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🌅🏠 Zora’s Legacy, BBQ Deals, and Live Music

🌅🏠 Zora’s Legacy, BBQ Deals, and Live Music

☀️🌱 PLUS: Discover Hurston’s hidden Fort Pierce gems, $25 BBQ ribs, and live music all week!

Sunland News
February 04, 2025

Good Afternoon, Sunland

It's Tuesday! I just want to say thank you for all the support on yesterday’s announcement about my uncle, Slate Rock’s 5K! 🙌 But I made a bit of an oops, so I want to clarify—the 5K is happening on Saturday, March 15.

Also, if you want to know more about why we’re doing this and what the goal is, I highly encourage you to check out the website here. Slate’s Angels really spoke beautifully about this moment, and I think everyone should read it.

Alright…

🏈 Food Scoop: Got word from a very credible (thanks Stoney 😂) source that starting tomorrow Stoney’s BBQ is running a Super Bowl Rib Special—$25 slabs! 🐷🔥 Pre-order only. Pick-up is Sunday Feb 9, from 1 PM - 4 PM. Speaking of which…

❓ Poll Question: Who you got, Chiefs or Eagles?

🏈

Ja’Min Devon

⚕️Presented By: Anley Cardiovascular

Heart disease is the leading cause of death, but most cases are preventable with the right knowledge and care. This February, Anley Cardiovascular is partnering with Sunland News to highlight key risks, practical prevention tips, and the Black pioneers who helped shape heart health.

Each week, we’re breaking it down with clear, expert-backed insights. Mid-month, we’ll be at Anley Cardiovascular for a video Q&A, answering real questions about heart health and what you can do to protect yourself.

Take the first step. Visit Anley Today!
Also, let us know what questions you would like to ask for our middle-of-the-month Q&A here.

✍️ The Main Squeeze: Zora Neale Hurston’s Legacy in Fort Pierce

‼️What you need to know: Zora Neale Hurston wasn’t just a legendary author—she was a Fort Pierce resident, journalist, and one of the first Black filmmakers. This Black History Month, we honor her impact on literature, culture, and St. Lucie County.

Let me start with this: there’s no way a newsletter can fully capture what Zora Neale Hurston has meant to me—or to this community. But let me tell you a story about how it started for me.

📚 How it started: Seventh grade at Lincoln Park Academy. I’m in the old library (before the school got rebuilt) when I see a book titled Their Eyes Were Watching God. It sounded like a rap album 😂. I had to know what it was about. The first line hooked me: “Ships at a distance have every man’s wish on board.” It was poetic, bold, and different from anything I’d read before.

What I didn’t know at the time was that just across the street from where I sat was 1734 Avenue L, the house Hurston lived in until her passing—a place now recognized as a historical landmark.

🏠 A Fort Pierce icon: Zora wasn’t just a writer. She was a journalist for the Fort Pierce Chronicle, one of the few Black newspapers of its time. She lived rent-free in that house (thanks to community leader Dr. Clem Benton) and used her time here to write and document Black life in a way no one else had.

🎥 A filmmaker too?! Hurston was a Renaissance woman. She directed documentaries in the 1920s, some of the first by a Black filmmaker. I once saw one of her films in a college class, and I was floored. She was capturing stories no one else was, preserving Black life in Eatonville and beyond.

✊ Why it matters: Hurston wasn’t celebrated in her time. In fact, her work was rediscovered decades later, thanks to Alice Walker’s 1975 essay In Search of Zora Neale Hurston. Without that, much of her genius might’ve been forgotten.

This Black History Month, take a moment to explore her work. Start with Their Eyes Were Watching God or Mules and Men. Visit her historical home. Learn about her contributions—not just as an author, but as a journalist, filmmaker, and cultural icon rooted right here in Fort Pierce.

Have you read her work or visited her home? Reply to the email and let me know!

🎸Live Music Planner: 10 Live Music Events in the Area

Tuesday, Feb. 4

Thursday, Feb. 6

🎷 Brenna Bavis Band at Sweet Desires Dessert Lounge. Blues, soul, and jazz. | 7pm | Free | Details

Friday, Feb. 7

Saturday, Feb. 8

If you have an event, send it to me here

🔄 Follow-Up: A Politics- and Crime-Free Zone

Yesterday, I asked how you all felt about including politics and crime in the main newsletter, and here’s what you had to say:

🗣️ Your responses:

“Things like the recent protest are a good thing to cover...especially as youngsters did it. It helps to understand where our community is at.”
“Politics can be divisive, and adds to stress no matter what side of the aisle you're on...”
“Love your newsletter the way it is, politics & crime free! That stuff is everywhere you turn & it’s very nice to read something uplifting about your community & POSITIVE events…”

I wholeheartedly agree. Sunland News is meant to be uplifting and positive—a rare escape these days. That’s why the main newsletter will remain politics- and crime-free. Hold me to it!

However, I do plan to experiment with separate projects for those interested in deeper local reporting, and I’ll keep you updated as those take shape. If that sounds interesting, vote in the poll below! As always, this is a two-way conversation, and your input shapes what we do. Thanks for being here! 🚀

❓

🍴 The Refill: Havana Food Review

🇨🇺 A Taste of Havana in PSL

Café in Havana is a small but mighty breakfast-and-lunch spot tucked in the Publix plaza off St. James in Port St. Lucie. A reader favorite, I had to check it out for myself.

💬 Subscriber shoutout: Chris Walker, a local realtor, put me onto this spot months ago: “We take our clients there! They close after lunch, but every food item I’ve tried has been great.”

🕰 The rundown: Open 7 AM – 2 PM, Tuesday through Sunday. No website, but they’re on Instagram and Yelp.

🍽 What I ordered:

Ham omelet – Generous portion, fresh, and hot. Wish I had gone with the veggie option since I try to avoid pork, but still solid.
Cuban grits – Not your usual Southern grits! These had a sweet, cornmeal porridge vibe—unexpected but still really good.

🏡 The vibe:

Small, family-run feel.
Cozy seating—fits about 20-25 people max.
Maybe too tight for business meetings, but perfect for a laid-back breakfast or a weekend date spot.

☕ My one regret? Skipping the coffee. Rookie mistake.

Would I go back? Yes.
Have you tried this spot or know another hidden gem in the area? Let me know here!

Last Drop: 📱 5 PSL Instagram Accounts You Should Follow

Discover the best of PSL and Fort Pierce through these local accounts:

@soflogoodguide: Food, events, and fun in South Florida. Cayla’s your go-to for tasty brunches and vibrant festival finds.
@treasurecoastmom: Perfect for families with little ones, Treasure Coast Mom offers kid-friendly activities, events, and resources around the Treasure Coast.
@pslbusinessclub: Your hub for networking and local business highlights. Nick and his team have been spreading the good word about community connections—shoutout to them!
@stluciechamber: Looking for ribbon-cutting ceremonies, networking events, or ways to stay connected? The St. Lucie Chamber of Commerce has you covered.
@baldy_eats1: Food reviews with personality! Baldy takes you on a flavorful journey through PSL’s best eats. Watching his reviews is always a treat.

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