🌅 🌞 Sunland Brand Is Here & $60M for Local Homes

It's Tuesday and I have a special, special, special announcement!

Today is the day that I am launching Sunland Brand.

If you're reading this, you obviously know the premise of Sunland News: providing quick and useful updates to help everyone in St. Lucie County know their home a little bit better. But Sunland Brand is the uniform for home! I wanted something people could wear and represent their love for home no matter where that may be.

Here's what you need to know: This first collection is limited - only 50 shirts each. I really want to know who's interested and actually wants to buy. Head to sunlandbrand.com and register. Tell me size, what shirt and you want. Everyone who registers will be the first to get access to actually buy The Collection before it goes out to the general public.

Here's the fun part: Once you register, you get your own unique code. Share it with family, friends, coworkers, whoever. If they register with your code, you get extra goodies with your purchase on launch day - a keychain, a tote bag, a poster. And if you share it with five friends? You literally get a free shirt.

For my Sunland News referral folks: Don't worry, I have your name and email. I'm going to be reaching out over the next couple days because I have a care package for everybody. Whether you've shared one person, three, five, or ten people to the newsletter, you're gonna be receiving something with not only referral rewards but a couple extra Sunland treats.

All I ask is that you check out the waitlist website, register if you're interested, and share it with a friend. Thank you!

Real talk: I was scrolling through the Port St. Lucie Reddit page when someone posted this New York Times article about soccer stadiums. It immediately caught my eye given we recently approved an $80 million stadium here.

What I learned: Cities across America are betting on soccer stadiums to revitalize downtown areas. The pitch is always the same: build a stadium, add housing and retail, watch the neighborhood transform. But here's what actually happens.

The numbers: At least 12 professional soccer stadium projects completed since 2000 included housing as part of the plan. None have been fully realized. Five have been partially completed.

The most striking example: Commerce City, Colorado built a $183 million stadium in 2007 with plans for 600,000 square feet of housing, retail, bars, and restaurants. Nearly 20 years later, none of it exists. Zero.

Why this happens: Lower-tier soccer stadiums get used fewer than 50 times a year. Most games don't sell out and last only a few hours. "Are you going to want to build a restaurant next to that?" asked Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor who studies stadium financing. "The evidence is that it doesn't happen."

The local connection: With the recent approval of the 6,000-seat stadium at Walton & One, with the city reimbursing up to $27.5 million over 20 years from CRA funds, it would be nice for things to work out, especially for residents of the county. However, looking at some examples across the country, it's definitely not going to be an easy feat by any means.

The question: Will it be different? Or is this another example of promises that don't materialize?

Worth keeping an eye on. What do you think?

Real talk: I got an email from Doug Coward, a former St. Lucie County Commissioner, about a nonprofit called SELF reaching $60 million in financing. My first thought: "How have I never heard about this?"

The numbers: Sixty million dollars helping 12,000 families with home repairs, hurricane-proofing, AC units, and energy upgrades. Seventy percent of their clients are low to moderate income. More than $15 million deployed right here on the Treasure Coast.

The discovery: The Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) was started in St. Lucie County 15 years ago and has now expanded to 17 states. They're America's first nonprofit Green Bank, providing low-interest loans to people who can't get traditional financing: seniors on fixed incomes, veterans, women-led families, people with disabilities, anyone with poor or no credit.

Why this matters: "Reaching $60 million with low default rates proves that underserved and underbanked communities are creditworthy," said Doug Coward, SELF's founder. The people traditional banks say are "too risky" are actually paying back their loans.

What clients say:

"Without SELF, I'm not sure I would have been able to keep my family home. They've helped us keep a home that's been in our family for four generations." — Christine, Fort Pierce

"Living on a fixed income makes it difficult to afford large purchases like this. Thankful for the assistance." — Calvin, Hobe Sound

How it works: SELF uses an "ability to pay" model instead of credit scores. They offer loans for roofs, HVAC, windows, solar panels, and batteries. They work with local vendors and understand local challenges.

The bottom line: So many programs come and go. SELF is still here 15 years later, still growing, still helping people. As climate impacts intensify, they're becoming more important than ever.

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Need help with home repairs or energy upgrades? Check them out at solarenergyloanfund.org.

If you have an event, send it to me here

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