Good Afternoon, Sunland
It’s Tuesday! So I need your honest opinion. I saw Chicken Salad Chick had a grand ribbon cutting today in PSL, but I’m trying to figure out if it’s actually any good. It’s one of those places I’ve seen a bunch but never tried. Has anybody here been? Reply to this email and let me know! Alright…
Weird Stat: 🍦 Ice cream sticker shock. A half-gallon of ice cream now averages $6.49, up 6 percent from last June according to the latest CPI data.
Not sure what to eat? Check out 772eats.com. It’s a local food guide I built with spots you can save, sort, and come back to later. 100 restaurants are free. The full guide and journal are there if you want more.
Ja’Min Devon
Sponsored: 🍗 Stoney’s Summer Specials
Stoney is stretching your dollars and your belly. That $5 Tuesday Snack Pack? Now it runs Tuesday and Wednesday.
That means three days of full meals for under $10… in 2025. I know. Unheard of.
That’s why I’m so happy to share this, and even happier that Stoney’s is sponsoring the newsletter. Support those who support us.
📍 912 N 25th St, Fort Pierce
📞 772-595-2406
🍴 Check the menu here
🍋 The Main Squeeze: 🛍️ School Supplies Aren’t Cheap. Here’s What’s Free
📌 TLDR: Back to school shopping is getting out of hand. Parents expect to spend $741 this year on supplies, clothes, and books. That’s about $200 more than last year. So I pulled together a master list of local giveaways to help lighten the load.
📈 The Numbers: Basic supplies like pencils and folders are up around 30 percent compared to five years ago. A new NerdWallet report says more than half of parents are feeling financially stressed this season. Some are even taking on debt just to make sure their kids can fit in.
💳 How People Are Paying: Sixty-three percent of back to school shoppers are using credit cards this year. Another 23 percent say they’ll use buy now pay later options. Nearly half of parents say they would go into debt if it meant their kid could participate in extracurriculars or not feel left out.
💬 Why It Matters: The price of each item might not feel like much on its own. But it adds up fast. A bunch of people reached out and sent me flyers and info for school drives happening across the Treasure Coast. So I pulled everything into one place to make it easier for folks who need it.
🎒 What’s In the List:
Free backpacks
Free supplies
Free haircuts and physicals
Health screenings
Snacks, games, and raffles
Some events need early registration so check the details
📍 The Master List: You can see the full list here. I’ll keep updating it as more come in.👉 https://www.sunlandnews.com/post/back-to-school-giveaway-guide
🥳 What’s Happening: Out of Town Events
🎷 The Groove Experience – Sax man Derek Mack drops smooth-jazz & soul at Sweet Desires Dessert Lounge, Vero Beach. | 7 – 10 PM (Wed 7/23) | Free | Details
🖼️ Art After Dark – Late-night mix of live music, films & hands-on art at Norton Museum of Art, West Palm. | 5 – 10 PM (Fri 7/25) | $10 adults ($5 students) | Details
📚 Bookshop Grand Opening – Moonstruck Market celebrates with author signings, food trucks & giveaways in Melbourne. | 11 AM – 4 PM (Sat 7/26 & 7/27) | Free | Details
🌞 Creators Saturday – Browse local makers, food & music at the B & A Flea Market, Stuart. | 8 AM – 3 PM (Sat 7/26) | Free | Details
🎸 Dark Side of the Sol – Pink Floyd tribute under the oaks at Riverside Theatre’s free lawn show, Vero Beach. Bring a chair. | 6 PM (Sat 7/26) | Free | Details
👢 Boots & Brews – Line-dancing, craft beer & country tunes at Frazier Creek Brewing, Fort Pierce. | 7 – 10 PM (Sat 7/26) | No cover | Details
If you have an event, send it to me here
🤩 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?
📸🛍️ The Refill: Fort Pierce Youth Business Fair
Ashley Lee and her mom started Center 4 Change back in 2018, running tutoring sessions out of a small building near Save-A-Lot.
Since then, it’s grown into a year-round program focused on mentoring, family engagement, and entrepreneurship.
This summer, students ages 7 to 17 have been learning how to start and run their own small businesses. They’ve been working on everything from pricing and pitching to designing logos and setting up booths.And now they are taking it a step further:
They’re throwing a full-blown youth business fair.
📍 It’s happening August 2 downtown at the Fort Pierce Farmer’s Market grounds. Foot traffic? Already there. Support? Always open.
💬 “I don’t want to just give my kids an opportunity to do something without setting them up for success.”
So she made sure the location, structure, and setup help every kid shine.
It’s open to any kid from 7 to 17, even if they’re not in the program. There’s a booth fee, but everything they make, they keep.
There’ll be live performances, prizes for best business plans and marketing, and over 50 kids showing off what they built from scratch.
💡 The spark: Ashley saw a similar fair in Port St. Lucie and realized Fort Pierce deserved one too. “I was blown away,” she said. “It was just kids being kids, but running a business.”
If you want to support or sign up:
📞 Call 772-306-7190
📲 Or DM “Center for Change” on Facebook
🧾 Last Drop: Beer, Bills, and Boomers
🚄 Brightline Tampa update: Tampa leaders just green-lit the financing process and planners say the Orlando-to-Tampa leg could still be a decade away, depending on how fast new I-4 rail can be laid. Brightline is seeking $400 million in state bonds to keep momentum rolling. Read More
🎓 PSL City University opens registration: Love civic deep-dives and behind-the-scenes tours? The fall session of Port St. Lucie’s free resident academy is now taking sign-ups and spots usually go fast. Claim yours
🍊 Citrus hits a century-low: Florida’s 2024-25 harvest is the smallest in more than 100 years, underscoring how greening and storms keep squeezing growers. See the numbers
🥗 School meal apps open
Parents can now file the 2025-26 meal application so students stay eligible for free or reduced lunches—and perks like SAT/ACT fee waivers and discounted internet. Apply today
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