Good Morning, Sunland
It’s Wednesday! Let’s jump right in! and we've got some birthdays to celebrate!
🎉 Happy Birthday Kameron Kinser! This upcoming Saturday (10/11) - Kameron says "I love your newsletter! Thank you for all you do 😁" Thank you Kameron, and I hope you have an amazing day!
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Alright...
🌦️ Weather Update: Showers developing.
☀️ Day: High of 86°F | A mix of clouds and sun this morning
🌙 Night: Low of 76°F | Overcast with rain showers at times. Winds ENE at 5-10 mph.
🌅 Sunrise: 7:17 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 6:59 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 8:00 PM | 🌚 Moonset: 8:51 AM
🎶 Sounds like: "Love and Happiness" — Al Green
Ja’Min Devon
🏡 Sponsored: FREE Pathway to Homeownership Workshop
Treasure Coast Reality Group wants to guide you in purchasing a home! Finding affordable housing in St. Lucie County? Treasure Coast Realty Group is hosting a free homeownership seminar covering property search, financing, pre-qualification, and pre-approval process.
🏠 Main Squeeze: Wait, Is PSL Affordable or Not? Let's Talk About It
The head-scratcher: A new study from CashNetUSA ranks Port St. Lucie as the 4th least affordable rental market in America. But just a couple weeks ago, we looked at RentCafe data showing PSL actually gives you decent square footage for your rental dollar compared to national averages.
So what is it?
The conflicting data:
CashNetUSA study: Only 1.43% of PSL rentals are "affordable" (meaning 30% or less of the average local income of $34,797)
RentCafe data: $1,500/month gets you 758 square feet in PSL, not terrible compared to the 715 square foot national average
The competition: 12 renters are competing for each available apartment unit in PSL this summer
Here's the thing: These studies come out all the time, and sometimes the methodology can conflate things or miss the bigger picture. CashNetUSA is a cash advance loan company, so take that for what it's worth. But the numbers they're pulling don't seem to line up with what RentCafe found just weeks ago.
What we know for sure:
PSL metro area per capita income: $34,797
Average affordable rental size in PSL: 569 square feet according to CashNetUSA
New apartment construction dropped from 4.99% to just 0.59% of supply
The city's own 2024 Housing Needs Assessment says there's "very little naturally occurring affordable units, if any"
As we talked about in September's jobs report, we're sitting at 4.7% unemployment while the state's at 3.7%
The bottom line: Data is useful, but it doesn't always tell the whole story. That's why I want to hear from you.
💭 Your take: Does PSL feel affordable to you? Are you competing with a dozen other people for apartments? What are you actually seeing on the ground? Leave your thoughts here.
Want to dig into the numbers yourself? Check out the full CashNetUSA study.
Retry
🍊 Press Round: Granted…
⚖️ Sheriff Sues County Over Budget Dispute
Indian River County Sheriff Eric Flowers filed a lawsuit claiming commissioners violated state law by cutting his budget request from $12.2 million to $6.86 million without properly discussing specific line items. The unprecedented suit also alleges possible Sunshine Law violations, with Flowers planning to appeal to Governor Ron DeSantis, who could force the commission to approve the full request.
🚌 St. Lucie County Lands $5M Federal Transit Grant
The county received $5.1 million through the Federal Transit Administration's "Super Grant" program, which combined with $1.17 million in local funds will modernize buses, add automatic passenger counters, and expand paratransit service. Transit Director Adolfo Covelli says every dollar invested in transit generates six dollars back into the local economy through riders spending at businesses.
🏠 Martin County Has Zero Shelter Beds for Homeless Adults
The Treasure Coast has only one emergency shelter bed for every five homeless people, with Martin County offering no beds at all for single adults without children since at least 1996. The shortage forces people like 40-year-old David Pelton to sleep in his car and get moved by police twice nightly, while the county refers residents to St. Lucie or Indian River facilities or buses them out of town.
👉 Read more (TCPalm subscription required)
🎉 The Weekender: 7 Events to Check Out This Weekend!
Friday, Oct 10
👻 Boo Bash – Science and Playground Fun – Halloween-themed kids' night with science experiments and glow dance party at SusieDoos' Playhouse. Ages 5–10. | 6–8 PM | $30 each or $55 for both events | Details
Saturday, Oct 11
🎃 Fall Festival at the Farm – Family fun at Eastside Acres Ranch in PSL. (Check for updates due to potential flood reschedule to Nov 8.) | 10:30 AM | Ticketed | Details 🎃
♻️ Household Hazardous Waste Collection – Drop off insecticides, electronics, fluorescent bulbs, and more at PSL Public Works. Stay in your car, volunteers unload. | 8 AM–12 PM | Free | Details
🎬 Hocus Pocus Drive-In – Family movie night at Treasure Coast Park and Watch with concessions. | 7:30 PM | $14 per vehicle | Details
Sunday, Oct 12
🛍️ PSL Green Markets at MidFlorida Event Center – Petting zoo, bounce houses, local farms, food trucks, and vendors for a family-friendly Sunday. | 9 AM–2 PM | Free | Details
Want more events? Go here
📸 This is Sunland: Photo Finish!
See you tomorrow!
With Love, Ja’Min
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