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Executive Summary Indian River County (the “County”) selected Kimley-Horn & Associates, Inc. (“Kimley-Horn”) to provide a Comprehensive Plan Evaluation and Appraisal Report (EAR) for the County’s 2030 Comprehensive Plan (the “Plan”). The Kimley-Horn team evaluated the Plan and had dialogue in writing or via virtual meetings with Staff to discuss the intention and significance of the goals, objectives, and policies of the respective Elements Staff must implement daily. Additionally, Kimley-Horn began preparing Data Inventory & Analyses (DIAs) for most of the Plan Elements. Indian River County, in partnership with Kimley-Horn, hosted public engagement opportunities, including multiple workshops online and in-person as well as an online survey and interactive map. After thorough Plan evaluation, gaining insight and recommendations from the Staff using the Plan, reviewing historical trends and fresh data for most of the Plan Elements, and actively listening to the community, the Kimley-Horn team recommended to Staff to keep, revise, or remove each goal, objective, and policy. The Comprehensive Plan is not just a document but the County’s blueprint for the future. Its Goals, Objectives, and Policies (GOPs) are not just guidelines but crucial for effectively implementing public infrastructure and services. They ensure that people have a safe and secure place to live, a healthy economy that provides jobs and services, ways to get around (bike, pedestrian, car, transit), and quality recreational features. The County leadership is responsible for providing the necessary public services and facilities, developing strategies, and adopting regulations and standards that implement this blueprint. The Comprehensive Plan also informs and shapes other County plans, capital projects, and programs that affect the community in large and small ways. The County’s Comprehensive Plan is not set in stone. It is a living document that can be amended from time to time following the parameters established in the Florida Statutes (F.S.) Chapter 163. The State of Florida, recognizing that change occurs over time and that it is important to adapt, requires local governments to review and update their Comprehensive Plan at least every seven (7) years, where appropriate. This ensures that the Plan reflects changes in Growth Management Laws, changing conditions within the community, changes in population, updates to policies that may no longer be accurate or effective, as well as both the perceived and actual success of Plan implementation. This flexibility is a testament to the Comprehensive Plan's resilience and ability to evolve with the community's needs. The current Comprehensive Plan includes over 1,000 Goals, Objectives, and Policies within its Elements. It should be noted that comments identified for each respective Goal, Objective, and Policy may reflect multiple categories. This report provides recommended text language in strikethrough/underline format based on the findings of the EAR. PAGE 3