Good Morning, Sunland
It's Tuesday! And thank you to everybody for being here. Let's jump right in!
🚨 Situational awareness: St. Lucie nuclear plant emergency sirens will sound Thursday, March 5 at noon. It's only a test. All 91 sirens will sound for one minute.
💜 People Pass Shoutout: Thank you to everyone supporting the newsletter! If you want to help keep this going, support here.
Ja’Min Devon
🎓 Florida School Choice Is Reshaping Public Education Across the State
After Tuesday's school board workshop, I wanted to understand how widespread this enrollment issue is. Turns out, St. Lucie County's first enrollment drop in decades is part of a much bigger story happening across Florida.
Districts all over the state are reporting student counts well below what they budgeted for. Miami-Dade County saw a 13,000 student decrease. Orange County faced a 7,000 student decline. Broward County lost about 11,000 students. Hillsborough County had about 10,000 fewer.
The Florida Empowerment Scholarship expansion is driving these numbers. Families can now use public dollars for private school, homeschool, or micro schools.
The Treasure Coast split: What's interesting is how differently our three counties are responding.
St. Lucie took a $7 million hit and froze positions. Indian River is considering school mergers to avoid "financial bankruptcy."
Martin County went the opposite direction. They launched an aggressive marketing campaign on Spotify, social media, and billboards, built up specialty programs like aerospace engineering and culinary arts, and attracted nearly 800 out-of-county students, a 45% increase.
The result? Martin County actually grew by 48 students this year.
The landscape for public education in Florida has fundamentally changed. The question now is how districts adapt. Do they compete aggressively for students like Martin County, or consolidate like Indian River is planning? St. Lucie will need to figure out its answer soon.
🥳 Out-of-Towner: Feb 24 - Mar 3
Friday, March 6
🌍 Palm Bay Multicultural Festival – 5th annual free festival celebrating global cultures with music, dance, food, art, and a Kids Zone at Fred Poppe Regional Park, 1951 Malabar Rd NW, Palm Bay. | 11 AM–3 PM | Free | Details
Saturday, March 7
🔥 Guavafest 2026 – All-day music festival featuring Guavatron, Billy Gilmore, Ambique, Digital Laundry, and more at Terra Fermata, Stuart. | 2 PM–11:45 PM | From $20 | Tickets
🌿 Garden Expo at Memorial Park – Spring garden expo at Memorial Park, Stuart. | 9 AM–3 PM | Details
🎸 Vero Beach Punk Rock Flea Market – 6 live bands, 40+ vendors, craft beer, and food trucks at American Icon Brewery, 1133 19th Pl, Vero Beach. | 12–6 PM | Free | Details
🍓 Space Coast Strawberry Festival – Two-day outdoor family festival celebrating the strawberry with food, activities, and vendors at Space Coast Daily Park, Melbourne. | Sat–Sun, Mar 7–8, 10 AM–6 PM | $7/person | Tickets
Sunday, March 8
🍝 Armani's 11th Italian Festival – Food, live entertainment, vendors, bounce house, and indoor/outdoor bars at Armani's Cucina, 1920 14th Ave, Vero Beach. | 4–8 PM | Free
If you have an event, send it to me here
🌮 Pepe's Cantina: Great for Any Occasion (Sponsored)
I went to Pepe's Cantina before they became a Sunland News sponsor, so this review comes from genuine experience. The fact that they're now supporting us just gives me another reason to tell you to check them out.
What I had: The Pepe's Trio Dip and the Birria Tacos with rice and beans. Both were amazing. The trio dip is perfect for sharing, and those birria tacos are worth the trip alone.
The experience: Since it was our first time, the staff walked us through the menu and drink options. They were accommodating and hospitable in a way that made us feel like we weren't just another table.
The atmosphere was lively without being overwhelming. A DJ in the corner kept things energetic, but it never felt like you accidentally walked into a club. It was the perfect balance for dinner conversation.
Why I'm telling you about it: Pepe's works for literally any occasion. Birthday party? Yes. Anniversary dinner? Absolutely. Date night? Perfect. Brunch with friends? They've got you. Just want to grab something to go? That too. Good environment, reasonable prices, and food that doesn't make you choose between quality and your budget.
I can't wait to try more of their menu and report back.
💧 The Last Drop: Fire, Speed Zones, and Voting
🚒 Stuart vs. Martin County Fire Rescue millage debate heats up – Martin County Press analysis shows City of Stuart's adjusted millage rate (2.38 or 1.911) is lower than County's 2.6376 rate. County draws $9.2M from General Fund annually. Consolidation rumors swirl despite numbers. Fire Rescue millage
📸 Florida school speed zone cameras face reforms – New bill (HB 543) would require flashing beacons to be active for enforcement, double response time from 30 to 60 days. Program generated $66M in fines, 827k citations since launch. Critics call it "broken system." Speed cameras
🗳️ Florida's SAVE Act would require citizenship proof to vote – Bills (HB 991/SB 1334) would require passport, REAL ID, or birth certificate for new voters and registration updates. Would ban student IDs at polls. Only 198 noncitizens found among 13M+ registered voters. Voting bill
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