Last month’s launch of Port St. Lucie Police Department’s Drone as First Responder (DFR) program turned out to be a productive endeavor, with 17 missions carried out the first day including the successful location of a missing autistic female who was found safe before potentially entering a nearby canal. The drone was deployed remotely and arrived at the scene ahead of responding officers. It quickly located the female and directed the officers to her exact location, avoiding a dangerous situation. She was safely reunited with her family. “This program is about saving lives, and on day one, that’s exactly what

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Cardiac care advanced to a new level last month at Florida Coast Medical Center when interventional cardiologist Dr. Amarnath Vedere successfully carried out the hospital’s first ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction (STEMI) case. Florida Coast is now one of two hospitals in St. Lucie County to receive STEMI patients. The other is HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital in Fort Pierce. “This milestone represents another major step forward in our commitment to providing comprehensive, high-quality cardiovascular care close to home,” said Florida Coast Medical Center CEO Tyler Sherrill. “Our team has worked diligently to build the capabilities, infrastructure and expertise needed to care for

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Extensive cleanup efforts will come to the Sawgrass Lakes gated community in central Port St. Lucie over the next three years after two staggering fish kills there since August. At their June 22 meeting, the Port St. Lucie City Council approved a $1.35 million contract with SOLitude Lake Management, a national firm with a Fort Pierce office, to clean approximately 128 acres of stormwater tracts in Sawgrass Lakes with TryMarine, a product never before used there. The cleanup will be gradual, said city Public Works director Kevin Matyjaszek before the council. Port St. Lucie staff and people living in Sawgrass

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The north side of Seaway Drive on South Hutchinson Island could have a new look in its future with a mixed-use development project – Boardwalk on the Inlet – proposed for the property that lies between Square Grouper and Manatee Landings Restaurant on the south side of the Fort Pierce Inlet. The applicant, property owner Sandy Woods, is proposing to construct a “resort style property” with about 54 residential units and 175 hotel units in two separate hotels – one a 48-room boutique hotel called “Aqua,” and the other featuring 127 rooms with the brand not yet determined. Fourteen hotel

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Representatives from the Florida Department of Transportation and Port St. Lucie presented preliminary schematics for the final leg of widening of Port St. Lucie Boulevard June 25. This $21 million buildout, due to span from fall 2027 to spring 2030, will widen the final 1.12-mile stretch of Port St. Lucie Boulevard from Paar Drive to its southern terminus at Becker Road, schematics show. It will be the last 3.5 miles of roadway improved there since 2021. Like other parts of the boulevard, the new construction will incorporate a 100-foot-wide right of way. It will use two 11-foot car lanes in

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St. Lucie County Administrator George Landry is stepping down from his position to move across the state to lead Longboat Key, a small island that spans Sarasota and Manatee counties. Landry will be leaving his St. Lucie post in mid-August and is set to start his new job as town manager on Sept. 14. He was unanimously approved to lead the small island town at a special meeting of the Longboat Key Commission early last week. He was described by Longboat Key commissioners as “an excellent fit” and “a competent leader,” and as having “a great background.” Landry’s salary at

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A sweeping property tax overhaul, which has the power to significantly change how local governments are funded, will be on the November ballot for voters to consider. Super majorities in the Florida House and Senate passed Gov. DeSantis’ property tax referendum proposal with minor changes on June 3. Many St. Lucie County, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce officials expressed concerned about the proposal and will consider the possibility of the referendum passing as part of their upcoming budget workshops. Under the amended proposal, if 60 percent of voters approve, Florida residents will see a $150,000 homestead exemption for non-school

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Stars and Stripes Park, the latest attraction in Port St. Lucie’s Tradition community, opened June 4, giving the city a scenic memorial attached to an educational garden mapping the cosmos. Over a week after Memorial Day commemorations in Veterans Park at Rivergate out east, the ribbon cutting attracted around 200. Veterans, faith leaders and real estate developers joined all five City Council members in their celebration. About 150 more joined in lighter celebrations in the solar system portion between the stars and the Riverland Paseo neighborhood. A live DJ and food trucks brought flavor to several astronomy-inspired activity stations. The

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Seagrass is making a major comeback in the Indian River Lagoon according to recent data released by the St. Johns River Water Management District. This is great news for residents for whom the lagoon is a defining feature of daily and economic life, supporting property values, providing recreational opportunities and supplying an ever-changing backdrop of natural beauty. It is even better news for manatees, sea turtles and other marine animals that rely on seagrasses for their survival. Seagrass is the foundation of the lagoon’s ecology. When 60 percent of the seagrass meadows were killed by algae blooms a decade ago,

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Discarded books rarely re-renter a library once they’re tossed in the recycle bin. Fort Pierce’s Kilmer Branch Library, 101 Melody Lane, made an exception this summer through hosting the collages of Laura Kinnamon. A selection of Kinnamon’s work, curated by the Kilmer Library’s ArtSpace program, went up for display starting Monday. The “whimsical parade” of portraits there, some made of shredded library books, will stay up until Sept. 30. “I think it was an insurance issue, that the library had to discard books after a certain amount of time before getting new ones,” she said in an interview Sunday. “They

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