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In today's newsletter:
🏗️ Project Neptune rezoning application goes before Fort Pierce Planning Board Thursday at 2 PM
🍖 I tried Pig 'n Biscuit in Vero and it was worth the drive
⛵ Boat Club closures leave hundreds stranded without refunds across Florida
🏗️ Fort Pierce King's Landing at crossroads as commission decides today
🎉 Weekday events all week: yoga, speed mingle, spelling bee, jazz nights and more
⛈️ Weather Update: Partly sunny and humid with showers and storms through the day.
☀️ Day: High of 90°F | Partly sunny and humid, a shower in spots this morning followed by a thunderstorm in spots this afternoon. Winds NNE at 6 mph. 55% chance of rain.
🌙 Night: Low of 75°F | A thunderstorm in spots this evening, otherwise mostly cloudy and humid. Winds ESE at 2 mph. 55% chance of rain.
🌅 Sunrise: 7:06 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 7:28 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 10:25 AM | 🌚 Moonset: 9:26 PM
🎶 Sounds like: "Can You Stand the Rain" — New Edition
Ja'Min Devon
Founder, Sunland News
🟠 Main Squeeze: Project Neptune goes before the Fort Pierce Planning Board Thursday
The Project Neptune rezoning application is officially on the Fort Pierce Planning Board agenda for Thursday September 17th at 2 p.m. We posted a quick update on this Friday when the agenda dropped 🏗️.
This is step two of three. The Technical Review Committee heard the application on August 20th. Thursday is the Planning Board. If they recommend approval it moves to the Fort Pierce City Commission for the final vote. Residents can weigh in at both the Planning Board meeting and at the City Commission meeting.
Since the meeting is at 2 p.m. on a Thursday, not everyone can make it in person. The city streams their meetings live here if you want to watch from wherever you are.
The agenda packet for Thursday includes something worth noting. The city published emails from residents who wrote in both against and in support of the project. Here is a sense of what people are saying.
What people opposing it are raising 📋:
🌊 Concerns about the property's proximity to the Ten Mile Creek system, the North Fork of the St. Lucie River Aquatic Preserve and regional water infrastructure including North St. Lucie River Water Control District canals
💧 Questions about whether the man made lake on the property can actually and lawfully sustain a data center cooling system at industrial scale
🔊 Noise, light pollution and around the clock operations in an area that is still growing with new residential development
⚡ Concerns about strain on local utilities and whether infrastructure costs could be passed to existing customers and residents
🚒 Questions about whether local fire response has the equipment, staffing and resources to handle a facility of this kind
📋 A formal request to deny or postpone the rezoning until binding engineering, environmental and utility studies are completed and publicly reviewed
What the one letter in support raised 📋:
💼 The project could create pathways into construction, electrical, mechanical, networking and facilities careers without residents having to leave the Treasure Coast
🛣️ The I-95 access and existing transmission infrastructure make the location more appropriate than many alternatives
📊 The traffic study projects fewer daily vehicle trips than the property's existing mixed use entitlement
🎓 A request for a formal local workforce partnership with Indian River State College, CareerSource Research Coast and local schools built into any approval
Worth noting: The city's own staff analysis points out that Fort Pierce's zoning code does not actually list data center as a recognized use category. Staff concluded that a data center is most comparable to a Light Industrial use based on its physical characteristics, large secure buildings, limited employees, continuous mechanical operations, significant electrical infrastructure and potential noise from cooling equipment.
You can read the full staff report, public concern letters, public support letter, traffic impact analysis and conceptual zoning plan before you go.
And a quick tip on how I find out about meetings like this one before most people do. The City of Fort Pierce has a free alert system that sends you an email when new agendas drop. You can sign up here. That is how I found out about this on Friday. Worth bookmarking if you want to stay ahead of what is moving through city hall 👀.
What's next: Fort Pierce Planning Board, Thursday September 17th at 2 p.m. Watch live here 📅.
💬 What do you think about Project Neptune? Call or text us at (772) 212-1504
📰 Press Round: Restaurant, Recalls & Real Estate
🍖 I Went and Tried Pig 'n Biscuit in Vero
Made the trip up to the northern Treasure Coast to check out The Pig 'n Biscuit, and it was worth it. The wings were fried hard and well-seasoned without even having to ask. I grabbed a side of brisket too and it was solid, better with the sauce though it holds up on its own. Breakfast is getting amazing reviews, so I'm already planning to go back.
👉 Read more (Sunland News)
⛵ Boat Club Closures Leave Hundreds Stranded Without Refunds
JetRide's failed corporate takeover of Carefree Boat Club has left hundreds of members from 10 Florida locations without refunds after sudden closures. Former members in Vero Beach, Fort Pierce and Stuart were charged $4,000 or more in initiation fees and monthly premiums exceeding $500 even as services ceased. A $20 million lawsuit has been filed against JetRide owners Travis Zielasko and Nicholas Mastroianni III. Carefree Boat Club President Kevin Bonnema said he has regained control of the parent company and plans to reopen shuttered locations if he wins the legal battle.
👉 Read more (TCPalm subscription may be required)
🏗️ Fort Pierce King's Landing at Crossroads Monday
Fort Pierce City Commission will meet Monday at 5:05pm to decide the future of King's Landing, the stalled downtown waterfront development on a decommissioned power plant site. Developer Live Oak Contracting says it is $15 million short to complete the promised hotel and restaurant phase and has asked for either a city loan or six-month extension to raise the money independently. Commissioners are divided between granting the extension or reclaiming the property to find a new developer, though legal complications remain since the property is still technically owned by original developer Audubon.
👉 Read more (Sunland News)
🎉 Weekdayer: September 14–17!
Monday, September 14
Tuesday, September 15
🍷 Vine and Vibe Speed Mingle, The Vine & Barley, 1680 St Lucie W Blvd #101, PSL. 6:45PM–9PM, $28–$49. Details
Wednesday, September 16
🤝 COSA Showcase of Services, Havert L Fenn Center, Fort Pierce. 9AM–11AM. Details
💘 Pitch Your Bestie, Culture Shift, 2196 SE Ocean Blvd, Stuart. 6PM–8:30PM, $25 to watch (includes one drink + raffle ticket), benefits Martin County Healthy Start Coalition. Details
🎷 Jazzy Nights: A Night of Smooth Jazz, Soul, and R&B, My Brothers BBQ, PSL. 7PM–10PM, $13 online/$15 at door, live music by Dee's Funk Band + special guest. Details
🐝 Spelling Buzz: Adult Spelling Bee, Dirty South, 301 SW St Lucie Ave, Stuart. 7:30PM sign-up/8PM start, free, 21+. Details
Thursday, September 17
💃 Goodt Form Dance Fitness with Coach Apple, We've Got H.E.A.R.T. Studios, 2818 South US Highway 1, Fort Pierce. Hip hop/soca/dancehall/Afrobeat/R&B, from $9.85, 2-for-1 deal. Details
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