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- 🌅 🚗 Parking’s Not Free Much Longer
🌅 🚗 Parking’s Not Free Much Longer
☀️🌱 PLUS: Also inside: PSL’s roundabout debate, Vero’s audit scramble, and a jazz brunch that sold out.
Sunland News
April 02, 2025
Good Morning, Sunland
It’s Wednesday! And that means two things:
1️⃣ My weekly reminder to share this newsletter with just one friend
2️⃣ A big thank you for being here
Between launching the events page and 772Eats, a lot of new folks have been finding their way into the Sunland world—and getting real value out of it. That means the world to me. If you’ve got any thoughts, feedback, or ideas for what would make this even better, I’m always open. I like building things people actually need—not just more noise.
Alright…
Question❓Did you fall for any April Fools jokes yesterday? I completely missed it (again 😭). Pretty sure I’ve forgotten about April 1st five years in a row now…
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🌡️ Weather Update: Humid, breezy, and warming up quick
☀️ Day: High of 83°F | ⛅ Cloudy early, then partly sunny by the afternoon
🌙 Night: Low of 74°F | 🌙 Mainly clear with ESE winds at 10–20 mph.
🌅 Sunrise: 7:10 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 7:39 PM
🎵 Sounds like: “Ascension (Don’t Ever Wonder)” by Maxwell 🌬️💫
Ja’Min Devon
🍋🍋 The Main Squeeze
Fort Pierce to End Free Beach Parking by Year’s End
This might be your last summer of free parking at Jetty Park.
Fort Pierce is moving forward with a plan to install paid parking at Jetty Park, Jaycee Park, and South Causeway Park before the end of the year. The city says it spends around $300K annually maintaining these spots, and parking fees would help cover beach upkeep, safety, and infrastructure.
💬 Why It Matters: Here’s where things get tricky. While the official line is that the money will go toward maintenance, some folks inside City Hall are concerned that those funds won’t actually go back into the parks—or the Jetty area at all. Instead, there’s talk it could end up in the general fund, where it’s harder to track and could get used for totally unrelated projects.
Plus, there’s still the big question:
Should locals have to pay? Some say absolutely not—residents already support the city through taxes. Others argue a yearly pass is fair, as long as the money actually goes back to the beaches.
👀 What We Know So Far:
Rates may be $3/hr, $20/day, or $60/year
The city is finalizing a contract with a private vendor
The commission is expected to vote next month
Other beach sites aren’t included (for now)
🗣️ Over to you: Do you think locals should be exempt? Should the money go directly back into the beach area? Why do you think this is really happening?
🍊 The Press Round
ROUND AND ROUND WE GO
📉 Vero’s Still in Hot Water Over Missing Audit
Vero Beach met with Sen. Jay Collins about getting more time to file its overdue audit—and maybe avoid losing $258K in state funds. They say it’ll be done by April 30, but after months of financial mismanagement, a lot of folks aren’t buying it.
🚗 PSL Isn’t Sold on Roundabouts
The city’s looking to add two roundabouts on Paar Drive, but some residents say they’d rather have traffic lights. Crashes are up in the area, but locals aren’t convinced roundabouts are the fix.
🤰 Martin’s Maternity Clinic Just Closed
Cleveland Clinic North in Stuart shut down its labor & delivery unit this week. Now, moms may have to drive 20+ miles to Tradition to give birth. A nonprofit hopes to open a local maternity center—but it’s still in early talks.
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.
🎉 Weekender
Your Frid, Sat, & Sun Gameplan
Friday, April 4
🎉 Friday Fest – April 2025 with RJ Preston at Marina Square – Food trucks, drinks, live music, and family fun at the waterfront plaza. | 5:30 PM–8:30 PM | Free | Details
🌌 Cosmic Zoom presented by Hallstrom Planetarium – A narrated space trip through the stars, written by IRSC’s director. | 7 PM–8 PM | Up to $20 | Details
Saturday, April 5
Sunday, April 6
🎷 Jazz Brunch @ The Backus – Jazz, food, and art in a scenic brunch setting. | 10 AM–12 PM | Up to $20 | Details
🗓️ Want more local events?
Check out the full, ever-growing list at events.sunland.news – your go-to for everything happening in and around St. Lucie County. If you have an event, send it to me here
💧 The Last Drop
3 Local Headlines for the Road!
🚧 FPUA Wins More Grant Money
Fort Pierce secured another $10M to relocate its wastewater plant—totaling nearly $70M in state funding so far.
🏢 Means Court Lease Controversy
City paid $100K+ in bills despite lease terms. Officials now calling for stronger oversight of public property deals.
🌧️ Rainstorms Are Getting Stronger
Hourly rainfall is intensifying in nearly 90% of U.S. cities—raising flood risks and storm costs.
📸 This is Sunland
Heavenly Birthday!
Man, every time I look up, I can’t help but remember my uncle. Sometimes, I feel a deep sense of sadness, but mostly, I feel a reason to celebrate his life. Today is the birthday of a legend, and the reason Sunland News exists! We hope to continue his legacy and keep pushing Sunland to new heights. Long live Slate Rock!
See you tomorrow!
With Love, Ja’Min
📖 Thanks For Reading: How was today’s newsletter?
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