🌅 🎂 Fort Pierce Turns

It's Wednesday and let's jump right in!

👁️ Caught my eye: Rents in Port St. Lucie, Stuart, and Vero Beach swung up and down in 2025. Port St. Lucie saw a 4% decrease while Stuart increased 4%.

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Alright, let's jump right in!

☀️ Day: High of 73°F | Intervals of clouds and sunshine. 5% chance of rain.
🌙 Night: Low of 50°F | Clear skies with a few passing clouds. 7% chance of rain.
🌅 Sunrise: 7:05 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 6:05 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 9:03 PM | 🌚 Moonset: 8:48 AM
🎶 Sounds like: "DTMF" — Bad Bunny

Monday was a pretty big day in Fort Pierce. Along with it being the city's 125th birthday, there was the swearing in of Police Chief David M. Smith at 9:30 AM. In the evening, there was the swearing in of Chris Dzadovsky as the new District 2 Commissioner. Following a six-month vacancy of the seat, Fort Pierce is now back to five members on the board.

Why This Matters: That vacancy happened in October, and in that time while there were only four people, some pretty big decisions were made, including hiring the new police chief and City Manager Richard Chess' salary review. Just goes to show you how many big decisions can be made in such a short window of time in a city like Fort Pierce. Having five members with equal representation for both districts is a good thing, having it back the way it's supposed to be.

The New Commissioner: Dzadovsky, who served on the County Commission for 16 years got emotional seeing friends and longtime supporters in the packed chambers. Commissioners presented him and the new police chief with "One Fort Pierce" lapel pins. Despite operating with four commissioners since July, no votes ever split 2-2.

Resilience Plan Accepted: The commission accepted the St. Lucie County Regional Resilience Plan. The plan identifies vulnerable infrastructure and flooding risks to help secure grant funding.

And By the Way: In the meeting they also talked about approving a major development rezoning 2721 South Jenkins Road from commercial to residential, and approved $146,809.91 for a prefabricated restroom at Coach Fenn Park with electronic timed locking to prevent vandalism.

What's Next: Watch the full meeting

United Way of Indian River County will host the Jackie Robinson Celebration Game at Holman Stadium on April 15, with the Jupiter Hammerheads facing the Palm Beach Cardinals to honor Robinson's legacy and raise funds for community programs. Advance tickets are $10 through March 31 and increase to $12 starting April 1, with all proceeds benefiting United Way programs throughout Indian River County.

👉 Read more (Hometown News)

Fort Pierce officially welcomed David Smith as its new police chief during a February 2 ceremony held on the city's 125th birthday. Smith brings decades of law enforcement experience from the Prince William County Police Department and will earn a $190,000 annual salary following a months-long national search.

👉 Read more (WQCS)

Okeechobee County issued a burn ban as drought conditions and recent freezing temperatures create dangerous fire conditions, with frost killing vegetation that now acts as kindling. Fire Chief Earl Wooten said the combination of dry conditions and three mornings in the 20s has created unprecedented fire risks for this time of year, demonstrated by a trash fire that spread to nearly two acres Tuesday.

👉 Read more (WPTV)

See you tomorrow!
With Love, Ja'Min

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