🌅 PSL Blocks New Housing

It’s Friday! We made it! Long week for many I’m sure. Coming off the short week last week, the weeks after always feel long to me. I’m happy to be here writing this though. I thank you for the feedback, the love, the critique. It all makes the newsletter better! Alright…

ICYMI! If you searching for something to do, check yesterday’s HUGE event list here

Watch This: We dropped a little skit over on the Sunland Instagram for our Pay What You Want Photoshoot. Check it out here…

☀️ Day: High of 83°F | A mix of clouds and sun during the morning
🌙 Night: Low of 72°F | Scattered thunderstorms early
🌅 Sunrise: 7:05 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 7:29 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 10:54 PM | 🌚 Moonset: 12:19 PM
🎶 Sounds like: "Emotions" — Mariah Carey (The live MTV version though, the only version in my opinion)

Daisy Alexander from S.E. Benchmark Insurance Agency knows that feeling all too well. She just shared her deeply personal story about why life insurance became her mission and it's not what you'd expect.

September is Life Insurance Awareness Month, but Daisy's journey proves this isn't about numbers and policies. It's about the moment you realize your family's security hangs in the balance.

Her story will change how you think about protecting what matters most.
Watch Daisy's powerful journey here
Ready to secure your family's future? sebenchmark.com

The St. Lucie County School Board approved its final budget Tuesday night, highlighting the same economic pressures hitting families across the county.

Why it matters: Even when tax rates unchanged, rising property values mean higher bills for residents.

The numbers:

What was heard: Union representatives painted a stark picture of district employees struggling financially despite the district's A-rating. Some school support staff are working multiple jobs, living in cars, or choosing between health insurance and groceries, according to union testimony.

The squeeze: While state funding increased teacher pay slightly this year, support staff like clerks, bus aids, and paraprofessionals were left out of those raises.

My take: I know more teachers and school board workers than not in my family, and I hear and see this pressure a lot being on the ground in some of these conversations. Many teachers simply can't afford to live here given the limited increase in wages. The support staff seems to be worse off. Those wages typically aren't keeping up even with warehouse jobs in the area, which many cite are also low.

Growing pains: The district adds about 1,500 students each year but hasn't significantly increased staffing, creating longer cafeteria lines, bus delays, and stretched resources.

What residents said: One longtime resident complained about 5pm meeting times excluding working people and called for coordination between county, city, school board, and fire district to provide property tax relief.

The bottom line: St. Lucie County's growth is creating pressure on both taxpayers facing higher bills and public employees who can't afford the rising cost of living, even with jobs in the community they serve. For a breakdown of where your property tax dollars go, check out our recent explainer.

The airport will jump from one airline to three in just six months, with American launching daily Charlotte flights February 12th (tickets on sale September 15th). Mayor John Cotugno warns of "growing pains" since the infrastructure wasn't designed for three carriers, potentially requiring parking expansion beyond the planned 500 spaces.

👉 Read more

Indian River County commissioners approved a $6.8 million increase for Sheriff Eric Flowers (out of his $12.2 million request), bringing the total budget to $87.7 million. The compromise came after heated debate about tapping into reserves, with one commissioner saying if he could "do a moratorium on every developer" he would, while others worried about using one-time funds for ongoing expenses.

👉 Read more

City council unanimously bought 105 acres between I-95 and Rosser Boulevard to prevent more housing construction, with Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo saying she'd "stop every developer from building today" if she could. The wooded land with two lakes will become a park instead of single-family homes.

👉 Read more

From school coverage to better tools like play.sunlandnews.com, every upgrade you see is made possible by readers who pitch in. Thank you to everyone who already has. This is what the People Pass makes possible. Want to support it too?

If you have an event, send it to me here

See you Monday!
With Love, Ja’Min

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