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In today's newsletter:
🏛️ Fort Pierce city attorney's contract now on May 18th agenda
🏥 HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital opens 6 story parking garage
💧 Port St. Lucie plans $200 million water treatment facility
🚒 Stuart and Martin County Fire Rescue reach agreement
✈️ Vero Beach Air Show this weekend
⛈️ Weather Update: Storms likely this afternoon.
☀️ Day: High of 88°F | Thunderstorms likely this afternoon. 70% chance of rain.
🌙 Night: Low of 69°F | Showers early, then partly cloudy. 40% chance of rain.
🌅 Sunrise: 6:33 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 8:01 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 4:02 AM | 🌚 Moonset: 4:49 PM
🎶 Sounds like: "Paradise" — Sade
Ja'Min Devon
Founder & Publisher, Sunland News
🟠 Main Squeeze: The Fort Pierce city attorney's contract is now on the agenda for May 18th
This story has been developing since April and it added a new layer at Monday's commission meeting. The Fort Pierce City Commission voted to place the city attorney's contract on the May 18th agenda for a formal discussion on whether to renew it, after Commissioner Dzadovsky pointed out that the contract contains a 90 day provision that automatically renews if no action is taken and that window closes June 2nd 🏛️.
Why it matters: The commission only directly employs three people, the city manager, the city clerk and the city attorney. The contract for City Attorney Sara Hedges expires September 10th, but the 90 day notice provision to act on it had to happen before June 2nd. Commissioners acknowledged Monday that most of them were not aware that deadline was three weeks away.
What happened at the meeting 📋:
📄 Commissioner Dzadovsky said he discovered the provision while reviewing contracts and brought it forward with three weeks left in the notice window
🗳️ The commission voted to place the contract discussion on the May 18th agenda as a formal item
✅ Commissioner Broderick said plainly at the meeting that he is aware there is a movement to dismiss Hedges in light of everything that has happened and that he does not support it, and said he would articulate that position on the 18th
🔴 The three outcomes available to commissioners are to renew the contract, to choose not to renew and let it expire September 10th, or to take no action and allow it to renew automatically
Worth noting: Commissioner Gaines said at the meeting that he wanted all commissioners to hear from outside counsel before having the broader discussion, given the pending letter of intent to sue filed by Hedges' client. Dzadovsky said the contract question and the broader charter dispute are separate matters 👀.
What's next: The item goes on the May 18th agenda. That is the last meeting before June 2nd 📅.
💬 What do you think should happen with the city attorney's contract? Tell us right here
📦 Press Round: Parking, Plants & Protection
🏥 HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital Opens 6 Story Parking Garage
HCA Florida St. Lucie Hospital opened a new 6 story parking garage with 667 free spaces and 13 electric vehicle charging stations, ending a parking shortage that had patients leaving cars along curbs and in the grass. The hospital is seeing a 20 percent increase in admissions in 2026 with deliveries more than doubling from the previous year.
👉 Read more (WPTV)
💧 Port St. Lucie Plans $200 Million Water Treatment Facility
Port St. Lucie City Council unanimously approved a design contract for the Discovery Water Treatment Facility off Discover Way that will add 10 million gallons of daily capacity and be fully operational by 2030. The city currently has three water treatment facilities with 42 million gallons a day capacity serving 23 million gallons of daily demand.
👉 Read more (WPTV)
🚒 Stuart and Martin County Fire Rescue Reach Agreement
Stuart Fire Rescue and Martin County Fire Rescue reached an agreement where the closest unit will respond to any call regardless of whether it's for a city or county resident with no money exchanged between municipalities. Stuart City Commission approved the interlocal agreement with the county expected to approve at its May 19 meeting.
👉 Read more (Martin County Press)
🎉 Weekender: Events for the Weekend!
Friday, May 15
🎨 Opening Reception: Through the Eye of the Camera – A.E. Backus Museum & Gallery, Fort Pierce. | 6 PM | Details
🎭 Ballet Vero Beach Presents: Spring Flings – McAlpin Fine Arts Center, Fort Pierce. | 7 PM | Details
🎯 All You Can Shoot Paintball Night – inVINCibles Paintball Park, 2221 SW Del Rio Blvd, Port St. Lucie. | 7 PM | $59.99 | 18+ | Details
Friday, May 15 – Sunday, May 17
✈️ 2026 Vero Beach Air Show – Vero Beach Regional Airport. | Details
Saturday, May 16
😂 Ali Siddiq: The Custom Fit Tour – Sunrise Theatre, 117 S 2nd St, Fort Pierce. | 4 PM | Ticketed | Details
🌿 Heathcote's Bonsai Bash: 40th Anniversary Celebration – Heathcote Botanical Gardens, 210 Savannah Rd, Fort Pierce. | 6 PM | $110 | Ticketed | Details
🎷 Violets & Pearls Jazz Brunch – Santa Lucia River Club, 3325 Ballantrae Blvd, Port St. Lucie. | Sat, May 16 | 11 AM | $100 | Ticketed
Sunday, May 17
If you have an event, send it to me here
💧 The Last Drop: Jetty Park Closure, PSL Events Survey, FPL Siren Testing, and Fort Pierce Consolidated Plan
🏖️ Jetty Park beach access closing Thursday through Saturday – Fort Pierce Shore Protection Project wrapping up near jetty. Public beach access closed May 14-16 for final work. Check conditions at Visit St. Lucie webcams
📋 PSL wants your input on special events – City asking residents what they love about events, how they hear about them, what else to bring to Port St. Lucie. Take survey
🚨 FPL testing 92 emergency sirens this week – Sign up for alerts at ReadyStLucie.org
🏘️ Fort Pierce developing 2026-2030 Consolidated Plan for HUD funds – City outlining how Community Development Block Grant dollars will be used over next four years. Complete survey.
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