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

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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

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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

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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

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After years of recommending that infants not be given peanut products, doctors and other medical experts officially reversed that guidance in 2017. Allergies to the legume have been dropping ever since. A new study, published in November 2025 in the journal Pediatrics, found that food allergy rates in children under 3 fell dramatically after those guidelines were put in place, with a 36 percent reduction in all food allergies, largely driven by a 43 percent drop in peanut allergies. Kristin Grunbaum, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, says that’s exciting news, in part because once you have a peanut allergy, you rarely outgrow

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“Spirit of Excellence – P-R-A-C-T-I-C-E” is the quote that the Treasure Coast High School varsity girls’ basketball team adopted for their season and it, along with their great skill, is proving to serve them well. The Lady Titans enter the new year with a glittering and historic 13-0 record. “They were not picked preseason to be an elite team, but they have become one because of their tremendous work ethic every day at practice,” said Robin Potera-Haskins, the team’s head coach. “This is a group of local young ladies from TCHS who have developed their basketball skills to play with

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The upcoming 195-acre Torino Regional Park entered its first phase of construction last week to usher in a bevy of all-ages facilities, chief among them a skatepark/BMX track, due in the fall of 2027. Builders and officials broke ground on the $21.4 million park – to be built out at 5601 N. Torino Parkway between Conley and Briscoe drives – in a Dec. 9 morning ceremony attended by approximately 60 city workers, planners and residents. Representatives of West Palm Beach-based Burkhardt Construction, Inc., who will build out the park, also appeared. Founder/CEO Vincent G. Burkhardt presented Port St. Lucie Mayor

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Resilient St. Lucie, a steering committee focused on countywide sustainability, ended over six months of public presentations on climate fortification plans this year with the announcement of a new study by next month. That outlook, however, may fall to local governments who could line up for state grant money year after year. A “cost/benefit analysis” provided by the committee will inform local leaders on “additional land conservation and how to make the best informed decisions” for land use “as development pressures increase,” said Georgia Vince, senior project manager with Stuart-based engineering firm Tetra Tech, in a Dec. 12 webinar. Much

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Three state parks in St. Lucie County will need part of nearly $759 million in recommended maintenance from now until 2035, according to a Dec. 1 letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis from the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. FDEP recommended the funds to conduct “repair, maintenance and upgrade projects” in the 175 state parks found throughout Florida over the next decade, the letter said. Another approximately $1.39 billion, the letter added, would also need to be allocated toward “new construction and development projects,” including the buildout of expanded visitor access compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. While the letter

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Fort Pierce city officials presented an overview of ongoing economic development initiatives, redevelopment efforts and strategic priorities at the Dec. 8 City Commission meeting. Community and Economic Development Director Sheyanne Harnage and Planning Director Kevin Freeman presented the Comprehensive Economic Development Overview, which was requested as part of the city’s strategic plan process. “This was a requirement in the strategic plan that we provide an economic comprehensive plan update,” said City Manager Richard Chess. “The key for us is get the priorities into the comprehensive plan clearly spelled out.” The presentation outlined where the city is today including current conditions,

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