, and everything looks right. That is business email compromise, and it is one of the most costly forms of fraud facing small and midsize businesses today. Criminals either break into a real email account or create one that looks nearly identical, then quietly watch conversations until money is about to move. When the timing is right, they step in with new payment instructions. The wire goes out, the real vendor calls a week later asking where their payment is, and by then the money is often gone.

Here on the Treasure Coast, I can see why this works so well. Our business community runs on relationships. Contractors, marine businesses, medical practices, real estate offices, and property managers across Martin, St. Lucie, Indian River, and Okeechobee counties tend to trust the people they work with, and they move quickly to keep jobs on schedule. Fraudsters count on that trust and that speed.

The good news is that the checks that stop most of these losses are simple, inexpensive, and within reach of any business owner.

Verify every payment change by phone, using a number you already have. If anyone asks you to change bank details, send a wire to a new account, or rush a payment, pick up the phone. Call the number from an old invoice or your vendor records, not the number in the email. A two-minute call is one of the most effective controls I know of.
Require two people for wires and payment changes. One person requests, another approves. This does not have to be bureaucratic. Even in a five-person office, a second set of eyes on any new or changed payment catches a surprising number of problems.
Turn on multi-factor authentication for email. Many of these schemes start with a stolen password. Requiring a second step to sign in, such as a code on your phone, makes it much harder for a criminal to take over your mailbox and read your conversations.
Slow down when an email feels urgent. Pressure is the attacker's favorite tool. "The owner needs this today." "Closing is in an hour." "Keep this confidential." Treat urgency and secrecy as reasons to verify, not reasons to skip steps.
Look closely at the sender's address. Fake domains often swap a single letter or add an extra word. Check the actual address behind the display name, and watch for replies that suddenly go to a different address than the one you started with.
Watch for hidden mailbox rules. Once inside an account, criminals often set up rules that forward or hide messages so the real owner does not notice. Have someone review email settings periodically, and ask your IT provider to alert you to suspicious changes.
Know what to do in the first hour. If you suspect a fraudulent wire, call your bank right away and ask them to attempt a recall. Report it to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Then change passwords and have the affected account reviewed. Speed matters, because the sooner the bank acts, the better the chance of recovering funds.
Write it down and train your team. Put your payment verification steps in a one-page policy and walk your staff through it. Include your bookkeeper and anyone outside the office who handles invoices. A policy only works if people know it exists.

At Titan IT Management, we like to say compliance must come before claim. In plain terms, that means doing the basic, documented work first, before talking about how secure you are. Payment fraud is a perfect example. No tool replaces a culture where verifying a payment is simply how your business operates.

None of this requires a big budget. It requires a habit. Pick up the phone, get a second approval, and protect the accounts that move your money. Those small steps can be the difference between a close call and a loss your business has to absorb.

Fort Pierce announces FPRA Code Enforcement pilot program

The city of Fort Pierce and the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency are launching a one-year enhanced code enforcement pilot program to improve property conditions, reduce blight and support redevelopment in the agency’s district.

The agency, known as FPRA, will fund two dedicated code enforcement officers to provide proactive enforcement within the district. The officers will supplement existing city operations, focusing on conditions that affect neighborhood appearance, public safety and quality of life.

The pilot is will run through Sept. 30, 2027. Implementation and enforcement activities will depend on hiring and onboarding the officers.

The program will serve the FPRA district, generally bounded by Avenue Q to the north, North 33rd Street to the west, Georgia Avenue to the south and the Atlantic Ocean to the east.

The program will focus on:

Addressing unsafe and deteriorating structures.
Identifying and addressing abandoned vehicles.
Reducing illegal dumping and littering and addressing overgrown properties.
Addressing unauthorized signs in public rights of
Responding to chronic noise complaints and other municipal code violations.
Encouraging property maintenance and compliance with city

The program will also emphasize community outreach, education and voluntary compliance. Officers will work with residents, business owners, property owners, contractors, FPRA staff and other city departments to identify concerns, encourage corrective action and connect eligible property owners with redevelopment resources.

Available resources include FPRA facade improvement grants, public art and mural programs and other beautification opportunities to improve the district’s appearance and vitality.

By pairing proactive enforcement with education and redevelopment assistance, the city and FPRA aim to reduce blight, encourage lasting property improvements and support continued investment in the community.

For more information about FPRA and its programs, visit www.cityoffortpierce.com.

iTHINK Financial’s Jingle Bells and Joy Drive returns

The iTHINK Community Foundation’s annual Jingle Bells and Joy Drive will provide toys to nearly 1,500 children across Florida and Georgia this holiday season. Participating schools and community organizations will host events featuring activities, treats, wrapped gifts appropriate for each child’s age and a visit from Santa Claus.

Community members can donate online at ithinkfi.org/foundation or drop off new, unwrapped toys for children ages 4 and 5 at any iTHINK Financial branch from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31, 2026. All donations go directly toward providing holiday gifts and experiences for children and families in communities served by iTHINK Financial.

Participating Treasure Coast schools and organizations include LAHIA, ALPI Child Development, Queen Townsend Head Start Center, EOC Head Start and Learning Nest.

“Every child deserves to experience the magic of the holidays, and through our Jingle Bells and Joy Drive, we’re turning the generosity of our members, employees, and community partners into meaningful moments of joy that children in need will remember long after the holiday season ends,” said Cameron Sisser, executive director of the iTHINK Community Foundation.

The drive supports the foundation’s mission to improve the lives of children and families in communities served by iTHINK Financial. Donations of any size help provide gifts and holiday experiences for local students.

For more information or to make a donation, visit ithinkfi.org/foundation or call 800-873-5100.

About iTHINK Financial:

Founded in 1969, iTHINK Financial is a member-owned, not-for-profit credit union with more than 118,000 members worldwide and more than $2.3 billion in assets. It provides personal and business financial services, including deposit accounts, loans, mortgages, credit cards and business banking solutions.

The iTHINK Community Foundation Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization registered in the state of Florida, Registration No. CH47200.

An Eye-Opener for Indian River County: Hidden Faces 2026

The Source welcomed more than 300 guests to Dignity Ranch on Nov. 7 for “Hidden Faces 2026 — From Homeless to Home,” an event showcasing its housing, employment and supportive services for people experiencing homelessness in Indian River County. The event combined fundraising with tours of the 30-acre campus, giving attendees a firsthand look at The Source’s community-centered approach to homelessness. Skies cleared after heavy rain earlier in the week.

Dignity Ranch provides housing, employment opportunities, supportive services and opportunities for residents to participate in community life. Residents, referred to as neighbors, contribute to the campus while working toward stability and independence.

Beginning at 4 p.m., guests toured the property on foot, by golf cart and on hay wagons. Campus maps highlighted facilities and programs, while staff, volunteers and residents shared their experiences and explained The Source’s services.

The Source’s Dignity Catering Program provided food, including offerings from the Dignity Food Truck and the newly introduced Dignity Chuckwagon.

Executive Director Anthony Zorbaugh welcomed attendees and outlined his vision for Dignity Ranch during a gathering under tents overlooking the basketball and pickleball courts.

Indian River County Commissioner Laura Moss presented a proclamation recognizing Nov. 7, 2026, as “Hidden Faces Day” in recognition of The Source’s work. Country music artist Kenzie Wheeler, a runner-up on NBC’s “The Voice,” performed at the event.

Residents shared stories about rebuilding their lives, highlighting the role of opportunity, accountability, encouragement and a sense of belonging in the ranch community.

The Source thanked the sponsors, staff, volunteers and community supporters who made the event possible and continue to support its programs.

Founded in 1995, I Am Ministries, doing business as The Source, is a Christian outreach ministry that helps people experiencing homelessness achieve stability, independence and dignity through innovative programs and community-centered solutions.

For more information, to donate or to schedule a tour, visit www.iamthesource.org or call 772-564-0202 and ask for Anthony Zorbaugh or Jonathan Orozco.

Treasure Coast Business is a news service and magazine published in print, via e-newsletter and online at tcbusiness.com by Indian River Media Group. For more information or to report news email news@indianrivermedia.com.