Good Morning, Sunland
It’s Monday. Super happy to kick off the week. As usual, I spent all weekend working on Sunland because, well, I love it. And I appreciate everybody that reads it. That makes me love it even more. A lot of great stuff happened last week. A lot of great stuff has happened the first half of the year. And we’re officially halfway through, I believe, this week. So kudos to that. Also looking forward to making the second half of the year 10 times, if not 20 times better than the first half. Alright…
🌀 Did you know Florida is the No. 1 pool state in the country? I just found that out makes all the sense. Read More
🍩 Parlor Donuts opens this Saturday, July 5. Folks have been talking about it for months, so if you’ve got a sweet tooth, mark the calendar. Check it out here.
💜 Shoutout to everyone in the People Pass. You’ve helped make recent reporting possible and you keep this thing alive. If you want to support the work, you can do that here.
🌡️ Weather: At this point, I feel like anything could happen. Rain, Sunshine, Both?
🌦️ Day: High of 92°F | Showers and storms rolling through.
🌙 Night: Low of 72°F | Early rain gives way to a partly cloudy night.
🌅 Sunrise: 6:29 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 8:20 PM
🌘 Moon: Waxing Crescent | 🌔 Moonrise: 10:40 AM | 🌒 Moonset: 11:49 PM
🎶 Sounds like: Computer Love – Zapp & Roger
Ja’Min Devon
🚨 Sponsored: 📕 Yates want to give you FREE Guide!
You can never plan too much. That’s why Yates Funeral Home is giving Sunland readers a free guide to help you make more thoughtful decisions for yourself or for loved ones. No pressure. Just helpful info.
🏡 Main Squeeze: Tradition… Growth!
📍 TL;DR: A $41 million development could bring a hotel, grocery store, restaurants, and 660 apartments to Southern Grove, one of the last big corners of Port St. Lucie’s jobs corridor.
What’s happening: I mentioned this in Friday’s Press Round and it sparked a lot of interest. So I dug deeper. WPTV did a great breakdown of the project. If you want the full picture, watch it here.
Here’s the short version. Sansone Group, the same folks who built the big warehouses in Legacy Park, just won the bid to take over the northeast corner of SW Village Pkwy and SW Becker Rd.
The proposal includes:
🍽️ Restaurants
🛍️ Retail and a grocery store
🏨 A 140-room hotel
🏘️ 660 apartments
🌳 Trails and lakes to connect and buffer the space
They’re calling it the Lifestyle Commercial Center. If approved, construction would happen in three phases.
Why it matters: Southern Grove’s industrial land is already built out or spoken for. Now the city is looking to activate the surrounding space with more housing, walkable retail, and public amenities.
But I already know how many of y’all feel. Growth changes a place.
For a lot of readers, that change comes with concern. Concern about traffic. About overdevelopment. About whether we’re losing the very reasons people moved here in the first place. Some folks are excited. Others are just hoping it’s done right.
💬 What do you think? Too much too fast, or the kind of growth we need
👉 Share your thoughts here
🍊 Press Round: Parades, Perks, and a Farewell to Blake
📸 Indian River Turns 100
Downtown Vero lit up for Indian River County’s centennial celebration Friday. A packed parade rolled down 14th Avenue, ending at the Freshman Learning Center—complete with fire trucks, kids waving flags, and plenty of hometown pride.
🏖️ Locals Only Discount Push
Visit St. Lucie launched a “Locals Only” summer savings club with dozens of hotel, tour, and activity deals—like BOGO SEAL Museum tickets and 15% off at The Lucie Hotel. Offers run through September.
✍️ Reporter on the Move
After four years writing columns on everything from IRSC to hurricanes, TCPalm’s Blake Fontenay is headed to USA TODAY as commentary editor. His goodbye note reflects on local journalism, public records battles, and a dream job fulfilled.
🤩 People Pass: What your support means!
From school coverage to better tools like play.sunlandnews.com, every upgrade you see is made possible by readers who pitch in. Thank you to everyone who already has. This is what the People Pass makes possible. Want to support it too?
🎉 Weekdayer: All I see is FIREWORKS!
Thursday, July 4
🎇 Freedom Fest at MIDFLORIDA Event Center – Live funk, kids’ zone, food contests, fireworks at 9. | 5–9 PM | Free | Details
🎆 Stars Over St. Lucie Festival & Fireworks – Waterfront music and pyrotechnics at Marina Square. | 6–9:30 PM | Free | Details
🚤 Sunset Cruise – BYOB 90-min lagoon ride before the sky lights up. | 6–7:30 PM | $$ | Details
🍻 Sailfish Brewing Bash w/ Switch N’ Whiskey – Rock set wraps just in time for downtown fireworks. | 6–9 PM | Free entry | Details
🍔 Encore Tradition Cookout & Celebration – Relaxed grill-out, drinks, and games on America Walks Blvd. | 12–6 PM | Free | Details
💧 The Last Drop: 📌 Quick Hits Before You Go
💡 Utility Aid for Seniors County will cover part of July utility bills for residents 67 + on fixed incomes. Read here
🏛️ City University Returns A nine-week crash course on how City Hall works just opened enrollment. Sign up
🗑️ Trash Pickup Shift PSL curb cans run one day late this holiday week, so roll them out on the revised schedule. Check it
Darius St. Lucie Mets update here!
📸 This is Sunland: ✌️ Before I Let You Go!
Dad sent me some pictures this morning from Port Canaveral. The sunrise over the water is undefeated.
Thank You To Everyone Here!
See you tomorrow!
With Love, Ja’Min
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