Good Morning, Sunland
It's Wednesday! And I love this job. I love that you all support Sunland, and I love building this thing together. We've been experimenting with some new formats this last month, and yesterday we dropped a photo series that I know we'll do more of. The main mission for Sunland, even past keeping you informed, is really to get you to love home. I believe that if you love something enough, you'll do anything to make sure that place stays special and means something as time goes along. That's what we're building here.
💜 People Pass Shoutout: Thank you to everyone supporting the newsletter! If you want to help keep this going, support here.
In today's newsletter:
📊 We built a public salary database for St. Lucie County with 925 employees earning $100k or more
🌉 Oslo Road I-95 interchange opens a full year ahead of schedule in Indian River County
🎭 McAlpin Theater announces its 2026-2027 live and local season with comedy and cultural performances
💼 Fort Pierce Public Works job fair October 20 with openings in maintenance and operations
🎉 Events this weekend: Toast tribute show, Downtown Stuart Craft Festival, interactive murder mystery comedy
Ja'Min Devon
Founder & Publisher, Sunland News
🟠 Main Squeeze: We built a public salary database for St. Lucie County
Every year around budget season, publications across the country pull public payroll records and show you exactly what your local government is paying its employees. I was just reading about the highest paid city manager in the country and it got me thinking. It is one of the most important things local journalism does because these are your tax dollars and this is public information.
I always wished there was an easier way to see these numbers and actually interact with them. So I built it myself.
The Sunland Public Pay Database has 925 St. Lucie County employees who earned $100,000 or more this past fiscal year. You can search by name, job title or agency, filter by department and sort however you want. All public record, all in one place.
Here are a few names from the top of the list to get you started 📋:
Port St. Lucie City Manager: $321,321
St. Lucie County Attorney: $275,000
St. Lucie County Administrator: $275,000
Fort Pierce City Manager: $220,500
One note on the data: This reflects payroll from the past fiscal year so some personnel have since changed. George Landry and Fort Pierce City Attorney Sara Hedges have both departed their roles since these records were pulled.
Go explore it 📊.
💬 I want to hear from you on this one. After you look through the database, call or text me directly at 772-212-1504 and leave a voicemail with your reaction. What stood out? What surprised you? What do you think about what your local government is paying its people? I am genuinely listening and your voice could end up in our coverage.
📰 Press Round: Infrastructure & Inspiration
🌉 Oslo Road I-95 Interchange Opens Ahead of Schedule
The $95.78 million I-95 and Oslo Road interchange opened Tuesday in Indian River County, completing a full year ahead of the contract deadline. Governor Ron DeSantis celebrated the opening. The four-lane widened roadway includes sidewalks, bicycle lanes and a gopher tortoise habitat relocation site, providing direct I-95 access while improving evacuation routes.
👉 Read more (WQCS)
🎭 McAlpin Theater Announces 2026-2027 Live & Local Season
McAlpin Theater at Indian River State College released its 2026-2027 lineup featuring Dad Jokes, A Salute to Veterans, Sing in the Holidays, concerts by Tabitha Meeks and Sons of Mystro, and other comedy shows and cultural performances. The theater is positioning itself as the Treasure Coast's destination for live entertainment by local artists. Tickets are on sale now.
👉 See full lineup (IRSC)
💼 Fort Pierce Public Works Job Fair Set for October 20
The City of Fort Pierce is hosting a Public Works Job Fair Tuesday, October 20 from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. at River Walk Center. Current openings include fleet maintenance, facilities operations, solid waste management, certified mechanics and more. Candidates should bring resumes and register in advance.
👉 Register now (CareerSource Research Coast)
🎉 772 Weekender: Events October 10–11
Friday, October 9
🎃 Fall Fest & Movie Night, Langford Park, 2369 NE Dixie Hwy, Jensen Beach. 5:30PM to 9:30PM, free. Coco plays at 8PM on a 20 foot LED screen, with food trucks, a kids costume contest, and face painting. Details
💃 Ladies Love R&B (25 & Up), TC Events Venue, 6666 US-1 Suite 1, PSL. Doors at 10PM, runs until 2AM. First 100 ladies free with RSVP until 11PM, general admission from $16. Details
Saturday, October 10
🎵 Toast: The Best of Bread, Sunrise Theatre, 117 S 2nd St, Fort Pierce. 7PM. Details
😂 LIVE at the Black Box: Dean Napolitano, Sunrise Theatre, Fort Pierce. 8PM. Details
🎨 27th Annual Downtown Stuart Craft Festival, SW Osceola St, Stuart. Details
🍂 Sunshine Autumn Market, Port St. Lucie High School, PSL. 10AM to 2PM. Details
🧺 Tradition Unlocked, 10799 SW Civic Ln, PSL. Runs Saturday through Monday, October 10 to 12. Details
🤠 Meating Street Country Night with Kid Karter, 10553 SW Meeting St, PSL. Details
Sunday, October 11
🎭 Murders in the Heir, Port St. Lucie Community Center, 2195 SE Airoso Blvd, PSL. 11:30AM and 3:30PM, an interactive murder mystery comedy. Details
If you have an event, send it to me here
📖 Thanks For Reading: How was today’s newsletter?
👋 Thanks for reading! If you found it useful, consider sharing it with a friend.
📱 Keep up with the Sunland News: Send comments & suggestions to [email protected] Follow us on, Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube
🙋♂️ Did someone forward you this? Subscribe Below!
