Good Morning, Sunland
It's Tuesday! and I need a couple new restaurants to try. I've been secretly working on a new food show for Sunland News. I'm trying to do something special and more than just a simple review that we normally see. If you have any restaurants that you recommend, just reply to this email and let me know. Something that usually doesn't get covered.
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Alright, let's jump right in!
Ja'Min Devon
Founder, Sunland News
How does a Trader Joe's actually come to town?
With Winn-Dixie set to close, the grocery store debate in Port St. Lucie is back open. I saw people in the comments mentioning Trader Joe's and Whole Foods, which got me curious about how chains like that actually pick locations.
The process: Trader Joe's evaluates more than 1,000 potential sites nationwide. They look at population density, traffic patterns, parking availability, and ease of access. Then they grow one store at a time.
"We're not going to rush it, because rushing it would result in stores that don't live up to our expectations," Matt Sloan, Trader Joe's VP of Marketing, said in a 2024 podcast.
Port St. Lucie checks the boxes: 255,000 residents. Grew by 50,000 people since 2020. That's plenty of population for a Trader Joe's.
What's coming to Florida: The chain announced stores for West Palm Beach and Orlando this year. They're planning to open more than 20 locations nationwide in 2026.
Social media campaigns? They don't factor into Trader Joe's decision-making process at all, according to their podcast.
Bottom line: Port St. Lucie might get a Trader Joe's eventually. The numbers support it. But it's entirely up to their internal evaluation process and timeline.
🥳 Out-of-Towner: April 7 - April 13
Tuesday, April 7
🤝 Treasure Coast Locals: Local Business Networking Night – Entrepreneurs, creators, and professionals connect with a guest speaker on scaling your business at Gold Tier Event Hall, 900 SE Federal Hwy 4th Fl, Stuart. | 6–9 PM | $10 | Details
🎤 A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical – Broadway musical on the life of Neil Diamond at Kravis Center, West Palm Beach. | Apr 7–12 | Ticketed | Get Tickets
Thursday, April 9
🎵 Let's Hang On! – Tribute to the music of Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons at The Lyric Theatre, Stuart. | 7 PM | Ticketed | Get Tickets
Saturday, April 11
🦞 8th Annual Cajun Crawfish & Music Festival – Two-day festival celebrating Louisiana food, music, and culture with crawfish boil, jambalaya, gumbo, and live entertainment at Abacoa Amphitheater, Jupiter. | Apr 11–12, 10 AM–10 PM | From $5 (Kids 12 & under free) | Get Tickets
🌺 Botanical Fest Downtown Melbourne – 10th Annual botanical festival with 60+ vendors showcasing flowers, plants, garden essentials, local art, and food at 1900 S Harbor City Blvd, Melbourne. | 8 AM–4 PM | Free | Details
🎷 Soulful Saturdays featuring BStew Jazz Trio – Evening of velvet soul and smooth jazz with live music, cocktails, savory dinner plates, and desserts at Sweet Desires Dessert Lounge, 44 Royal Palm Pointe, Vero Beach. | 7–10 PM | $35 food & beverage minimum | RSVP
💧 The Last Drop: Citrus Collapse, Cheap Tippers, and Union Wins
🍊 Florida orange production down 95% in 30 years – State fell from top U.S. citrus producer to behind California. Citrus greening disease, hurricanes, cold snaps hit hard. This year's freeze cost $700M. Industry now $7B annually, supports 30k jobs, down from 60k two decades ago. Orange decline
Free Resource · Yates Funeral Home
Don't Leave Your Family Guessing
A free planning guide from a Fort Pierce institution. 85 years. Three locations. Every decision, already mapped out for you.
Download Free Guide💸 Floridians among worst tippers in America – Averaged 18.2% in Q4 2025, fourth-lowest in U.S. behind California (17.2%), D.C. (17.5%), Washington (17.6%). Delaware tipped best at 21.8%. National average 19.2%. Toast platform data, cash tips not included. Tipping data
🚂 Brightline loses lawsuit trying to block union – Federal judge dismissed case. Brightline argued onboard attendants couldn't unionize because company isn't legally a railroad. Transportation Workers Union representatives hope for speedier negotiations now. Union wins
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