🌅🏢 Fort Pierce Presses INC on $76K Tab

Good Morning, Sunland

It’s Friday! Another week in the books and we’re stepping into a new month, which feels good. I just want to say thank you. This newsletter has opened a lot of doors this week. I met new people, heard stories I probably wouldn’t have come across otherwise, and that means a lot. Thank you!

Alright…

🌡️ Weather Update: Slow start, bright finish

☀️ Day: High of 81°F | 🌥️ Morning clouds giving way to sunshine late
🌙 Night: Low of 67°F | 🌙 A few clouds, mild breeze from the SE around 10–15 mph.
🌅 Sunrise: 6:41 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 7:55 PM
🌒 Moonrise at 11:01 AM | Moonset at 12:38 AM
🎵 Sounds like: “Just Friends (Sunny)” by Musiq Soulchild ☀️🎧

🧾 Main Squeeze
Fort Pierce Seeks Utility Reimbursement from INC

“Some invoices have been sent. Some have been paid.” That’s where things stand right now between the City of Fort Pierce and the nonprofit Incubate Neighborhood Center, or INC for short.

The city says it’s issued invoices to INC for more than three years’ worth of utility bills nearly $76,000 for the Means Court building, which INC leases for $12 a year. But how much has actually been billed and how much has been paid? That’s still unclear.

💬 Catch Me Up: INC signed a lease for the city-owned Means Court property back in 2021. The lease said the nonprofit was responsible for utilities, maintenance, and repairs. But city records show Fort Pierce taxpayers have footed the utility bill since day one, even when the building was deemed unsafe for occupancy in 2023.

📋 Recent Developments:

• The city says invoices have now been issued

• INC’s director says some payments have been made

• A $7,000 charge for fire monitoring and equipment is also being reviewed

• Lawn maintenance records show the city paid nearly $20,000, despite INC claiming they covered that

• INC’s federal nonprofit status is listed as out of compliance but may be restored soon

This comes after local resident Mario Wilcox threatened legal action if the city didn’t move to recover the funds. He argues the city’s treatment of INC differs from how other tenants have been handled, citing past decisions involving groups like Lindsay School of the Arts.

🧩 Why It Matters: This is part of a broader conversation around transparency, accountability, and how public-private partnerships are structured in Fort Pierce. The goal, in theory, is for nonprofits to provide meaningful services to the public. But these arrangements don’t always come with clear communication or clear oversight.

📎 Read the full story from Hometown News: Link

🍊 The Press Round: Costco is Near!

🗑️ Fort Pierce Has a Trash Problem and It’s Not Ours

Thousands of tons of Miami garbage are rolling into the Fort Pierce rail yard daily. Locals say the stench, bugs, and even coyotes are making life rough. Waste Management says relief is coming, but neighbors aren’t holding their breath.

👉 Get the Full Story

⏰ Will School Start Times Change? Kinda, Kinda Not

Martin County already made the shift. St. Lucie and Indian River haven’t — and now, they might not need to. A new state bill lets districts opt out if they file a report instead. Translation: Your kid might still have that 7:30 AM bell after all.

👉 See the Timeline

📍 Help Shape Downtown Fort Pierce

The city wants your ideas for what Marina Square could become. Swing by Friday Fest or fill out the survey online. This is your chance to have a real say in how the space is built out.

👉 Share Your Vision

🍾 Refill: You Gotta Love It: Mets Take Game 3

Sometimes things just work out for your team and you gotta look into the direction of Cooperstown and thank the baseball gods. Yesterday was one of those times. Allow me to paint the picture.

It’s Game 3 of our series against the 1st place Palm Beach Cardinals. Series is tied at one a piece. We had Edgar Moreta on the mound as our starter and I must say he did not disappoint. 5 scoreless innings. 5 strikeouts. We scored early in the 3rd inning thanks to a double from Vincent Perozo and an RBI-Single from Jeremy Rodriguez.

We score again in the top of the 6th thanks to an RBI-Single from Simon Juan. We changed pitchers in the bottom of the 6th and Raimon Gomez took the mound. (Btw he’s still throwing 100mph+ heaters in case you were wondering) But unfortunately, the Cards scored in both innings he pitched tying the game. That was okay though because our guy Simon Juan had plans for that. After a double and a walk, he was up to bat. 2 on and 2 outs.

First pitch: Swinging strike
Second pitch: Can you guess what happened?
3-RUN HOMER!

As soon as he connected wit that pitch you knew that ball was leavin’ like NORE on the Firm Album! His first HR of the year by the way! Ya Gotta Love it!

stluciemets

20K followers

View more on Instagram

Hunter Hodges pitched the final two innnings for us and struck out 4. Mets win.
Final score 5-2 A beautiful ending.

— darius “odgtm” garrido

📊 Check the score

Join the Mission and support Sunland News and help fuel the goal of delivering smarter, faster very, very local news that keeps you informed on what’s unfolding here.

💡 Why it matters: Your support allows me to keep St. Lucie County informed and engaged through the daily Sunland News newsletter—and sets the stage for tackling bigger, in-depth reporting projects in the near future.

🎁 What’s in it for you: Exclusive updates, behind-the-scenes insights, and other perks as we grow (bookstore and otherwise) this community together.

👉 Check it out here!

🎉Events: Top 5 Clicked Events For The Week!

Friday, May 2

• 🎭 Friday Fest - May 2025 with Sleeping Dogz – Groove to live tunes by Sleeping Dogz at Friday Fest in Marina Square this May | 5:30 PM – 8:30 PM | Free | Details

• 📚 2nd Annual Auction Gala: Enchanted Garden – Dress up for a magical night of fundraising at the enchanted garden gala | 6:30 PM | Free | Details

Saturday, May 3

• 🎶 561 Music Festival 4 – Local bands, food trucks, and art vendors in a full-day fest at Meyer Amphitheater. | 11 AM–10 PM | Free | Details

• 🛍️ Artist Market – 9 Years and Still Truckin – 50+ local artists and crafters, $5 beers, and live music at Walking Tree Brewery. | 12 PM–5 PM | Free | Details

• 🕺 80s/90s Dance Party with DJ Jay Dee – Throw it back with live DJ sets, food trucks, and retro vibes at Frazier Creek Brewing. | 7:30 PM | Free | Details

• 🌮 Cinco de Mayo Weekend at Pepe's Cantina Port St. Lucie! – Celebrate Cinco de Mayo early with drink specials and live music at Pepe's Cantina | 11:30 AM – 9 PM | Free | Details

More Events

If you have an event, send it to me here

💧 The Last Drop: Growth is not Cheap

1. 🎶 SunFest Future Still Unclear Organizers say they’re shifting to smaller events, with no set plan to bring back the festival.

   👉 See the Update

2. 📉 Tourism Industry Pushes Back on Ad Cuts A new bill could shift hotel tax funds away from tourism marketing.

   👉 Follow the Fight

3. 📊 Vero Beach Audit Filed Just in Time The city met the April 30 deadline and may avoid penalties after missing previous reporting deadlines.

   👉 Get the Story

📸 This is Sunland: Photo for the Road!

See you Monday! With Love…

Ja’Min

📖 Thanks For Reading: How was today’s newsletter?

👋 Thanks for reading! If you found it useful, consider sharing it with a friend.

📱 Keep up with the Sunland News: Send comments & suggestions to [email protected] Follow us on, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube

🙋‍♂️ Did someone forward you this? Subscribe Below!