Crabby’s, in arrears on rent, opts to permanently close

Crabby’s Dockside in downtown Fort Pierce closed almost two weeks ago after being told by the city that they were in default of the lease. On Feb. 12, Crabby’s gave a statement on their Facebook page which reads, “We’re sharing that Crabby’s Dockside Fort Pierce will be permanently closing its doors this Sunday, February 15, 2026, a decision not within our control. Importantly, we want to acknowledge our deep gratitude for the team members who brought this restaurant to life with their professionalism and dedication as well as for the guests who supported us.” According to Fort Pierce officials who

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Beach erosion prompts state of emergency

Escarpments along South Hutchinson Island beaches continue to reach dangerous heights as shoreline erosion cuts off visitor access to the Atlantic. Nowhere could that be seen more evidently than between Jetty Park and South Beach, where erosion forced Fort Pierce to declare a state of emergency between Feb. 11-20. By then, the sands stood nearly 10 feet above the shoreline, their strata visible to visitors braving the nearby rocks to wade in the water. Workers from Dickerson Infrastructure moved at least 10,000 cubic yards of new sand purchased by St. Lucie County to afflicted beaches over the past two weeks,

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Spring in fans’ step as Mets action begins at Clover Park

Excitement is in the air at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, where Mets workouts – free and open to the public – are already underway in advance of Spring Training’s Feb. 21 opening day. A new feature this year allows Mets fans access to the stadium to watch portions of practices that take place inside. The Corona Beach House concession and Cutwater Corner area will be open as well. Open workouts begin at 9:30 daily, and end when the players leave the field. Fans can still watch open workouts until 10:45 a.m. after official games begin, but there will

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Studies suggest disease-resistant citrus may be on horizon

Recent U.S. Department of Agriculture studies show strides toward the development of cit-rus trees resistant to a disease plaguing groves throughout St. Lucie and Florida since the mid-2000s. Researchers at the USDA Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce published studies last year that have lent further insight into breeding groves that can withstand Greening, a bacterial disease afflicting citrus crops first discovered around 2005. The Hort Lab developed at least “two citrus cultivars with tolerance to” Huanglongbing (HLB), the insect-borne bacterium responsible for Greening, research director Dr. Scott Ad-kins wrote in a Jan. 29 email. According to Adkins, these two

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$35M Bayshore/Floresta tweaks, roundabout slated for next fiscal year

Wider lanes and a roundabout are in store for Bayshore Boulevard, an arterial pathway connecting east-central residents with St. Lucie West and major roads. Port St. Lucie expects to widen 1.3 miles of Bayshore between Selvitz Road and Prima Vista Boulevard starting the next fiscal year, according to a presentation given at a Jan. 28 public meeting. The construction comes with a price tag of $35 million to be funded by next year’s city budget. The city also reported 60 percent completion on designing this segment of Bayshore as of Jan. 28. Bids for a contractor are expected to be

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Fourth #IAMPSL Summit leads with gains on green initiatives, safety

The #IAMPSL Citizen Summit, now in its fourth edition, continued to offer Port St. Lucie residents a platform to discuss changes to the growing city on Feb. 7. Hundreds once again flocked to the city’s Community Center, 2195 SE Airoso Blvd., as Port St. Lucie staff hailed past successes and future prospects. Much of the summit paid tribute to the city being honored by the National Civic League as one of their 10 “All-America City” winners last year. According to the National Civic League website, Port St. Lucie joined cities including Tallahassee and Seattle in recognition of “exceptional civic capital

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‘Go outside and play’ is still wise advice for children and teens

Before children learned to swipe, they learned to climb. Before screens filled their afternoons, backyards, sidewalks and empty lots did. Today, however, childhood has increasingly moved indoors, and the shift is taking a serious toll. With the rise of high-tech gadgets, children are spending more time inside and less time playing outdoors. Over the past 17 years, children’s health in the United States has steadily declined as screen time has increased, contributing to higher rates of obesity, anxiety and chronic disease. What’s more – and often overlooked – is that replacing outdoor play with indoor screen time doesn’t just affect

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‘Beyond the Canvas’ honors Black history

Black History Month turns 100 this year as St. Lucie County pays tribute to its leading figures. St. Lucie marked Black History Month in 2026 with “Beyond the Canvas,” a limited-run, all-ages exhibit open Feb. 9-28 at the Havert L. Fenn Center, 200 Virginia Ave., Fort Pierce. The exhibit will be open each day for the next three weeks from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., according to a Feb. 6 St. Lucie release. “Beyond the Canvas,” the release said, is a joint effort between the county’s Parks & Recreation staff, the St. Lucie County Regional History Center, and county libraries.

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Army Corps breaks ground on $14.7M, 6-month Dollman Beach repairs

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began work to repair approximately 3.3 miles of South Hutchinson Island shorelines Jan. 22 in continuing efforts to stave off coastal erosion. Contractors from Manson Construction Co. started dredging sand dunes along Dollman Beach, 9200 South Ocean Drive/State Road A1A, in a $14.7 million, six-month project fully funded by the Army Corps. The beach has been intermittently closed to visitors since Jan. 5 and will continue facing closures from now until the project’s completion, slated for Jun. 30, county releases circulated since Dec. 18 say. Like other projects to restore county beaches, the Dollman

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High-tech ticket scalping plagues artistic venues

The term “ticket scalping” conjures up images of seedy-looking characters hanging out near sports arenas in big cities offering tickets to supposedly sold-out games at inflated prices, trying to make quick cash deals away from the prying eyes of stadium security and police. But ticket scalping today has moved upscale and gone high-tech. In recent months, the phenomenon has gotten out of hand at Riverside Theatre and other Treasure Coast artistic venues. The shifty characters lurking in the shadows outside the theater or arena have been replaced by IT professionals operating from far away who are well versed in the

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