Good Morning, Sunland
It's Monday and over 100 people took the quiz!
The two questions that tripped people up the most? The GraceWay Village Café food demand increase (37%) and what year the Port St. Lucie Soccer Club starts playing (2027). If you missed it, take the quiz here and see how you do!
🍖 Want to try: My Brother's BBQ did a soft launch over the weekend at their new location! Have you checked it out yet?
💜 People Pass Shoutout: Thank you to everyone supporting the newsletter! If you want to help keep this going, support here.
Alright, let's jump right in!
⛅ Weather Update: Mixed clouds and sun.
☀️ Day: High of 88°F | mix of clouds and sun. Winds SE at 5-10 mph. 4% chance of rain
🌙 Night: Low of 71°F | Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower.
🌅 Sunrise: 7:23 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 6:48 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 5:43 AM | 🌚 Moonset: 5:46 PM
🎶 Sounds like: "Betcha By Golly, Wow" — The Stylistics
Ja’Min Devon
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🧃 The Main Squeeze: The Review… Round 2…
What's Going On: Richard Chess gets his first performance evaluation Monday after the review was postponed from two weeks ago. It's a key test of whether he's successfully rebuilding trust after his predecessor's alleged bid tampering scandal.
By the Numbers:
Starting salary: $200,000 per year
Contract term: 5 years (auto-renews year-to-year after)
Potential raise: Minimum 5% upon satisfactory performance review
Commission makeup: 2-2 split with one vacant seat
Time in office: 6 months since April hiring
Money, Money, Money: Chess was hired with that $200,000 salary following Nicholas Mimms, who faces criminal charges for allegedly rigging a 2020 contract. The hiring process itself drew scrutiny over salary negotiations that weren't fully transparent to the public.
What we're hearing: City employees say Chess has improved morale and the overall spirit of doing business. He recently rolled out a comprehensive succession planning program and reformed procurement procedures.
Recent wins:
Succession planning rollout to develop internal talent
Procurement reform after the $63K Christmas lights fiasco
Staff morale improvements across departments
Leadership training programs for city employees
Recent challenges:
The Christmas lights procedural breakdown (though Chess caught it)
$11K change order scrutiny on rehab project
Commission split 2-2 makes big decisions complex
The complication: Fort Pierce's commission is currently split 2-2 as the city awaits a special election to fill the vacant seat. Any major decisions about Chess's future, compensation, or contract could deadlock.
Also happening: The city is conducting a police chief search with community input sessions. Between the city manager review and hiring a new police chief, Fort Pierce is making some big leadership decisions.
Context: This review comes less than a month after commissioners grilled staff about change orders and purchasing procedures, demanding better fiscal accountability. Commissioner Johnson said after the Christmas lights issue: "We're going to have to tighten some things up around here fiscally."
What's next: The review happens at Monday's city commission meeting. No indication yet whether commissioners plan any changes to Chess's contract or compensation, but the timing with the vacant seat and 2-2 split adds uncertainty.
The backdrop: As said two weeks ago when this was first scheduled, this review got me thinking about the role local media plays. What has Chess accomplished in six months? Without regular communication from city hall or someone covering it, how do we know? This is exactly where local media plays a role.
💭 Your take: How do you think the city manager is doing? What should commissioners be looking at in this review? Share your thoughts here.
Want to dig deeper? Check out the meeting agenda and Chess's employment contract.
🍊 Press Round: Goals, Markets & Garbage
🗑️ Indian River Businesses Hit with 300% Garbage Rate Hikes
Business owners are furious over Waste Management bills jumping from around $775 to $2,200 monthly following the mandatory October 1st contractor switch, with one owner threatened with an extra $600 charge if drivers had to open gates to access bins. The complaints add to mounting resident frustration over still being billed by the old contractor Republic Services and abandoned blue trash cans sitting at curbsides for weeks.
🛒 Fort Pierce Indoor Market Opening November 15th
Pierce Public Market opens in The One Eleven Building with 100 vendors selling food, products, and services in the 14,000-square-foot historic 1919 bank building. Trina and Ken Gibson's co-op concept extends the popular Downtown Fort Pierce Farmers Market with nearly daily hours, featuring a pet-friendly food hall, beer and wine bar in the original vault, and retail ranging from books to health products.
⚽ Mayor Martin Breaks Down PSL Soccer Stadium Plans
Port St. Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin sat down for an in-depth interview explaining the $27.5 million USL soccer stadium at Walton & One, emphasizing that no general fund taxpayer dollars are being used and that the developer must post construction and performance bonds. The city will get 24 days annually to use the 6,000-seat stadium, which Martin says will be the catalyst for hotels, retail, and restaurants in the redeveloped area.
🎉 Weekdayer: MTWTHFR
Monday, Oct 20
🧘 Sunset Yoga at the Gardens – Outdoor conscious relaxation among tropical plants at PSL Botanical Gardens. | Sunset | $10 (free for members) | Details
Tuesday, Oct 21
🤼 Micro Wrestling Federation – Full-scale professional wrestling with an entire cast under 5 feet tall at Hop Life Brewing. Meet and greet after the show. 21+. | Check time | Ticketed | Details
Wednesday, Oct 22
🎩 Haunted Illusions – Master illusionist David Caserta performs never-before-seen illusions with levitation, disappearances, and audience participation at Sunrise Theatre Fort Pierce. 50% off for kids. | Check time | Ticketed | Details
Thursday, Oct 23
🎬 Disney Movie Trivia Night – Test your Disney knowledge with your team at Hop Life Brewing. No phones, no outside food/drink. | Sign-ups 6 PM, trivia 6:30 PM | Free entry | Details
Friday, Oct 24
🎃 Tunnel of Terror – Spooky fun and scarily clean cars at Tommy's Express Car Wash in PSL. | Check time (3 hrs) | Free | Details
If you have an event, send it to me here
📌 The Last Drop: I’m a Map I’m a Map
💧 St. Lucie stormwater plan input sessions – County hosting three webinars (Oct 28, Nov 5-6) plus in-person meeting Oct 29 at Oxbow Eco-Center. Public feedback sought on flood management plan. Register here
🚌 St. Lucie secures $1M transit grant – County awarded $1,035,623 from FDOT Block Grant Program with local match bringing total investment to $2.1M for public transit operations. Transit info
🎃 PSL Halloween decorating contest open – Spooktacular House & Yard contest runs through Oct 29 with photos uploaded in four categories. Voting Oct 30-Nov 3, $100 gift cards awarded. Enter contest
📸 This is Sunland: ✌️ Sun Finish!
See you tomorrow!
With Love, Ja’Min
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