The St. Lucie County Commission unanimously approved a window manufacturing facility that is expected to bring 1,000 jobs by its fifth year of operation. So-called Project Orchid involves a yet-unnamed international company located in South America and headquartered in Miami which requested to develop an approximately 1.4-million-square-foot facility that would include a 76,000-square-foot metal foundry. The facility is expected to receive a $170 million investment, in addition to $140 million for equipment. The property is located west of North Rock Road, south of North Rock Road extension and north of the Relief Canal just north of the county jail. The

Read more

A seven-year study to refine agricultural watering brought national award recognition to a St. Lucie-based researcher with the University of Florida. Dr. Sandra Guzmán, an assistant professor with UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), received the Netafim Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers, according to an April 30 release. She will accept the award in a ceremony in Indianapolis in July. Netafim, a manufacturer of irrigation equipment, honored Guzmán for her research on IrrigMonitor: a software suite made to refine crop hydration using weather monitoring and soil moisture readouts. The use of IrrigMonitor has

Read more

St. Lucie’s Haitian population had another milestone to celebrate this month along with their country’s independence as their national soccer team trains for the 2026 World Cup in their backyard. That spirit permeated the 12th Annual Port St. Lucie Haitian Flag Day party at Walton & One on Monday. Skies parted after an otherwise rainy workday turned into the clamor of pride for the Caribbean nation. Held once again by Treasure Coast Cultural Festival, Inc., the party feted 222 years since Haiti won its independence from Napoleon’s French and a return to world stage soccer after a 50-year-plus absence. By

Read more

The Leapfrog Group spring hospital safety grades are now public and, among St. Lucie County hospitals, HCA St. Lucie Hospital in Port St. Lucie continues to be the only hospital with an A rating.“HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital is pleased to have been awarded another ‘A’ safety grade from the Leapfrog Group. We recognize the importance of measuring quality and safety in patient care and are proud of our dedicated physicians, nurses and colleagues who provide our patients with exceptional care each day,” wrote HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital Director of Communications and Community Engagement Vincent Postiglione.“In an effort to

Read more

The sun will set on the D.H. “Banty” Saunders Drawbridge as the Florida Department of Transportation opens new access to North Hutchinson Island next Friday. The new State Road A1A North Causeway Bridge will open at 8 a.m. May 15 “weather permitting,” according to an April 30 FDOT release. Drivers will be able to access the bridge directly from the U.S. 1/A1A intersection in mainland Fort Pierce. Construction of the new 1.2-mile bridge network cost the state $115.9 million, according to FDOT spokesperson Guillermo Canedo. The price is an increase over the reported $111.5 million on the FDOT website. The

Read more

Special Events in Port St. Lucie continue to be shaped by a diversifying population of a younger average age making its way to the city. That wider range of demographics informed recent surveys for a 10-year Master Plan through two 2 p.m. meetings on April 28 and April 30. The city also hosts an online survey (surveymonkey.com/r/PSLevents) that will close May 17. The in-person meetings gave attendees nine stations – some with stickers, others with free responses – prepared by the Perez Planning & Design landscaping firm of Atlanta. Despite low turnouts both nights, voters called for more recreation opportunities

Read more

When Kallee Jackson’s husband bought her a sewing machine close to a decade ago, she had no idea the Mother’s Day gift would be the impetus to start an amazing career in fashion design. The first step was to teach herself how to sew, so she began making her own clothing. One evening while out to dinner, two women sitting nearby asked where she got her skirt. When she told them that she made it, they asked if she could make one for each of them. That was eight years ago, and Jackson is now known in Port St. Lucie

Read more

A ceremonial groundbreaking took place last month at Tradition Town Hall to celebrate the upcoming construction of VITAS Healthcare’s inpatient hospice center along Tradition Parkway in Port St. Lucie. The 14,000-square-foot, 12-bed inpatient facility will feature private patient rooms and other spaces “created to support dignity and connection for both patients and their loved ones,” and is expected to serve more than 500 patients each year. The center will be the first freestanding inpatient hospice facility in Port St. Lucie and VITAS’ first inpatient unit serving the Treasure Coast. The construction site is marked off with large “coming soon” vinyl

Read more

You probably expected that you wouldn’t be able to run as fast or jump as high as you aged, but did you expect that your ability to learn, remember and solve problems would slow down too? Susan Rivers, MSN, RN, says most people don’t notice changes in their 40s, but by their 50s many begin to feel like they’re not quite as sharp as they were. In one’s 60s and 70s, multitasking often gets noticeably more difficult. “Things like driving while carrying on a conversation may not feel as comfortable for you,” she says. “The culprit is loss of brain

Read more

Indian River State College has 443 nursing students, according to executive dean Dr. Patricia Gagliano, a healthy portion of whom are about to enter their field of choice after next week’s final exams. The class reflects three years of growth after the IRSC Nursing Extension opened in the St. Lucie West Pruitt Campus. The facility graduated 151 students last year to replenish a lacking medical workforce statewide. Its students stare down situations “from birth to death in any setting” among patients of all ages, Gagliano said. Its “patients,” though, are not people, rather lifelike mannequins that populate the approximately 11,000-square-foot

Read more