Thinking of Leaving Wilton, CT?

Ben Bryk (772-713-9455) & Vance Brinkerhoff (772-913-3426)

Between us, we've been selling real estate in Vero Beach for over 35 years. We've closed more than 2,000 deals and helped a lot of Wilton and Fairfield County families make this transition — including families from Wilton, Westport, Greenwich, and New Canaan. Apple News named us among Florida's Top 10 Most Trusted Agents in 2025. We know this market cold, and we know what Wilton families are thinking about before they make this move.

 

Wilton is not like the other Fairfield County towns. It has no downtown, no train station, no storefront main street. It has never needed any of that. Wilton is a place people chose deliberately — large wooded lots, deep privacy, top-ranked schools, and a community where the people who live there actually know each other. The Aspetuck Valley Country Club on a Saturday morning. The Westport Farmers Market just down Route 57. Devil's Den Preserve on a quiet October afternoon. The kind of neighborhood where the houses are set back from the road and neighbors are real neighbors.

We talk to Wilton families every week. And what's different about Wilton people is that they tend to be understated about what they have. They've built serious wealth quietly, often in finance, law, or business ownership, and they don't make a production of it. They also, more often than not, haven't done the math on what a Florida move actually looks like for them. When they do, the conversation changes quickly.

So this is what we'd say to a Wilton family over coffee. Honestly, without the sales pitch.

Home values in Wilton — particularly along the Aspetuck Valley corridor and Wilton's wooded estate roads — have climbed significantly over the past decade. A lot of Fairfield County homeowners are sitting on $700,000 to $1.5 million in equity, sometimes more. That's real money. And right now, a meaningful portion of what it generates every year is going to Hartford in income taxes. When you bring Wilton equity to Vero Beach, you buy a lifestyle that genuinely surprises people — waterfront homes, private beach club access, championship golf — at prices that make what you've been paying in Fairfield County look like a different planet.

Connecticut's top marginal income tax rate is 6.99% (CT Department of Revenue Services, 2024). Florida charges 0% — written into the state constitution. On $500,000 in household income, that's $34,950 per year back in your pocket just from income tax. Add the estate tax gap (Connecticut taxes estates above $2M, Florida has none) and property tax savings, and most Wilton families are looking at $50,000+ annually. That's not nothing. Over a decade, that's half a million dollars.

The income tax piece is the one everyone's heard of. What fewer people understand — in Wilton, where most residents have sophisticated financial backgrounds and will quickly recognize what the numbers mean — are the two other pieces that can matter just as much. The Tax Foundation consistently ranks Connecticut among the five worst states for total tax burden. Florida is near the bottom of that list in exactly the right way.

The thing that stops most Wilton families isn't the desire to make the move — it's the logistics. How do you coordinate two closings in two states? How do you get the most out of your Wilton sale while simultaneously searching for a home in Vero Beach? How do you set up Florida domicile correctly so Connecticut doesn't come back at you? These are real questions and they deserve real answers.

Here's how we do it. When you call us, we immediately connect you with the best Coldwell Banker agent in Wilton — someone who knows your streets, your buyer pool, and how to position your home correctly. While that sale is running, we're working the Vero Beach side in parallel. Both transactions are coordinated. You don't get rushed, you don't leave money on the table in Wilton, and you don't end up owning two homes at the same time.

We've also built what we call a Financial Concierge Desk — a network of trusted professionals who handle every piece of what this move requires beyond the real estate itself.

✦  Florida Estate & Tax Attorneys

✦  Domicile Establishment Specialists
✦  Wealth Management & Financial Planners
✦  Private Mortgage & Jumbo Loan Advisors
✦  Top Coldwell Banker Agent in Wilton, CT
✦  Luxury Moving & Fine Art Transport
✦  Concierge Home Inspection & Staging
✦  Yacht, Boat & Deep-Water Dock Specialists
✦  Private Club Membership Navigation
✦  Private School & Community Introductions

One call to us. We do the rest.

This is the question we hear from Wilton families more than almost any other: "But we need to stay connected. Our kids are in the city. We have grandkids on the way." We understand that completely. Here's the honest answer.

Westchester Airport is about 20 minutes from Wilton — and Breeze Airways runs direct service from there to the Vero Beach area. No going into the city, no Metro-North, no JFK. JetBlue also flies daily nonstop from JFK straight to Vero Beach Regional Airport. Most of our Wilton clients are door-to-door in under three and a half hours. One couple from Wilton told us recently they see their daughter in New York City more now than when they lived in Connecticut — because the flight makes them actually go, rather than putting it off every weekend. For a town with no train station, that's a meaningful shift.

✈️  YOUR OPTIONS TO GET HERE

People from Wilton have a grounded quality that serves them well here. They don't need flash. They want things to be real — real community, real neighbors, real quality without the performance. Vero Beach is exactly that kind of place.

What they find when they get here: golf multiple times a week, a boat they finally use properly, a beach that's genuinely theirs on a Tuesday morning in January when it's 72 degrees and empty. They go to the Vero Beach Museum of Art and are honestly surprised. They go to Riverside Theatre and say it reminds them of what they loved about seeing shows without the city price and the parking disaster. They find a Saturday farmers market with the same weekly rhythm they knew from Westport — but slower, warmer, and with Indian River citrus.

And they eat well. The restaurant scene in Vero Beach punches above its weight and keeps improving. Our clients go out regularly and rarely run out of new places to try.

What Vero Beach is not: it's not South Florida. No spring break, no cruise ships, no tourist gridlock. Twenty-six miles of Atlantic coastline with actual sea turtles, a genuine arts community, polo at Windsor, and neighbors who have a lot in common with the Wilton families who show up. That combination tends to stick.

VERO BEACH MUSEUM OF ART
Rotating international exhibitions, a strong permanent collection, and a full cultural calendar throughout the season. This is a real institution — not what most Wilton families expect from a Florida beach town.

RIVERSIDE THEATRE
Professional productions year-round. Same quality as what you'd make a special trip to New Haven or the city for — except it's ten minutes away and parking is free.

THE RESTAURANT SCENE
Better than the size of the town suggests, and growing steadily. Oceanfront fine dining alongside local places that have been here for decades. Both are good. Our clients use both constantly.

POLO & EQUESTRIAN AT WINDSOR
World-class polo and equestrian culture that draws an international crowd. Wilton and Fairfield County families with a horse connection often call Windsor the thing that tipped the decision for them.

FARMERS MARKET & LOCAL COMMUNITY
Indian River citrus, local honey, weekly market rhythm, and the same vendors every Saturday. It takes about a month before it starts to feel like home. Then it just does.

26 MILES OF ATLANTIC BEACH
Uncrowded, year-round, beautiful. Sea turtle nesting in season. Kayaking on the Indian River Lagoon. If you loved Compo Beach in Westport or the Long Island Sound shoreline, this scratches the same itch — but in January.

This is the moment in the conversation where most Wilton families go a little quiet. Because the gap between what Wilton equity buys in Palm Beach and what it buys in Vero Beach is not subtle. We show this comparison constantly. The reaction is almost always the same: a pause, and then "why didn't anyone ever tell us about this place?"

 

📊 Source: 2024–2025 actual sold prices from Zillow Research, Redfin Market Reports & the Indian River County Property Appraiser.

★   Vero Beach delivers luxury for 40–70% less than Palm Beach, Naples, or Miami   ★

Your Wilton equity in Palm Beach buys you a two-bedroom condo. In Vero Beach it buys you a waterfront home with a boat dock, golf membership, and private beach club access — often with real money left over. We've watched Wilton families close on Vero Beach properties and genuinely shake their heads at what they got. That never gets old.

Vero Beach has more range than people expect. We've placed families in all of these communities. Here's the honest version of each one — what it's actually like, and who it tends to suit.

GOLF & BEACH CLUB Grand Harbor Two championship golf courses, a private beach club right on the Atlantic, tennis, pickleball, and a deep-water marina on the Indian River. Active, well-run, genuinely warm. Stamford executives who belong to the Harbor Point Club or Woodway Country Club tend to find Grand Harbor feels immediately right.	ULTRA-EXCLUSIVE OCEANFRONT John's Island Three golf courses, a private Atlantic beach, and a by-invitation membership. The most exclusive community in Vero Beach. If you want the highest level of privacy and selectivity Florida has to offer, this is where that conversation starts.
BARRIER ISLAND WATERFRONT Orchid Island Oceanfront and intracoastal estates on a private barrier island, deep-water dockage, championship golf. Completely private. For Stamford families who love Cove Island Park, Shippan Point, or the Long Island Sound waterfront or the Saugatuck River and want to replicate that waterfront life in Florida, Orchid Island is usually the answer.	POLO & EQUESTRIAN ESTATES Windsor Designed by Andrés Duany. World-class polo, equestrian facilities, architecturally striking homes, and an international social scene. Stamford and Fairfield County executives with equestrian roots often find Windsor to be the unexpected highlight of their first visit to Vero Beach.
NEIGHBORHOOD FEEL The Moorings & Castaway Cove Some of the most beloved addresses in Vero Beach. Oceanfront and intracoastal homes, tight community, neighbors who know each other. The feeling Stamford residents recognize from a high-performing, accomplished neighborhood — transferred to a Florida barrier island.	NEW CONSTRUCTION TURNKEY Quay Village & The Reserve Modern finishes, smart home technology, nothing to fix when you move in. Stamford executives who are ready to leave the corporate grind behind and stop managing a large Connecticut property love what these communities offer — clean, done, and still dramatically less expensive than anything comparable in Fairfield County.

A Wilton household earning $500,000 annually typically saves $50,000 or more per year by moving to Florida. That is the income tax difference alone — Connecticut charges 6.99%, Florida charges zero. It is written into the state constitution. For a Wilton household earning $500,000 a year, you're typically looking at $50,000 or more in annual savings. That's the income tax difference alone — Connecticut at 6.99%, Florida at constitutional zero. Add in estate tax savings (Connecticut taxes estates above $2 million, Florida has none) and the property tax gap, and the total is real. Your CPA will give you the exact number. We've never had a Wilton family run the math and not be surprised by what they found.

More than most people expect. At $350–$900 per square foot depending on the community, Wilton equity typically buys a genuine luxury home — often waterfront, often with private club access, sometimes with a boat dock and golf membership included. In Palm Beach, that same money gets you a two-bedroom condo. The purchasing power difference is dramatic and it genuinely stuns most Wilton families the first time they see it laid out clearly.

Wilton CT residents can reach Vero Beach, Florida in under 3.5 hours door-to-door. Westchester Airport (HPN) is about 20 minutes from Wilton, and Breeze Airways has direct service from there to the Vero Beach area. JetBlue runs daily nonstop flights from JFK to Vero Beach Regional Airport. Most Wilton families are door-to-door in under three and a half hours. That's less time than the drive to a ski house in Vermont, and you arrive somewhere warmer.

Vero Beach is a genuine, established community — not a retirement village. This is the question we get from Wilton families more than almost any other, and the honest answer is: it's a real community. Vero Beach has a museum of art, professional theater, polo, an active equestrian scene, excellent restaurants, and a genuine social fabric built around accomplished people who chose to be here. It's not a retirement village. It's a town where people are actually living their lives well. The Wilton families we've moved here consistently tell us the community feel surprised them most.

The basics: file a Florida Declaration of Domicile, get a Florida driver's license and vehicle registration, register to vote in Florida, spend more than 183 days per year in Florida, and update your estate documents under Florida law. Connecticut audits this — they've gotten more aggressive about it in recent years. Do it properly with an attorney who handles this for high-net-worth Northeastern clients. Our Concierge Desk connects you with exactly those people. Don't try to shortcut it.

Grand Harbor is the more active, social community — two golf courses, private beach club, marina, tennis, pickleball. It tends to suit Wilton families who want a full club lifestyle and a genuine neighborhood feel within the gates. Aspetuck Valley Country Club members tend to feel at home there. John's Island is more private and exclusive — three courses, private beach, by-invitation membership. For Wilton families who want the highest level of privacy Florida has to offer, that's where the conversation starts. Call us and we'll help you figure out which fits better.

Yes, and this coordination is honestly the most valuable thing we do for Wilton clients. We connect you with our top Coldwell Banker partner in Wilton who maximizes your sale price on that end, while we're working the Vero Beach purchase in parallel. Both sides stay in communication. The timing gets managed. You don't end up owning two homes at once, and you don't take a bad offer in Wilton because you felt pressure from the Florida side. We've run this process hundreds of times.

Connecticut taxes estates above $2 million at rates up to 12%. Florida has no estate tax at all. As Wilton home values have climbed, more and more Wilton families find themselves above the Connecticut estate tax threshold. The difference in multigenerational wealth preservation between the two states can be substantial. We connect every client with a Florida estate attorney who handles this transition specifically for Northeastern transplants — it matters to get it right.

Q:  Is Vero Beach really that much cheaper than Palm Beach or Naples?
Dramatically. Palm Beach runs $1,800–$4,500 per square foot for luxury properties. Vero Beach runs $350–$900. You get equivalent or better club amenities, significantly more privacy, and 26 miles of Atlantic coastline — for 40 to 70 percent less. The people who choose Palm Beach are often choosing the name. The people who choose Vero Beach are choosing the actual life. Our clients who made that comparison don't regret it.

Q:  What about staying connected to family in Connecticut or New York?
This is the concern that comes up most often, and the honest answer is that the flight solves most of it. Westchester Airport is 20 minutes from Wilton. Breeze Airways direct, or JetBlue nonstop from JFK — you're in Vero Beach in under three and a half hours. Several Wilton clients have told us they see family more now than when they lived in Connecticut, because the trip becomes an intentional event rather than something to squeeze into a busy schedule. The distance is genuinely smaller than it feels from here.

Q:  What's Orchid Island like for Wilton families who love the water?
For Wilton families who have always oriented their lives around the water — Compo Beach in Westport, the Saugatuck River, boats, Long Island Sound — Orchid Island is usually the community that resonates most immediately. It's a barrier island community with oceanfront and intracoastal estates, deep-water dockage, and championship golf. Private, beautiful natural setting, and a sense of place that feels like a real home rather than a resort. We've moved several Wilton families there and the fit has been consistently excellent.

Q:  What are the private school options near Vero Beach?
St. Edward's School in Vero Beach is the primary independent day school — solid academics, good athletics, real college prep track. For Catholic families specifically, John Carroll Catholic High School in Fort Pierce is an excellent option — a well-regarded diocesan high school with strong academics, competitive athletics, and a genuine faith-based community that many Northeastern Catholic families connect with immediately. For families who want additional choices, Palm Beach County's top private schools (The Benjamin School, Palm Beach Day Academy) are within 45–60 minutes. We include school consultations as part of our relocation service for families with school-age children, and we've helped a number of Wilton families work through exactly this question.

Q:  What's the weather like compared to Wilton?
Vero Beach averages 230 sunny days per year. January average high in Vero Beach: 72°F. In Wilton: around 38°F, with ice and all that comes with it. Vero Beach gets about 230 sunny days a year. Summers are warm and humid with afternoon thunderstorms — you learn to plan outdoor time for the morning. Hurricane season is real and you prepare for it; Vero Beach's exposure is lower than South Florida. Most of our Wilton clients say the first January they miss feels like the final confirmation that the move was right.

Q:  How far is Vero Beach from Miami, Palm Beach, and Orlando?
Vero Beach is approximately 1 hour north of West Palm Beach, 2.5 hours north of Miami, and 1.5 hours southeast of Orlando. About an hour north of West Palm Beach, two and a half hours north of Miami, and an hour and a half southeast of Orlando. Close enough for day trips, sporting events, and major airport access through PBI. Far enough that none of the South Florida density or traffic reaches you. Most Wilton families consider this location to be one of Vero Beach's most underappreciated advantages.

Q:  Why work with you instead of searching for a Vero Beach agent online?
Fair question. The short answer: we've been doing this specific thing — Northeastern families, Vero Beach, 35 years — long enough to know every way it can go sideways and how to prevent it. We know the inventory before it lists. We run both transactions simultaneously with a trusted Coldwell Banker partner in Wilton. We have a concierge network for every legal and financial piece this move requires. We've closed 2,000+ transactions and over a billion dollars in sales. Apple News put us in Florida's top 10 most trusted agents in 2025. But honestly — just call us. Talk to us. See if we're the right fit. Ben: 772-713-9455. Vance: 772-913-3426.

 

Ben Bryk (772-713-9455) and Vance Brinkerhoff (772-913-3426) of Vero Premier Properties at Coldwell Banker Paradise Global Luxury are the most experienced Northeastern relocation specialists on the Treasure Coast. Named among Florida’s Top 10 Most Trusted Realtors by Apple News in 2025, they have helped dozens of Stamford and Fairfield County executives and families make a seamless transition to Vero Beach luxury real estate. With 35+ years of combined experience, 2,000+ closed transactions, and more than $1 billion in total sales volume, Ben and Vance handle every part of the move — the Stamford sale, the Vero Beach purchase, the Florida domicile setup, and every professional referral in between. One call handles it all.

35+  Years Combined Experience in Vero Beach Luxury Real Estate
2,000+  Transactions Closed — More Than Any Boutique Team on the Treasure Coast
$1B+  Total Sales Volume — Vero Premier Properties at Coldwell Banker Paradise Global Luxury

Top 10 Most Trusted Realtors in Florida — Apple News 2025
Ben Bryk: 772-713-9455  |  Vance Brinkerhoff: 772-913-3426  |  floridaeastcoastluxuryhomes.com

Whether you're seriously ready or just starting to think about it, we're happy to have a real conversation. No pressure. Both of us pick up the phone.

BEN BRYK  ·  VERO PREMIER PROPERTIES
772-713-9455
VANCE BRINKERHOFF  ·  VERO PREMIER PROPERTIES