🌅 🍕 PSL Pizza Hut Closing

It's Monday! After the Super Bowl at that. Each year this stat always fascinates me. Tens of thousands of U.S. workers have already requested time off for the Monday after the Super Bowl, and history suggests many more will call out same day. More than 27,000 workers (nearly 1 in 100) have already scheduled PTO, and 26.2 million employees may miss work today. The "Super Bowl Flu" is real.

🚶 Community input needed: 2nd Street Redevelopment Public Workshop is Wednesday, February 11 from 4:30 to 6:30 PM at River Walk Center. Share feedback on the proposed streetscape design to help create a more vibrant, pedestrian-friendly 2nd Street from Orange Avenue to Marina Way. Drop in anytime!

👁️ Caught my eye: iDAD Fatherhood program launches its 4th cohort Tuesday, February 10 at 7 PM. Real conversations, real growth, real change for fathers in St. Lucie and Fort Pierce.

💜 People Pass Shoutout: Thank you to everyone supporting the newsletter! If you want to help keep this going, support here.

Alright, let's jump right in!

☀️ Day: High of 75°F | Mainly sunny. Winds NNE at 5-10 mph. 8% chance of rain.
🌙 Night: Low of 49°F | Clear skies. Winds light and variable. 7% chance of rain.
🌅 Sunrise: 7:02 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 6:09 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 12:46 AM | 🌚 Moonset: 11:25 AM
🎶 Sounds like: "Celine" — a street bouquet for your loss

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Family owned and operated for over 85 years serving Fort Pierce and Port St. Lucie.

The seawall at Fort Pierce's marina needs repairs, according to a vulnerability assessment presented to the City Commission Monday night. The issue came up during discussion of the St. Lucie County Regional Resilience Plan, which maps vulnerable infrastructure across the region due to flooding, sea level rise, and storm surge.

The Assessment: Sandra Roguen from Tetra Tech Navigator told commissioners the marina seawall is among infrastructure needing attention. The regional plan identifies current impacts and future vulnerabilities to help cities compete for grant funding. Commissioner Broderick called it "the most existential threat in the city of Fort Pierce that exists."

Historical Context: In 2004, hurricanes caused massive erosion on the west side of the lagoon. "The River Drive fell in. It was a $40 million fix," Chris Dzadovsky said. The federal government gave the county an ultimatum: take the $40 million immediately or lose it. "It's large purchases, and large costs associated with it that gives us forethought of what you are presenting today to prepare going forward."

What's Next: The city accepted the regional plan (not adopted) and will use the vulnerability maps to strengthen grant applications. A more Fort Pierce-specific plan is still in development. The city is also working to better catalog all assets it owns to get a handle on the full scope of infrastructure needs.

Coming Up: The City Commission meets at 9 AM Monday to discuss the Kings Highway Jobs Corridor Initiative Phase I Final Report from the Economic Development Council, Main Street Fort Pierce's first quarter update, and board/committee assignments. This will be the first meeting with all five commissioners present in close to six months since Commissioner Gaines was excused from last week's meeting.

Cleveland Clinic Florida and Florida Blue are deadlocked over contract terms that would keep Vero Beach's only hospital in-network for nearly 6 million Florida Blue members. The standoff centers on reimbursement rates, with Florida Blue saying in-network care continues through May 31 while Cleveland Clinic says the deadline is three weeks away, though emergency services and certain patients mid-treatment would not be affected.

👉 Read more (Vero News)

Pizza Hut is closing 250 underperforming locations nationwide as parent company Yum! Brands continues reviewing the struggling restaurant chain, including the Port St. Lucie location at 10401 S. U.S. 1. The company has not released a complete closure list, though nine Pizza Huts remain on the Treasure Coast in Sebastian, Vero Beach, Fort Pierce, Port St. Lucie and Stuart.

👉 Read more (TCPalm, TCPalm subscription may be required)

Stuart is applying for a $78 million federal-state partnership grant to help fund replacement of the century-old St. Lucie River railroad bridge after securing only half of the $262 million needed. The city has a $130 million MEGA grant from the Department of Transportation, but the project cannot move forward until all financing is in place, with the aging drawbridge carrying more than 30 trains daily and blocking marine access when opened.

👉 Read more (WPTV)

Big congrats to all of our Saint Lucie County Teachers! The night of the stars is probably one of my favorite events in the county! It’s basically our Oscars LOL. Alright…

See you tomorrow!
With Love, Ja'Min

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