🌅💧Water Bills Going Up Next Month

It’s Monday. Happy to be back. Hope everybody had a good long weekend.

Appreciate you being here. We’ve got a pretty packed newsletter, so let’s jump right in.

🅿️ Updated List of Free Parking in Fort Pierce: If you park downtown, this one’s worth saving. Check the updated info here.

🍽️ 772 Eats Got an Upgrade:Before, it was just a basic database. Now it’s been curated and cleaned up, with new features that let you save restaurants, add notes, and keep track of spots you want to try. If you’re a foodie and want to keep it local, give it a look. You can grab 100 restaurants for free or unlock the full guide and journal at 772eats.com.

🌤️ Day: High of 91°F | Cloud cover rolls in after a partly sunny start
🌙 Night: Low of 73°F | Staying humid with clouds early, clearing late
🌅 Sunrise: 6:32 AM | 🌇 Sunset: 8:19 PM
🌙 Moonrise: 5:58 PM | 🌘 Moonset: 3:27 AM
🎶 Sounds like: “Any Time, Any Place” by Janet Jackson

You can never plan too much. That’s why Yates Funeral Home is giving Sunland readers a free guide to help you make more thoughtful decisions for yourself or for loved ones. No pressure. Just helpful info.

💧 Starting next month, water, sewer, and connection fees in St. Lucie County are increasing. This past week, the county approved two resolutions that will likely affect you if you own a home, a business, or both.

TL;DR: The county just passed two resolutions that’ll likely affect your pocket. One raises your water bill. The other increases what new developments pay to hook in. Most households will see a bump of about $4.89 per month starting in August.

💬 Why It Matters: Many may not notice the five dollar bump at first, but this is just the first of two expected rate hikes. The real increase is in the connection fees, which are going way, way up. That could slow down development. Some people may be happy about that. Others? Not so much.

📈 The Numbers:

These changes help cover the cost of two new treatment plants (Tropicana and Holiday) and expand the system to support new construction.

🧠 A Little Context: The rate increases are based on a March 5 study the county also used to back a recent bond. The board approved both resolutions, one for billing and one for connection fees, with no pushback. Everybody was on board. And while the 2025 numbers are now locked in, a second round of increases is already on the table for 2026.

👀 Watch It Yourself: Want to see the full presentation and vote? Here’s the July 1 meeting recording (Item 12A).

🗣 What Do You Think? Do we pay too much or too little for water in St. Lucie County?Leave your thoughts here.

Aldi is officially setting up shop in Indian River County with two new stores coming to Vero Beach and Sebastian. The discount chain will now have locations in every Treasure Coast county.

👉 See where and when

Residents are sounding the alarm after a major fish kill followed city spraying in a Port St. Lucie canal. Locals say the smell is unbearable. Officials are investigating possible health and environmental impacts.

👉 Full story

CareerSource’s long-awaited Fort Pierce location still isn’t open. The CEO says permitting and inspections have been repeatedly pushed. No word yet on a firm launch date.

👉 What we know

Local news only moves when the people who read it move with it.

Every new People Pass turns into something tangible on your screen. Last week it funded our school deep-dive rollout and the launch of play.sunlandnews.com for quick event finds.

Join today. Claim your People Pass and power the next big upgrade for home.

🧘 Sunset Yoga at the Gardens: Find your flow outdoors at Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens | 7–8 PM | $10 non-members / Free members | Details

🤝 Chamber Networking Breakfast: Morning mingle with local pros at Gator Trace Golf & Country Club | 8:15 AM | $17 | Tickets 

🏛️ School Board Meeting: Big agenda on rezoning for Dan McCarty, St. Lucie, and Longwood elementaries. | 5 PM | Free | Agenda

🦀 Seafood Deck Party @ Causeway Cove: River-view boil, live tunes and good vibes on the marina deck | 6–9 PM | Free entry | Details 

☕ Breakfast in the Square w/ Tueste Coffee: Pastries, fresh brews and lakeside strolls in Tradition Square | 9–11 AM | Pay-as-you-go | Details 

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See you tomorrow!
With Love, Ja’Min

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