🌅 💰 Sales Tax Deadline

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☀️ Day: High of 89°F | Mixed clouds and sun this morning, 60% chance of rain.
🌙 Night: Low of 75°F | Isolated thunderstorms this evening, 50% chance of rain.
🌅 Sunrise: 6:44 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 8:10 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 9:34 PM | 🌚 Moonset: 8:28 AM
🎶 Sounds like: "Lovely Day" — Bill Withers (My mood currently…)

What do Floresta Drive, California Boulevard, St. Lucie West Boulevard, Cashmere, Bayshore, Peacock and over 104 miles of resurfaced roads across Port St. Lucie have in common? Most of them were funded in whole or in part by the half cent infrastructure sales tax that voters approved back in 2018 and that is set to expire in 2028 💰.

Right now there is no agreement on whether voters will even get to decide if it continues on this year's ballot.

Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce have both passed resolutions calling for the renewal to go on the November ballot. The county is the only entity that can legally put it there. The county had previously approved it for the 2026 ballot but at their July meeting commissioners debated the risks of keeping it on the same ballot as the constitutional property tax amendment, with concerns that voters see the word tax and say no. A majority of three commissioners ultimately decided to pump the brakes and move the item to 2028 👀.

Port St. Lucie pushed back hard at their budget workshop. City staff laid out exactly what is at stake. The half cent is the primary funding source for the St. Lucie West Boulevard widening, which is already looking at a 2030 to 2031 timeline under the best case scenario. Without a confirmed funding source to bond against, that could slip to 2032 or 2033. Their finance staff was direct: bonding capacity depends on stable revenue and without the half cent renewal locked in, interest rates on bonds go up and the cost to residents goes up with them.

Mayor Martin and council members also made the point that the half cent is a consumption tax, meaning visitors and tourists share in paying for it alongside residents. That is a big part of why it passed in 2018 and why they believe it can pass again. Mayor Martin put it plainly: "If we don't have a secure funding source that we can go to our bond holders and say this has passed the ballot, we can bond for this project at today's dollars, that would not just be something positive but a huge cost savings to the city and its residents."

Worth noting: the half cent only requires 50% plus one to pass, not the 60% threshold that the property tax amendment needs. County staff said polling from an outside source showed the measure tracking around 70% approval. Port St. Lucie city attorney Richard Berrios also said that if the county does not act voluntarily, the city is prepared to make a legal argument that state law requires the county to place the measure on the ballot since Port St. Lucie represents a majority of the county's population and has already passed a supporting resolution 👀.

What's next: County commissioners meet Tuesday August 4th, one day before the August 5th deadline to place the measure on the November ballot 📅.

💬 Do you think the half cent sales tax renewal should be on the November ballot? Tell us right here

Vero Beach City Council tweaked the proposed 2026-2027 budget to restore three police officer positions without raising property tax rates. Council members approved new and increased fees including parking fines jumping from $20 to $40, recreation program fees averaging 25 percent increases, planning department fees up about $90,000, and a new right-of-way fee for businesses using city areas like outdoor dining. Marina fees transferred to general fund increase from 6 to 10 percent. The proposed budget is $37,242,588. Public hearings are September 10 and 22 before final adoption.

👉 Read more (Vero News)

Treasure Coast rents remain well above the national average of $1,930 monthly. Port St. Lucie leads at $2,600, up 2.7% year-over-year. Stuart and Vero Beach both sit at $2,500, with Stuart flat and Vero Beach down 2.0%. Sebastian posted the lowest median at $2,000, down 13% from last year, while Fort Pierce came in at $2,200, down 5.8%. In Port St. Lucie, single-family houses made up 82.3% of rentals with a median of $2,700 compared to $2,368 for apartments. Fort Pierce showed similar patterns with houses at $2,250 and apartments at $1,600.

👉 Read more (TCPalm subscription may be required)

Okeechobee High School opened a brand-new 250,000-square-foot building entirely funded by federal COVID-19 money. The facility accommodates up to 1,700 students and marks the first time all high school students learn on the same campus. The building features 85 classrooms, a gymnasium seating 1,900, a 500-seat auditorium and advanced science labs with gas and water for chemistry courses. Flexible learning spaces include dry-erase walls and varied furniture options. The district plans a public event midway through the school year once the parking lot is complete.

👉 Read more (WPTV)

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