It’s Friday! We love Friday! Good Morning!

I'm excited to wrap up the week by writing this for all of our Sunland News readers. SLN received fantastic feedback on both our interview with Albert Wilson on Tuesday and the events list we released yesterday.

We’ll keep improving the newsletter to ensure you stay informed about everything happening in and around the county.

Thank you! Now, let’s dive into the news.

— Ja'Min

What to Expect:

1. 🏗️🚧 Update on the Nicholas Mimms Case

2. 🌀 Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday to begin on Saturday [More Info]

3. 🎉 Week Events: WWE NXT August 23, 2024, Havert L. Fenn Center, Fort Pierce, FL. An action-packed night of professional wrestling. Crabby's Dockside School Employee Appreciation Event

📚 Read Time: 5.97 Minutes

☁️ Weather Forecast

Weather TL;DR: It's still warm, but not quite as scorching. Expect some rain—because it's Florida. Plus, a few scattered thunderstorms in the afternoon. Stay cool and keep that umbrella near!

🌤️ Day: High 88°F
🌙 Night: Low 78°F
🌅 Sunrise: 6:56 AM
🌇 Sunset: 7:50 PM

🌧️ Rain: 40% chance of showers early, with partly cloudy skies later.

NEWS

🏗️🚧 Update on the Nicholas Mimms Case: What We’ve Learned So Far

Recently, we shared news about the arrest of Fort Pierce City Manager Nicholas Mimms, shedding light on a larger investigation into his alleged misconduct. Now, we have more details to share.

The investigation, which has been ongoing for two years, centers around a pair of vacant lots on Avenue D in Lincoln Park—a community that has long needed revitalization. Mimms is accused of improperly favoring a nonprofit led by his niece and another city employee in a bid to develop these lots.

The project, called Lincoln Park Young Professionals (LPYP), proposed placing temporary structures on the land for community use, but it never got off the ground, despite receiving significant funding. Investigators claim Mimms gave LPYP an unfair advantage by disclosing non-public information and influencing the bid process. This raises serious questions about how city resources are being managed.

What’s even more troubling is the potential conflict of interest, as the nonprofit involved had close ties to city employees. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement report suggests that the process was anything but transparent. Despite receiving at least $624,000 in private grants, the project stalled, and the lease for the property was eventually terminated in June 2024.

Stay tuned for more updates as we follow this story closely.

Some Additional Thoughts..

In light of recent developments surrounding the arrest of Fort Pierce City Manager Nicholas Mimms, it’s clear that our community deserves more transparency and accountability, especially when it comes to how city projects are managed and funded. The situation involving the Lincoln Park improvement project highlights the need for a more efficient process, where information is readily available and accessible to the public.

To address this, I’m considering the possibility of building a platform that would provide a transparent dashboard of all ongoing city projects, including who is bidding on them and their progress. This could be a valuable tool in ensuring that projects like the one in Lincoln Park are executed efficiently and with integrity, preventing such unfortunate situations from happening in the future.

It's unfortunate that such a promising project is now mired in controversy. While we hope that everything was done by the book, the ongoing investigation into these events is crucial. As we continue to follow this story, it’s important that we push for changes that will benefit the entire community and prevent similar issues moving forward.

🔔 Sunland Bulletin

🤽🏾💦Lakewood Pool will be closed until Saturday, Aug. 24 due to maintenance issues. Aquafit classes will resume on Tuesday, Aug. 27.

The Fort Pierce City Commission is looking for new members to join the Fort Pierce Youth Council (YOCO)! 🌟 This is your chance to make a difference in our community by sharing your ideas and opinions on youth-related issues with the Commission. [Learn More Here]

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📰Other News

🚤 TREASURE COAST AT LARGE

🏞️🅿️ People have had a really strong reaction to the State Park News: More than 59,000 people within 24 hours signed a Change.org petition to halt the plan for Jonathan Dickinson State Park [More Info]

🍊 FLORIDA AT LARGE

🌀 Hurricane Preparedness Sales Tax Holiday to begin on Saturday [More Info]

🌍 WORLD AT LARGE

🚰 A new US government report concluded the presence of fluoride in drinking water at twice the recommended limit is linked with lower IQ in children; the report said ~0.6% of the US population – or ~1.9 million people – are on water systems at or above that level of fluoride. [More Info Here]

🪮Sunland Picks

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You can now submit a story for Sunland News to cover! Whether it's news, events, or anything you think deserves attention, just click the button below to share it with us. Thank you for being part of Sunland News! 🙏

📸This Is Saint Lucie

🗓️ Things To Do

WWE NXT
🗓️ Date: August 23, 2024
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 10:00 PM
📍 Location: Havert L. Fenn Center, Fort Pierce, FL
An action-packed night of professional wrestling.

Dueling Pianos Dinner Show
🗓️ Date: August 23, 2024
⏰ Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM
📍 Location: St. Lucie Trail Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, FL
An entertaining dinner show featuring dueling pianos.

Music Bingo Fridays
🗓️ Date: August 23, 2024
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM – 11:00 PM
📍 Location: Islamorada Brewery & Distillery, Fort Pierce, FL
Enjoy a fun-filled night with music bingo and dancing.

Harry Potter Night
🗓️ Date: August 24, 2024
⏰ Time: 5:00 PM
📍 Location: 31 Piazza Dr., Port Saint Lucie, FL
Experience a magical Harry Potter-themed night at the ballpark.

🕹️ Sunland Games