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☀️ Day: High of 83°F | Partly cloudy. Winds NNE at 10-15 mph. 11% chance of rain.
🌙 Night: Low of 70°F | Considerable cloudiness with occasional rain showers.
🌅 Sunrise: 7:21 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 6:52 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 1:57 AM | 🌚 Moonset: 3:47 PM
🎶 Sounds like: "Send It On" — D'Angelo, who passed away yesterday… D'Angelo was an incredible artist who gave us so much beautiful, soulful music. Rest in peace to a legend. 🕊️

Treasure Coast Reality Group wants to guide you in purchasing a home! Finding affordable housing in St. Lucie County? Treasure Coast Realty Group is hosting a free homeownership seminar covering property search, financing, pre-qualification, and pre-approval process.

What's Going On: Fort Pierce commissioners approved $63,347 for the Marina Square holiday light display after the work was already done, the contract had expired, and nobody followed proper bidding procedures. Commissioner Curtis Johnson called it "embarrassing."

By the Numbers:

Let's be clear: The city didn't lose $63,000. The Marina lights have been going up every year since 2018. They're a major draw for downtown. They were always going up.

How it happened:

Money, Money, Money: Somebody at the department level authorized the annual holiday light installation without following the city's purchasing rules. Without competitive bidding, there's no way to know if the city could have gotten a better price.

Who caught it: City Manager Richard Chess. When he saw the invoice, he asked for the contract, discovered it had expired, and realized the amount exceeded his signing authority. As Commissioner Broderick put it: "This is a cascading set of defaults that created this problem. Unfortunately, the city manager ultimately caught it."

The reactions:

Commissioner Curtis Johnson (voted NO): "I am disappointed. I am disappointed. It is embarrassing. We are better than this. I will be having a conversation with Mr. Chess because what I learned and how this went down is not good."

Commissioner Michael Broderick (voted YES): "This is obviously a failure of the processes and procedures that are in place... We need to account for every penny of taxpayer dollars. Our budget is balanced barely... We have to be cautious with every penny going out the door."

Mayor Linda Hudson (voted YES): "We did have three budget meetings where we really whittled down our budget... We can do better."

Why they approved it anyway: The work was done. The vendor needed to be paid. And as Broderick noted, nobody was trying to "hide the ball." The city manager was "quite forthright" about what happened.

What's next: Chess said he's spoken to everyone involved and "certainly there will be changes going forward." This came less than a month after the commission ordered new purchasing procedures to "tighten up" spending practices.

The display: More than 2,700 feet of lights synchronized to Christmas music, operating daily 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. starting December 8.

💭 Your take: Should the commissioners have approved this? What needs to change to prevent this from happening again? Share your thoughts here.

Downtown transforms into an open-air art gallery November 7-9 with live mural installations, music, gallery features, and interactive activities along 14th Avenue. A $70 fundraiser dinner at Walking Tree Brewery on October 9th gives attendees a chance to meet featured muralists, with organizers seeking sponsors to cover supplies, permits, and artist fees for the free public festival.

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Four of seven Treasure Coast representatives confirmed they're forgoing salaries as the government shutdown enters week three, including Senator Rick Scott and Rep. Mike Haridopolos, while Representatives Brian Mast, Lois Frankel, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick didn't respond to questions about their pay status. Senator Ashley Moody is donating her salary to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay as hundreds of thousands of federal workers go without paychecks.

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Commissioner Sean Reed's motion asking City Manager Michael Mortell to resign blindsided officials at the October 13th meeting, prompting postponement over due process concerns. Mortell objected to the "meeting by ambush" and requested proper legal notice, while Commissioner Eula Clark questioned the timing and estimated $275,000-plus cost of replacing him mid-budget cycle.

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🎃 4th Annual Community Resource Trunk or Treat – Safe trick-or-treating for kids with decorated trunks and candy at United Against Poverty in Fort Pierce. | 4:30–6 PM | Free | Details

🎬 Horror Movie Double Feature – The Conjuring + second film back-to-back at the drive-in with concessions and spooky vibes. | 7:30 PM | $19 per vehicle | Details

🎤 Unplugged Expressions – Open mic for poetry, singers, musicians, and comedy in PSL. | Check time | Free | Details

🌿 Heathcote's 39th Annual Fall Garden Festival – Two-day celebration with 45+ vendors, rare plants, car show, bonsai expo, garden demos, food trucks, and music at Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Fort Pierce. (Runs Oct 18–19) | 9 AM–4 PM | Free (suggested $1 donation) | Details

🌶️ 43rd Annual "Chills & Thrills" Chili Cook-Off – Chili tasting, live music, hay rides, kids zone, and fall festival fun at Clover Park. | Check time (5 hrs) | Ticketed | Details

🎃 Fall Festival – Bounce houses, petting zoo, pony rides, free ice cream, DJ, and basket raffles at Fort Pierce Beauty Academy. | 10 AM–2 PM | Free | Details

🎬 Beetlejuice Drive-In Movie Night – Family movie night with milkshakes from Milky Waves Ice Cream truck at Treasure Coast Park and Watch. | 7:30 PM | $14 per vehicle | Details

🎃 PSL Hurricane Halloween Bash – Trunk-or-treat, costume contest, games, food trucks, and spooky surprises at PSL Soccer Club. | Check time (3 hrs) | Free | Details

🕯️ Concerts by Candlelight – Intimate live music in a candlelit venue in Port St. Lucie. | Check time | Ticketed | Details

🛍️ Neighborhood Pop-Up Market – Local vendors, food, drinks, and specialty coffee at Smith & Co. Mercantile River Park. | 4–8 PM | Free | Details

Want more events? Go here

One of my favorite things about Sunland is that every day I wake up, I'm more encouraged to stand in front of what it is I'm building to love on my county and the city of Fort Pierce. And of course, I will say even more than the day before, it's by far my favorite thing and I just appreciate y'all reading it every single morning! Alright…

See you tomorrow!
With Love, Ja’Min

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