- SUNLAND NEWS
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- 🌅 Wine Festival, Mustard Seed, & Flooding
Good Morning, Sunland! It’s Monday!
Welcome to Sunland News - The newsletter that feels like home, where you knock on a neighbor's door asking for sugar, and you leave with a whole meal.
There are officially 99 days left in the year, which I found pretty interesting. Time is flying by; before you know it, we’ll be surrounded by Black Friday sales and Christmas lights. I know everyone is looking for that end-of-year push, just like I am with Sunland News.
If there’s anything you’d like to see before the year wraps up, or if you have any suggestions, hit reply and let me know! I’d love to hear from you.
Have a great start to your week!
— Ja'Min
In Today’s Sunland News 📬
💧Somebody Forgot to Hit the 'On' Switch for City’s Pump
🍷 Raise a Glass at Downtown Cellars Wine Festival!
🛒 Mustard Seed Ministries Thrift Shop Reopens
🤔 Another City Manager Under Fire?
📚 Read Time: 5 Minutes
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If you had to show a newcomer what makes Saint Lucie County special, which experience would you recommend?
🍊 |
Weather TL;DR: "September" by Earth, Wind & Fire 🎶
A few showers early in the day, then clouds lingering for the afternoon. Grab the umbrella just in case! 🌧️
🌞 Day: High of 86°F
🌜 Night: Low of 76°F
🌅 Sunrise: 7:10 AM
🌇 Sunset: 7:16 PM
☔ Rain: 30% chance during the day, 50% at night
💧 Humidity: Day - 81%, Night - 84%
Stay safe and stay dry out there!
🛝 Grant Workshop for Oak Hammock Park Playground Project
Join for a grant workshop on Tuesday, Sept. 24, from 4-5 p.m. at City Hall, 121 SW Port St. Lucie Blvd., Room 188.The city will discuss the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program (FRDAP) grant for Oak Hammock Park's playground project, sponsored by the Parks & Recreation Department.
🚗Check the current traffic situation via Google.
🚤 TREASURE COAST AT LARGE
🛒 Mustard Seed Ministries Thrift Shop Reopens with a Fresh Look!
Mustard Seed Ministries has reopened its Port St. Lucie thrift shop at 8311 S. U.S. Hwy. 1 with a newly renovated space, offering even more stylish finds and unique treasures. Proceeds support their mission to assist 60,000 people annually.
🍊 FLORIDA AT LARGE
Another City Manager Under Fire? 🤔
Riviera Beach is stirring up quite the conversation with the recent two-week suspension of City Manager Jonathan Evans. It's déjà vu for us, right? Seems like city managers across the state are running into trouble…
Evans was suspended by Mayor Ronnie Felder over "neglect of duties," and it’s got the community split right down the middle. On one hand, residents from the working-class neighborhoods are raising concerns about ignored allegations of racism, sexual harassment, and favoritism within city departments. On the flip side, others claim Evans is the best city manager the city has seen in years, calling his suspension outright confusing.
The divide between the wealth of Singer Island and the mainland neighborhoods is only growing wider with this controversy. Evans hasn't commented yet, but with his $200,000-a-year position on the line, the question remains: Will he want to come back after such a public suspension?
🌍 WORLD (Random) AT LARGE
🛑 Cards Against Humanity Sues SpaceX for Trespassing
Cards Against Humanity is taking legal action against SpaceX, claiming the company trespassed and damaged land the game company purchased in Texas. The $15 million lawsuit alleges SpaceX vehicles parked and worked on the property without permission, violating Cards Against Humanity’s rights.
City Forgot to Turn on the City’s Pump System
Last week, I noticed that the heavy rainfall we experienced caused some serious flooding in certain areas across Port Saint Lucie and Fort Pierce. At first, I thought it was just a case of typical heavy rain flooding, but then I learned that there was more to the story. It turns out that St. Lucie County had "forgotten" to turn on the pump system for the Lakewood Park neighborhood in Fort Pierce.
County Commissioner Cathy Townsend later confirmed that the pump wasn’t turned on until well after the rainfall had already started flooding the area. This delay in activating the system left residents to report the issue, who saw the water quickly rise on their streets, with little to no drainage to handle the downpour.
The real issue, as Townsend pointed out, stems from the infrastructure, or rather the lack of it, in Lakewood Park. The original agreement between the community developer and water management didn’t include a reliable drainage system, and now, decades later, they’re still dealing with those consequences. The current drainage setup involves a single pump on Green Dolphin, which can only be activated once water reaches a specific level.
The county has plans to replace this outdated pump with a new $4.5 million drainage system, paid for by grants and county funds at no cost to taxpayers, but that’s still a year away. Beyond that, the flooding issue is compounded by blocked culverts and swales—residents are responsible for maintaining these, but many have become clogged or even crumbling over time, leading to more drainage issues.
The recent flooding serves as a reminder that, while there’s progress being made, there’s still a lot of work to be done to ensure our drainage systems can handle heavy rain events and keep our neighborhoods safe.
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📸 Olive Branch GreenMarket
Had an amazing time over the weekend at the Olive Branch GreenMarket! There’s something special about witnessing the start of something new. The market just began last month, but I can already see it becoming a big hit in the near future. Saint Lucie West definitely has a need and demand for something like this on the weekends. I’m glad I was able to capture the moment!
See you tomorrow!
With love,
Ja’Min
🍷 Raise a Glass at Downtown Cellars Wine Festival!
📅 September 26, 2024 | Evening
📍 121 Melody Lane, Fort Pierce, FL
Join Chef Ken and Sommelier Taylor Cope for a Five Course Meal & Wine Pairing Event. Enjoy delicious wines from Domaine Carneros, Caymus, and Villa Bibbiani, paired with gourmet dishes and live music by the Andrew Morris Band. Don't miss out on this great opportunity to sip, savor, and mingle!
🍻 Toast to the Treasure Coast
📅 September 25, 2024 | Evening
📍 Sailfish Brewing Company, 165 Avenue A, Fort Pierce, FL
Join Sailfish Brewing Company for an unforgettable evening of culinary delights and craft beverages. Enjoy an array of local flavors, meet fellow food enthusiasts, and celebrate the best of the Treasure Coast!
🥓 Port St. Lucie Bacon and BBQ Festival
📅 September 28-29, 2024 | All Day
📍 MIDFLORIDA Event Center, Port St. Lucie, FL
Indulge in finger-licking BBQ, ribs, chicken, pulled pork, and mouthwatering bacon dishes like bacon ice cream, chocolate-covered bacon, and bacon & bourbon brownies. Enjoy live entertainment and tasty libations. Bring canned goods or non-perishable food donations for the Treasure Coast Food Bank and look for the orange collection bins at the entrance.
🛍️ Port St. Lucie Fall Craft Fair
📅 September 28-29, 2024 | All Day
📍 MIDFLORIDA Event Center, Port St. Lucie, FL (Inside)
Explore a wide variety of fall and holiday-themed items crafted by artists from all over the state in the air-conditioned MIDFLORIDA Event Center. Shop for unique and seasonal crafts to prepare for the upcoming holidays.
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