We went to Melbourne with a 3 and 5 yr old and we all loved it.

I have been to Vero and St Augustine and would definitely take St Agustine, though Vero is much quieter. Sea Island is beautiful as well, though it's in Georgia.

Have heard good things about the kid's club at the Jupiter Beach Resort, which emphasizes sea turtle ecology...the resort grounds look nice (if a little outdated) and on TripAdvisor it gets mixed reviews for service and apparently the beach is being repaired after storm damage.

If you like low rise and not too much development and maybe a little history (cute architecture and Spanish or civil war era forts) you might like St. Augustine or Fernandina Beach/Amelia Island. The Omni on Amelia island and the Residence Inn have family friendly lodging.

Check out Vero Beach as well. Not all that built up, good restaurants.

You are not wrong. I will try to post later after I ask my husband---he knows the East Coast well. Cocoa is actually alright. The entire east coast built up a lot with Northeastern retirees (think Seinfeld's parents) with miles and miles of condos. Cocoa is actually a little different. It was the Space Coast (think I Dream of Genie). So lots of little houses back off the water along the intercoastal, the original Ron Jon surf shop and space themed stuff but as NASA scaled back and lots of the space stuff moved to other areas, some of the money and tourism from being the "space coast" died down. So it is actually more of a place than a lot of the endless condos of the East Coast. I personally love cocoa beach. The beach itself is very wide and nice. There is a funky pier with restaurants. It is not quaint, though. There is nothing "lovely" about it. I have never been to sanibel but people always say "it is lovely." So Cocoa will be sort of a blast from the past in a tired and sort of sad way but you could go to the Kennedy Space Center to see the space stuff. You are only about an hour from Disney world if you are desperate for something.

We love Sanibel, the beautiful beaches and water, breat bike trails, and the natural and slightly "old fashioned" feel to it. Is there any place with a similar vibe on the east coast of FL? We have a family commitment near Cocoa Beach on the East Coast of FL and would like to spend a few days with our kids relaxing in a place like Sanibel afterwards. Cocoa Beach seems built up and touristy, but if I am wrong please tell me, or recommend someplace we can drive from there. Thanks!