A novel form of influenza – referred to by some as “superflu” – was cause for concern as it spread throughout Florida over the holidays. But St. Lucie County has, so far, avoided major outbreaks of this novel flu – Influenza A H3N2, subclade K – despite it becoming the most prominent flu strain in the state, according to the Florida Department of Health. FDOH noted in their flu surveillance reports St. Lucie – like many other Florida counties – observed “increasing” trends of flu infection throughout December. The FDOH office representing St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties did not give

Read more

Brightline’s November revenue and ridership report started out on a cheery note with a series of highlights about its performance during the month, noting that ridership was up 14 percent, year over year, to 280,136, while revenue climbed 18 percent. But the upbeat statements sound like whistling past the graveyard when you look deeper in the report, where the company reports that it “has been in discussions for the potential incurrence of up to $100 million of additional debt,” on top of the $5.5 billion it already owes, to keep its trains running. It also says it expects to use

Read more

David M. Smith will be sworn in as Fort Pierce’s new police chief on Feb. 2 after his after his contract was unanimously approved on Monday by the City Commission. “That’s the date that Fort Pierce turns 125,” said Mayor Linda Hudson. “Happy Birthday, Fort Pierce.” The contract was approved with an initial term of three years and a $190,000 annual salary. The contract provisions are budgeted within the 2026 budget. Smith will be provided with a “take-home” vehicle, allocated 80 hours of vacation and 40 hours of sick leave at the time of his hire date. “This is a

Read more

Fresh into 2026, Krista McCoy, Ph.D., walks past crowds of tourists enjoying demonstrations of aquatic life at the Florida Oceanographic Society facility in Stuart, where she has worked as its director of research and conservation since September 2024. Her years of research documented how the Indian River Lagoon fell prey to a bevy of toxins – from effluent leaked by aging septic systems to pesticides carried downstream from farmland – that influenced algal blooms and mass mortalities. Today, however, her work carries a glimmer of hope on the genetic level that she and other researchers could use to produce hardier

Read more

Almost 200 people attended a celebratory ribbon-cutting ceremony last Friday at the new Fort Pierce Utilities Authority (FPUA) Water Reclamation and Reuse Facility on Energy Lane. “Almost three years after our groundbreaking event on this land, we are so proud and grateful to be hosting this ribbon-cutting event commemorating completion of our wastewater treatment plant that will serve Fort Pierce for generations,” said event emcee Rachel Tennant, J.D., FPUA director of public affairs and sustainability. “This morning, we celebrate completion of Phase 1,” she said, adding that Phase 2 construction would continue that same afternoon. Phase 1 of the project

Read more

The future of approximately 1,200 acres located on the east side of Minute Maid Road in unincorpo-rated St. Lucie County is currently unknown. Will it be the site of a massive data center? Slated for Sentinel Grove Technology Park, a proposed data center – which extends approximately 2,600 feet north of Orange Avenue on a former citrus grove – would include almost 15 million square feet of 60-foot-tall buildings. The St. Lucie County Planning and Zoning Commission, at its Oct. 16 meeting, rejected in a 4-to-2 vote a proposed future land use map amendment to change from Agricultural-5 to Special

Read more

Port St. Lucie experienced both successes and grating failures in a year filled with challenges between upgrading its waterways and keeping them sanitary. The greatest failure this past year remains two fish kills the city incurred during the summer, one of them the worst in St. Lucie County since 2020. They occurred at the Elkcam Waterway in mid-June, and the Sawgrass Lakes gated community near Darwin Boulevard in late August. “It is important to note there were different circumstances and causes involved,” city communications director Scott Samples wrote in a Dec. 23 email. The city had removed 6,358 aquatic carcasses

Read more

A federal project starting next week will cordon off a sizable part of South Hutchinson Island shoreline as it recovers from erosion exacerbated by Atlantic storm activity this past summer. Dollman Beach, which spans approximately 3.3 miles near condominiums along the barrier island, will be closed intermittently from Jan. 5 to June 30 as contractors refresh the shoreline with new sand. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded a contract of nearly $14.7 million in federal funds to Manson Construction, Inc., according to a Dec. 17 county release. Manson, a Seattle-based firm, is known for repairing escarpments caused by ocean

Read more

St. Lucie’s Board of County Commissioners, in their last meeting of the year, approved the rezoning of more agricultural land in the push to house more workers within the county and shorten commutes. The board unanimously rezoned a 19.75-acre plat along Angle Road to house five dwelling units per acre Dec. 9. The land, 6465 Angle Road between Taylor Dairy and Keen roads, would likely be home to workers in the unincorporated county. These lots would fit zoning requirements of at least 8,000 square feet and a minimum width of 75 feet, according to Leah Heinzelmann, a landscape architect with

Read more

Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Katherine Mish of Fort Pierce on Dec. 22 to serve as a judge on the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, filling a vacancy created by the enactment of Senate Bill 2508, which added seats in the state due to an increase in population and caseloads. DeSantis also named Steven Wilson of Vero Beach to serve as judge on the Nineteenth Judicial Circuit Court, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of Judge Lawrence M. Mirman. “I am grateful and humbled by the governor’s appointment as Circuit Judge and honored by the opportunity to serve,” said Mish. “Having

Read more