Good Morning, Sunland
It's Tuesday! I tried Another Broken Egg Cafe that opened this morning on Becker Road. What I had: Omelet with grits, cheese and English muffin toast for $23.98. My take: I'm giving it a 7.5 out of 10, giving some grace for first-day jitters. Food was good, price was right, vibe was solid. Closes at 2 p.m. which is worth knowing. Bottom line: If you want a low-key breakfast or a simple date spot in PSL, this one is worth the stop. Go before the weekend when the rest of the county figures out it's there. Read the full review.
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In today's newsletter:
💰 Port St. Lucie decided how it's distributing $24 million Waste Pro settlement through tax roll
⛽ Florida gas prices fall for third consecutive week
🚂 Brightline fields bankruptcy loan bids
💸 Florida ranks third in financially stressed states
🎤 Juvenile Live at Abacoa Amphitheater Friday
Ja'Min Devon
Founder, Sunland News
🟠 Main Squeeze: Port St. Lucie decided how it is distributing the $24 million Waste Pro settlement and it is going through the tax roll
When the settlement was first announced the question on everyone's mind was simple: where does the money go? Monday night Port St. Lucie City Council answered that. The full $24 million is going back to residents through a credit on the property tax bill, not individual checks. The vote was 4 to 1.
How we got here: In 2021 both the city and Waste Pro filed lawsuits against each other. The city argued breach of contract over years of missed pickups, overflowing trash and service failures. Waste Pro blamed labor shortages. They eventually settled for $24 million earlier this year.
How the money breaks down 📋:
🏠 About 57,000 properties that had the same owner during the disruption period and still do today receive the largest credit, $364 per property
🏠 About 81,000 properties that were on the 2022 tax roll receive $282 per property
🏠 About 13,000 properties added to the tax roll between 2023 and 2026 receive $64, reflecting rate increases they absorbed under the current contract
📋 A 180 day claims process will allow residents who moved from one Port St. Lucie property to another to apply for the full higher credit
The complication that did not go away: The tax roll method means the credit goes to whoever owns the property now, not necessarily the people who lived through the nightmare. Residents who moved out of the city entirely, renters who dealt with the mess, people who have no connection to a current Port St. Lucie property, they fall outside the distribution. That question came up in public comment and does not have a clean answer 👀.
Vice Mayor Caraballo was the lone no vote, pushing for physical checks so residents would feel the money directly rather than see it absorbed into a tax bill.
What's next: Staff will work on communicating the credit clearly on the TRIM notice so residents understand what they are seeing when their tax bill arrives. Watch the full meeting here 📅.
💬 Do you think the tax roll was the right call? Tell us right here
🥳 Out-of-Towner: Events Worth the Drive!
Friday, June 19
🎤 Juvenile Live – Abacoa Amphitheater, Jupiter. | 6 PM | Ticketed | Details
Friday, June 19 – Sunday, June 21
🎌 OtakuFest – Palm Beach County Convention Center, West Palm Beach. | Details
Saturday, June 20 – Sunday, June 21
🦸 Space Coast Comic Con 2026 – Melbourne. | Details
Saturday, June 20
Send More Events Here
💧 The Last Drop: Gas Prices, Brightline, Financial Stress
⛽ Florida gas prices fall for third consecutive week – Average gallon at $3.81 Monday. National average $4.07. Prices down 71 cents since May 20. More
🚂 Brightline fields bankruptcy loan bids – Florida passenger railroad weighing competing proposals from creditors. No buyer found by self-imposed deadline last month. Report
💰 Florida ranks third in financially stressed states – Study analyzing Google search behavior finds 1,877 searches per 100,000 residents around debt, rent help, insurance. Behind Louisiana and Texas only. Study
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