Living in Florida's Space Coast
Diana Shores
Diana Shores is a canal-front neighborhood in central Merritt Island, entered east off North Courtenay Parkway. Around half the lots front navigable water running to Sykes Creek, the association has been voluntary since 1968, and the streets are named for the space program that built the place.
Diana Shores In Merritt Island, Florida
Diana Shores was platted across roughly ten phases starting in the mid 1960s, on the Sykes Creek side of central Merritt Island. The street names give away the decade. Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Vega, Ursa, Orion, Taurus, Centaurus, Cepheus and Artemis all sit inside a neighborhood that went up while Saturn V hardware was being stacked a few miles north, and the naming has never been changed.
The layout is the reason people buy here. Diana Boulevard and Artemis Boulevard run east from North Courtenay Parkway, and a system of finger canals branches off them toward Sykes Creek. Around half the lots are canal front, and because waterfront is what buyers come for, canal homes make up the clear majority of what actually reaches the market in any given year. A private dock is closer to standard equipment than to a luxury upgrade, and seawalls, boat lifts and screened pools show up on the same lots.
The housing stock is honest about its age. These are one story concrete block and stucco homes, mostly 1,470 to 2,750 square feet, three or four bedrooms, two baths, two car garages, on lots that run about a fifth of an acre. Nearly every home has been through at least one round of roof, air conditioning and window work, and impact glass or accordion shutters are now common. Water and sewer are both public, which is not a given elsewhere on the island.
The association has existed since 1968 and it is voluntary. Dues are nominal, commonly twenty to fifty dollars a year, and what they fund is the maintenance of the Diana and Artemis Boulevard medians. There are no covenants, no architectural review and no rental board. Brevard County code enforcement is the governing standard. That freedom is exactly why some buyers choose Diana Shores and exactly why others should be looking at a covenanted community instead.
Pricing tracks the water. Interior homes without canal frontage generally sit from the low $300,000s to the mid $400,000s. Canal homes with a dock, a lift and a pool generally run from the $600,000s into the $900,000s, and the widest, deepest positions closest to Sykes Creek carry the top of that range. Roughly $320 a square foot is a fair working number on the waterfront. If you are weighing the carrying cost against other parts of the county, the hidden costs of moving to the Space Coast is worth reading alongside this page.
Diana Shores At A Glance
What the neighborhood is, in one place.
| Detail | What you get |
|---|---|
| Location | East off North Courtenay Parkway (SR 3), Merritt Island, FL 32953 |
| Position on the island | Between SR 520 to the south and SR 528, the Beachline, to the north |
| Entrances | Diana Boulevard and Artemis Boulevard |
| Interior streets | Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Vega, Ursa, Orion, Taurus, Centaurus Court, Cepheus Court, Scorpious Court, Sykes Creek Drive |
| Platting | Roughly ten phases, beginning in the mid 1960s |
| Built | Mostly 1966 to 1976, with infill through the 1990s |
| Home size | About 1,470 to 2,750 square feet, one story |
| Bedrooms | 3 to 4, with 2 to 3 baths |
| Lot size | Roughly 0.17 to 0.27 acre |
| Construction | Concrete block and stucco, shingle roofs |
| Water frontage | Navigable finger canals to Sykes Creek; seawall, dock and boat lift common |
| Ocean access | Sykes Creek to the Canaveral Barge Canal, through the Canaveral Lock to Port Canaveral |
| Pools | Private in-ground pools on a majority of homes, most screened |
| Garage | 2 car, attached |
| Association | Voluntary since 1968, roughly $20 to $50 a year, no covenants |
| Utilities | Public water and public sewer |
| Distances | Port Canaveral about 8.5 miles, I-95 about 9 miles |
| Price range | Roughly $300,000 interior to $920,000 for prime canal frontage |
Diana Shores Details
Water You Can Actually Use
These are navigable canals, not retention ponds. Dock, lift and seawall are the working setup on most waterfront lots, and the run to open water is short.
The Route To The Atlantic
Sykes Creek meets the Canaveral Barge Canal, and the Canaveral Lock carries you into Port Canaveral. The lock was built in 1964, is the largest in Florida, costs nothing to use and takes twenty to thirty minutes.
Check The Bridges, Not The Listing
The SR 528 crossing over Sykes Creek is a fixed span. The SR 3 bascule over the barge canal carries about 21.6 feet closed and the SR 401 bascules about 25 feet. Trace the route from the actual dock before paying for sailboat access.
The Association Is Voluntary
Since 1968, with nominal dues that fund the Diana and Artemis Boulevard medians. No covenants, no architectural review. Freedom for some buyers, a caution for others, and worth a slow drive down the street before you decide which.
Space Program Street Names
Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Vega, Artemis. The neighborhood was platted while the Apollo program was scaling up at the Cape, and the map still reads like a launch manifest.
Two Highways, Minutes Apart
SR 520 to the south for Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Village and the mainland. SR 528 to the north for Kennedy Space Center, Port Canaveral and the Beachline run to Orlando.
Homes For Sale In Diana Shores
Live listings filtered to Diana Shores specifically, not all of Merritt Island. Inventory here is thin by nature, so a short list is the honest picture rather than a broken search.
Diana Shores Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Diana Shores in Merritt Island?
Diana Shores runs east off North Courtenay Parkway (State Road 3) in Merritt Island, FL 32953, between State Road 520 to the south and State Road 528 to the north. Diana Boulevard and Artemis Boulevard are the two entrances, and the neighborhood ends at Sykes Creek.
Do Diana Shores homes have ocean access?
The canals are navigable and run to Sykes Creek, which meets the Canaveral Barge Canal and then the Canaveral Lock into Port Canaveral. Air draft is the catch that gets missed. The State Road 528 crossing over Sykes Creek is a fixed span, the State Road 3 bascule over the barge canal carries about 21.6 feet closed, and the State Road 401 bascules at the lock carry about 25 feet closed. Trace the route from that specific dock before you pay a premium for sailboat access.
Is there an HOA in Diana Shores?
The association has existed since 1968 and it is voluntary. Dues are nominal, commonly twenty to fifty dollars a year, and they fund maintenance of the Diana and Artemis Boulevard medians. There are no covenants. Property standards fall under Brevard County code enforcement rather than an architectural review board.
How much do homes cost in Diana Shores?
Water frontage drives the number. Interior homes without canal frontage generally trade from the low $300,000s to the mid $400,000s. Canal homes with a dock, lift and pool generally run from the $600,000s into the $900,000s, with roughly $320 a square foot as a working figure on the waterfront.
When was Diana Shores built?
Most of it went up between 1966 and 1976, with scattered infill through the 1990s, across roughly ten plat phases. It was laid out during the Apollo era, which is why the streets carry names like Mercury, Mars, Saturn, Vega and Artemis.
Do the homes have docks and pools?
Both are common rather than rare. Most canal homes carry a private dock, and many add a boat lift and a seawall. Private in-ground pools are the norm across the neighborhood, screened in most cases.
Is Diana Shores in a flood zone?
Flood zone assignment is parcel by parcel, not neighborhood wide. Brevard County Public Works runs Floodplain Administration at (321) 617-7340, the county's official repository for the FEMA flood map panels, and it issues written flood zone determinations and copies of elevation certificates. Start with Brevard County flood zones explained, then confirm the parcel.
Do docks and seawalls need a permit here?
Yes. Docks, seawalls and boat lifts go through Brevard County Planning and Development as a Residential Marine Construction permit, with a separate Natural Resources review for shoreline work and a survey less than 180 days old. If the listing photos show a dock, ask whether it was permitted. Seawall replacement on a canal lot is a large number, so have it looked at specifically.
Diana Boulevard And Artemis Boulevard, Merritt Island 32953
Diana Shores occupies the stretch of central Merritt Island between State Road 520 and State Road 528, running east from North Courtenay Parkway to Sykes Creek. It is a residential pocket rather than a through route, so the traffic on Diana and Artemis is mostly the people who live on them.
Port Canaveral is about eight and a half miles away and I-95 about nine. State Road 528 sits a few minutes north, which puts Kennedy Space Center, the port and the Beachline run to Orlando all within easy reach. State Road 520 is a few minutes south for Cocoa Beach, Cocoa Village and the mainland, and the Courtenay Parkway shopping corridor is immediate.
Near Diana Shores In Merritt Island
Considering Diana Shores?
Canal position, seawall age and dock permitting move the price here more than square footage does. My partner Nichole and I will pull all of it on a specific address before you write. Call (321) 212-7676.
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