Jesse ‘Doc’ James Smith, 82, Indian River County

Port St. Lucie man in custody after bank robbery, high-speed chase, crash

TREASURE COAST — A Port St. Lucie man who stole more than $5,000 from a Fellsmere bank, then drove southbound at speeds of up to 120 mph before crashing his vehicle in St. Lucie County, was in custody Thursday afternoon, sheriff's officials said. The incident led nearby Fellsmere Elementary School to be placed on a brief lockdown. "(The suspect) demanded money be placed in a pillowcase he brought with him," Fellsmere police said. The incident caused a multi-agency response across two counties to capture the suspect. Police identified the man as 44-year-old David Abram Ziesel. Police learned that Ziesel was on federal probation for robbing a bank in 2019 in Oakwood, Ohio; further details on that case were not immediately ...

Fellsmere awarded $700K for community development

Fellsmere was one of 48 cities and counties to be awarded state funding toward community development Wednesday, according to the office of Gov. Ron DeSantis. The $700,000 grant for the city will go toward replacing streets, sidewalks and landscaping from North Broadway Street to South Broadway Street, officials said. "Making investments in our small communities helps build opportunities for generations to come," DeSantis said in a statement. "I am proud to make these awards to 48 communities throughout the state to help them build economic resiliency and strengthen their communities." DeSantis issued more than $35 million to the communities through the Florida Small Cities Community Development Block Grant. The funds will be used for economic development, commercial and neighborhood revitalization, ...

Unofficial results in for Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere elections

Update: The unofficial votes are in for the Tuesday municipal elections for Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere. Voters made their pick on council members for Vero Beach and Sebastian. Residents also made their choices on charter amendments and referendums for Vero Beach, Sebastian and Fellsmere. All precincts were completely reported and all election day and vote-by-mail ballots were all in just before 8 p.m., according to the Indian River County Supervisor of Elections website. There were 30, 393 registered voters in Indian River County for this year's municipal election. Residents cast 7, 626 ballots and voter turnout was at 25.09 percent. Here are the unofficial results. Unofficial results: City Council Member City of Sebastian (Vote For 3) Damien Gilliams    ...