02/16/2023 ISSUE 04

A controversial proposal to allow four-story apartment buildings amidst single-family homes in Tradition faces Port St. Lucie City Council scrutiny during a public hearing set for Feb. 27. Mattamy Palm Beach LLC wants the City Council to increase the maximum height to 55 feet from 35 feet for apartment buildings on a 31.59-acre parcel north of Tradition Parkway, west of Fernlake Drive and south of Westcliffe Lane. The Toronto-based homebuilder also wants the City Council to reduce the setbacks to 5 feet from 6 feet so there are 10 feet between buildings instead of 12 feet, city records show. The proposed changes to the Tradition development rules would A Palm City developer plans to build an 11,216-square-foot retail building on a 1.06-acre lot on the southeast corner of Discovery Way and Tom Mackie Boulevard in western Port St. Lucie. The City Council voted unanVOLUME 8, ISSUE 4 YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 A8 A11 B8 COVID cases stable here Little movement in late January Fighting osteoporosis Bone density scans essential You’ll ‘Folles’ for this one Hit musical coming to the Barn Record store owner looks to carry on late friend’s legacy. Page 3 BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] Newly refurbished Clover Park in St. Lucie West is set to welcome back the New York Mets for Spring Training. Among the new faces joining a talent-laden roster this year are pitchers Justin Verlander (three-time Cy Young Award winner), Kodai Senga and Jose Quintana. The Mets’ spring opener is Feb. 25 against the Marlins. PHOTO: LINDA KLOORFAIN CONTINUED ON PAGE A6 SHOWDOWN LOOMS OVER 4-STORY APARTMENT BID IN TRADITION CONTINUED ON PAGE A10 PETS ARTS/PEOPLE GAMES SPORTS A1-A11, A18 A12-A17 B21 A19-A32 B20 B1-B19 B22, B24-B25 B27 © 2023 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved. IN THIS ISSUE NEWS HEALTH ADVICE REAL ESTATE Major apartment complex pitched for western PSL CONTINUED ON PAGE A10 BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] The developer of the massive Wylder subdivision wants to build an apartment complex at the intersection of Glades Cut-off Road, Commerce Centre Drive and Wylder Parkway in western Port St. Lucie. Midway Glades Developers LLC has proposed building up to 1,252 apartments on a 140-acre tract near the site of a proposed high school to provide housing for employees and families. But first the City Council must change the land use of the tract to high density residential, which allows 15 residences per acre, from Residential, Office, Institutional, which allows 11 residences per acre. The City Council is expected to review the land use amendment Feb. 27 after the Planning and Zoning Board voted unaniBY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] CONTINUED ON PAGE A8 Cat cafes – restaurants that showcase adoptable cats by providing a forum to interact with patrons – may soon be added to the menu of eateries in Port St. Lucie. The City Council is expected to review a set of zoning regulations BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] Meow about that – city looks to set rules for planned cat cafes Plans for small retail mall at Discovery Way and Tom Mackie Blvd. Ready to rock Port St. Lucie City Council members and Mattamy Homes officials take part on Valentine’s Day in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the Heart in the Park sculpture in Tradition. The world’s largest heart sculpture, scheduled for completion this winter, will dominate the Tradition skyline. ‘Heart’ warming moment ... PHOTO: LINDA KLOORFAIN

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS February 16, 2023 3 Sounds Good Music’s new owner Frank Corrado, credits his wife, friends and God for the opportunity to carry on his friend Andy Royo’s legacy. Above, large box sets and signed band photos populate the back of the register section, same as it was before Sounds Good Music’s managerial change. PHOTOS: CHARLES CALOIA New ‘Sounds Good’ record store owner looks to carry on late friend’s legacy CONTINUED ON PAGE A4 The Sounds Good Music record store in the Crowne Plaza reopened on Feb. 8 after three months in limbo following its owner’s untimely death. Port St. Lucie resident Frank Corrado purchased Sounds Good Music, 8619 South U.S. 1, for an undisclosed sum between $50,000 and $100,000. The figure includes the store’s inventory of numerous vinyl records, turntables, vintage stereo equipment, and used CD’s and cassettes. Andrew “Andy” Royo, the founder of Sounds Good Music, died on Nov. 15, at age 58, according to a Nov. 16 post on the @ soundsgoodmusic Instagram page. Sounds Good Music moved to its current location over a decade ago after originally being located at Bridge Plaza in 2003. His wife, Alexandra “Alex” Alterman-Royo, assumed many management duties at Sounds Good Music after Andrew received a “life-threatening” diagnosis late last year. She started a GoFundMe campaign on Sept. 26 to pay for his medical expenses, which raised $1,550 toward a $5,000 goal. Alex described her husband on the GoFundMe page as “a dedicated father, wellknown music lover and Marlins fan, the heart of a music loving community that has grown for 15-plus years.” In addition to BY CHARLES CALOIA | Correspondent his wife, Andrew was survived by two adult daughters and a host of close friends, with Corrado counted among them. After being open during the holidays, Sounds Good Music temporarily closed on Jan. 12, according to posts on their Facebook and Instagram pages. After the reopening, Corrado discussed his vision for building a capital of “goodwill” in buying Sounds Good Music. “I would say I live a comfortable lifestyle,” Corrado says. “I don’t have a lot, but I have more than I need. I am going to help everyone who crosses my path that I can. “I wanted to remove any stress that Alex was going through,” Corrado said. “She wanted to close the store and sell it as quickly as possible.” That purchase was fraught with legal difficulty, however. “Andy did not have Alex down as [a co-owner]. She had to go through probate, so the acquisition took probably 60 to 90 days from [the initial sales agreement],”

4 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com CONTINUED FROM PAGE A3 SOUNDS GOOD MUSIC AMERICAN RED CROSS First Aid/AED/CPR Courses Adult & Pediatric NATIONWIDE BAIL BONDS Traffic - Misdeamenor - Felony Warrant Clearance FFL - FIREARMS & AMMO Concealed Carry Permit Classes Shotgun / Rifle Classes Personal Firearms Technique Training INVESTIGATIVE SERVICES: Nationwide Comprehensive Backgrounds Private & Family Investigations Corporate & Attorney Services ALL FLORIDA SECURITY SERVICES “Serious About Your Safety & Security!!” THE “ALL FLORIDA” FAMILY State Licenses: B-1200299 D1-1800193, DS-1800091, K-1800070 SECURITY OFFICERS FOR HIRE SECURITY TRAINING CENTER Duty Gear Store Unarmed - D Courses Armed - G Courses & Requals Handcuff & Pepper Spray NOTARY PUBLIC ALL FLORIDA 6971 Hancock Dr. Port St. Lucie, FL 34952 • 772-595-5335 • www.SecurityInFlorida.com Armed & Unarmed Officers Any Shift - Multiple Sites 24/7 Security Manager Business, Event, Site & HOA Corrado said. “I had to go through a broker because Alex was inundated with calls. She really wasn’t taking anything. So many people had made ridiculously low offers.” “I knew it was going to be mine, I just didn’t know when,” Corrado said. Corrado has lived in Port St. Lucie since 2002, moving from New Jersey shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks in 2001. He shared how he grew close to Andy Royo, crediting him for helping to cope with his divorce in the mid-2000s. “I’d tell people that it turned out to be sheer luck,” Corrado says. “We were both huge baseball fans. We’d get into these massive backgammon tournaments, and we partied heavily. “Andy and I, together, were happy,” Corrado said. “We shared a passion for music.” Corrado learned about Sounds Good Music being up for sale through his neighbor Chris Bonner, one of several employees working under Andy Royo before his death. “Chris worked with Andy for 10-plus years, [he] knows the store.” Corrado said. “I can’t do this without him. He is, right now, the face of the store,” Corrado said. “I will be here on Saturdays; Chris will be here every other day. “I spoke to him before I made the bid. I asked if he could do this, and I offered him an amount that I knew he would take,” Corrado said. “He said, ‘Are you serious? You’re going to give me that much money and that part of the profits?’ “He feels like he’s had a second ‘second chance’ in life, and this has been his dream. So, two dreams were achieved through an unfortunate passing,” Corrado said. “He’s ready to quit his daytime job when we get there and make this happen.” Outside of Sounds Good Music, Corrado is a Fort Piercebased accountant with clients including the Suncoast Mental Health Center. Corrado lives in the Southbend Lakes neighborhood with his wife Sherry, a teacher and artist, and their 1-year-old daughter. Learning Sounds Good Music was up for sale, prompted the Corrados to abandon plans for building a home studio for Sherry and use the money to buy the store instead. “Sherry was the driving force behind it,” Corrado said about the deal. Sherry told him, “It’ll be like a pre-retirement plan.” “I couldn’t come up with reasons not to do it. We believe this was God’s will.” The Corrados formalized their business partnership by incorporating the All Your Vinyl Needs, LLC. “Legally, I’m doing business under the name ‘Sounds Good Music,’” Corrado said. “That’s Andy’s legacy.” Corrado hopes to employ a business strategy of promoting local artists by building a new backstage area. He also wants to spread the same spirit and kismet that led him to Sounds Good Music. “I’m trying to establish relationships with artists who aren’t getting any airplay,” Corrado said. “I’m offering to sell [their merchandise] in the store or give it away, if need be, to expand people’s horizons.” He wishes to expand the Sounds Good Music library with newer artists, particularly in Contemporary Christian and Electronic styles. Corrado is also looking to form a Sounds Good branch in Tradition. “The store will sell itself,” Corrado said. Corrado aims to make vinyl records – a small niche market amidst the massive streaming music industry – more accessible to the public by selling discounted turntables and stereo equipment. “You can come here, touch [the records], and talk about music,” Corrado said. “I want to help people who don’t have a turntable not feel like ‘oh my God, how much do I have to spend to get it?’” Another avenue of maintaining a customer base is through the nationally recognized Record Store Day promotion, which Sounds Good Music has been part of since it started in 2007. Record Store Day is held annually on the Saturday closest to April 20, marked with exclusive releases on the condition that registered stores do not sell from secondary marketplaces like eBay or Amazon. This year’s Record Store Day is April 22. “You’re not going to be making money, but you are going to get a lot of foot traffic throughout the store,” Corrado said. Corrado plans to give customers amenities, like couches and bathrooms, so they always feel at home. Corrado stays connected with Alex and the Royo family. “I’ve asked her to give me her favorite photo of Andy, so I could have a memorial for him,” Corrado said. “To carry on Andy’s legacy means the world to me. I’m honored to be in his store. He built this. I’m riding his coattails to keep it alive.”

The last 574 property owners on North Hutchinson Island with septic tanks would pay approximately $12,500 each to connect to St. Lucie County’s sanitary sewer system as part of an $18.5 million initiative. Property owners in the Queens Cove, Coral Cove, Fort Pierce Shores and Jackson Way subdivisions would have the option of paying the connection fee in a single upfront payment, or financing the costs through installments collected on annual property tax bills until the loan is retired. County commissioners voted unanimously Feb. 7 to hold a public hearing in mid-April on a proposal to create a Municipal Services Benefit Unit to enable the 574 property owners to finance the cost of connecting to the county sewer lines and pay annual assessments. County utilities officials plan to schedule a meeting with the affected property owners before the public hearing to discuss the project and proposed financing plan and answer questions. It will cost St. Lucie County Utilities $18.5 million to connect the 574 properties to county sewer collection lines and cover the system capacity charge of $3,425 per residence, county records show. County Utilities obtained $12.6 million in grants and additional funding for the septic to sewer conversion project in the past two years, covering approximately 68 percent of the costs. County Utilities recently applied for another $3 million in state grants for the project, said Interim Deputy County Administrator George Landry. If awarded, the grant would reduce each property owner’s cost to approximately $10,000, Landry said. Additional grants in future years could further reduce the final cost to property owners. “We’ll continue to search as we’re going through construction for more grants to help relieve the cost of that to the residents,” Landry said. “In the past, the main challenge was the cost to the residents,” Landry said. “This was explored in 2016 and the project’s estimated cost was around $14 million. “However, there were no grants to do any offset, so at that time, the cost to each mously Feb. 7 to recommend approval. The board also recommended approval of the developer’s proposal to flatten the curve in a road known as East/West No. 5, which bisects the 140-acre tract between Glades Cut-off Road and Wylder Parkway. The proposed apartment complex is part of the 2,445-acre LTC Ranch Development of Regional Impact, which includes the 2,055-acre Wylder subdivision. The overall plans call for the construction of 4,000 residences, 725,000 square feet of retail space, 1,508,500 square feet of office space and 1,960,200 square feet of industrial space. LTC Ranch is the only development of regional impact in western Port St. Lucie currently lacking the ability to construct a residential community with a density of 15 units per acre, city records show. If the City Council approves the land use change, the developer could build up to 1,252 apartments, instead of 918 apartments and a variety of businesses, as allowed under the current regulations. The apartment complex would surround a small commercial center on the northeast corner of Glades Cutoff Road and Wylder Parkway. Wylder Parkway will stretch approximately 2-1/2 miles from Glades Cut-off Road to Midway Road. It will eventually be four lanes wide. The southern end of the parkway is under construction as part of Phase 1 of the project, which calls for the construction of 1,000 residences and 90,000 square feet of commercial space. Midway Glades Developers, a subsidiary of Greenpointe Developers LLC of Jacksonville, bought the property for $29,999,999 on July 30, 2020, from LTC Midway LLC, St. Lucie County property records show. Wylder is one of seven massive projects under construction west of Interstate 95 and south of Midway Road in western Port St. Lucie. The others are PGA Village/Verano, Tradition, Western Grove, Southern Grove, Riverland and Wilson Grove. BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] 6 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 APARTMENTS PLANNED St. Lucie County commissioners promoted Public Utilities and Solid Waste Director George Landry to the county administrator position to replace Howard Tipton. County commissioners voted unanimously on Jan. 31 to direct county officials to negotiate a contract with Landry and present it to them at an upcoming commission meeting. Landry beat out three other finalists for the county administrator job after an executive recruiting firm conducted a nationwide search. The other finalists were George M. Stokus, the assistant county administrator in neighboring Martin County; Dale “Doc” Dougherty, the city manager of Garden City, Michigan; and Derek Scrapansky, the town manager and treasurer of Topsham, Maine. Landry replaces Howard Tipton, who resigned effective Jan. 30 after seven years for the town manager job in Long Boat Key, which pays $211,500 annually. Tipton’s county administrator salary was $207,168, while Landry’s current compensation is $146,183 annually. St. Lucie targeting last septic tanks on North Hutchinson Island Landry came to St. Lucie County in January 2013 as human resources and risk manager after a 23-year career in the U.S. Army, county records show. He was promoted to Solid Waste Division director in 2018 and director of Public Utilities and Solid Waste in 2019. Landry developed a business plan to expand the county’s Public Utilities and Solid Waste Department, which has undertaken construction of $200 million in capital projects. The projects include two water treatment plants, one wastewater treatment plant, several utility line extensions and a new cell for solid waste at the county landfill, county records show. Landry also saved the county $700,000 in 2021 by hiring 20 utilities workers to replace the private contractor that had been operating the water and wastewater plants, and maintaining the infrastructure. As county administrator, Landry will be overseeing a government with an annual budget of $706 million and a staff of 882 full-time employees. The main challenges facing the county government are coping with growth, developing affordable housing, building roads and drainage facilities and maintaining services while trying to reduce taxes, Landry said. A father of six, Landry said, “In my spare time, I enjoy spending my time with my wife, kids and grandchildren.” Commissioners promote utilities director to county administrator BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] George Landry.

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS February 16, 2023 7 affected property owner would have been around $25,000,” Landry said. “So staff did not recommend to bring it forward.” County commissioners opted to move forward with the MSBU public hearing in mid-April, rather than first seeking a vote by the affected property owners, because the deadline for completing the septic to sewer conversions is approaching. “We’ve worked hard to get the grants and the funding we’ve already gotten,” said Commission Chairwoman Cathy Townsend. “If we do not use the money by 2026, we lose the funding, we lose the grant.” Failing to complete the septic to sewer project on time could also prevent St. Lucie County from receiving similar grants in the future, Townsend said. Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky said completing the removal of septic tanks from North Hutchinson Island would improve the water quality in the Indian River Lagoon and spare property owners the cost of replacing a failed septic tank in the future. “The cost of a new septic tank is in the $20,000 range,” Dzadovsky said. “This is an opportunity to protect the property owners from that expense down the road.” “The state of Florida has put a lot of money in septic to sewer programs,” Dzadovsky said. “This is an opportunity for us to make a huge difference in the water quality of the Indian River Lagoon.”

8 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] The number of new COVID-19 cases remained stable in St. Lucie County in late January compared to mid-January, according to the most recent report by the Florida Department of Health. A total of 285 county residents tested positive for the virus during the week ending Feb. 2, 2023, just one more case than the week ending Jan. 19, 2023, a state Health Department report shows. The positivity rate of county residents tested for COVID-19 decreased to 13.2 percent during the week ending Feb. 2. That represented a decline of roughly 4 percent compared to the week ending Jan. 19 when the positivity rate was 13.8 percent. Overall, as of Feb. 2, a total of 94,666 county residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since March 2020, or about 27.6 percent of the county population of 342,398, state Health Department records show. The overall positivity rate was 31.6 percent as of the week ending Feb. 2. A total of 26 county residents were vaccinated against COVID-19 during the week ending Feb. 2, state Health Department records show. That was a 30 percent decrease from the week ending Jan. 19 when 37 residents were vaccinated. Overall, 222,152 county residents age 6 months and older, or 65 percent of the eligible population, have been vaccinated against COVID-19. Meanwhile, the time to stock up on COVID home test kits and get a booster shot is now, before federal regulations change in May or supplies run out. The federal public health emergency declared for COVID-19 is set to expire. Unless it’s extended, test kits, vaccines and medications used to treat COVID illness will eventually shift to being sold on the “commercial market” without government stockpiles or subsidies. Some things won’t change immediately on May 11, provided that the federal government still has these products in stock purchased under contract during the emergency declaration. “As long as federally purchased vaccines last, COVID-19 vaccines will remain free to all people, regardless of insurance coverage. Providers of federally purchased vaccines are not allowed to charge patients or deny vaccines based on the recipient’s coverage or network status,” the Kaiser Family Foundation reported. After the federal stockpile runs out, the report said Medicare patients should still be able to get free COVID vaccines, but the uninsured or underinsured likely won’t have access to those needed boosters. At-home test kits, now widely available under Emergency Use Authorizations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, will COVID-19 CASES STABILIZED IN ST. LUCIE COUNTY IN LATE JANUARY be an out-of-pocket expense for many people after the public health emergency expires. “After May 11, 2023, people with traditional Medicare will no longer receive free, at-home tests. Those with private insurance and Medicare Advantage (private Medicare plans) no longer will be guaranteed free athome tests, but some insurers may continue to voluntarily cover them,” Kaiser said. “For those on Medicaid, at-home tests will be covered at no-cost through September 2024. After that date, home test coverage will vary by state.” Staff writer Lisa Zahner contributed to this report. this month for cat cafes that combine elements from the codes that govern the operations of restaurants and pet shops. The Port St. Lucie Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously Feb. 7 to recommend the City Council approve changes to the zoning code to accommodate cat cafes. Among the proposed regulations are requirements that “the cats shall always be kept separate from food preparation areas” and “refuse from the animal shelter is not permitted to pass through the food preparation areas.” Bethany Grubbs, a city planner who crafted the proposed regulations, told the Planning and Zoning Board there are approximately 14 cat cafes operating in Florida and three people have inquired about establishing a cat cafe in Port St. Lucie. “They are a growing trend nationally,” Grubbs said. “Cat cafes typically offer food and beverage service. Some offer other services such as bookstores and other types of uses for patrons to enter for the purpose of interacting with the resident cats if they wish.” The city’s zoning code does not specifically allow cat cafes, Grubbs said. That’s why the new regulations are needed. Under the proposed regulations, cat cafes would be a permitted use in general commercial and service commercial zoning districts, Grubbs said. A special exception use approved by the City Council would be required to establish a cat cafe in an industrial zone to ensure adequate parking for patrons and maintain the stock of industrial properties, Grubbs said. The proposed cat cafe regulations include the following: Keeping of domestic animals shall be consistent with the city codes governing animals, noise, nuisances and littering. The maximum capacity would be 20 cats at any one time. The facility must meet all applicable state and local health inspection standards for pet shops and restaurants. The cat roaming rooms and dining rooms must be completely separated by floor to ceiling walls. The boarding of cats shall take place entirely indoors. All of the animals shall come from a nonprofit animal rescue organization. The cats shall have all their vaccinations, spay/neutered, flea treatments and chipped prior to arrival. Cats shall enter and exit the cafe in a carrier. There shall be a sign indicating a 24-hour emergency number if there is an emergency and it should be visible from the exterior. The cafes will be limited to cats, felines only. “There wouldn’t be any other animals allowed,” Grubbs said. “No dogs, rabbits, ferrets and such.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 CAT CAFES ARTIST’S RENDERING

10 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com MORE NEWS ON PAGE 18 The 19th Circuit Judicial Nominating Commission announced on Monday that it will interview applicants in March for the judicial seat that opened up when Judge Dan Vaughn retired. Interviews are scheduled to be conducted on March 8, and possibly on March 9 if more time is needed, at the Martin County Courthouse. On Feb. 6, Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Michael Dadko and Nina Ferraro to serve on the Judicial Nominating Committee. Vaughn, who was elected in 1990 and served on the bench for 32 years, lives in St. Lucie County and most recently presided over the felony criminal docket in Indi- – LISA ZAHNER imously on Monday to approve the site plan for the Anglo Retail Center. The building will be located amidst the Tradition Center for Innovation and Tradition Commerce Center and could serve employees and visitors to the businesses and institutions in the city’s “Jobs Corridor.” That includes the TAMCO/City Electric Supply factory, Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital, Florida Research & Innovation Center and Florida International University’s Center for Translational Science. Developer Anglo American Land Company LLC anticipates dividing the strip center into four storefronts. The lot is part of a 7.6-acre parcel Anglo American Land bought for $2.35 million on Dec. 12, 2021, from Pegasus PSL Ltd., a subsidiary of the Keenan Development Group of Fort Lauderdale, St. Lucie County property records show. The developer plans to use the other 6 acres for an assisted living facility, an animal hospital, a hotel and a day spa, city records show. The city is in the process of marketing and developing 1,200 acres in Tradition Commerce Center, a former agricultural tract west of Interstate 95, north of the C-23 Canal, west of Village Parkway and south of Tradition Parkway. The city took control of the commerce center land in June 2018 after Tradition Land Company announced it no longer wanted to pay more than $5 million per year in property taxes and assessments. CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 SMALL MALL PLANNED set the stage for the construction of the Slopeside subdivision, a rental community consisting of 520 residences, city records show. The site plan envisions 336 flats, 158 apartments and 28 single-family homes. There will also be a pool, a clubhouse, tennis and pickleball courts, a playground and a dog park. Slopeside is just west of the proposed Brynlie subdivision, a 78.48-acre parcel west of Fern Lake Drive where Mattamy Palm Beach plans to develop 220 single-family houses. The two parcels are surrounded by the Esplanade, Vitalia, Estates at Tradition, Emery, Seville and Cadence subdivisions, all of which consist of single-family houses. A dozen homeowners spoke out against the proposals to increase the height limits and reduce the setbacks for Slopeside during a public hearing held Feb. 7 by the city Planning and Zoning Board. “I oppose the height of these towers – 55 feet,” said Justine Kennedy, a homeowner on Oak Tree Circle. “These buildings and this high-density rental is not in keeping with the single-family feel and aesthetic of that area. “The buildings would be substantially taller than all the other homes and it would eliminate the privacy that’s afforded by the walls surrounding other developments as people could look right into their yards,” Kennedy said. Javier Aluart, a homeowner on Ambra Street, said his family moved to Tradition to get away from overcrowding and traffic congestion. “We moved here from Miami, a very busy area,” Aluart said. “We were trying to get away from those high-rise buildings and the crazy traffic. “It’s an eyesore. It’s a quality-of-life issue,” Aluart said. “The more people who live in an area, the more problems you usually have.” Ria Muriello, a homeowner on Apple Blossom Trail, also opposed increasing the maximum building height to 55 feet. “This area should be restricted to single-family residential owned housing,” Muriello said. “The surrounding affected communities are single-family homes, suburban in nature. The variance would allow for a high-density structure significantly taller than any other building in the area that would stand out like a sore thumb.” Another 18 homeowners sent emails to the city Planning and Zoning Department in opposition to the proposal to increase the building height limit to 55 feet. But Steve Garrett, a land planner representing Mattamy Palm Beach, said the development rules for Tradition were meant to be flexible and change with market conditions. The four-story apartment buildings in Slopeside will be surrounded by two-story townhouses and single-family houses, Garrett said. “They are detached single-family units, but they’re rental, not for sale,” Garrett said. “This is a rental community. “The design and layout of this was to purposely centralize the tallest element, which would be the apartments or the flats, in two buildings in the center of the project as far away from Westcliff (Lane) and Tradition Parkway as possible,” Garrett said. The Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously to recommend the City Council maintain the 35-foot height limit for the Slopeside subdivision. “It does change the look of the community once you change a height,” said Planning and Zoning Board Chairwoman Deborah Beutel. “It’s the height that’s the issue.” Another board recommendation called for the developer to construct the intersection of Westcliff Lane and North South Arterial Road A at the same time as the Slopeside subdivision. The motion also recommended requiring the establishment of a school bus stop within each of the new subdivisions. an River County, but also worked around the circuit covering civil and other courts. Vaughn was only two years into his six-year term when he retired in January. Qualified applicants can reside anywhere in the 19th Judicial Circuit, which includes Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Okeechobee counties. The candidate chosen would serve out the balance of Vaughn’s term and, if they chose to run, would be on the 2026 ballot. When asked who he thought might apply for his seat, Vaughn didn’t have any names to toss out, but he thought the opening would attract a large number of applicants. Interviews scheduled for circuit court seat CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 SHOWDOWN LOOMING ARTIST’S RENDERING

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH February 16, 2023 11 Bones. Without them our bodies would just be a puddle of skin, muscle, organs and guts on the floor. The musculoskeletal system – bones, muscles, tendons – supports and shapes the body while protecting delicate internal organs like the brain, heart and lungs. Bones also contain most of our body’s calcium supply. Unfortunately, though, as we all know, these critical structural supports tend to get weaker with age, a condition called osteoporosis, which “affects 54 million men and women in the United States over the age of 50,” according to the International Osteoporosis Foundation. Happily, there are things that can be done to reduce bone loss and weakening. Ivana Parody, M.D., a board-certified doctor of rheumatologic and immunologic disease Cleveland Clinic Indian River Hospital, said the best way to prevent osteoporosis is to be proactive: Eat a balanced diet rich in calcium and vitamin D. Exercise regularly. And get a bone density scan to see what condition your bones are in so that you can calibrate treatment and take appropriate precautions to protect yourself from falls or other injuries. “All women over the age of 65 and men over the age of 70 should have a bone density scan on a DEXA machine,” Dr. Parody advised. “The screening is done with a very low-density X-ray machine to measure the bone loss in your hips and spine. We advise having it done every two to three years to help your doctor determine how quickly you are losing bone density and predict your risk of fracture. “Osteoporosis is a condition where bones become thin and lose their strength, which can often lead to broken bones,” Dr. Parody said. “An estimated 8.9 million bones are broken each year and it doesn’t have to be a major trauma in order to have a fracture. You can break a bone just by coughing or wheezing. “Osteoporosis literally means porous bone and women over 50 have a 1 in 2 chance of having fractures, while men over 50 have a 1 in 4 chance of having fractures” Dr. Parody continued. “After the first fracture you are four times more likely to have a second fracture within one year.” Osteoporosis is often called a ‘silent disease’ because most people don’t know they have it until they suffer a broken bone from a minor fall or bump. And even after breaking a bone nearly 80 percent of patients are not diagnosed and treated for osteoporosis. “The most common bones to break due to osteoporosis at the spine, wrist and hip,” Dr. Parody revealed. “The hip is very dangerous as you may end up in the hospital with surgery and may endure more complications like blood clots and bed sores. Thirty percent of those suffering from a broken hip will die within the first year of having that hip fracture.” The International Osteoporosis Foundation reports that hip fracture survivors often experience a loss of independence, with 40 percent unable to walk independently and 60 percent requiring assistance a year later. Eighty percent are restricted in other activities like driving and shopping. The fracture can affect people emotionally as well as physically, reducing quality of life and causing isolation. So how does osteoporosis develop? From birth on, our bones grow until our mid-20s, when they reach what is called peak bone mass and are at their strongest and least likely to fracture. Throughout life, bone is constantly being renewed with new bone cells replacing old ones. But for people with osteoporosis, more bone is lost than replaced as they age away from peak bone mass and the bones become brittle and more likely to break. “After middle age, bone reabsorbs faster than bone forms and they become more porous and weaker,” Dr. Parody continued. “Women are especially prone to getting osteoporosis, as there is a direct relationship between menopause and the development of the disease. “In the five to seven years following menopause, there is a very high loss and women can lose 20-to-30 percent of their bone mass. The thicker bones are when a woman hits menopause, the stronger they will be and the less likely osteoporosis will set in.” Other than age, risk factors for developing osteoporosis include having a family history of the disease, drinking more than one serving of alcohol per day for women or two for men, excessive drinking of coffee or soda, having a vitamin D deficiency, smoking, being thin or small-boned – or overweight. Certain diseases, medications and a sedentary lifestyle also can increase the risk of developing osteoporosis. Fortunately, there are a variety of treatments for osteoporosis that have been shown to reduce the risk of hip fracture by up to 40 percent, the risk of vertebral fractures by 30-to-70 percent, and the risk of other fractures by 15-to-20 percent. The two main types of treatment are anti-resorptive agents that reduce bone destruction while preserving bone mineral density, and anabolic agents that stimulate bone formation and increase bone mass. “Above all, pay attention to your body,” Dr. Parody said. “If you experience back pain, get it checked out by your physician. Compression fractures occur mostly in the spine and you wouldn’t even know you had a fracture without an X-ray. If you fall from a standing position, that could be a sign of osteoporosis, so talk to your provider about your risk. You need to be your own best advocate.” Dr. Ivana Parody received her medical degree from the Universidad Nacional de Cordoba Facultad de Ciencias Medicas in Argentina. After an internal medicine internship and residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, she completed a fellowship in rheumatology at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Her office is located in the Cleveland Clinic Indian River Health and Wellness Center, 3450 11th Court, Suite 302, Vero Beach. Call 772-569-8550 to schedule an appointment. Bone density scans essential in battle against osteoporosis BY KERRY FIRTH | Correspondent Dr. Ivana Parody. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS

12 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com “Caring for women of all ages and stages of their lives for over 50 years” • 10771 SW Trade St., Port St. Lucie • 501 NW Lake Whitney Pl #106, Port St. Lucie • 3498 NW Federal Hwy Jensen Beach Add our new phone number to your contact list Schedule Your Exam and Mammogram Today! 772-261-9636 3 CONVENIENT LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! • WWW.WHSFL.COM A multi-generational study of thousands of people begun in 1938 has determined unequivocally that the single most important factor keeping people happy and healthy into old age is good relationships. “That definitely doesn’t surprise me,” says Dr. Denise Garee, a Treasure Coast nurse practitioner for the Steward Medical Group. “If people aren’t in healthy social relationships, their whole life changes. It’s not uncommon for them to become depressed, which leads to hypochondria and feeling increased levels of pain.” Begun 85 years ago with 724 young men from the Boston area with diverse backgrounds, the Harvard study “is the longest in-depth longitudinal study on human life ever done,” according to an article about the results the Atlantic. The study has maintained a participation rate of 84 percent with more than 1,300 male and female descendants of the original group (spanning three generations) still participating. Those who were the most satisfied in their relationships when they were 50 were the healthiest, both mentally and physically, when they were 80. Loneliness on the other hand was associated with greater sensitivity to pain, suppression of the immune system, diminished brain function and less effective sleep. BY JACKIE HOLFELDER | Correspondent Good relationships paramount in seniors’ wellbeing, longevity Dr. Garee says it is a mistake to underestimate the value of being part of a community. “People, especially older people feel more vulnerable when they’re alone. Being in a group gives them a feeling of supporting each other.” Fifty thousand years ago, being alone often was dangerous or even deadly and an Dr. Denise Garee. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS isolated person’s body and brain would have gone into survival mode, heightening the release of stress hormones. Throughout evolution, that human characteristic remained unchanged and the same stressful reaction to loneliness exists now, regardless of age – even though physical danger from wild animals or hostile tribes has been reduced. “Particularly in today’s society, it’s easy to become isolated,” says Dr. Garee. “Family members live in different states and the multi-generational connection is lost. Coupled with that, the older people get, the greater the chances that they don’t feel safe enough to go outside their comfort zone and socialize.” It’s well-documented how social media and technology have changed face-to-face interactions. According to EarthWeb, an independent technology research outlet, the average American now spends several hours a day on their phone. Add the time spent in other technological pastimes and even more hours can go by without traditional human interaction. Socializing is more than just a mental activity; it also tends to involve physical activity, going, coming and mingling, and the essential element of interpersonal touch – hugs, handshakes, backslaps, etc., which other studies have found highly beneficial to wellbeing. What makes the Harvard Study so unique is that it followed subjects from their teen years into old age, including Harvard undergraduates and boys from disadvantaged families, with findings documented at the time they took place. This sets it apart from similar research that asks people to recall

Q. When you have a bypass, what exactly do they do to your heart? A. In conventional heart bypass, an incision about a foot long is made down the center of the chest to expose the heart. The surgeon takes a section of healthy blood vessel, often from inside the chest wall or from the lower leg, and attaches the ends above and below a blocked artery so that blood flow is diverted around the narrowed portion of a diseased artery. Because the heart beats constantly, it needs a steady flow of fuel. If a fuel shortage is serious, you have a heart attack and muscle begins to die. During traditional bypass surgery, a patient is put on a heart-lung bypass pump to oxygenate and circulate blood. The surgery usually takes between three and six hours. On average, surgeons repair two to four coronary arteries. After surgery, patients spend a day or two in the intensive care unit. Recovery takes six to 12 weeks. And then there is minimally invasive heart surgery. Minimally invasive surgery may avoid placing the patient on a heart-lung machine and may be done with several small incisions. Minimally invasive heart surgery isn’t an option for everyone. Potential benefits of minimally invasive heart surgery compared with open-heart surgery may include: less blood loss, lower risk of infection, reduced trauma and pain, shorter hospital stay and faster recovery. Q. Kidney stones run in my family. What can I do to combat them? A. Kidney stones are composed of crystals of substances in urine. Many small stones pass unnoticed from the two kidneys down the tubes (ureters) leading to the bladder. But, if they are too large to pass, you may feel pain. Kidney stones can be caused by heredity, diet, drugs, climate, infection and other conditions that create an increased concentration of calcium, oxalate and uric acid in the urine. If you don’t drink enough fluids, your urine can become more concentrated and that can lead to stone formation. People exposed to heat are more likely to get kidney stones. That’s why kidney stones are more common in summer. Here are a few tips for reducing the chances of getting a stone: Drink about six glasses of water daily. When it gets hot, try to drink twice as much. Cut down on meat in your diet. Reduce your salt intake. Remember, most of the salt you eat is in prepared foods, not the shaker on your table. Drink decaffeinated beverages because caffeine can dehydrate you. Lemons inhibit kidney stones, so try to incorporate them in food and beverages. To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH February 16, 2023 13 BY FRED CICETTI THE HEALTHY SENIOR ADDRESSING QUESTIONS ON HEART BYPASS SURGERY, KIDNEY STONES what took place in the past and depends on their memory to get accurate data. Many other studies back up the Harvard findings. “Research published by Brigham Young University reveals that social isolation is more lethal than smoking 15 cigarettes a day,” according to FriendshipCenters.org, an organization founded by a Catholic priest in the 1970s to give seniors a place to meet and socialize. In fact, loneliness is associated with significantly higher rates of heart disease and stroke and a 50 percent increased risk of dementia, according to a recent report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. “Lonely or isolated older adults report a greater incidence of depression and anxiety and suffer a mortality rate comparable to that linked to smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol and physical inactivity.” Loneliness and lack of socialization among senior citizens is a major problem in Florida, where 50 percent of the patients treated by Steward Medical Group are over the age of 65. Whatever the specialty of a medical practitioner, they have to become expert at recognizing signs of isolation and depression. Dr. Garee has years of experience dealing with seniors and says you don’t have to undertake massive changes to get on a healthier and more social path. “Find a place in your community where you can drop in to see others,” she says. “It will help you change your routine – older people tend to become very set in their ways and this is a good way to change that.” You can also go further if you want to and can get around, joining a church or club or gym where you can interact and make friends. If you are housebound, invite neighbors or friends over and stay in touch via Skype or Zoom – or the phone, which even though it often has an antisocial effect can also help people stay connected and close to each other. The bottom line, according to the Atlantic’s analysis of the Harvard study results: “Good relationships lead to health and happiness. The trick is that those relationships must be nurtured.” Dr. Denise Garee, Ph.D. from Capella University in Nursing Education, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, CEN, SANE, is a nurse practitioner with Steward Medical Group.

14 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com QUICKER RETURN TO SCHOOL MAY HELP KIDS WITH CONCUSSIONS Keeping a child home from school for “cognitive rest” after a concussion may do more harm than good, a study suggests. The analysis, in the journal JAMA Network Open, shows an association between an early return to school post-concussion and reduced symptoms for most children and teens. In reviewing the cases of 1,630 5- to 18-year-olds in Canada diagnosed with concussions between August 2013 and September 2014, researchers found that about half of them adhered to current guidance that suggests children should receive “cognitive rest” and return to school gradually following a head injury. The other half returned to school earlier than the average for their age group, missing zero to two days of school on average. Older kids missed more school on average than younger ones. Researchers followed up with the children one week, two weeks and four weeks after the injury. They graded them on the Post-Concussion Symptom Inventory, an assessment that measures symptoms such as headache,

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH February 16, 2023 15 – ERIN BLAKEMORE/THE WASHINGTON POST nausea, dizziness and other issues reported following head injuries. When the researchers compared the scores of kids who returned to school earlier with those who didn’t, they found that an early return was associated with fewer symptoms in 8- to 12-year-olds and teenagers two weeks after the injury. A quicker return to school “may directly or indirectly promote faster recovery” for kids in that age group, the researchers write – perhaps due to social factors, reduced stress from missing less school, or adherence to existing routines and physical activity levels. Current guidance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests cognitive rest may be necessary for kids in the first days after a concussion and recommends a gradual increase of activity. But the authors of those guidelines – and of the current study – acknowledge that more research is needed. “Clinicians can now confidently inform families that missing at least some school after a concussion is common, often between 2 and 5 days, with older kids typically missing more school,” said Christopher Vaughan, the study’s lead author, in a news release. “But the earlier a child can return to school with good symptom management strategies and with appropriate academic supports, the better that we think that their recovery will be.”

18 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com Gov. Ron DeSantis wants way more Florida State Guard members than he did last year, and a lot more money – 10 times more – for the upstart state defense force. Last year’s Hurricane Ian reminded the state that mass-destruction storms that stretch emergency resources are not a thing of the past. The governor released his proposed 2023-2024 state budget on Feb. 1. Chris Spencer, the governor’s director of policy and budget, discussed the proposed increases to the Florida State Guard volunteer slots and spending at a Florida Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing on Feb. 8. “The Framework for Freedom budget provides a significant investment in the State Guard,” Spencer said in his presentation to the committee. “The governor recommends more than $98 million for the Florida State Guard to support the training, compensation and equipment for up to 1,500 volunteer members.” In December 2021 DeSantis announced plans to revive the World War II-era Florida State Guard. He started by asking the legislature for 300 volunteers and a $3.5 million budget. The proposal got no hearing time during the legislature’s 2022 regular session and seemed dead. But, in the last hours, lawmakers approved $10 million for restarting the Florida State Guard with 400 volunteers. That funding became available on July 1 last year, but the State Guard ran into an unexpected problem early on, as the first director, Marine Corps veteran Chris Graham, 51, died in October. In January DeSantis announced that Navy Reservist Luis Soler will lead the Florida State Guard as director. The State Guard is in the Department of Military Affairs, so is under the Florida National Guard’s adjutant general, too. Sen. Bobby Powell, whose district includes part of Palm Beach County, asked Spencer why the governor is recommending such dramatic increases in volunteer slots and funding for the Florida State Guard. “… The purpose of the State Guard is to be a force multiplier for our existing emergency response capabilities, and a force multiplier for our National Guard,” explained Spencer. “The reality of it is our National Guardsmen have a much longer, much more frequent scheduled activations because of our emergencies than in other states that have more National Guardsmen. That puts a big burden on families of National Guardsmen. That puts a big burden on the National Guardsmen themselves. It’s a factor in the challenges that we’re having in recruiting National Guardsmen in Florida.” The size of the Florida National Guard has been declining since the 1980s even as the state’s population has grown. In 1986 the Guard membership peaked at about 13,200 members. Florida had about 11.6 million residents that year. There are now around 12,000 to 12,500 National Guard members at any time in Florida, about one Guard member for about every 1,830 residents, the second worst ratio in the nation. It’s about half as many Guard members to citizens they’re protecting as the national average. The state’s current adjutant general, Air Force Maj. Gen. James O. Eifert, has for the last few years repeatedly made the case that Florida should have about twice as many National Guard members. He’s retiring soon. Army Maj. Gen. John D. Haas will take over the Florida National Guard later this year. But, the state has little influence and no control over how many Guard members it has. That’s up to the National Guard Bureau, which is guided by Congress. The Florida State Guard is completely funded and controlled by the state within the federal rules found in the U.S. Code Title 32, Section 109. Unlike the National Guard, the State Guard is not subject to federal callup – the governor is the commander in chief. Florida joined 22 other states and one territory, Puerto Rico, that have state guards. GOVERNOR LOOKS TO BEEF UP FLORIDA STATE GUARD BY PATRICK McCALLISTER | Correspondent A Winter Park developer wants to build a 100,800-square-foot self-storage facility on a 3.5-acre lot on Glades Cut-off Road, west of Interstate 95, in western Port St. Lucie. Storage Cap Port St. Lucie LLC proposed building a three-story storage facility consisting of 665 storage units and a leasing office at 8770 NW Glades Cut-off Road. Port St. Lucie City Council voted unanimously Monday to approve the site plan for the Store Space PSL project. It includes a dry stormwater retention pond and a 10- foot perimeter landscape buffer. The storage facility is expected to attract 15 vehicles during the evening rush hour, which is considered an “insignificant impact” on the surrounding roadways, city records show. Storage Cap Port St. Lucie purchased the vacant industrial lot on Jan. 13, 2022 for $870,000 from Lindstrom Properties One LLC, of Pompano Beach, St. Lucie County property records show. It has had a market value of $367,000 for the past three years. The storage facility will be built two lots east of the 7.7-acre parcel where Jansteel USA Inc., an Israeli truck and trailer manufacturer, plans to build a 43,000 square-foot factory, warehouse and office facility. New self-storage facility planned on Glades Cut-off – GEORGE ANDREASSI

Call the leading sales specialists at Lang Realty. (772) 467-1299 800-682-5551 | LangRealty.com The Real Estate Leader Serving The Treasure Coast TREASURE COAST FEATURED PROPERTIES Real Estate. Redefined NOW SEEKING TOP PRODUCING AGENTS To join our team Call John Falkenhagen: 772.467.1299 Magnolia Lakes dream home maintains a touch of ‘old Florida’ 145 NW Willow Grove Ave in Magnolia Lakes: 3-bedroom, 2-bathroom, 2,210-square-foot home offered for $408,750 by Elizabeth Schweitzer, 772-233-9991 of Schweitzer Realty, Inc.

20 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com The Magnolia Lakes community in St. Lucie West is one of those hidden gems that combines privacy and security with the convenience of being in the midst of shopping, dining and entertainment. The house at 145 NW Willow Grove Ave, in Magnolia Lakes, typifies that description. The lovely landscaping in the front, with mature trees and plantings, gives a taste of “old Florida” in a thoroughly modern setting. Inside, natural light makes the house bright and airy. There is a formal dining room (13 feet by 12 feet) and a living room (14-by-19), but your family and friends will gather in the family room, a generous 13-by-20. It’s the perfect space for entertaining and your guests will enjoy walking out onto the screened lanai to enjoy a beautiful Florida day. The home cook or chef will enjoy the kitchen, a nicely sized 11-by-13, with 42-inch cabinets, granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances that come with an appliance warranty. There is a charming breakfast nook where you can sit with coffee and the morning paper before beginning your day. The master bedroom is a spacious 15-by-18 and has lots of windows for openness and light. There is room for a sitting area where you might relax with a book in the evening before retiring. The master bath has dual vanities and sinks, a separate tub nestled between them and a sepMagnolia Lakes dream home maintains touch of ‘old Florida’ BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Columnist [email protected] • Help reduce your monthly utility costs with Hunter Douglas shades specifically designed to provide year-round insulation • Contribute to a more sustainable environment by lowering your energy use Contact Us to Learn More Save when temps heat up SAVE up to $1,200 with a New Federal Tax Credit on Energy-Efficient Hunter Douglas Shades* Save when temps dip 1489 NW St. Lucie West Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL 34986 772-678-1040 www.DowDecorating.com Dow Decorating 20% Off all Blinds, Shades & Shutters * For tax credit details and restrictions and a list of qualifying products, see the Manufacturer’s Certification Statement and FAQs at www.hunterdouglas.com/tax-credit. Hunter Douglas and its dealers are not tax advisors. Consult a tax professional regarding your individual tax situation and ability to claim a tax credit related to the purchase of the qualifying Duette®Honeycomb Shades. © 2023 Hunter Douglas. All rights reserved. All trademarks used herein are the property of Hunter Douglas. Hours: Mon-Fri 10am – 5pm or by appt. Offer Expires 2/28/23

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE February 16, 2023 21 arate shower. There are two additional bedrooms, one 13.5-by-11, and the other 12-by11, and an additional full bath. Outside, you will love the privacy of the screened lanai and fenced-in yard. Relax with friends or enjoy the early morning or evening with someone special, perhaps with an iced beverage of choice. It’s the perfect place to plan your day or talk about what you did. For Elizabeth Schweitzer of Schweitzer Realty, this is a dream home that checks all the boxes. “This stunning Lucayan model in the desirable gated community of Magnolia Lakes offers all the amenities and upgrades you could ask for,” she said. “There are three Neighborhood: Magnolia Lakes • Security: gated community Year built: 2003 • Construction: CBS • Square footage: 2,210 sq. ft. Total square footage: 3,115 sq. ft. • Bedrooms: 3 • Bathrooms: 2 Flooring: tile throughout except for second bedroom, which is wood Additional features: comes with Cinch appliance warranty, Lucayan model, fenced-in yard Community amenities: basketball, billiards, bocce ball, clubhouse, community room, exercise room, game room, Internet included, library, picnic area, pool, playground, sauna, tennis, toddler’s room Listing brokerage: Schweitzer Realty, Inc. Listing agent: Elizabeth Schweitzer, 772-233-9991 Listing price: $408,750 FEATURES FOR 145 NW WILLOW GROVE AVE CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

22 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com TOP SALES OF THE WEEK A moderately busy fortnight for real estate sales in Tradition and St. Lucie West saw 30 transac- tions of single-family residences and lots reported (some shown below). The top recent sale was of the cattle ranch with residence at 8590 Carlton Road. Listed last April for $1,999,000, it sold for $1,200,000 on Jan. 31. Representing both the seller and the buyer in the transaction was agent Mark Walters of Mark Walters & Company. SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND LOTS PORT SAINT LUCIE 8590 CARLTON ROAD 4/6/2022 $1,999,000 1/31/2023 $1,200,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 10143 SW VISCONTI WAY 10/6/2022 $865,000 2/8/2023 $800,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 11082 SW ROSE APPLE COURT 10/21/2022 $824,000 2/7/2023 $765,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 8680 SW FELICITA WAY 12/15/2022 $720,430 2/8/2023 $720,430 PORT SAINT LUCIE 9075 SW ROCCIA WAY 1/2/2023 $725,000 2/3/2023 $715,678 PORT SAINT LUCIE 7152 HAWKS VIEW TRAIL 10/6/2022 $535,000 2/10/2023 $515,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 8900 FIRST TEE ROAD 11/4/2022 $495,000 2/8/2023 $482,500 PORT SAINT LUCIE 5863 NW CAROVEL AVENUE 6/28/2022 $503,900 1/31/2023 $475,400 PORT SAINT LUCIE 6446 NW HOPE COURT 12/27/2022 $448,500 2/3/2023 $453,600 PORT SAINT LUCIE 7602 GREENBRIER CIRCLE 1/10/2023 $449,900 2/2/2023 $449,900 PORT SAINT LUCIE 239 NW LISERON WAY 7/6/2022 $479,000 1/30/2023 $442,500 PORT SAINT LUCIE 12836 SW AMBRA STREET 6/7/2022 $514,715 1/31/2023 $433,505 PORT SAINT LUCIE 11428 SW PATTERSON STREET 10/20/2022 $445,000 2/6/2023 $425,000 ORIGINAL SELLING TOWN ADDRESS LISTED ASKING PRICE SOLD PRICE TRADITION AND ST. LUCIE WEST REAL ESTATE SALES Stats were pulled 2/11/23 10:31 AM

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE February 16, 2023 23 Listing Date: Original Price: Sold: Selling Price: Listing Agent: Selling Agent: Listing Date: Original Price: Sold: Selling Price: Listing Agent: Selling Agent: Listing Date: Original Price: Sold: Selling Price: Listing Agent: Selling Agent: Listing Date: Original Price: Sold: Selling Price: Listing Agent: Selling Agent: HERE ARE SOME OF THE TOP RECENT TRADITION AND ST. LUCIE WEST REAL ESTATE SALES 1/2/2023 $725,000 2/3/2023 $715,678 Cliff Glansen FlatFee.com Thomas Cann Cann Realty 9075 SW Roccia Way, Port Saint Lucie 12/15/2022 $720,430 2/8/2023 $720,430 Marc Friedman Kolter Homes Realty, LLC Marc Friedman Kolter Homes Realty, LLC 8680 SW Felicita Way, Port Saint Lucie 10/21/2022 $824,000 2/7/2023 $765,000 William Lyons The Keyes Company Jennifer Fleschner Real Estate of Florida 11082 SW Rose Apple Court, Port Saint Lucie 10/6/2022 $865,000 2/8/2023 $800,000 Elise Danielian Lang Realty Ludmilla Rogof Prime Realty & Investments LLC 10143 SW Visconti Way, Port Saint Lucie

24 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com Have More Money for Living Expenses Pay off Mortgage or Other Debts Cash for Medical Expenses or Emergencies Home Repairs or Upgrades Travel or Just to Have Fun in Retirement! How? With today’s Reverse Mortgage* Get Tax-Free Cash Unlock Equity in Your Home Michael A. Ciardi Broker / Loan Originator *Homeowner remains responsible for property taxes, required insurance, homeowner’s fees, and maintenance of the property. Loan becomes due and payable upon a maturity event such as no longer maintaining the home as your primary residence or failure to remain current on property taxes, homeowners insurance or HOA fees. Other conditions may apply. CAREFREE RETIREMENT FUNDING, LLC • 1860 SW Fountainview Blvd., Ste. 100, Port St. Lucie FL 34986 NMLS #1550787 • Florida Mortgage Broker License #MBR2123 These materials are not from, and were not approved by HUD or FHA or any other governmental agency. Phone: (772) 212-1450 E-mail: [email protected] NMLS ID#343232 20 Years Experience spacious bedrooms, two full baths, a formal dining room and living room with a large family room for entertaining and relaxing. You’ll love the privacy of a home with no neighbors on one side and a screened lanai and fenced-in yard to enjoy Florida sunsets. The community offers lots of opportunities for relaxing with friends and neighbors at the newly remodeled, 7600-square-foot, resort-style clubhouse with a fitness center, pool, library with Wi-Fi access and a game room. Outside, you can enjoy a pool and kiddie splash pool, BBQ grill area and picnic tables, bocce ball, basketball, tennis and a playground. You’ll never run out of things to do and when you’re finished having fun, you can relax in your own private retreat.” Magnolia Lakes is located in the heart of St. Lucie West and that means that you’re close to shopping, entertainment and restaurants. This is really the best of all worlds, with your privacy ensured and the world close by. If you have not visited it before, now is the perfect time. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

26 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com Q: My daughter is thinking of buying her first home. Can you give her some pointers on what to look out for when looking at homes? A: Thanks for your question. It’s terrific that in this day of elevated interest rates, first-time homebuyers are eager to get out there and claim their share of the American dream. In Ilyce’s book, “100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask”, she offers nine questions you should be able to answer before starting your search. Here are the four most important for your daughter to consider: Should you rent or should you buy? Just because you can afford to buy a home, that doesn’t mean you should. One of the big mistakes homebuyers often make is buying when they should be renting. How do you know if you should rent? Consider whether you’re happy in your job and can envision yourself staying there for the next five to seven years, or at least staying in the same general location. If you’re working from home and can easily find other jobs where you can continue as a remote worker, the commuting to work issue becomes moot. Beyond that though, first-time homebuyers often make the mistake of buying a property that’s too small for their growing lifestyle. So, aim to buy at least a two-bedroom, two-bath condo, townhouse or single-family house. That way, you’ll be able to accommodate a partner and perhaps even a child down the road. Of course, the biggest issue is whether you can afford to buy. In today’s interest rate environment, you’ll need to have a substantial down payment and afford the monthly payments with a higher interest rate. Should you buy with someone or on your own? There’s nothing wrong with buying a home with a partner, spouse, or non-romantic friend. You just need to plan out how the ownership structure will work, who will contribute what in terms of cash or sweat equity, and how ongoing improvements, renovations, maintenance, upkeep, and payment of other joint bills will be made. The best thing you can do if you’re thinking of buying with someone else is to sit down and work out all these details ahead of time. One thing to think about before you go shopping for a house is what will happen if one of you wants to sell but the other doesn’t. While that seems simple, you have to plan for the possibility that the person who wants to stay in the property can’t afford to buy out the partners. How you’ll handle that is key to a successful home-buying experience. How should you think about your home-buying time horizon so you avoid making a big mistake? We find that first-time buyers often make timing mistakes. Typically, they sign a lease to rent their current home for another year and then decide they want to buy something. They go shopping for a place, and wind up paying rent and mortgage for six months or longer. That’s not affordable in most cases, especially today. So, think about when you would like to be in your first home, and reverse engineer the process. It will take you six to eight weeks to close in the home once your offer is accepted. It may take you three to five months to find a property that will work for you that’s in your price range. You also need to hire an agent, make sure you are pre-approved for your mortgage, find a professional home inspector, and understand what it will take to get you packed up and moved. Working all these details out ahead of time is ideal but doesn’t always happen. Still, if you plan as much as possible, the whole purchase process will go more smoothly. How much should you spend on your purchase and how will your credit affect what you can spend? This question is actually a combination of two questions in Ilyce’s book, but they dovetail nicely. How much you can afford to spend on a house may change several times during the course of the day, depending on what interest rates do. Where your credit score is at any point in time will also directly affect how big a loan your lender will approve. The higher your credit score, the lower the interest rate you’ll pay on your loan. You’ll also get a better deal in terms of points (a point is one percent of the loan amount) and other fees. Right now, the average credit score is around 700, which means the interest rate you carry on your mortgage could be close to 7 percent. All the details of mortgage lending get pretty complex, so your daughter should work with a trusted mortgage lender to figure out exactly how much she can afford to buy before she starts looking. That is important because another of the biggest mistakes first-time buyers make is falling in love with homes that are way outside their price range. For some reason, they also often believe that the houses they buy should look exactly like featured homes on cable TV. The best thing you can do is help your daughter understand the realities of what she can’t afford, what types of properties her neighborhood of choice offers, and how she can make the most of her hard-earned dollars. ADVICE FOR A FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER IN 2023 BY ILYCE GLINK AND SAMUEL J. TAMKIN | Tribune

28 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com Despite changes in the real estate market ushered in during the COVID-19 lockdowns, demand for walkable urban areas has resurged in the U.S., according to a new analysis. But the footprint of these coveted areas remains small. Among the 35 most populous metro areas, New York, Boston and Washington, D.C., top the list of the most walkable, according to the report by nonprofit Smart Growth America and real estate services company Places Platform. The researchers weigh factors like density, land use and proximity to amenities via paths to decide what’s considered “walkable” – including for people with wheelchairs or strollers. Good transit systems are a key attribute among the most highly ranked metro areas. Chicago, for example, shows walkable urbanism along its Metra and CTA network extending past the center city. Boston’s subway system runs through both the city and its urban suburbs. Los Angeles, which ranked eighth, has a reputation for car-centric sprawl. But downtown L.A., Pasadena and Santa Monica have walkable cores that helped the massive metro area score a spot on the list. “The L.A. region had the longest rail transit system in the world in 1945, which was eliminated by 1962,” the report states. “The metro area has recently built and continues to expand a new regional transit system, investing $180 billion of locally raised funds.” City dwellers will pay to live in a walkable location. Real estate in these areas averages a 34 percent price premium per square foot in for-sale housing and 41 percent for multifamily rental apartments. The same is true about areas with easy access to transit, which tend to have overlap with walkable areas. According to the LA Times, condos near high-use transit stations in the Los Angeles metro area are 42 percent more valuable on average than car dependent properties. Researchers found that these premiums dropped in many regions during and after the pandemic but have since recovered. Residential and office renters pay more near a station, and houses and condominiums are more valuable. All of that is good for property owners but these price premiums cut two ways, limiting the availability of affordable housing and barring low-income groups from potential walkability benefits like health improvements and strong community life. Take Charlotte as an example. The North Carolina metro area’s housing is affordable overall when compared to other bigger regions, but the premium to buy a home in its walkable areas is 77 percent, according to the study. “In some ways the housing affordability crisis in walkable areas worsened, given that pandemic-era supply chain and labor challenges have further exacerbated housing undersupply,” the report adds. And, of course, it tends to be challenging to develop in the midst of a busy inner city, in any case. Overall, only a small percentage of land is walkable even in the largest 35 metro areas, accounting for an average of 1.2 percent of land mass, according to the report. But by definition, that land is both dense and has high economic value: Walkable neighborhoods in just those 35 metro areas account for 19.1 percent of the total U.S. real GDP and 6.8 percent of the total U.S. population, by the researchers’ calculations. In many areas, new development takes the form of low-density, single-family homes, and it’s “illegal to build walkable urban densities and mixed-use development on much of the 98.8 percent of land that is car-dependent due to restrictive zoning policies in most metropolitan areas,” the report states. Most walkable U.S. neighborhoods show economic resilience BY SRI TAYLOR | Bloomberg

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE February 16, 2023 29 The Internal Revenue Service will not collect federal taxes against state-issued inflation relief payments or tax refunds, the agency said last Friday, a reprieve for tens of millions of taxpayers who received the subsidies. The IRS had previously asked taxpayers to hold off filing their returns as officials determined if the state payments were federally taxable, an unusual statement for an agency that has long called for submitting returns as quickly as possible. Tax filing season began Jan. 23. Last Friday’s announcement means taxpayers in more than 20 states, including Florida, can now file their taxes. Residents of Alaska, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Maine, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island will not have any taxes collected against state payments or tax refunds and do not need to report them on their returns, the agency said. The IRS said the payments made by those states were “for the promotion of the general welfare or as a disaster relief payment,” and therefore are not federally taxable. People in Georgia, Massachusetts, South Carolina and Virginia will have to report state payments as income, unless the recipient claimed the standard deduction, or itemized deductions but did not receive a tax benefit, the IRS said. Flush with excess revenue stemming from wage gains in 2021 and 2022, nearly two dozen states issued payments to combat inflation over the summer. California’s middle-class tax refund distributed payments worth between $200 and $1,050; close to 16 million Californians have received the payouts already, and 23 million are eligible. New York awarded inflation relief payments worth $270 for average-to-low-income residents and enacted rent and property tax relief. Oregon sent one-time $600 checks to low-income households, and Georgia gave tax filers a $500 credit after they submitted their 2021 return. The decision on state payments came on the same day that the IRS reported encouraging service numbers. According to a Treasury Department official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal data, the agency has answered 88.6 percent of its phone calls from the start of tax filing season through Feb. 4, up from the 13 percent of calls answered during the 2022 tax season and 11 percent the year before. Factoring in callers who reached automated phone and chat support, 93.3 percent of taxpayers were able to reach IRS resources since the start of tax filing season through Feb. 4. Those automated tools are a major advancement for the outdated taxpayer services systems, allowing filers to obtain basic data without phoning IRS call centers. The Inflation Reduction Act backed by President Joe Biden and other prominent Democrats provided the IRS $80 billion in additional funding over 10 years to improve services and strengthen tax enforcement for high-income earners and corporations. The tax agency invested in new technology and hired 5,000 workers to staff phones based on funding from that law, the official said. The IRS recently introduced new tools to allow taxpayers to electronically check the status of their amended returns and file non-wage earnings, such as money from gig work. But the agency has struggled to implement other new provisions, including tax rebates for consumers that purchase American-made electric vehicles. The IRS has left in place broad guidelines from the law include vehicles without the requisite amount of U.S.-made parts, allowing them to remain eligible for the tax break for a longer-than-expected period. Another one of Biden’s key legislative victories, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, required taxpayers to report transactions worth $600 or more that were made through third-party payment apps, such as Venmo and PayPal. The IRS delayed guidance on that question, too, saying it will not apply until the 2023 tax year. IRS clears confusion over state stimulus payments BY JACOB BOGAGE | Washington Post

Elise Danielian 772-418-2992 [email protected] Ingrid Hewitt 772-203-7800 [email protected] Isabelle Pollock 772-713-3221 [email protected] TREASURE COAST TRIO Top Producing Team WE’VE BEEN BUSY! PGA VILLAGE $489,900 FANTASTIC FAIRVIEW MODEL W/ LAKE VIEWS Move right into this 3BR/2BA/2CG home in PGA Village. Open floor plan with vaulted ceilings, tile through the living areas, updated lighting & fans and neutral paint. Spacious kitchen with breakfast bar, SS appliances, tile backsplash and an abundance of cabinetry. Generous master suite with lots of windows, dual closets and ensuite w/ wall-to-wall vanity, soaker tub and walk in shower. Guest bedrooms share a hall bath. Enjoy lake views from your screened patio. 9044 Champions Way Elise Danielian 772-418-2992 [email protected] Ingrid Hewitt 772-203-7800 [email protected] Isabelle Pollock 772-713-3221 [email protected] PGA VILLAGE $589,900 FAIRVIEW FLOORPLAN W/ POOL IN PGA VILLAGE! Ever popular 2BR+Den/ 2BA/2CG Fairview plan with private garden views located walking distance to the community clubhouse. Open kitchen with wood cabinetry, granite counters, stainless steel appliances and plenty of storage. Large master suite overlooks the pool area and has dual walk in closets as well as spa-like ensuite complete with walk-in shower and soaking tub. Open floor plan is ideal for entertaining. Screened & heated pool and spa. 8824 Champions Way CRESSWIND AT VERANO $655,000 ALESSA PLAN ON A CORNER LAKE LOT Cresswind beauty! Light & airy 3BR/2.5BA/2CG home across the street from the community pool. Impeccably maintained with wood look plank tile in the living areas, hard surface flooring in the bedrooms, impact glass windows & doors, elegant lighting throughout and more. Kitchen features quartz counters, large island, SS appliances, breakfast nook overlooking lake, butler’s pantry, pendant lighting, glass front cabinetry and tile backsplash. Master suite with dual closets and ensuite with dual vanities, frameless glass shower and soaker tub. 11250 SW Lunata Way PGA VILLAGE $724,888 FIXER UPPER IN PGA VILLAGE ON 2.09 ACRES! Rare opportunity to own a pool home on an estate sized lot. This 3BR/2BA/2CG home features metal roof, tile & vinyl plank flooring, vaulted ceilings, stone fireplace, & cabana bath to newly screened pool & patio Wood cabinetry, granite counters & SS appliances grace the kitchen as well as new dishwasher & new dryer. Great value - Call today! 7835 Saddlebrook Drive PGA VERANO $494,900 BEAUTIFUL BELLA PLAN W/ MODERN FINISHES! Private backyard with lake views from the front of this home make this 2BR+Den/2BA/2CG property a great find. Modern gray tile flooring through living areas and carpeted bedrooms. Kitchen with white cabinetry, quartz counters, SS appliances, breakfast nook and snack bar. Master suite with tranquil ensuite and dual closets. Elegant light fixtures and fans throughout. Built in 2019, with impact glass windows & doors. Call today! 11251 SW Visconti Way PGA VERANO $510,000 BELLA W/ LAKE VIEWS IN VERANO Lovely 2BR+Den/2BA/2CG ‘Bella’ floor plan nestled on a lakefront lot. Tile through the main living areas and carpeted bedrooms. Special features include custom landscaping, plantation shutters, EV charger and more. Light & bright kitchen with granite counters, SS appliances, breakfast nook and snack bar. Master suite overlooks the lake and is a tranquil getaway after a busy day. Impact glass windows & doors throughout. 19020 SW Positano Way PALM CITY $400,000 SINGLE FAMILY HOME W/ NO HOA! Bring your boat to this 3BR/2BA/2+CG home located just down the street from the boat ramp! Brand new metal roof finished January of 2023. Engineered wood flooring through most of the home. Fenced back yard and large driveway. Martin county has A+ rated schools. Don’t miss this one! 1052 SW 27th Street PGA VERANO $625,000 LAKEFRONT CUL-DE-SAC LOT IN VERANO! Light & bright 4BR/2.5BA/3CG ‘Alessa’ plan on a desirable street walking distance from the clubhouse. Special features include IMPACT GLASS, hard surface flooring t/o, custom closets, lake views, oversized lot and more. Kitchen with granite counters, SS appliances, walk-in pantry and center island. Enjoy the beautiful view on the screened and covered lanai. Don’t miss this one! 10547 SW Capraia Way CRESSWIND AT VERANO $849,900 BRAND NEW HOME IN 55+ COMMUNITY! Popular ‘Collina’ plan just completed in January of 2023. Space for everyone with formal living and dining, family room and casual eating area. 3BR+Den/3.5BA/2+CG. Lake views from covered patio. White kitchen w/ granite, SS, pendant lighting, wall oven, center island and more. Impact glass windows & doors. Live the resort lifestyle! 9045 SW Roccia Way PGA VILLAGE $559,900 PRIVATE POOL HOME IN PGA VILLAGE! Updated 3BR/2BA/2CG home w/ private dipping pool! Special features include kitchen w/ granite counters, SS appliances, apron sink and subway tile backsplash. Living room has stone feature wall w/ sconce lighting. Master suite w/ dual closets and ensuite w/ dual granite topped vanities. Private back yard is a tropical oasis. 7225 Maidstone Drive PGA VILLAGE $1,250,000 ELEGANT HOME W/ ATTACHED GUEST HOUSE RARE FIND! Beautifully updated CBS home on 0.67 acre lot w/ attached guest house, heated pool & spa, updated kitchen and more. Kitchen w/ massive center island, white perimeter cabinetry, quartz counters, SS appliances and more. Spacious screened area w/ tons of covered space. Incredible opportunity to own a special home. 7688 Charleston Way VITALIA $420,000 GORGEOUS LONG LAKE VIEWS IN VITALIA! Popular Andalucia plan on a corner lot w/ amazing view. Kitchen w/ granite, espresso cabinetry, gas stove, SS appliances and center island. Sizable master suite w/ views right down the lake. Tile through main living areas, crown molding, glass entry front door and more. Screened & covered patio to enjoy the beautiful view. 12301 SW Silverwood Ave ST. LUCIE WEST $379,000 LAKEFRONT VILLA IN THE HEART OF SLW! This Divosta built 2BR/2BA/2CG villa nestled on a lakefront lot boasts hard surface flooring throughout, built-in wall unit, solid surface countertops, SS appliances, & newer AC, WH & Plumbing. The master bedroom’s spacious ensuite bath doubles as a cabana bath. Enjoy serene lake views from the screened lanai while floating your own private pool! 1525 NW Amherst Drive, Apt. B TRADITION $389,900 PEACEFUL WATER VIEWS IN HERITAGE OAKS! Welcome home! Meticulously cared for 3BR/2BA/2CG home with oversized screened lanai overlooking the lake. This open floor plan features hard surface flooring t/o, spacious eat-in kitchen with wood cabinetry, SS appliances, breakfast bar and solid surface counters. Master suite w/ access to the lanai and private ensuite. Two guest bedrooms share a guest bathroom. Walking distance to clubhouse and a short bike ride to the heart of Tradition! 9931 SW Stonegate Drive PGA VERANO $634,900 LONG LAKE VIEWS IN VERANO! GORGEOUS SUNSETS FROM THIS LAKEFRONT 3BR/2.5BA/2CG property beaming w/ pride of ownership. Great room living w/ long lake views invading main living spaces & master bedroom. Kitchen boasts a 42” espresso cabinetry, oversized island, butler’s pantry, SS appliances, granite countertops & casual dining space overlooking lake. Master suite overlooks the lake and features access to the patio, double walk-in closets and ensuite w/dual vanities, soaking tub & shower. Tile t/o main living areas & carpeting in the bedrooms. Newer AC, WH and impact glass windows & doors. Screened & covered lanai to enjoy the peaceful lake view. 10618 SW Visconti Way PGA VERANO $589,900 POOL HOME W/ GORGEOUS LAKE VIEWS! LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! Charming Giordana plan in Verano with screened pool overlooking serene lake views with no neighbor across the lake! This 2BR+Den/2BA/2CG home features tile flooring t/o, impact glass windows & doors, tasteful window treatments and newer A/C & WH. Upgraded kitchen with espresso cabinetry, granite counters & backsplash, single basin SS sink, SS appliances and built in pantry. Master suite overlooks the pool & lake and features dual closets with built-in organizers as well as oversized, curbless walk-in shower. 9557 SW Nuova Way NEW LISTING NEW LISTING NEW LISTING NEW LISTING NEW LISTING NEW LISTING AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE

The Heart of the Garden Fashion Show runs Saturday at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens. The event will feature latest styles and trends seen in Chico’s fashion stores. Guests will enjoy a continental brunch and be eligible to win prizes in 50/50 raffles. The event runs 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Port. St. Lucie Botanical Gardens, 2410 SE Westmoreland Blvd., Port St. Lucie. Admission is $25 and space is limited. All proceeds will go to the organization’s Children’s Education Program. The event is sponsored by Chico’s and SOMA. For more information, call 772-337-1959 or email [email protected]. The Port St. Lucie Beer, Wine and Spirits Festival runs Saturday at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center. It serves up local brews, exotic wines and samples of spirits as well as entertainment, food and interactive games. No knapsacks, large bags, outside food or drinks allowed. You must be at least 21 years of age with a photo ID to enter. In addition to samples of beverages, there will also be food available for purchase. Tickets are $15 to $50. Designated drivers buy a special driver ticket and can enjoy all activities except the alcohol. However, be aware that designated driver tickets have a different colored wristband, and if they are spotted drinking alcohol, they’ll be escorted out. The Port St. Lucie Beer, Wine and Spirits Festival runs 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18, at the Event Center, 9221 SE Event Center Place. For more information, visit CityOfPSL.com. fun, festivities food THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2023 YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SECTION 2 BY PAM HARBAUGH | Correspondent 1 Coming Up! ‘FASHION SHOW’ AT BOTANICAL GARDENS LOOKS LIKE WINNER CONTINUED ON PAGE B8 PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN Old-school rock! Russell Miller, lead singer of Metalucious, sings to Nancy Molinelli, above, during the Muse Theatre Presents: 1987 Prom with Metalucious last Saturday in St. Lucie West. Attendees came decked out in their finest 1980’s attire and danced to the hits of that wild decade.

Opulence and innovation are on display at the Vero Beach Museum of Art in Rolling Sculpture: Streamlined Art Deco Automobiles and Motorcycles, featuring 22 rare automobiles and two motorcycles, most from the 1930s, on loan from private collectors and museums through April 30. “The show is unique to Vero Beach. This is not copied anywhere, and it won’t go anywhere else. The cars just go back to the owners all over the country,” says VBMA curator Anke Van Wagenberg. Guest curator Ken Gross, former director of the Petersen Automotive Museum, says back in 1951 curator Arthur Drexler first referred to the cars as “hollow rolling sculpture” at a show at the Museum of Modern Art. Gross shared his knowledge of the showstoppers, starting with the 1937 Delahaye 135MS, a sensuous roadster with Hermès leather interior, produced by Figoni and Falaschi for the 1937 Paris Auto Salon. Like others of the era, it was designed to appear in motion, even when standing still. “This particular car, I think, is one of the stars of the show. There may be 11 of these and they’re all hand built. It took a team of artisans about 2,100 hours to just build the aluminum body of this car,” says Gross. “It has a number of innovative ideas, besides its dramatic styling. Basically, these were an expression of taste and obviously means.” William Stout had better luck with his aircraft designs than his unusual 1936 Stout Scarab, which he envisioned as the car of the future. “He was absolutely right, but he was 50 years ahead of his time,” says Gross, likening it to today’s minivan. The 1933 Pierce Arrow Silver Arrow, one of five, competed in the Car of Tomorrow contest at the Chicago Century of Progress. “This, for 1933, was extremely radical and streamlined. Pierce Arrow loved putting its headlights in the fenders. In EXHIBIT REVIEW 2 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com BY MARY SCHENKEL | Staff Writer this case they ran that line all the way to the rear, so it’s really a dramatic looking car. With many of the cars here, functionality takes second place to style, elegance and drama.” The innovative 1938 Tatra T77a was one of the first cars tested in a wind tunnel. “It has a kind of a dorsal fin to stabilize at 100 miles an hour on an autobahn. This is a magnificent beast,” says Gross. “Another favorite is this 1938 Talbot-Lago. They built 12 of these Teardrop Coupes in this New York style. They may look beautiful, but it’s got muscle to it. You see this teardrop theme everywhere. Figoni and others thought that the teardrop was the perfect romantic form of this era.” Ettore Bugatti only built some 12,000 cars “but they were glorious,” says Gross. The elegant 1929 Bugatti Type 46 Semi-Profile, designed by his son Jean, boasts an elephant hide interior. “Not unusual for Bugatti and not unusual for that era.” Rust Heinz, of the Heinz 57 family, developed the 1938 Phantom Corsair as a prototype. It appeared as the Flying Wombat in “The Young at Heart” with Douglas Fairbanks Jr. “There wasn’t anything like it at the time and there really hasn’t been anything like it since. It’s just such a wonderful, sensuous bundle of a car. Sadly, he was killed in an automobile accident [at age 25], not in this car,” says Gross. “Who knows what might have happened if he hadn’t perished.” The 1938 Panhard & Levassor Type X81 Dynamic Sedan, one of three, offered perfect peripheral vision and the choice of steering wheels on the left, right or center. “It’s like an exercise in deco. Just all the elegance. I see something new every time I see it.” Gross says Chrysler was ahead of its time with its 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt – no grill, a disappearing metal top, and headlights behind doors. The war halted its development, but some design cues appeared in post-war Chryslers. Harley Earl developed a whole new look for General Motors with the 1938 Buick Y-Job Roadster. “Earl wanted cars that were exciting, and after this car was developed, General Motors used a number of these cues. It doesn’t look low to our eyes, but these little 14-inch wheels were long before anyone did anything like that.” Of the 1934 Packard Twelve Model 1106, one of four, Gross says, “This, to me, is just a wonderful, handsome car. Someone spent a lot of time crafting this to make a statement.” Interestingly, the car has had three owners. The couple who owned it 42 years ago now live in Stuart, and attended the recent VBMA Gala, excited to see it for the first time in four decades. The 1930 Ruxton Model C Sedan, one of the first front-wheel drive cars built in America, has a reversed three-speed transaxle. It allowed a lower silhouette, dramatized by no running boards, and Wonder on wheels: ‘Rolling Sculpture’ exhibit’s a rare treat 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster. 1938 Hispano-Suiza H6B “Xenia”. Ken Gross and Anke Van Wagenberg. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS February 16, 2023 3 an unusual, graded color scheme. The remarkably aerodynamic 1938 Hispano-Suiza H6B “Xenia,” one of one, was created by aircraft designer Jean Andreau and commissioned by World War I fighter ace Andre Dubonnet, of the aperitif family. With its panoramic windshield, curved glass windows and cantilevered doors, “it really looks like an airplane. When you rolled up in this car, you were somebody special.” The car was thought lost when the Germans invaded France in World War II and appropriated valuables, but it had been hidden. It reappeared at a 1946 auto show, to the delight of the populace. The 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K Special Roadster was one of about 20, most owned by Nazi bigwigs. “This car is all about arrogance. It’s got horns that could be perfectly suited for a diesel train. Only the very, very wealthy had cars like this,” says Gross. It also has a shortwave radio, with preset dials to European cities. This car, however, was owned by a lady who escaped the Nazis twice with her brother, mother and the car, first to France and when that was invaded to America. Decades later, she put the car in storage and returned to Europe, dying there with little money. The car was sold to pay the storage. “To me it’s very touching that she kept the car all that time. It was one of her joys and that’s why she kept it,” says Gross. The public called the 1939 Graham Combination Coupe the “Shark Nose,” because of its severely angled grill. Despite its wonderful design and conservative price, it was too outré and didn’t sell well. A wealthy, intrepid flyer and aircraft designer, Gabriel Voisin used aircraft principals in his 1934 Voisin Type C27 Aerosport. “He wanted to make his own statement, so his cars look like nothing else. I think they’re fabulous looking.” Built as a medium-priced car, the 1937 Lincoln-Zephyr Coupe literally saved the company. “Lincoln was slowly collapsing because the cars were considered just too expensive and not exciting enough. The car itself is wonderful. It’s got curves and angles in a very pleasing way.” Built across town from one another, the 1934 Chrysler Imperial Model CV Airflow Coupe and 1934 Bendix SWC Sedan did not fare as well. “The two designers didn’t communicate, didn’t know one another, and yet there’s some remarkable similarities,” says Gross. Among them, unfortunately, was little interest. Weighing in at almost 3.5 tons, Gross calls the singular 1925/1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom Aerodynamic Coupe the ultimate Rolls Royce (chassis and engine 1925/body 1934). “This is a very unusual car, even for a Rolls Royce. The car just makes a statement.” Initially made for a wealthy American woman who never took possession, a Belgium coachbuilder built the dramatic “round door” body. Amazingly, the magnificent car was found in a New Jersey junkyard, abandoned. Gross says a great number of cars went to the scrapyard during WWII, recycled for their aluminum, steel and rubber. A catalog produced by Gross is available in the gift shop. The Vero Beach Museum of Art is located at 3001 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. For more information, visit VBMuseum.org. Among the automobiles on display in the Rolling Sculpture exhibit, from left: the 1934 Voisin Type C27 Aerosporter; the 1934 Chrysler Imperial Model CV Airflow Coupe; and the 1936 Stout Scarab.

4 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com 117 South Second Street Historic Downtown Fort Pierce www.sunrisetheatre.com Box Office 10 am - 2 pm Mon - Sat 772.461.4775 Wednesday, February 22, 7:00 pm “Quite possibly the best 120min of 50’s, 60’s Music that you will experience on one stage!” “A nostalgic Journey through Vintage Rock & Roll. This Dynamic full production Vegas style show brings the 50’s & 60’s back to life with spectacular Lights, Sound, Stage Props, and the fantastic “NY Rockabilly Rockets” recreating the music you grew up with & loved.” The NY Rockabilly Rockets presents “Shake Rattle Roll” Riverside Theatre in Vero Beach continues to shake us out of our cultural doldrums with yet another soul-stirring production. This time, it’s “Bakersfield Mist,” a smart, witty and provocative play designed to tickle and delight audiences from beginning to end. In “Bakersfield Mist,” playwright Stephen Sachs uses the erudition of an art scholar and the common sense of an out-of-work bartender to explore authenticity, delusion and the power of art. The backdrop is Maude Gutman’s trailer home in Bakersfield, Calif. It is festooned with garage-sale treasures and an ample supply of whiskey. Maude is getting her place, and herself, dolled up to welcome Lionel Percy, a supercilious art expert from New York City. As former director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Lionel has quite the impressive resume. He has deigned to visit Maude in order to verify her claim that she has in her possession a long-lost painting by the major American abstract expressionist, Jackson Pollock. Lionel’s doubt that the painting is real begins long before he sees it. After all, how could this middle-aged woman living in the THEATRE REVIEW The art of the real: ‘Bakersfield Mist’ authentically awesome BY PAM HARBAUGH | Correspondent Steve Brady as Lionel Percy and Laurie Dawn as Maude Gutman. PHOTOS: GARETT SCHIEFER

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS February 16, 2023 5 Sage Brush trailer park, and without any formal education, come into possession of a Jackson Pollock painting. The only thing Maude knows about art is the clown painting she picked up at a garage sale. At least you know what the painting depicts, she says, in not quite those words. Maude responds with F-bombs and shots of whiskey to Lionel’s scholarly speeches about art, while he recoils, reminding her, with disdain dripping from his lips, that his passion is ferreting out fakes. “It’s easier to say something is fake than prove something is real,” he says. Moreover, he says he always gets a certain “tingle” when standing in front of something authentic. The irony is that the most authentic thing in the trailer is Maude herself. What Lionel does not know is that Maude is armed with savvy. As she plays aces tucked up her sleeve, the house of cards upon which Lionel has perched himself tumbles. His armor is eventually pierced, and the lonely man inside becomes vulnerable, at which point Maude lays down her hand. This play is filled with delicious, intellectually charged combat, while bringing relatable human emotion. Director Allen D. Cornell leads us through this story with righteous respect for the non-verbal moments. Maude takes her time bringing out the painting in question and setting it up. Lionel takes his time studying every inch of it, front, back and side. (The painting, by the way, is slightly evocative of Pollock’s actual painting “Lavender Mist.”) These are long moments on stage, but they are tasty theatrical scenes where action becomes kinetic and we hang on every nuance of movement, wondering how the character will respond, what will happen next. Because of this respect for those moments not spoken – akin to the negative space in a painting (ironically, not so much in a Pollock) – the quiet scenes land solidly, emotion and motivation fully intact. We are rapt. The pencil drops and we hear it. But, oh, this production is served so very well with two awe-inspiring portrayals by actors Laurie Dawn and Steve Brady. In lesser hands, Maude and Lionel could so easily become two-dimensional caricatures. Instead, Dawn and Brady forge amazingly rich and complex portrayals of two people buffeted by life. Dawn forges a riveting arc for the character of Maude. At first you think this is a forgotten woman, living out her days in a trailer in the high desert of California. But Dawn brings out her grit and many facets – brassy and wounded, marginalized but hopeful, desperate yet proud. Brady is superb in the role of Lionel Percy. He is utterly believable as an art connoisseur. He brings his character from being an insufferable snob to one filled with near animalistic understanding of the artist’s force. He describes how his life changed when, as a student, he saw Picasso’s groundbreaking “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” and understood then how art might be not just a harbinger of change; as if a madness has a grip on him, he saw how Picasso’s work set the stage for Pollock to rearrange “the molecular structure of art.” Brady brings Lionel to the edge in an especially sexually charged monologue about Pollock’s painting style, where the canvas becomes the object of Pollock’s visceral prowess, both as an artist and a lover. Lionel ends the speech in ecstasy over the sexually explosive nature of Pollock’s technique. And that’s where Maude hands him a drink. And the audience needs one too. Costume designer Anna Christine Hillbery does more than simply dress the characters; she advances theme with her costumes. While Lionel’s costume is a given – dark suit, white shirt and tie – Maude’s is one that Hillbery has the most fun with. There are the pedal pushers, the garish jewelry and too-tight top. But what she does is to use touches of reddish orange, which is also seen in the so-called Pollock painting. It subliminally makes us see Maude as an avatar for the painting – chaos incarnate, explosive energy, alive. That’s quite the nice and smart touch. Sarah Elliott’s lighting design is solid, yes, but also a sly one, meaning you will be thrilled by it at one particular moment in the show (and we’re saying no more). Director Cornell is also the scenic designer here, and has created a rich environment for characters, actors and audience. Certainly, those who love art will find “Bakersfield Mist” especially appealing. The writing is smart and scholarly. The monologues where Lionel rhapsodizes over art are simply mouthwatering. But do realize that, like contemporary art itself, this play is designed to provoke and expand boundaries. In other words, expect language and a few actions that might set a Thomas Gainsborough heart a-flutter. Do see “Bakersfield Mist.” It is excellent theater. “Bakersfield Mist” runs through Feb. 19 on the Waxlax Stage at Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. Tickets are $65. The show performs 7:30 p.m. Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information, call 772-231-6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com.

6 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com SWIRL. SMELL .SIP. REPEAT February 24, 2023 6 - 8pm Bottle Shock 1707 NW St Lucie West Blvd. #186 Port St. Lucie, FL $10 PER PERSON SUPPORTING RELAY FOR LIFE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY WINE TASTING NIGHT I knew I had spoken to Sue Cella, who plays the Russian diva Tatiana Racon in Riverside Theatre’s upcoming production of “A Comedy of Tenors,” before. In fact, it was a year ago, when the play was halted before it opened because of COVID. “Last year, I got down here with my dog and suitcases,” Cella said. “Five minutes into the first day of rehearsal, it was canceled because of COVID. When Allen (Cornell, the Riverside’s producing artistic director) canceled, he said we were going to do it next year. They were true. They called my agent at the end of the summer. It’s much appreciated that they are people of their word.” The show will be presented Feb. 21 through March 12 at the Vero Beach venue. It’s by Ken Ludwig, who wrote “Lend Me a Tenor,” and the emphasis is still on fun, farce and (in)fidelity. The play is set in 1930s Paris, where being suave and debonair, if male, and elegant and beautiful, if female, is the order of the day. It’s the perfect time for a night at the opera, and four famous tenors come to Paris to perform. There is one hotel suite, two wives and three girlfriends, and, as the show’s tagline says, “What could possibly go wrong?” This is Cella’s fifth time at the Riverside: She has also appeared in “Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike,” “Funny Girl,” “The Boyfriend” and “Gypsy.” Other credits include appearances on Broadway in “On the Twentieth Century” and “Evita,” and in national tours such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” opposite Topol, Theodore Bikel and Harvey Fierstein. Still, she has a special place for comedy and farce, noting that when she saw “Lend Me a Tenor,” she howled with laughter. “Comedy” is no different. “It’s a completely ridiculous play,” she said. “That’s the beauty of it. To be taken away for a few hours is a gift we, as actors, can give the audience. Come be in our world and be happy. There’s value in that.” During the past year, Cella played a nun in a regional theater production of “The Sound of Music.” The play was cast, but she knew the director and the feeling was that they could always use an extra nun. She had a grand time and when the production moved to Maine, she went with it, getting a slight promotion in her rank. “I’m looking forward to being glamorous, especially after being a nun,” she said. “I’m talking in a really bad Russian accent. Everyone else is Italian.” Cella said the play had so many things to laugh at, it was difficult to keep track. “There’s an undependable tenor who’s a great womanizer, mistaken identities, heartbreak and new love, all with the traditional in and out of the doors,” she said. “We’re working on timing a lot.” Cella discovered theater in college and began studying piano at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester. When she switched to voice, she ended up in the opera department. In last year’s interview she explained how she got to musical theater. “I liked opera, but asked what a blue-collar Italian girl was doing there,” she said. “I did theater as an extracurricular activity. A professor from Yale was teaching courses and I switched my major to theater and music. Then I moved to New York, knowing less than nothing.” Cella bought the trade papers and worked at Gimbels East. After nine months, she auditioned and got the job at the Theatre by the Sea in Rhode Island. She loved it. “That was it,” she said. “There was no going back. I got my Equity card.” That was followed by “Twentieth Century” and “Evita.” Now she’s back at the Riverside, playing a flamboyant Russian. The talk turned serious and Cella spoke of the dual challenges of COVID and not being a young ingenue in a world that doesn’t write a lot of roles for mature women. “This is a stage of life we were completely unprepared for,” she said. “COVID did a number. We all faced isolation and our show business families were taken away. There’s not as much work. None of us planned to retire, but to grow into older roles. It’s a change for my friends and me. I’ve been traveling for fun a lot more and it thrills me because I love it. I’m so glad Riverside Theatre has been so good to me. It feels like home.” Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach, presents “A Comedy of Tenors” Feb. 21 through March 12. For tickets and more information, call 772-231-6990 or visit riversidetheatre.com. BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Staff Writer [email protected] Sue Cella. Second time’s the charm for Cella and ‘Comedy of Tenors’

SHELLEY KOPPEL MY TAKE To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS February 16, 2023 7 TICKETS Advanced: $20 At Gate: $25 For Tickets, Send to: Jimmy Sturr Box 1, Florida NY 10921 Credit Card: 1-800-724-0727 Food & Drink Cash Bar • Polish Food Available • Kitchen Opens at 11:00 am Polish Platter -or- 1/2 Chicken Dinner $20.00 each Kielbasi Sandwich - $10.00 at the Polish American Club 343 N.W. Prima Vista Port St. Lucie, Fla (Exit 121 off Route 95) For months now, the scooter that I associate with my mother’s accident and the terrible year that followed has sat in my living room, the focal point of the room because it is too big to be anywhere else. I have referred to the décor as “early nursing home,” because we also have three wheelchairs. I have no idea why and suspect they breed. It was hard to get a homey feel. I have finally rid myself of at least the scooter. A neighbor knew someone who wanted one and they came to look at it. It turned on, the horn tooted and all was well, except that we couldn’t get it to move. As the three old folks looked at each other, Mandy, my second-in-command, who’s helping me clear things out, got out her phone, went on YouTube, and found a video for the scooter. The man rode off into the sunset, returning a few days later with his son to remove the incredibly cumbersome scooter lift from the car. Easiest way ever to shed hundreds of pounds! Clearing out has become easier with Mandy, whose name has been changed because people always seem to do that. She used to own a cleaning service and is ruthless in her focus on ridding me of clutter. I have previously written about the proliferation of buttons and other random things. Papers and photos also seem to have breeding tendencies. No matter how many you get rid of, there are always more. Because things have been piled on top of other things and stuck in boxes for decades, there is no rhyme nor reason to what we’ll find. One day, amidst some financial documents, there was a picture of a cow. Not a pretty cow. Just a cow. Why was it taken? Why was it developed? Why was it saved? Why was it in the middle of tax records? There are no answers to these questions, and I don’t really think I want to know. For months I tried to find my mother’s birth certificate, which several agencies wanted. I sent away to the City of New York for a copy, but they could not find her. It turned out that things could happen without it, but, I’m sure you’ve guessed it, I recently came across a copy in a pile of papers. It had always been a Koppel family legend that whoever registered my mother’s birth did not understand her mother’s immigrant English and the wrong name was on the birth certificate. Well, now I have proof that it is not an urban myth. My mother, Lillian, is listed as Elaine on her birth certificate. That sort of throws you off. Should I put Elaine, aka Lillian, or DBA Lillian? She managed to get to 96 as Lillian in life and Elaine on paper. I have to believe that somewhere along the way, a corrected certificate was issued and I am sure I will find it with school papers from 1973. I also found a Tiny Tots certificate from the hospital where my brother was born, commemorating that event. It entitles him to all the privileges of the Tiny Tots Society. I hope he took advantage of it. A friend has called the process I’m going through, where I seem to find the sentimental or emotional wrapped up in the mundane or boring, “a treasure hunt in a minefield.” Perhaps it’s a treasure hunt in a cow field. You never know what you’re going to step in next. Clearing out clutter answers some questions – but raises many others

CONTINUED ON PAGE B10 8 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com 3,000 Bolts of Cotton & Batik Fabrics Servicing All Brands of Sewing Machines Check Our Website For Our Class Schedule Email Us At: [email protected] TUES-FRI 10-4, SAT 10-3 772-800-3019 8615 S. US Hwy. 1, Port Saint Lucie www.PamsFabricNook.com Crowne Plaza - Across from Savanna Club Authorized Dealer WE HAVE A FULL RANGE OF MACHINES FOR SALE! NOW OPEN Stuart Location 2462 SE Federal Hwy. 772-600-5455 Who doesn’t love “La Cage aux Folles”? The fun musical has an impeccable pedigree, with a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by Jerry Herman. It has been revived several times, and the original production ran for more than four years and won six Tony Awards, including the trifecta of Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. It was also made into the popular movie “The Birdcage” with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane. The Barn Theatre in Stuart will present “La Cage aux Folles” March 9 through March 26, and as a public service, I’m letting you know that Barn musicals sell out fast, so don’t wait to get your tickets. Bryan Childe is directing “La Cage,” as he does most of the theater’s musicals. This is one he is truly excited about. “The music is absolutely gorgeous,” he said. “I adore ‘The Birdcage’; who doesn’t love ‘The Birdcage?’ The show is a combination (of the two). It’s basically the same storyline, which is hilarious. Those who know ‘The Birdcage’ will know the show, and those who don’t know ‘The Birdcage’ will see a good comedy that’s good fun. It’s hilarious, with a poignant story at the end about family.” The story is set on the French Riviera, where Georges, who owns a nightclub featuring drag entertainment, and Albin, his romantic partner and star, are confronted by a challenge. George’s son, Jean-Michel, is bringing his fiancée’s very conservative parents to meet Georges and Albin. What to do, what to do? Hilarity ensues as things don’t go as planned. Childe always has surprises in store or his shows, and this is no exception. “It is ‘Moulin Rouge’ meets ‘Hadestown,’” he said. “I’m designing the set with a full nine-piece orchestra, including trumpets, trombones, flutes and clarinets on stage so it looks like a big speakeasy. It’s really cool.” Childe has a special treat in the costume department, as well. “We got the rental from the Broadway national tour,” he said. “The costumes are straight from New York. We got very lucky on that one. It’s going to be beautiful.” The Barn is getting a reputation beyond the Treasure Coast for its musicals and can draw on performers who have not yet performed there as well as on Barn favorites. “Georges, played by Paul Heiner, is new to the Barn,” Childe said. “He’s very, very funny. Albin is Kyle Weber. Their chemistry is tremendous. They’re already making us laugh.” Other cast members include Sean Birkett as Jean-Michel, Shelby Percival as Anne, Kaitlyn Anne Johnson as Jacqueline, Matt Wood as Jacob, Jake Sanders as Francis, Dave Murray as Dindon and Mary Murphy as Marie Dindon. “It’s a strong, excellent cast,” Childe said. “It’s my A-list cast. I was very fortunate. People want to be a part of our musicals. It’s the first time we’ve used a full orchestra. It’s something new and exciting for us.” While Childe is laser-focused on “La Cage,” he managed to get in a word or two about the rest of the season, which includes “Songs for a New World” and the summer musical “The Wedding Season.” Kyle Weber will be directing the latter as Childe takes a break. He does have a last word to say about his current play. “There’s intrigue, excitement, glitz and glamor,” he said. “Come be part of the extravaganza that is ‘La Cage aux Folles.’” The Barn Theatre, 2399 SW Ocean Ave., Stuart, presents “La Cage aux Folles” March 9-26. For tickets or more information, call 772-287-4884 Monday through Friday from noon to 4 p.m. or visit barn-theatre. com. BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Staff Writer [email protected] The MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center has even more on its stages this weekend. There is also the Uncle Louie Variety Show which stars comedians Carlo Russo and Lou Greco. The duo takes on the characters of Uncle Louie and Pasqualino for a comic look at what it was like growing up Italian. They do stand-up, original songs, sketches and more. Tickets cost $25 to $35. The show runs 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. There’s also wrestling when the Coastal Championship Wrestling brings the CCW Wrestling Ultimate Showdown “Game of War,” with Kilynn King, Marina Tucker, Cha Cha Charlie, Fonzie and more. Tickets start at $20. The wrestling show also runs 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. But wait, there’s one more event which might interest bridesto-be: the Christian FM 5th Annual Bridal Expo. That runs 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 19. You’ll meet up with wedding coordinators and photographers and sample wedding cakes, talk to caterers and more. This is a free event. For more information, visit ChristianFM.com. For more information, visit CityOfPSL.com. The Lyric Theatre presents a couple of tribute shows of some legendary bands. First, is “Stayin’ Alive: One Night of the Bee Gees.” That concert begins 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 24. Then, there’s “Abbacadabra - The Ultimate Abba Tribute,” which runs 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 1. Tickets to each concert cost $47. There’s also the chance for some laughs when comedian Paul Reiser hits the stage 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26. Tickets are $47. The Lyric Theatre is at 59 SW Flagler Ave., Stuart. Call 772-286-7827 or visit LyricTheatre.com. The Sunrise Theatre presents “Shake Rattle Roll” with the NY Rockabilly Rockets. They will perform two hours of iconic hits from the ’50s and ’60s. Tickets are $54.50 and $65. They perform 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 22. Then, Sunrise’s ComCONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 COMING UP 5 3 4 ‘LA CAGE AUX FOLLES’ AT THE BARN ‘There’s intrigue, excitement, glitz and glamor’ “La Cage aux Folles” cast rehearses a scene. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BARN THEATRE

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS February 16, 2023 9 PHOTOS: AMANDA DUFFY Sponsors of the new Garden of Glass Exhibition at McKee Botanical Garden were invited for an afternoon wine reception to meet Seattle-based master glass artist Jason Gamrath, who created the 10 magnificent glass sculptures, including orchids, waterlilies, and even carnivorous pitcher plants and Venus fly traps, on display through April 30. Gamrath explained that what he does is considered glass sculpting, as opposed to traditional blown glass work. His process begins by watching as an actual flower grows over time, keeping track of the shapes during each stage of development, and sculpting pieces representing each stage. “I’m basically just taking the way the plant would grow and growing it in glass, not with my bare hands, because the glass is 3,000 degrees, but with different tools,” said Gamrath. “I take that molten glass and, like a living thing, you kind of push it into the shape you want it to be. The glass really is alive. It’s moving all the time, and gravity affects it, and centrifugal force affects it. So it’s a lot like how a plant normally would grow.” He explained that the vibrant colors in his glassworks are obtained by adding colored powders to clear glass and layering them one upon the other. “By the time you’re done, you end up looking through about five different colors. And all of those different gradients affect it and make it look more realistic,” said Gamrath. “What’s so fun about the complexity when we start working in those extravagant color patterns, is to just make those subtle things that nature does. Nature McKee ‘Garden of Glass’ artist details the how – and wow does it effortlessly. It takes us years and years and years to even get 1/10th as good as nature does something. Getting close is good enough for people, I think.” Gamrath said the beauty of having the large glass sculptures – the pieces in the exhibit range from 6 feet to 14 feet tall – next to the real thing is that they draw attention to the subtle details of the plants and how their own color gradients flow. “I love that you can have right beside it, something organic and living that just tells the whole story of how these small details can just blow your mind if you just stare at them,” said Gamrath. “That’s part of why I make them so large and exaggerated. Because I just love what they really are.” Each piece takes some 100 hours to complete, from the time the glass is taken out of the furnace to cooling it down over the course of the week. As a result, he said each piece takes a lot of people with very specific skill sets that can take at least six years to master. “Depending on the number of flowers, the number of pieces in each flower, it could easily take a year to build a piece. When I was starting out, it took me years and years and years just to get one single good flower.” For more information, visit McKeeGarden.org. BY MARY SCHENKEL | Staff Writer Jason Gamrath and Christine Hobart.

Treasure Coasters have a rare treat in store at Emerson Center in Vero Beach on Thursday, March 2, at 7 p.m.: The Grass Roots, whose songs were heard on radio, movies and TV in the 1960s and beyond, will be on stage as part of the Live! From Vero Beach concert series. Formed specifically to record the songs of legendary songwriter P.F. Sloan, The Grass Roots began in 1966 as a bunch of faceless, veteran session musicians playing soulful pop, but they were no mere bubblegum band – they developed a mix of blue-eyed soul, ’70s pop, folk and big, brassy rock that would one day morph into a power-pop phenomenon. Tickets are on sale now ranging from $45 to $105. For the best seats and/or a listing of all concerts being held during the 10th anniversary year, available seating locations and ticket prices, visit MusicWorks Concerts.com or call the TIX Customer Service line 1-800-595-4849. The Emerson Center is located on the campus of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Vero Beach, 1590 27th Ave. For more information call 772-234-4412. 10 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | PEOPLE www.stlucievoice.com CONTINUED FROM PAGE B8 COMING UP edy Corner welcomes stand-up comic Marc “Skippy” Price 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25. Tickets are $30. The Sunrise Theatre is at 117 S. 2nd St., Fort Pierce. Call 772-461- 4775 or visit SunriseTheatre.com. If something a bit more classic is your musical style, then look at what’s happening at the Community Church of Vero Beach. First, it’s the Indian River Symphonic Association’s presentation of the Philadelphia Orchestra with principal guest conductor Nathalie Stutzmann and violinist Gil Shaham. They will perform Tchaikovsky’s Polonaise from Eugene Onegin, Brahms Violin Concerto in D Major, Op. 77 and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68. The concert begins 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16. Tickets are $110. For more information, call 772-778-1070 or visit IRSymphonic.org. Next up is the Queens Six, a vocal ensemble in residence at Windsor Castle. The ensemble will perform 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18. Tickets are $40. For more information, call 772-562-3633 or visit CCOVB. org. The Community Church of Vero Beach is at 1901 23rd St., Vero Beach. 6 – CONTRIBUTED ‘GRASS ROOTS’ – LIVE FROM VERO County Fair adds more fun (if it’s possible!) The 58th annual St. Lucie County Fair cranks up for 10 days of matchless merriment beginning Friday, Feb. 24. Folks will have till Sunday, March 5 to get in their share of fair fun. “It’s very affordable and we have something for everyone,” said fair manager Christine Iannotti. New this year – doughnuts. “We’re doing a doughnut eating contest,” Iannotti said. The Josephine’s Donuts contest will be on Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7 p.m. at Garber Way. There will be two categories: children and youths 17 and younger, and adults 18 and older. Contestants will have two minutes to down the doughnuts the fastest. The children and youth winner will get $25; the adult winner, $100. Contestants have to sign up by 5 p.m. at the Josephine’s Donuts on the fair’s main walkway. Space is limited. Also new this year, “we have a mobile dairy classroom,” said Iannotti. “They’re doing education on dairy cows.” Southland Dairy Farmers, a regional partnership of producers, is hosting the mobile dairy classroom. “They’re going to be talking about why dairy industry is one of our priorities,” Iannotti said. “They do a milking demonstration.” The program will do multiple half-hour demonstrations daily at the fair. There’s something new at the annual demolition derby on Saturday, March 4, which will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. T.E. Promotions, “King of the Derbies,” hosts the event. “We added a minivan heat to our demolition derby this year,” remarked Iannotti. Demolition derbies have been around since the 1950s, although some motorsports historians swear they’ve found evidence for them even two decades sooner. The idea is simple enough – a bunch of drivers go into the arena and aim at each other. The last car moving under its own power wins. Derby drivers say there’s a lot of strategy that goes into the sport that requires evading hits while getting some in. In other words, it’s motorized martial arts. There’s also a version for the young’uns. The Kids Power Wheels Derby is open to children 2 to 9 years old. The youngsters must have helmets and take their own battery-operated cars. The first 30 registrants will get coupons for free regular subs at Jersey Mike’s at 1405 NW St. Lucie West Blvd. Back this year is the hugely popular Wide Open PRCA Rodeo on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 24 and Feb. 25, at 7:30 p.m. at the Adams Arena. Yep, you saw those letters right. The St. Lucie County Fair has a Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association-sanctioned rodeo. The PRCA is the largest rodeo organization in the world. Many of the athletes are aiming for the national finals. Iannotti said the fair schedule is filling out with usual fair activities, such as concerts, and some unexpected things. People can follow the St. Lucie County Fair on several social media sites and check in regularly at the website. There are several advance ticket and ride armband offers to choose from. It’s all at stluciecountyfair.org. The fairgrounds are at 15601 W. Midway Road, Fort Pierce. BY PATRICK McCALLISTER | Correspondent FILE PHOTO The band Chemistry – with Ronnie Wildermuth on vocals, Jeff Wildermuth on guitar and keyboard, Darrin Thorpe on the drums and Mike Lettera on bass guitar – gave fans an ’80s Music Experience at River Nights in Port St. Lucie on Feb. 9. ROLLIN’ AT THE RIVER PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | PEOPLE February 16, 2023 11 Temple Beth El Israel plans April march with historic Torah St. Lucie West’s Temple Beth El Israel (TBEI) is now caring for a Torah that has survived some of history’s worst moments – Nazism and Soviet communism. “The Torah serves as an educational tool to discuss the Holocaust,” said Ellis Bromberg, a member of the temple’s Czech Torah Committee. The temple is now organizing a Yom HaShoah march on Saturday, April 15, with the Torah. Yom HaShoah is an annual holocaust remembrance that falls on the 27th of Nisan on the Jewish calendar, which annually falls in April or May on the Gregorian, or modern, calendar. The Jewish calendar is lunisolar. The march will start on St. Lucie West Boulevard, then turn onto Southwest Bethany Drive. The temple is at 551 SW Bethany Dr. “We do want a lot of different faith groups to participate … in the march,” Bromberg said. Details of the march and accompanying service will be posted at the temple’s website – templebethelisrael.org. Yom HaShoah is separate from the United Nations established International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which is on Jan. 27 annually. Various countries have other national Holocaust remembrance days. The scroll is designated MST860, which means it’s the 860th Torah in the Memorial Scrolls Trust’s collection. The trust, located in London, has 1,564 scrolls in varying condition. Many, such as MST860, are on permanent loan to what the trust calls Scroll Holder Communities. Much information is lost about the Torah identified as MST860. What’s known is it was among Torahs at Czechoslovakian synagogues when the Nazis invaded and partitioned the nation between the Sudetenland annexation, Slovak Republic and Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia, with some portions annexed by Poland and Hungary. The Memorial Scrolls Trust’s website explains: “In 1942, as a result of instructions sent by Dr. (Karel) Stein of the Jὓdische Kiltusgemeinde (Jewish Community) in Prague, the communities of Bohemia and Moravia packed their Sifrei Torah, gold and silver filials, books and textiles and sent them to the Jewish Museum in Prague. The volume was so great that no less than forty warehouses were required to house these treasures. As a result the inventory of the museum, which had been in existence since 1906, increased fourteen-fold. The Germans had this vast hoard catalogued by Jews, who were deported to Concentration Camps once the work was finished. Unfortunately very few of them survived.” Among the estimated 212,000 artifacts were about 1,800 Torah scrolls, according to the trust. After Nazi Germany surrendered to the Allies in May 1945, Czechoslovakia had a brief period of independence with a coalition government. But, a communist coup d’état in 1948 made the now Czechoslovak Republic a Marxist-Leninist Soviet satellite state. Under the repressive communist government, the collection of Torahs from the Nazi era was haphazardly stored at a ruined synagogue in Michle, which is now part of Prague 4, an administrative district. A British philanthropist, Ralph Yablon, found out about the Torahs and negotiated with the Czechoslovakian government to buy them. Yablon donated them to the Westminster Synagogue in London, which created the Memorial Scrolls Trust to restore and give Jewish communities around the world the opportunity to care for the collection often called the Czech Torahs. Bromberg has seen the scroll up close. “It was a very moving experience,” he said. “Knowing the background, where this Torah had been and what it’d been through.” The Torah is also called the Five Books of Moses and the Pentateuch. It’s the first part of the Jewish Bible, also called the Tanakh, and the Christian Bible. Bromberg said TBEI, like all other Jewish temples and synagogues, treasures the Torah. “When we go to pray in the synagogue, we take out and read portions of the Torah,” he said. “It’s the watchword of our faith. It’s the glue that has held together the Jewish community for millennia. It’s what we believe is the inspired Word of God.” BY PATRICK McCALLISTER | Correspondent Rabbi Bruce Benson and congregant Deborah Brateman examine a historic Torah scroll that Temple Beth El Israel is now caretaker of. PHOTO COURTESY OF TEMPLE BETH EL ISRAEL

12 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | WINE www.stlucievoice.com Early Bird 4PM-5:30PM lunch dinner OFF OFF 2 COURSE DINNER ANY PURCHASE OF $25 OR MORE ANY PURCHASE OF $50 OR MORE DOES NOT INCLUDE ALREADY DISCOUNTED ITEMS, DRINKS & EXCLUDES EARLY BIRD DINNERS. WITH THIS SLV COUPON. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH OTHER OFFERS. EXPIRES 3/2/23 DOES NOT INCLUDE ALREADY DISCOUNTED ITEMS, DRINKS & EXCLUDES EARLY BIRD DINNERS. WITH THIS SLV COUPON. MAY NOT BE COMBINED WITH OTHER OFFERS. EXPIRES 3/2/23 $22 $5 $10 772-249-4516 zestkitchenandbar.com 1347 St. Lucie West Blvd., Port St. Lucie Hours: Mon-Thurs 11am-9pm, Fri & Sat 11am-10pm, Sun 10am-2pm BRUNCH Happy Hour 4-6pm $2 OFF Specialty Cocktails $3.50 Well Drinks • $2.50 Select Beers $4 House Wines • $5 Martinis OUTDOOR DINING Chocolate is the third rail of food-wine pairings. The notion of matching wine to chocolate elicits strong reactions, beginning with categorical statements that the two don’t belong together. But then someone will mention an exception, and someone else will remember a dinner long ago when the mood was right and the wine and chocolate sang an unexpected love song as a coda to a perfect evening. Perhaps we should think of chocolate not as the most difficult wine pairing, but the most personal. To get a sense of the emotions involved, I put the question to social media. Mind you, my online friends are mostly dedicated wine lovers, many of them in the trade making or selling wine. They came up with pretty esoteric pairings, including banyuls, a sweet fortified wine from southwestern France, as well as vin santo from Italy. Port was another favorite, both ruby and aged tawny. Cognac, creamy stouts and bourbon were mentioned by the anti-wine faction. Some were particular about not just the wine but also the cacao percentage in the chocolate. And several simply replied “No!” One fellow writer opined, “There are a lot of things the world doesn’t need, and another piece … on wine and chocolate is one of those things.” Oh well. Interestingly, my friends who don’t dedicate an inordinate amount of their lives to wine were refreshingly sanguine about the question, enjoying chocolate with whatever wine happens to be on hand. They may be onto something. What makes chocolate a difficult partner for wine? Cocoa butter can coat your palate and skew other flavors, an exception perhaps to the recognized rule that fat cuts tannin. Meanwhile, chocolate’s acidity can make wine taste harsh. A general maxim is that the wine should be sweeter than the dessert. But really good chocolate is bitter as well as sweet, further complicating the match. Chocolate is not monotone: Gourmet bars are enhanced with all sorts of ingredients, including fruit, nuts, salt, chiles, lavender and even bacon. Each of those flavorings suggests a wine, sort of a dessert corollary to the idea of pairing wine to the sauce rather than the protein. This point was driven home to me in a tasting in San Francisco I wrote about a few years ago, when I spent a happy hour sampling various gourmet chocolates with numerous zinfandels. Zin can work because it has raspberry and cranberry notes that bring out fruity flavors in chocolate. And we don’t always eat chocolate as candy. Cakes, brownies, cookies, pies and other yummies abound. They may include nuts, fruits or spices, and we may eat them with ice cream or a fruit sauce. The variations are limitless. So how can we categorically say chocolate doesn’t go with wine? So here are a few suggestions to explore, based on my experience and the advice of my social media friends. That open bottle: First, try your chocolate dessert with whatever unfinished wine you had with dinner. This is where the knives come out among wine nerds. Best bets are fruity reds, such as a bright zinfandel or a juicy Australian shiraz. Whites are tricky, though Jake Busching, winemaker at Hark Vineyards in Virginia, swears by petit manseng for its combination of fruit and acid. If leftover wine doesn’t work, set it aside and enjoy your dessert. But if you’re up for a little wine adventure, try the following: Fortified wine: Ruby port’s unctuous texture and flavor suggest chocolate. Don’t go for an expensive vintage port – they are dessert by themselves. An inexpensive ruby such as Fonseca Bin 27 (about $16 at Total Wine & More) or Graham’s Six Grapes (about $25) pairs nicely with cakes, brownies and cookies, even a more intense piece of chocolate. If roasted nuts are involved, think of a tawny or a madeira. Penfolds Club Tawny from Australia is a terrific bargain around $15, or you could splurge on an aged tawny. Tawnies last a few weeks after opening, moderating the cost a bit. (Madeira lasts forever.) This is also a good time to break out those port-style stickies you picked up on your visits to local wineries. Sparkling wine: While I’ve inveighed here about categorical statements against chocolate and wine, I will repeat my favorite maxim that “bubbles go with everything.” Champagne – especially demi-sec, if you can find it – is fantastic with chocolate-covered strawberries (in which the berries are the star). The most ideal wine with chocolate desserts may be brachetto d’acqui, an effervescent, slightly sweet red bubbly from northern Italy. The most ubiquitous brand is Banfi Rosa Regale (about $20), but your local wine store may have some others as well. These are delicious with any chocolate dessert that features raspberries or cherries. The fruit acts as a bridge between the wine and chocolate. Moscato d’Asti, a sweet fizzy white that tastes of orange blossoms, is another possibility. Tasting party: For kicks and giggles, have friends each bring a bottle of wine and a chocolate dessert, and decide for yourselves whether they belong together. Just keep the knives for the desserts, not the debate. How to pair wine with chocolate (never mind the wine snobs) BY DAVE McINTYRE | The Washington Post

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The Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation will host free “Protect Your Legacy” estate planning seminars in March. The seminars, conducted by local professionals, will begin at 10 a.m. at three convenient Treasure Coast locations: March 8, Treasure Coast Hospice, 1201 SE Indian Street, Stuart; March 15, Treasure Coast Hospice, 5000 Dunn Road, Fort Pierce; and March 22, IRSC – Pruitt Campus, 500 NW California Blvd., Port St. Lucie. The seminars will provide important information about estate planning and answer questions about: Estate Planning Documents; Estate Taxes; Charitable Giving; Lady Bird Deeds; Trusts; Forced Inheritance; and Avoiding Probate, Taxes and Family Discord. “Estate planning is an important part of end-of-life planning,” said Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation Board Chairman John Doody. “Our goal is to help people in our community better understand various estate planning topics so they can create a plan that provides peace of mind while protecting their legacy.” All attendees will receive a free Estate Planning Guide. To register for a “Protect Your Legacy” seminar, visit TreasureHealth.org/Legacy or call the Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation office at 772-403-4547. 16 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | COMMUNITY www.stlucievoice.com Sudoku Page 40 Sudoku Page 41 Crossword Page 40 Solutions from Games Pages in February 2, 2023 Edition ACROSS 1 PAY 3 PER 5 WAIT 7 PLACE 8 LARIAT 10 RODE 11 MYTHICAL 13 ANTICS 14 ASTHMA 17 KNOWALLS 19 PUNY 21 AIRILY 22 NATTY 23 PLAN 24 PEW 25 DAD DOWN 2 PAPERBACKS 2 YEARDOT 3 POET 4 RELAYS 5 WARCHEST 6 ISAAC 9 BLEARYEYED 12 OCCASION 15 HAUNTED 16 PLAYUP 18 ORIEL 20 ANEW Crossword Page 41 (CARS OR DRUGS?) BY PATRICK McCALLISTER | Correspondent AARP TAX AIDE TO THE RESCUE WITH FREE HELP AARP Tax Aide is currently available four days a week at Port St. Lucie’s Morningside Branch Library. “We’re there Tuesday through Friday,” said Virginia Plumeau, district coordinator for AARP Tax Aide and a St. Lucie West resident. To get an appointment, leave a message at 772-207-6407; volunteers will call back. The appointments are 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. “We are getting many calls,” Plumeau said. “We’ll take as many appointments as we possibly can and help as many people as we possibly can.” There are 40 volunteer tax preparers this year. “It is a tremendous group of people and I can’t thank them enough,” Plumeau said. The deadline for filing federal income taxes is Tuesday, April 18. “We’re going to be closing down on the 13th (of April),” This year is a return to relative normalcy for AARP Tax Aide. “COVID shut us down the first year,” said Plumeau. “The next two years we were working mostly remotely.” Tax Aide will do your taxes free of charge … for nothing except a bit of gratitude. There are no income requirements to get the help, too. Clients need to take last year’s tax returns, Social Security cards, photo ID’s and bank account information if they hope to get refunds by direct deposit. Additionally, clients need to take income forms, such as W-2s, SSA1099s and others. Generally, the only disqualifying tax-assistance needs are business and rental incomes. However, all you 1099 independent contractors, such as freelance writers, “we’re able to help there,” Plumeau remarked. One new thing people need to take – PIN numbers now issued by the Internal Revenue Service. The federal revenue agency has mailed those to many taxpayers. “That’s something that’s developed over the last two years because of fraud situations,” explained Plumeau. Nationally, AARP Tax Aide is 55 years old. Plumeau said it has been going strong locally for at least three decades. It helps about 2,000 St. Lucie County residents a year. People can find out about volunteering by visiting aarp.org, or calling the previously mentioned number. The Morningside Branch Library is located at 2410 SE Morningside Blvd., Port St. Lucie. – CONTRIBUTED Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation to host 3 free estate planning seminars Help make the Treasure Coast a place where life is defended, protected and treasured. Please join Care Net Pregnancy Services of the Treasure Coast for their 34th Annual two-night Fundraiser Banquet taking place on Thursday, March 9 and Friday, March 10 in the Emerald Ballroom at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center in Port St Lucie. Seating begins at 6:30 p.m. Dinner and program begin at 7 p.m. There is no cost to attend this event; however, an opportunity to partner financially with Care Net will be presented during the program. The purpose of the Annual Banquet is to raise much-needed operating funds for Care Net Treasure Coast, a 100-percent donor-supported, faithbased, nonprofit, pregnancy resource center providing free and confidential life-affirming services and pregnancy support to individuals and families facing unexpected pregnancy on the Treasure Coast of Florida since 1989. Choose which night you’ll attend, invite friends to join you, RSVP, and prepare to enjoy an elegant evening featuring a delicious meal and program that will include a ministry and mission update from Executive Director Sue Chess, the opportunity to meet and hear the moving testimony of Care Net’s 2023 Baby of the Year and his family, and an opportunity for you to support the mission and ministry of Care Net Treasure Coast financially. In addition, you will be challenged and inspired by a powerful message delivered by keynote speaker Ryan Bomberger, co-founder of The Radiance Foundation, whose mother courageously chose life after he was conceived in rape. Opportunities to serve as a Table Host or to promote your business or service by underwriting the cost of this event are still available. To RSVP or donate online, visit carenetbanquet.com or call 772- 828-3168 on or before Monday, Feb. 27. ANNUAL ‘CARE NET’ BANQUET ON HORIZON – CONTRIBUTED Taylor Watson, above, wears the home-team colors while competing in the Swing into Spring Training 5K around the warning track at the newly refurbished Clover Park in St. Lucie West last Sunday. Paul Taglieri, vice president of Minor League Facilities for the Mets organization, recorded a third-place finish, while Kay Trager was the first female to cross the finish line. ‘SPRING’ IN THEIR STEP PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN

To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | COMMUNITY February 16, 2023 17 Tournament’s top men’s team: Chris Case, Matt Roy, Jason Cirrone and Travis McNamee. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties hosted its 12th Annual Golf Tournament on Monday, Jan. 30 at the exclusive Hawk’s Nest Golf Course in Vero Beach. Stakeholders, donors, event sponsors, golf committee members, BBBS staff, board members and volunteers enjoyed a beautiful, fun day on the course. The 21 teams included 83 players in three divisions: Men’s, Women’s and Mixed. The men’s first place team scored a 45 and included teammates Travis McNamee, Jason Cirrone, Chris Case and Matt Roy. The top women’s team, including golf committee member Chris Smith, Kathleen LaCroix, Margery Sparks and Nancy Sullivan, scored a 51. The mixed division included Dr. Harlow LaBarge, Linda Feuerbach, Ian Graham and Paul Karrlsson-Willis with a score of 52. Closest to the pin winners included Brian Burkhart, Kathy Tilney, Jesse Larsen and Mark Blair. The event included lunch upon arrival, raffles, heavy hors d’oeuvres and open bar at the awards ceremony, and a 50/50 that raised nearly $600 for BBBS. “BBBS is fortunate to host our golf event at this beautiful venue year after year,” said CEO Debbie Hawley. “Thank you to all of our loyal supporters for helping to make this event such a wonderful success. We anticipate raising $40,000.” BBBS programs are free for all participants. Events such as the golf tournament fund these programs so youth can continue to achieve their full potential. Visit bbbsbigs.org or call 772-466-8535 for more information about Big Brothers Big Sisters of St. Lucie, Indian River and Okeechobee counties. Your Legacy” seminar, visit TreasureHealth.org/Legacy or call the Treasure Coast Hospice Foundation office at 772-403-4547. Top women’s team: Margery Sparks, Kathleen LaCroix, Nancy Sullivan and Christine Smith. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARYANN KETCHAM Top mixed team: Dr. Harlow LaBarge, Linda Feuerbach, Ian Graham and Paul Karrlsson-Willis. CEO Debbie Hawley, Golf Committee member Brad Lorimier. – BY JAYNE PLATTS/CONTRIBUTED Golfers help make a fundraising ‘fore’-tune for Big Brothers Big Sisters

18 February 16, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | COMMUNITY www.stlucievoice.com One-hundred and four students from St. Lucie Public Schools have received prestigious awards from Cambridge Assessment International Education, part of the University of Cambridge, to acknowledge their outstanding performance on the June 2022 Cambridge examinations. The Cambridge Awards celebrate the success of students taking Cambridge examinations around the world. More than a million students study Cambridge International programs in over 160 countries. The following students at Treasure Coast High School received the Top in the Country Award: Gabriela Baez, Spanish Language; Olivia Gust, Psychology. Superintendent Dr. Jon R. Prince stated, “These prestigious awards are recognition of the talent, dedication and commitment of both students and staff. The school district is extremely proud of their accomplishments and this is evidence of our focus on providing access to rigorous college-level courses for all students.” Mark Cavone, Cambridge International Regional Director, North America said: “It is a great pleasure to honor students and teachers in St. Lucie Public Schools for their exceptional work in Cambridge courses and examinations. These results are a testament to the impressive talent of students and teachers in St. Lucie Public Schools and it is a delight to celebrate their success. Students from St. Lucie Public Schools should be very proud of their hard work this year. I speak for all of us at Cambridge International as I wish them every success in the coming year.” As a global organization with a 160-year history and part of the University of Cambridge, Cambridge Assessment International Education partners with schools and districts around the world with a shared goal of making education transformation a reality. High schools across the U.S. now utilize the Cambridge Advanced program. This program is part of an internationally benchmarked program that allows students to earn college-level credit in high school. Cambridge International uniquely provides an instructional system across four stages (Primary through Advanced) aligning rigorous curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment for all students in grades K-12. For more about Cambridge Assessment International Education, visit cambridgeinternational.org/usa/. For more on St. Lucie Public Schools, visit stlucieschools.org. 104 ST. LUCIE PUBLIC SCHOOLS STUDENTS EARN ‘CAMBRIDGE AWARDS’ – CONTRIBUTED St. Lucie County educators were recognized for their excellence during the annual Night of the Stars event Feb. 4 at Lincoln Park Academy in Fort Pierce. Ana Babcock, above, of Fairlawn Elementary School reacts to being announced as Teacher of the Year. Jon Prince, above right, St. Lucie County Schools Superintendent, presents Kim Herring-Nance of Fort Pierce Central High School with the distinguished Minority Educator award. At right, all of this year’s winners: Angela Patton Assistant Principal of the Year; Babcock; Jo Anne Padon, School Related Employee of the Year, Fairlawn Elementary School; Herring-Nance; and Emily Morgan, Outstanding First Year Teacher from Mariposa Elementary School PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN Spotlight on schools’ shining stars