Good Morning, Sunland
It's Tuesday! Let’s jump right in!
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In today's newsletter:
🚗 People are still moving to Florida and St. Lucie County ranked 25th in the state for new residents
🎓 Only 44% of Florida kindergarteners ready to start school
🏠 Florida leads nation in foreclosure filings, up 31% from spring 2024
💼 Florida adds 12,000 private sector jobs in June, unemployment falls to 4.7%
🎭 Palm Beach Improv reopening Labor Day weekend at Wellington Green
Ja'Min Devon
Founder, Sunland News
🟠 Main Squeeze: People are still moving to Florida and St. Lucie County ranked 25th in the state for new residents in the first half of 2026
More than 200,000 people switched their driver's licenses to Florida from other states in the first half of 2026, the most since 2023, according to Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles data obtained by the USA TODAY Network 🚗.
St. Lucie County ranked 25th in the state with 3,163 new license transfers in the first six months of the year. To put that in context, Miami-Dade led the state with 13,206 and Palm Beach came in second with 12,794.
Where people are moving from 📋:
🥇 New York: 23,436
🥈 Georgia: 12,699
🥉 New Jersey: 11,831
4️⃣ California: 11,076
5️⃣ Texas: 11,032
Why it matters for the Treasure Coast: People keep coming and that demand is a direct driver of what we have been reporting on with housing costs. Port St. Lucie is already at $2,600 a month median rent, 35% above the national average. More people arriving means more competition for the same housing stock, which makes the rent conversation even more relevant.
Worth noting: the DMV data does not capture children, non-drivers or international arrivals, so the real number of people moving here is likely higher. It also does not show how many people left Florida during the same period 👀.
The numbers are also still well below the COVID boom peak. In the first half of 2022 alone, 243,421 people switched their licenses to Florida.
💬 Did you move to St. Lucie County from somewhere else? Share your story right here.
🥳 Out-of-Towner: Events Worth the Drive!
Friday, August 7
Saturday, August 8
🕯️ Candlelight: 90s Hip-Hop on Strings, First Presbyterian Church, West Palm Beach. 8:30PM. Details
Sunday, August 9
🔮 2nd Annual Melbourne Oddities Expo, Melbourne Auditorium, Melbourne. 12PM. Details
Send More Events Here
💧 The Last Drop: Kindergarten Readiness, Foreclosures, Job Recovery, Palm Beach Improv
🎓 Only 44% of Florida kindergarteners ready to start school – Florida Chamber report finds majority unprepared for learning, wide disparities by county and income level. St. Johns, Sarasota, Pinellas lead readiness. Students falling behind early rarely catch up. VPK participation significantly increases preparedness. Report
🏠 Florida leads nation in foreclosure filings – 4,871 filings in June, up 31% from spring 2024. Charlotte, Polk, Okeechobee, Osceola counties hardest hit. Eviction foreclosures jumped 24% in March compared to year prior. High homeowners insurance costs fueling trend. Data
💼 Florida adds 12,000 private sector jobs in June – Recovery follows May losses. Unemployment fell to 4.7%, still above national 4.2%. Private Education and Health Services led growth with 5,000 new jobs. Financial Activities lost 12,900 over past year. Details
🎭 Palm Beach Improv reopening Labor Day weekend – Comedy club returns to Mall at Wellington Green upper level alongside Copper Blues Rock Pub & Kitchen. Original location was at CityPlace before temporary home at Kravis Center. Tickets available on website. Info
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