Sebastian, Florida
17 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1949 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Vero Beach census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32958. The Survey maps it on the Sebastian quadrangle. 25,054 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 20 feet above sea level.
Then and now
1949 to 1988The same ground, surveyed 39 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.


On record in Sebastian
Buildings and businesses the archive holds for this place. Each opens its own page, with the source record it came from.
On the National Register 7 records
Pelican Island National Wildlife RefugeNational Historic Landmark · listed 1966
Bamma Vickers Lawson Houselisted 1990
Old Town Sebastian Historic District Eastlisted 2003
Old Town Sebastian Historic District, Westlisted 2004
Sebastian Grammar and Junior High Schoollisted 2001
Archie Smith Wholesale Fish Companylisted 1994- Riversidelisted 2024
Population over time
2 figuresSebastian grew from 21,929 to 25,054 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate, and an estimate published within five years of a census is left out. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.
| Year | People | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | 21,929 | |
| 2020 | 25,054 | +3,125 (+14%) |
Topographic sheets covering this place
8 surveys from 17 printed sheetsMatched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.
- 1949 USGS Sebastian quadrangle1:24000, 5 printings
- 1951 USGS Sebastian quadrangle1:24000
- 1956 USGS Fort Pierce quadrangle1:250000, 4 printings
- 1958 USGS Fort Pierce quadrangle1:250000
- 1959 USGS Fort Pierce quadrangle1:250000, 3 printings
- 1981 USGS Vero Beach quadrangle1:100000
- 1985 USGS Vero Beach quadrangle1:100000
- 1988 USGS Fort Pierce quadrangle1:250000
Fires near this place
132 since 1992Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 132 fires within 5 miles of Sebastian between 1992 and 2020, burning about 3,002 acres in total. 40 started naturally. 14 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Reported cause | Fires |
|---|---|
| Natural | 40 |
| Railroad operations and maintenance | 18 |
| Misuse of fire by a minor | 17 |
| Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 |
| Arson/incendiarism | 14 |
| Equipment and vehicle use | 14 |
| Recreation and ceremony | 5 |
| Debris and open burning | 4 |
| Smoking | 2 |
| Fireworks | 1 |
| Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1 |
The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.
| Date | Cause | Size | Reported by | Name on the report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 September 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 acres | Florida Forest Service | WAGON (05) |
| 3 September 2001 | Natural | 1.5 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 18 September 1996 | Natural | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 15 September 2000 | Equipment and vehicle use | 8.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | not named |
| 7 August 2012 | Natural | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | ARMADILLO (31) |
| 5 August 2005 | Natural | 60 acres | Florida Forest Service | IR-MAIN STREET FIRE-1033 |
| 30 August 2011 | Natural | 4.0 acres | Florida Forest Service | DEEP DITCH (31) |
| 30 August 1999 | Natural | under an acre | Florida Forest Service | not named |
Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:
Mines and quarries near this place
3 within 5 milesRegional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Sebastian: 3 unknowns. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Sand. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.
| Where | Site | Commodity | Status | Recorded |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Fischer & Sons, Inc. - San Sebastian Spgs-E Mine | Sand | Unknown | Sand | |
| Henry Fischer & Sons,Inc. - San Sebastian Spgs-W Mine | Sand | Unknown | Sand | |
| Henry Fischer & Sons,Inc. - Vickers Mine | Sand | Unknown |
Storms near this place
28 since 1996Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Sebastian in 28 storm reports between 1996 and 2023: 8 thunderstorm wind, 6 hail, 5 flood, 3 tornado. The reports record 4 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.
| When | Event | Place named | Harm | What the report says |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August 2023 | Lightning | Sebastian | 2 hurt | A 11 year old girl visiting from Minnesota was struck and severely injured by a lightning strike at Sebastian Inlet State Park. As of a September 1st news report, the girl was still unconscious and is expected to be permanently disabled. Her mom was also injured but was later released from the hospital. Time estimated via lightning strike data. |
| August 2011 | Lightning | Sebastian | 1 hurt | The current from the lightning strike reportedly passed through the water, went through the boat's motor, metal steering cables and into the wheel that the man held. The strike caused the man to lose consciousness and temporarily stopped his heart. A nurse at the dock performed CPR until his pulse returned. The man was transported to a local hospital and was treated for kidney and ear drum injuries. |
| June 2000 | Lightning | Sebastian | 1 hurt | A fifteen year old boy was struck and seriously injured by lightning while on a surfboard at Sebastion Inlet in Indian River County. |
| September 1998 | Tornado (F1) | Sebastian | $700,000 | A tornadic waterspout move on shore from the Indian River Lagoon and crossed the north part of Sebastian knocking down trees and severly damaging the roof of a large factor building. |
| June 2001 | Tornado (F1) | Sebastian | $200,000 | An F1 tornado touched down in the western part of Sebastian and moved southeast along a 2 mile path through the town. It blew down numerous trees, damaged roofs, destroyed pool screens, and sheds. The garage door was blown in and one fourth of the roof was blown off of one house. |
| May 1996 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sebastian | $100,000 | no account filed |
| August 2002 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sebastian | $60,000 | Thunderstorms winds from the west blew across Sebastian and the Intracoastal Waterway overturning three moored vessels. They were a 38 foot trimaran, a 28 foot sailboat and a 54 foot steel research vessel. About 20 trees were blown down on a spoil island east of the overturned vessels. |
| August 2008 | Flood | Sebastian | $20,000 | no account filed |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sebastian | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down limbs and destroyed a pool screen in Sebastian. |
| April 1997 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sebastian | $5,000 | Thunderstorm winds blew down limbs and destroyed a pool screen in Sebastian. |
| September 2001 | Tornado (F0) | Sebastian | $3,000 | A rain band associated with Tropical Storm Gabrielle moving north along the Florida coastline produced a small F0 tornado just south of Sebastian Inlet. The tornado was on the ground briefly, blowing down a few trees, damaging a camp trailer and a picnic shelter. |
| June 2023 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sebastian | $1,000 | Emergency manager reported that State Road A1A was closed in the Pelican Island National Wildlife Preserve due to powerlines blocking the roadway. |
| June 2022 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sebastian | - | A mesonet station at Sebastian Inlet Pier measured a peak wind gust of 61 mph from the northeast. |
| September 2017 | Flood | Sebastian | - | Rainbands associated with Hurricane Irma produced rainfall totals between 8 and 15 inches, resulting in areas of urban and poor drainage flooding, especially across the southern portion of the county. Numerous roadways were impacted by significant levels of standing water and many retention ponds reached capacity or overflowed. See the separate entry for the more significant (flash) flooding which affected the Fellsmere area. |
| October 2016 | Flood | Sebastian | - | Rainbands associated with Hurricane Matthew produced rainfall totals between 3.5 and 4.5 inches, resulting in areas of mostly minor urban and poor drainage flooding. Several roadways were impacted by significant ponding. |
| February 2007 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sebastian | - | Numerous three to five inch diameter tree limbs were blown down. Pea size hail was reported. |
| January 2004 | Hail | Sebastian | - | One inch hail was reported at Sebastian Inlet. |
| October 2000 | Flood | Sebastian | - | Heavy rain from a weak tropical depression dropped three to four inches of rain over southern Brevard and Indian River counties. Widespread minor roadway flooding was reported in Sebastian and in Vero Beach. |
| August 1999 | Flood | Sebastian | - | Heavy rains flooded numerous roads along U. S. Highway 1 in northern Indian River County. About 6 vehicles were reported disabled due to high water. |
| May 1999 | Thunderstorm Wind | Sebastian | - | Thunderstorm winds blew down power lines in Sebastian. |
| May 1998 | Waterspout | Sebastian | - | A waterspout was sighted off the coast of Sebastian Inlet. |
| March 2001 | Hail | Sebastian | - | no account filed |
| June 2001 | Hail | Sebastian | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Funnel Cloud | Sebastian | - | no account filed |
| May 1999 | Hail | Sebastian | - | no account filed |
| June 1997 | Hail | Sebastian | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Funnel Cloud | Sebastian | - | no account filed |
| March 1996 | Hail | Sebastian | - | no account filed |
Nearest settlements
The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.
| Map | Place | Distance | Sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cummings | 1.4 miles | 17 | |
| Roseland | 1.8 miles | 17 | |
| North Beach | 3.6 miles | 17 | |
| Orchid | 4.1 miles | 17 | |
| Wabasso | 5.0 miles | 19 | |
| Wabasso Beach | 5.2 miles | 17 | |
| Brookside | 5.5 miles | 17 | |
| Vero Lake Estates | 5.8 miles | 16 |
Elsewhere
Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.
| Wikipedia article on Sebastian | An encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied. |
| Wikidata item Q986174 | The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0). |
Provenance
This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 295607. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.







