Property values are up. Unemployment is down. Debt is down.
And the economy … “Things are chugging along,” said Port St. Lucie Mayor Gregory Oravec. “The fundamentals are strong.”
Oravec, looking back on 2017, noted it was a year of the “new” – three new council members, new appointed city leaders. “We had a new team coming together,” he said.
And with all the “new,” Port St. Lucie continued moving forward – the Strategic Plan was approved, the city retained its Safest Large City in Florida designation and, of course, Crosstown Parkway’s extension broke ground.
“That, to me, is probably the biggest story,” he said.
Still, in reviewing 2017, Oravec said it’s the small projects that have the biggest impact. Such projects include the Sidewalks Master Plan, which has crews out throughout the city building new sidewalks, and the Utility Box wraps, paid for through recycling revenue and helping to beautify what would otherwise be drab hunks of metal sitting near street corners around town.
“We have a lot to be thankful for,” Oravec said of 2017.
So before we turn the page on 2017, let’s revisit some of the most meaningful stories – in the areas of development, business, crime and human interest – covered by St. Lucie Voice in the past year.
Development
Crosstown Parkway: The Crosstown Parkway Extension will connect drivers from Crosstown at Manth Lane across Floresta Drive and the North Fork to U.S. 1 at Village Green Drive. More than 12 years ago, the city’s voters overwhelmingly approved a special tax they would be assessed in order to fund the Crosstown Parkway extension. The six-lane divided highway will provide for a third major east-west corridor that is expected to ease traffic congestion as well as provide another emergency evacuation route. Residents curious to see the progress can go to www.CrosstownExtension.com and get a bird’s-eye view from a web camera posted 52 feet above the construction site.
Tradition Town Hall: In June, Christ Family Church purchased Tradition Town Hall, located at 10799 SW Civic Lane, for $1.7 million. The church previously held services there and continues to do so. The 9,000-square-foot facility has previously been used as a community center, open to those who wish to meet there. Under the church’s ownership, that is expected to continue.
Hilton hotel: A new 114-room hotel will soon be coming to The Promenade of St. Lucie West. Developer Amin Gulamali expects to break ground on the four-story Home2 Suites by Hilton in early 2018 and, if all goes according to plan, travelers can book rooms sometime in the first quarter of 2019. The Promenade of St. Lucie West is home to Carrabba’s Italian Grill, which was built as the first of three phases. A second restaurant is planned as part of the third and final phase. The 65,822-square-foot Home2 Suites is the second phase and will be located along SW Fountainview Boulevard.
The Springs at Tradition: A 304-unit apartment complex is planned for Tradition and is expected to be ready for renters in 2018. The Springs at Tradition offers townhome-style units ranging in size from studios to three bedrooms. The complex will sit on more than 26 acres south of Tradition Parkway, between Community Boulevard and Village Parkway.
Townplace at St. Lucie West: New Jersey developer Center Star Property Group is building what it describes as a “mini-downtown” complete with apartments, offices, retail shops and restaurants on a 16-acre site on SW Fountainview Boulevard. The first of several are due to be ready for office and retail tenants sometime this coming spring. The next buildings will be ready by spring of 2019 and the apartments will be ready by late 2019 or early 2020.
Business
Flying Panda: The Flying Panda is the answer for those who believe there is just nothing for the youth to do – the indoor so-much-more-than-a-trampoline park – opened in May to rave reviews from squealing kids, teens and adults alike. “Flyers” get to harness their inner Cirque du Soleil performer by trying out the aerial silks, pretend to be Michael Jordan or LeBron James by springing off the trampoline to dunk the basketball on one of two courts, or reimagine childhood days playing Dodgeball in a screened room on massive trampoline floors. Flying Panda is located at 440 NW Peacock Blvd., across from First Data Field, in St. Lucie West.
Instacart: Instacart brought the grocery store to customers with online shopping and personal delivery to residents throughout much of the Treasure Coast this year, including St. Lucie West. The expansion led to at least 100 new jobs for people willing to brave grocery stores for those who are unable, unwilling or just too busy to get to the store. Instacart is partners with Publix, ABC Fine Wines & Spirits, Petco, and BJ’s.
Tradition Medical Center: This fall, Tradition Medical Center opened its $110 million expansion, which increased the capacity to 180 beds, including 10 more in the ICU and the creation of a 12-bed Progressive Care Unit. The new PCU helps transition patients from ICU to the traditional medical-surgical unit. Along with expanding the ICU and creating the Progressive Care Unit, Tradition Medical Center has renovated and expanded the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit – or NICU. This is the second of three phases of expansion at Tradition Medical Center. The first was completed December 2016, which included an interventional lab for cardiac catheterizations, interventional radiology and vascular procedures, an 18-bed observation unit designed to improve the flow of emergency patients who require an extended or overnight stay, and a 14-bed post-anesthesia care unit. The third and final phase will include a pediatrics unit and is expected to be completed in spring 2019.
City Electric: Project Bourbon had nothing to do with alcohol and everything to do with manufacturing. It was the code name for City Electric Supply, which was looking for a new home that would allow it to consolidate space and yet still expand. Ultimately, it decided to move to the Tradition Center for Commerce so it can double its building space to 400,000 square feet and hire nearly 50 more employees. The company is a family-owned electrical wholesale business that provides personalized service and support for customers in the residential, commercial, and industrial marketplace. The company’s United States network spans 28 states, with over 440 branches.
Crime and Public Safety
Smart Water: The Port St. Lucie Police Department enlisted SmartWater CSI as a partner to help deter property thefts. SmartWater is a chemical that is dabbed onto personal items – and linked with a unique signature to the rightful owner of those items. If thieves steal the items and the items are recovered, authorities can build a stronger case for an arrest as well as return the items to the owner. The agency used forfeiture funds to purchase equipment and 75 SmartWater kits. Those kits have been given to construction and landscaping companies so they can tag their equipment, which is often a target of theft.
Rolex faker: An accused criminal was arrested in an undercover sting trying to sell knock-off Rolexes for hundreds of dollars. Authorities got wise to the activity after seeing a social media post by the suspect: “Why pay more when you can pay less n look the same?” An officer arranged to meet the suspect at the St. Lucie West Walmart parking to make the purchase. But, instead of getting cash, the suspect got a pair of handcuffs.
Brazen jewelry heist: In April, perhaps one of the most brazen robberies occurred in St. Lucie West. Three men donned long-haired wigs, heavy makeup or masks, and jumpsuits and entered LSO Jewelers just after the owner and an employee opened the store. The men held guns to the women’s heads, demanding keys to the safe, and ransacked the jewelry cases. An off-duty deputy saw what was happening and called it in, according to the incident report. Several months later, all four were arrested, accused of robbing LSO and three other jewelers around the state.
Uber carjacking: An Indiana man was arrested, accused of carjacking an Uber driver and then robbing – at gunpoint – an ATM customer. The carjacking occurred in the Cashmere Corner Plaza when the suspect pulled out a gun and ordered the driver to get out. Neither the woman who hailed the Uber nor the driver was injured. The ATM customer, too, was uninjured. The suspect was arrested near the Fort Pierce Jai-Alai.
Doggie-door burglar: The doggie-door is meant for exactly that – dogs, not burglars. However, the Port St. Lucie Police Department says that’s exactly how a burglar entered a woman’s home and made off with her property. Though the suspect lived nearby, he eluded officers for several months. According to court records, an arrest warrant was finally served to him in August.
Human Interest
Veteran gets a home: Coast Guard Petty Officer Raymond Concepcion and his family finally moved into their new home on SE Walters Terrace, which they won in the city’s inaugural Home for a Hero program drawing. “Thank you for making this possible,” Officer Concepcion said during the Key Ceremony. He said he doesn’t always feel like a hero – he’s just a man doing his job, one that he dreamed of doing since he was a child. With the house, he knows his family will be stable, which will make his two- and three-month deployments a bit easier.
True Crew Dance Company: St. Lucie West-based True Crew Dance Company’s competition team dominated the World Championship held at the Meadowlands Expo Center in New Jersey this summer, bringing home several titles. The 45-strong team ranging in age from 4 to 17 danced against the best from the around the world, including those from Canada, China and Australia, to name a few. Their production of “Jungle Crew” earned them a place in the Final Top 5, and 4th Overall World Dance Champions in the Advanced Grand Line category. The number’s choreography also netted studio owner Toni (Pressimone) Szparaga the World Dance Champion Choreography Award.
Fab 5: Five slobbering, loving dogs are recovering from neglect, malnutrition and mistreatment at the Humane Society of St. Lucie County while their so-called owner is out of jail on $25,000 bail awaiting her day in court. Sissy, Nala, Moose, Chaos and Danny – or the Fab 5, as the Humane Society calls them – are dealing with a host of medical ailments. They are gaining weight and loving the attention they’re receiving, and are expected to be ready soon for new, caring forever homes.