The Florida Department of Transportation is spending $4.6 million to design and permit a Midway Road/County Road 512 interchange on Florida’s Turnpike that would accommodate the future expansion of both highways. St. Lucie County commissioners voted unanimously on April 18 to pay $2.4 million to FDOT to cover the county’s share of the design and permitting costs for the proposed interchange. The Florida’s Turnpike branch of FDOT plans to widen the north-south superhighway to four lanes in each direction on the Treasure coast as soon as 2045 to handle growth. St. Lucie County plans to widA World War II training torpedo and five granite stones honoring the 65 U.S. Navy submarines and 4,000 crew members lost since 1915 will be the featured elements in the new memorial planned at Port St. Lucie’s U.S. Submarine Veterans Park. The Port St. Lucie City Council voted unanimously on April 17 to approve placing the new submariners memorial at U.S. Submarine Veterans Park, 801 SE Atlantus Ave., at the intersection of Crosstown Parkway and Floresta Drive. “This is the easiest decision I can make all day and probably I can make all week,” said Mayor Shannon Martin. “I am very happy to After nearly three years of delays and $50 million in cost overruns, construction started May 1 on the North Causeway Bridge Replacement Project, which will provide a direct connection between U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce and State Road A1A on North Hutchinson Island. Florida Department of Transportation anticipates completing the $111.5 million project in late 2027, replacing a drawbridge built in 1963, said Samantha KayVOLUME 8, ISSUE 10 YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023 A4 A8 B7 ‘Wilson Grove’ stalled Road construction at issue COVID cases inch up ... for first time here this year Return of ‘Shakespierce’ IRSC presents ‘Comedy of Errors’ BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] Originality, diversity at heart of Judy Goolsby’s unique art. Story, P. B2 Full speed ahead for new memorial at U.S. Submarine Veterans Park PETS ARTS/PEOPLE GAMES SPORTS A1-A10 A11-A19 B19 A21-A32 B18 B1-B13 B20-B22 B23 © 2023 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved. IN THIS ISSUE LOCAL NEWS HEALTH ADVICE REAL ESTATE NORTH CAUSEWAY Work finally starts after costly delays Port St. Lucie is grinding steadily toward its goal of eliminating septic systems and connecting homes to the city’s sanitary sewer system to keep pollutants from flowing into the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. Port St. Lucie’s Utility Systems Department reported a total of 182 septic-to-sewer conversions for 2023’s first quarter. The city reported a total of 694 conversions were completed during 2022. PSL Utilities forecasts another 135 conversions to be made for the second quarter of 2023, a projected rate of about 45 per month. To accommodate the city’s growth, PSL grinds ahead with septic-to-sewer conversions BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] CONTINUED ON PAGE A6 BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] CONTINUED ON PAGE A6 PHOTO: CHARLES CALOIA CONTINUED ON PAGE A10 FDOT spending $4.6M to design Midway Road interchange on Turnpike AIR CARE! St. Lucie County’s medevac air ambulance program is ready at a moment’s notice in a time-sensitive emergency to treat and transport injured people, most often to HCA Lawnwood Hospital’s Level 2 Trauma Center in Fort Pierce. From left, Micheal Rivas, Kim Marczynski and Nick McCready, and Dr. Jason Moore. See story, Page 11. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS support this. I think it will be amazing to add to our park there.” The City Council had earlier voted to waive a city policy requiring all military-related memorials to be placed in Veterans Memorial Park, 2100 SE Veterans Memorial Parkway. “I think it’s better suited going into (U.S. Submarine Veterans Park), as opposed to the Veterans BY CHARLES CALOIA | Correspondent CONTINUED ON PAGE A9 George Ury of PSL Utilities.
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS May 11, 2023 3 Three months after Breeze Airways arrived in Vero Beach, the budget airline has decided to expand its service to offer daily flights to and from Hartford, Conn., and Westchester County, N.Y., starting in September. Breeze currently flies up to five times per week to those destinations, as well as to Norfolk, Va., but company officials were so impressed by the strong response to its Treasure Coast service that they’ve added flights. “We always have high expectations when we enter a new market, so we were hoping we’d be successful,” Breeze spokesman Gareth Edmondson-Jones said recently. “But, yes, our flights are selling really well there.” The initial success could prompt Breeze officials to add other destinations, but Edmondson-Jones said he wasn’t aware of any plans to do so this year. “That doesn’t mean it couldn’t happen, though,” he added. “Right now, our schedule goes through mid-November. We’ll see what happens after that.” Breeze’s seasonal “breeze-through” service between Vero Beach and Norfolk – the flight includes a brief stopover in Westchester County before continuing on to Virginia – is scheduled to end in September, but Edmondson-Jones said it probably will return the next summer. Vero Beach Airport Director Todd Scher said he expected Breeze’s flights to and from Hartford and Westchester County to be well-received here, especially in the absence of Elite Airways, which offered service to Newark, N.J., and Portland, Maine, but abruptly and mysteriously halted operations last June. But even he was surprised by the early turnout. Scher said more than 11,000 passengers have flown into and out of Vero Beach since Breeze began its service on Feb. 2, with that number split evenly between departures and arrivals. To put that total in perspective: In all of 2018, which Scher said was among the airport’s busiest years for commercial passenger service, Elite flights boarded about 10,000 departing passengers here. According to Scher’s presentation to the city’s Airport Commission last week, Breeze flights have operated at an average of nearly 90-percent capacity and within 30 minutes of their scheduled departures times. “Obviously, Breeze has exceeded expectations – and now they’re going to add flights,” Scher said. “We’ve never had daily service before, so it’ll be interesting.” Scher described the airport’s passenger facilities as “quaint,” as the baggage-claim area remains outdoors and under tents, which he said could cause travelers some angst during the summer heat and thunderstorms. BY RAY MCNULTY | Staff Writer Breeze Airways will expand service to Northeast
Plans to build 7,700 residences and 4 million square feet of business space in far southeastern Port St. Lucie have stalled while the developer and city negotiate the timing of major road construction. The Port St. Lucie Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously May 2 to postpone public hearings on two proposals to change the Wilson Grove development plans until “an undetermined date.” It was the second time the public hearings on the proposed amendments to the Wilson Grove development plans were delayed by the Planning and Zoning Board at the request of the developer. The board voted unanimously on April 4 to table the items until May 2. City planners have recommended Wilson Grove developer ACR Acquisitions of Delray Beach be required to build two arterial roads – with construction costs reaching tens of millions of dollars – before completing 2,200 residences to avoid traffic congestion on Becker Road. The proposed development condition would require ACR Acquisitions to build the first two lanes of Sundance Vista Boulevard from Becker Road to Marshall Parkway and the first two lanes of Marshall Parkway from Sundance Boulevard to the North/South B arterial roadway. However, the developer submitted an updated traffic report to the city in April addressing the traffic issues and called for the road-building condition to be removed from the development requirements. “Alternatively, if the decision is made by the city to keep the condition, please provide the proper justification documentation the below conditions are derived from,” said Dan Sorrow, a land planner representing the developer, in an April 19 email to the city. “Simply requesting something without the rational nexus for it is not something we can agree on,” Sorrow said. ACR Acquisitions wants to change the Wilson Grove development plans to shift mixed-use projects to a 566-acre tract along the C-23 Canal from frontage along Sundance Vista Boulevard, Becker Road and Rangeline Road, city records show. City planners recommended the City Council approve the relocation of the mixed-use projects, but with a condition calling for the faster construction of the road grid in Wilson Grove to avoid traffic jams on Becker Road. In addition, the planners recommended approval of the placement of neighborhood commercial centers on 52 acres at the intersection of Becker Road and Sundance Vista Boulevard and 5 acres at the intersection of Becker Road and Rangeline Road. Residences will be built on the remaining 1,876 acres. The 2,499-acre agricultural property is east of Rangeline Road, north of the C-23 Canal, and south and west of the Riverland project. Overall, the Wilson Grove development order calls for 7,700 residences, 765,000 square feet of retail space, 220,000 square feet of office, 1.36 million square feet of research and office, 1.36 million square feet of light industrial and 382,327 square feet of institutional and civic space. GET CLEANER, HEALTHIER WATER TODAY Remove Chlorine, Total Dissolved Solids and Hardness. Locally Owned & Manufactured in USA Watch our Videos youtube.com/@pslwaterguyllc SCAN CODE TO LEARN MORE EASTERN Water and Health #PSLWaterGuy 772.301.1767 | pslwater.com 4 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com Road construction recommendation stalls ‘Wilson Grove’ BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] Stuart Recycling 2963 SE Dominica Terrace Stuart, FL 34997 1145 SW Biltmore St. Port St. Lucie, FL 34983 Buyer: Ryan Marcellino 772-341-4581 Port St. Lucie Recycling [email protected] • www.portstlucierecycling.com I WANT TO PAY YOU CA$H! Aluminum * Copper * Brass * Stainless Steel * Lead * A/C Components * Computer Components * Cell Phones Open to the Public • Commercial Pick-Up Additional 2 ¢ Per Pound New customers with this coupon only. Fire Chief Nate Spera, upon his retirement, rings the bell for the last salute during the St. Lucie County Fire District Change of Command Ceremony on May 2. Susan Lee attaches a pin to the lapel of Jeff Lee, the new fire chief. PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN HAIL TO THE NEW FIRE CHIEF ...
6 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com 651 NW Enterprise Dr., Ste 111 Port St. Lucie 34986 Residential / Commercial / Service FREE ESTIMATES 772.281.2650 www.TraditionElectricInc.com Licensed & Insured lic# EC13003314 $50 OFF “High Quality & Prompt Service is our Tradition” • SERVICE UPGRADES • NEW OUTLETS & CIRCUITS • ANNUAL HOME ELECTRICAL CHECKUP • CEILING FANS/LIGHT FIXTURES • GENERATOR/HOME SURGE PROTECTION • LANDSCAPE LIGHTING • RENOVATIONS WHOLE HOME SURGE SUPPRESSOR Must present coupon when scheduling for discount. Exp. 6/8/23 NEED A RELIABLE ELECTRICIAN? Family Owned & Operated ser, a spokeswoman for the project. FDOT had announced plans in January 2017 to start construction in August 2020 at an estimated cost of $61 million, but had difficulty acquiring property, designing access roads to nearby businesses and obtaining permits. An average of 10,940 vehicles per day traverse North Causeway, according to a Fall 2022 St. Lucie County traffic report. FDOT contractor Vecillio & Grogan Inc., of Beckley, West Virginia, stationed two large construction cranes on North Causeway Island Park, just north of the eastern landing of the 60-year-old bridge. “We’ll be constructing portions of the new bridge next to the old bridge,” Kayser told St. Lucie County commissioners May 2. “The existing bridge will be demolished in Phase 4 after the completion of the new bridge.” Motorists will be warned in advance when FDOT plans to close North Causeway for the installation of beams on the new bridge, Kayser said. Motorists will be detoured to State Road 656/17th Street Causeway in Vero Beach to travel to and from North Hutchinson Island. State Road A1A will also be closed east of U.S. 1 during Phase 3 of the project, while the new bridge is being built over Old Dixie Highway and the Florida East Coast Railway crossing, Kayser said. In addition, motorists traveling on North Causeway may be delayed by night-time lane closures between 9 p.m. to 6 a.m., as needed for construction, Kayser said. Otherwise, FDOT intends to keep all lanes open on the drawbridge until the new 1.2-mile-long bridge is completed, Kayser said. The contract time is 1,357 days, not including holidays and weather-related delays. “Marine traffic will be maintained and emergency vehicle access will be maintained at all times,” Kayser said. “Access to properties will be maintained at all times. The project team will coordinate with businesses if temporary driveway closures are needed.” The new bridge will have an 85-foot vertical clearance and a 125-foot-wide channel, Kayser said. The old drawbridge has a 25- foot clearance when closed and a 90-footwide channel. The new bridge will be 64 feet, 3 inches wide with a 12-foot travel lane and an 8-foot shoulder and bike lane in each direction, Kayser said. A 12-foot-wide segment of the East Coast Greenway will be built on the north side of the new bridge and an 8-foot sidewalk on the south side, Kayser said. The old drawbridge has an 11-foot travel lane and a 4-foot-wide shoulder in each direction and a 5-foot-wide sidewalk on the north side. The project also calls for the construction of a road grid near the new bridge’s western touchdown by extending Juanita Avenue and Sunny Lane between U.S. 1 and Old Dixie Highway, FDOT records show. CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 NORTH CAUSEWAY PHOTO: GEORGE ANDREASSI en Midway Road/CR512 to four lanes between Selvitz Road and Glades Cut-off Road to alleviate chronic traffic congestion during morning and evening rush hours. A four-lane Midway Road overpass traversing eight travel lanes, as well as northbound and southbound on and off ramps, could cost nearly $100 million, according to earlier FDOT estimates. “Re-design of the improvements will provide for a more robust and connected future roadway system,” county Public Works Director Patrick Dayan said in a memo to county commissioners. “Significant changes to the alignment and typical section of the bridge over Florida’s Turnpike are required to accommodate the future interchange,” Dayan’s memo says. FDOT plans to widen the 1.6-mile stretch of Midway Road to four lanes between Selvitz and Glades Cut-off roads with the eastbound and westbound lanes separated by a raised, landscaped median. The modernized roadway will include a 7-foot-wide bicycle lane on both sides and a 12-foot-wide multi-use path on the south side. The widening project will improve traffic flow and freight mobility, and improve safety and emergency evacuations, FDOT records show. FDOT plans to start construction on the widening of Midway Road between Selvitz Road and Jenkins Road by the end of 2025 and finish the $28 million project by winter of 2028. No construction schedule has been set yet for the widening of Midway Road from Jenkins Road to Glades Cut-off Road and the construction of the overpass and interchange at Florida’s Turnpike. An average of 24,000 vehicles per day travel on Midway Road between Selvitz Road and Glades Cut-off Road, a fall 2022 St. Lucie County traffic report shows. In a related issue, county commissioners voted unanimously on April 4 to recommend a Partial Cloverleaf Interchange CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 MIDWAY ROAD
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS May 11, 2023 7 design for Midway Road and Florida’s Turnpike, instead of a Tight Urban Diamond Interchange design. The “Parclo” interchange design will not impact the impending construction of a nearby Contender Boats Inc. facility, county records show. The project would have impacted the north ramps of the TUDI design. FDOT is currently spending $2.6 million on improvements to the northbound and southbound off ramps from Interstate-95 onto Midway Road to handle new industrial development at the Midway Business Center. The project is expected to be completed by the summer. Midway Road will be widened to four lanes between I-95 and Wylder Parkway by developer Midway Glades Developers, a subsidiary of Greenpointe Developers LLC.
CITY OK’S SCHOOL AND PARK SITES FOR WYLDER PROJECT 8 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com The number of new COVID-19 cases in St. Lucie County inched up by 11 during the week ending April 27, the first time the weekly case count increased since January. A total of 88 county residents were diagnosed with the virus during the week ending April 27, a 14 percent increase compared to the week ending April 13, when there were 77 new cases, Florida Department of Health reports show. It was the first time the weekly case count increased in St. Lucie County since the week ending Jan. 5, 2022, when the number of new cases reached the recent peak of 422. The positivity rate of county residents tested for COVID-19 also rose during the week of April 27, also for the first time this year, state Health Department records show. The positivity rate rose to 6.7 percent during the week ending April 27, a 15.5 percent increase compared to the week ending April 13, when it reached a recent low of 5.8 percent. Overall, as of April 27, a total of 96,377 county residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since March 2020, or 27.7 percent of the county population of 347,779, state Health Department records show. The overall positivity rate was 31.6 percent as of the week ending April 27. Only three county residents were vaccinated against COVID-19 during the week ending April 27, state Health Department records show. That represented a decline of 83 percent, or 15 vaccinations, compared to the week ending April 14. Overall, 222,762 county residents age 6 months and older, or 64 percent of the eligible population, have been vaccinated against COVID-19. New COVID-19 cases inch up here for the first time this year BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] CODI FLETCHER, REALTOR® C: 772-446-2714 0: 772-444-6989 [email protected] BourgeoisTeam.com Navigating the Real Estate Market with Professionalism and Tenacity Ready To Make a Move? Call Codi Today! The Wylder development will feature a St. Lucie County high school on a 52.7-acre site on an east-west arterial road and a neighboring 111.9-acre Port St. Lucie city park on Glades Cut-off Road, under a proposal expected to face review by the City Council later in May. The city Planning and Zoning Board voted unanimously May 2 to recommend approval of the preliminary and final plats for the Wylder project including the school and park sites and two tracts totaling 1,059.8 acres for future development. The park site includes a drainage pond and upland habitat west of the cleared land along Glades Cut-off Road. Wylder’s 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, city records show. Retail centers are planned on 32.88 acres at the intersection of Midway Road and the north end of Wylder Parkway and 7 acres at the intersection of Glades Cutoff Road and the south end of Wylder Parkway. The marketing effort for Wylder includes a billboard on I-95 and a website LiveWylder.com. An employment grant worth $117,000 has been awarded to LactaLogics Inc., which is developing a human milk processing facility in the former Liberty Medical Campus in eastern Port St. Lucie. St. Lucie County commissioners voted unanimously May 2 to award job growth grants of $1,950 per position to LactaLogics, which plans to employ 60 workers. Under the grant agreement, LactaLogics is expected to hire 20 workers during each of the next three years, county records show. The average wage of LactaLogics’ employees will be $23.56 per hour, county records show. That’s $1.54 per hour, or 7 percent more than St. Lucie County’s average wage of $22.02 per hour. The deal calls for St. Lucie County to pay LactaLogics $23,400 per year in job grants during each of the next five years. The county will make the first payout a year after LactaLogics receives its certificate of occupancy after renovating the 55,748-square-foot building at 8883 U.S. 1, just north of Crosstown Parkway. LactoLogics plans to spend $24 million renovating the building and another $33 million installing high-tech human milk processing equipment. The St. Lucie County Commissioner and Port St. Lucie City Council have already agreed to provide LactaLogics a decade’s worth of equipment tax breaks and fast-track site plan and permitting approvals. For both the city and county, the non-ad valorem tax exemption for LactaLogics’ investment in equipment calls for a 100 percent reduction in the tangible personal property tax for the first five years, records show. County grants LactaLogics $1,950 per new employee BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] – GEORGE ANDREASSI
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS May 11, 2023 9 the Utilities Department is also developing a new surficial treatment facility off Rangeline Road, south of McCarty Ranch, near the C-23 Canal. The new facility will supplement two old treatment plants at 1001 SE Prineville St. and the James E. Anderson plant, 7599 LTC Parkway, near Glades Cut-Off Road. The new facility’s design phase is slated for the 2027- 2028 budget year and construction for 2029-2030. Port St. Lucie’s utility workers face the dual challenges of connecting older homes with aging septic tanks to the sanitary sewer system, while expanding the system to new residential developments on the rapidly growing west side of the city. “We knew the growth was coming,” said Jenny Tomes, the Utility Department’s assistant manager for community outreach. “We’re prepared for it.” A total of 13,777 homes remained on septic systems as of May 8, city records show. That includes 4,118 within 50 feet of local waterways leading to the North Fork of the St. Lucie River. The Utilities Department has several sewage pump maintenance teams that make sure effluent flows from homes to the city’s wastewater treatment plants. “There are so many houses in Port St. Lucie, we’re just trying to get everything caught up so everybody’s able to flush their toilets,” said George Ury, a city building inspector. A team’s average workday consists of replacing four sewage valves at the lift stations around the city. “This grinder system’s a lot cleaner for the environment, while a septic tank [leaks] all that water into the ground,” Ury said. “If any sewer water from the low pressure main ever backs up, the check valve will stop it from going inside the house,” Ury said. “It doesn’t get back into the river.” The Utilities Department tried to drum up support for the septic-to-sewer program during a lunchtime seminar on April 14 at the Port St. Lucie Community Center, 2195 SE Airoso Blvd. Homeowners can finance the $6,000 cost of connecting to the city sanitary sewer system and take 10 years to repay the loan, Tomes said. Chris Nedwick, a sales manager for the city’s sewer pump manufacturer, said, “pressure sewer systems are one of the most cost-effective” solutions to managing wastewater. “We hear it in the news in Florida and beyond: Leaking septic tanks are leading to algae blooms and water quality issues,” Nedwick said. “This issue will not self-correct.” Utilities Department officials remain committed to improving the water quality in the city’s main waterways. The city’s septic-to-sewer conversion program began in 1999, city records show. So far, 10,120 conversions have been made and 20 billion gallons of wastewater diverted to treatment facilities. CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 PSL UTILITIES A PSL Utilities crew install a pressure sewer pump on SW Zullo Street in Port St. Lucie. PHOTOS: CHARLES CALOIA Jenny Tomes, Port St. Lucie Utility Department’s assistant manager for community outreach.
10 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com Park because that park itself is dedicated to that group of veterans,” said Councilman David Pickett. “I’m fully supportive of putting that torpedo there. “I hadn’t realized there were so many submarines and so many sailors that were lost at sea,” said Pickett, a U.S. Army veteran. It will be the third memorial sponsored by the Treasure Coast Base of the U.S. Submarine Veterans, Inc., which is dedicated to perpetuating the memory of submariners who gave their lives in the line of duty, strengthening camaraderie among veterans, and educating the public. The other submariner memorials are at Fort Pierce’s Veterans Memorial Park, 600 N. Indian River Dr., and Okeechobee’s Veteran’s Memorial Park and Wall, on Northwest Park Street and 2nd Avenue. Port St. Lucie’s U.S. Submarine Veterans Park has enough land for the training torpedo and five granite stones, said Brad Keen, the city’s assistant parks and recreation director. The 5.3-acre park is dominated by a stormwater drainage pond and features a nature trail and fitness station, city records show. “This is near and dear to my heart,” said Councilwoman Stephanie Morgan, whose stepfather served in the U.S. Navy. “I think this is an absolute honor to be able to tribute all the submarines that were lost and the many lives that were taken. I’m in favor of this.” Vice Mayor Jolien Caraballo added, “I am 100 percent in support of this organization getting a monument in an appropriate location, which is the park that is dedicated to them. I’m looking forward to the beauty of it when you complete it.” In a related issue, the City Council discussed a proposal to expand Veterans Memorial Park to handle the demand for additional military-related memorials. The 2.42-acre park contains a total of 13 individual memorials and five ground plaques dedicated to all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, Kean said. In the past year, the City Council approved two new memorials in Veterans Memorial Park, a “Chair of Honor” for military personnel considered Prisoners of War or Missing in Action, and a monument bearing the names of all 35 Floridians killed during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, including two from Port St. Lucie. Veterans Memorial Park has enough room for one more large memorial and three smaller memorials, Keen said. “Veterans Memorial Park is quickly running out of space,” Keen told the City Council. “We are nearing capacity. We do continue to get additional requests for memorials.” The city owns two lots totaling 2.83 acres just north of Veterans Memorial Park that can be used for expansion, Keen said. The land could also accommodate some additional parking. Martin said the City Council should hold a discussion in the near future about whether to add the expansion of Veterans Memorial Park to the Parks Master Plan and Strategic Plan. BY PATRICK McCALLISTER Correspondent CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 SUBMARINE MEMORIAL City Councilman David “Dave” Pickett said the city’s annual Memorial Day Service will be a tad shorter than previous years. “It’s the same (Memorial Day Service, but) I streamlined some of the processes they had,” Pickett said. The service will be on Monday, May 29, at 10 a.m. at Veterans Memorial Park, 2100 SE Veterans Memorial Parkway. Pickett is an Army and Florida National Guard veteran, and also publishes an e-letter in cooperation with the city, Veterans’ View. Pickett is organizing the event for the United Veterans of Port St. Lucie and the city. In previous years the United Veterans – an umbrella group made up of local veterans organizations – did most of the organizing for the annual tribute to fallen servicemembers. The United Veterans also organized the city’s annual Veterans Day service. “They wanted the city to take over all the ceremonies,” Pickett said. “We decided Memorial Day would be the start of it.” Pickett said the Memorial Day service will include familiar, traditional parts. For example, the Port St. Lucie Community Band will play patriotic tunes. And, there will be a keynote speaker, who this year is Vietnam-era veteran Marty Zickert, former commander of Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, and the vice president of the Military Officer Association of America Indian River County Chapter. But, Pickett said he’s recalibrated the ceremony so fewer people will have speaking parts. “Most of the veterans who come out to these things, they’re older,” he said. “To sit out in the heat like that, it can be a liability for them.” How and where Memorial Day started is a more complex question than it might seem. Back in the 1960s, President Lyndon Johnson signed a proclamation declaring Waterloo, N.Y., the birthplace of Memorial Day on May 30, 1866. The National Memorial Day Museum is even in the village. Done deal: Decoration Day, now Memorial Day, started in the Finger Lakes region of New York. But not so fast, many historians say. Some historians hold that what can and should be counted as the first Memorial Day service happened on May 1, 1865, in Charleston, S.C. There was a Confederate POW camp at what is now Hampton Park. Before then, it was a horse racetrack. The Civil War had been raging for four years. Everybody had it bad, but the men in that POW camp had it worse than many others. Many were Black Union soldiers. The status of Blacks, particularly former slaves, was a prickly issue during the Civil War for the Union and Confederacy. Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederate States, issued a proclamation declaring Black Union soldiers “armed slaves in insurrection against the authorities of the different States of this Confederacy.” In other MEMORIAL DAY: CITY PLANS A STREAMLINED CEREMONY words, Black Union soldiers – regardless of whether they’d ever been slaves – weren’t regarded as prisoners of war afforded any protections that came with the status. About 250 of those Union soldiers died in miserable conditions and were haphazardly tossed into a mass grave. As the Union pushed into South Carolina, many fled Charleston. Except for Blacks. They were eager to see the boys in blue arrive. The city almost overnight became a predominantly former-slave, Black community. With the Confederate military abandoning the city, the Black community started the city’s rebuilding by honoring the war dear. They disinterred and reburied the men they called the “Martyrs of the Race Course” with much more dignity. Many historians say almost all who remained in Charleston showed up to dedicate the new mass grave. The war was winding down by then. Gen. Robert E. Lee had surrendered on April 9, 1865, taking the Army of Northern Virginia out of the fight. By late April, Confederate forces were disbanding and surrendering rapidly. Union forces captured Davis on May 10, the same day Gen. Samuel Jones, who commanded the Departments of Florida, South Carolina and South Georgia, surrendered in Tallahassee. America was eager to disremember the horrors of the Civil War, so the memorial service for the Martyrs of the Race Course was among things many wanted forgotten. It might have been forgotten except for the predecessor of modern veterans service organizations, the Grand Army of the Republic, commonly known as the GAR. Some historians hold that the GAR was inspired by stories of the Charleston commemoration. In May 1868, the organization’s commander, Gen. John Logan, issued a proclamation calling for Decoration Day on May 30. Historians believe that about 180 ceremonies happened in 27 states that year. Other historians believe the Grand Army of the Republic, which only accepted Union Civil War veterans, might also have been inspired by the Confederate Memorial Day, which likely started in 1866 around Columbus, Ga. While Memorial Day started as a commemoration for those lost in the Civil War, by the 20th century it had broadened to include all others. The name Decoration Day – a reference to decorating the fallen service members’ graves – slowly gave way to Memorial Day. In 1967, Congress declared it to be the official name of the holiday. A year later, Congress moved it from May 30 – a date selected because no major Civil War battles happened on it and flowers were in bloom – to the last Monday of the month. PHOTO COURTESY OF THE CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH May 11, 2023 11 Well-equipped chopper swoops in to save severely injured here and in neighboring counties You’ve been in an accident and you can’t move your legs. Your head hurts and you can barely breathe. You wonder if you are going to make it out alive. And then you hear sirens in the distance and overhead the whirling of a helicopter manned by an air rescue team coming to safely transport you to a hospital. Who are these heroes who have your life in their hands? In St. Lucie, the county runs the medevac air ambulance program, using county and hospital personal aboard the craft. The program is ready at a moment’s notice in a time-sensitive emergency to treat and transport injured people – not only here, but in neighboring counties as well – most often to HCA Lawnwood Hospital’s Level 2 Trauma Center in Fort Pierce. “St. Lucie County Air Rescue operates out of an Airbus Eurocopter 135 P2+ model. This is a twin-engine aircraft with a 4-blade main rotor system and an enclosed tail rotor,” according to the St. Lucie County Fire District. “The EC135’s high-endurance and extended range enables this helicopter to perform a full range of EMS missions, while carrying more payload over longer distances than any twin-engine aircraft in its class. Incorporating a modern cockpit, avionics, and the latest in medical equipment, the EC135 is recognized for its high performance, outstanding maneuverability and overall enhanced safety systems.” “The Air Rescue team consists of a critical care nurse, a pilot and a flight paramedic,” said St. Lucie County Fire District Battalion Chief Daniel Mikels. “We are in a public/private partnership with an air medical transport company called Air Methods. They provide the pilot and one flight nurse. We provide the firefighter paramedic. Everyone must meet our medical director’s criteria and the fire district’s criteria. It’s a complete team effort. Every day you have one pilot, one flight nurse and one paramedic ready to board the helicopter at a moment’s notice. We have a total of nine flight paramedics assigned to the program. It just depends who’s on duty at the time.” The pilot is not part of patient care but bears the responsibility for getting the patient and the care team to the hospital safely. The air rescue team administers lifesaving first aid to victims upon their arrival at an accident site or place where a person has suffered severe injury or other medical emergency that requires fast action to save a life. The team then loads the patient onto a stretcher and puts the patient into the chopper where they can continue to treat and stabilize them in transit to the hospital. The medics on board can provide wound care and apply splints to broken limbs. They can help the patient breathe better with an oxygen mask or breathing tube. They monitor vital signs and, if a patient’s heart stops, they can shock the patient to restart their heart. The equipment for these lifesaving measures takes up a majority of the space in the helicopter, so it can only transport one patient at a time. The St. Lucie County Air Rescue responded to over 400 emergencies last year, according to Mikels. “Our rescue is a regional approach, as we cover not only St. Lucie County but those counties to the north and west of us that don’t have an air medical program,” he said. “Those counties are Okeechobee, Highlands and Indian River counties. If our helicopter is not available or if we have multiple patients, we can call throughout the region and get assistance. Say, for example, Martin County has two patients needing air transport. While they have their own air medical team, they can utilize ours as well. We all work together with the singular goal of getting the patient to the trauma center as quickly as possible. “It’s usually the dispatcher who makes the decision on whether or not to send the helicopter to the scene,” Mikels continued. “When the dispatchers do emergency medical dispatching, they get the information from the caller and, based on that information, dictate which units to send. Other times, it’s the first responder on the ground who realizes they need [a helicopter] and calls for one. Everyone works together as information about the severity of the injury is being assessed.” Once they land at the hospital, the air rescue nurse and paramedic will offload the patient and take them into the emergency trauma center where they brief the trauma surgeon on the patient’s condition and hand him off to the trauma team’s expert care. BY KERRY FIRTH and JACKIE HOLFELDER | Correspondent Dr. Jason A. Moore. 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12 May 11, 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 More than 36.5 million Americans played pickleball from August 2021 to August 2022, according to new data released by the Association of Pickleball Professionals, making it the fastest growing sport in the America for the third year in a row. Not surprisingly, the increase in popularity has led to a rise in pickleball injuries. “Pickleball is keeping me in business,” joked Dr. Marc F. Matarazzo, an orthopedic surgeon with the Center for Bone and Joint Surgery in Port St. Lucie. “I am seeing injuries every day from the game, particularly in the middle to older age groups. It’ becoming a social sensation that’s fun and not necessarily real strenuous but if proper precautions aren’t taken prior to playing it can result in some serious injuries.” “Sprains, strains and fractures are the most common injuries,” Dr. Matarazzo said. “My practice is predominantly knees and shoulders so I’m seeing a lot of injuries like rotator cuff strains, bicep tendinitis, tennis elbow, aggravation of knee arthritis, meniscus tears, MCL strains, wrist, ankle, hamstring and Achilles’ strains. “A lot of has to do with the age factor as the game is very popular with the senior population,” Dr. Matarazzo continued. “The problem is that they go from their couch to the court viewing it as more of a social occasion than a workout routine. I don’t think they realize that they can potentially get injured.” Pickleball is described as a blend of tennis, badminton and ping pong. It’s played on what looks like a smaller tennis court with a lot of stopping, starting and quick movements. The abrupt movements can put hips, legs, ankles and feet at risk because the player plants and turns. Sometimes those movements are forceful on the joints and that force strains the calf or Achilles, causing the ankle to roll and ultimately causing back and leg injury. A report in the Journal of Emergency Medicine estimates that there are about 19,000 pickleball injuries per year with 90 percent of them affecting people 50 or older. While pickleball is easier on the body than most other sports, the USA Pickleball Association offers these guidelines to help reduce the risk of injury: Be aware of your playing area and its obstacles. Avoid backpedaling on the pickleball court. Stretch and warm up your body before you play. Wear proper court shoes, eye protection and use appropriate equipment. Improve your balance and learn how to fall without injury. Wear sunscreen and a hat when playing outdoors. Avoid wet pickleball courts. Hydrate. Work with a professional to improve your fundamentals. Know your body and give it some rest. Communication with your partner to BY KERRY FIRTH | Correspondent ORTHOPEDIC SURGEON OFFERS TIPS TO AVOID PICKLEBALL INJURIES avoid confusion. Have a plan in case of an emergency on the court. “Getting the heart rate elevated before the game is so important,” said Dr. Matarazzo. “Take a jog or do jumping jacks for five minutes to break a sweat. The warmup will increase your ability to perform the stretching exercises. You need to do a whole-body warmup and not just focus on the legs and arms. That being said, flexibility and stretching is imperative. For upper extremities, rotator cuff strengthening and shoulder stabilization programs are very helpful. Forearm and wrist exercising can also help minimize injury. “In the lower extremity you would want do core stretching for lower back and abdominals. You should strengthen your hip and groin adductors and stretch the quadriceps, hamstrings and calf muscles. A good routine would be to start with the ankle stretch and work upward toward the shoulder and neck area. Focus on each muscle group and feel the stretch, then hold it for 10-15 seconds and repeat that 5 times. “Hydrate with water containing electrolytes Dr. Marc F. Matarazzo. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH May 11, 2023 13 OPIATE ADDICTION? You will receive private individualized care by board certified staff who are committed to providing affordable and effective treatment. Immediate appointments available. 772-618-0505 www.AddictionAlternatives.org 266 NW Peacock Blvd., Suite 102, Port St Lucie, FL 34986 ALTERNATIVES with Charles Buscema MD We treat patients like family Adult General Psychiatry which contain minerals essential to human health,” Dr. Matarazzo continued. “This is especially important in our hot climate.” Electrolytes are responsible for directing water and nutrients to the areas of the body where it’s needed most and maintaining optimal fluid balance inside the cells. They also help your muscles to contract and relax and assist in the transmission of nerve impulses from your nervous system to different parts of the body. Dr. Matarazzo stresses the importance of wearing eyewear and sunscreen to protect your eyes and skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays, wearing the correct shoes and having the right equipment. According to the USA Pickleball Association, comfortable court shoes are a must. Typical sneakers and running shoes do not supply the right kind of support for the side-to-side movement of the sport. The key to finding a good court shoe is the sole. Pickleball players need a shoe that supports the foot during side-to-side shifts in weight while providing stability on the inside and outside of the foot. It’s advisable to purchase athletic shoes from a specialty store where a staff member can help fit you properly. “The proper paddle is every bit as important as the right shoes,” Dr. Matarazzo explained. “People should go with a lighter paddle as heavier paddles can lead to tennis elbow. Having a looser, wider grip on the paddle is better for your joints. You can also consider taping your wrist and ankles or wearing a compression brace for more support on the wrist and ankles. “If pain occurs during play, stop playing and ice the area of pain. Continuing to play will only aggravate the problem. If it worsens with activity, if it persists for more than 24 hours, or if it’s altering your gait or the way you would swing your racquet, then seek medical attention.” “Fortunately, the majority of injuries can be treated without surgery,” Dr. Matarazzo said. “Most injuries can be treated with RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). Most people will respond to a short period of rest and maybe some physical therapy. Others may need to wear a brace of some sort or an anti-inflammatory injection. If it’s not getting better then we’ll do an MRI scan and potentially surgery.” Dr. Matarazzo earned his medical degree from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University and completed his general surgery internship and orthopedic surgery residency at the Medical College of Pennsylvania and Hahnemann University, now known as Drexel University College of Medicine in Philadelphia. He completed his sports medicine and arthroscopy fellowship at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, where he served as the assistant team physician for the New York Jets, the New York Islanders, and the Hofstra University and Hunter College athletic departments. He is accepting new patients at the Center for Bone and Joint Surgery in Port St. Lucie, 582 NW University Blvd. Suite 100, Port St. Lucie, 561-798-6600. Dr. Jason A. Moore, a trauma surgeon at HCA Lawnwood Hospital Trauma Center, is one of the doctors who meets the air rescue team and takes over the patient’s medical care at the hospital. “Since we are the only Level 2 Trauma Center on the Treasure Coast, we take care of the sickest patients in the five-county area which includes Indian River, Martin, Okeechobee, Highlands and St. Lucie counties. We take care of severe injuries from car accidents, falls, gunshot wounds, stabbings and just about everything you can think of. “In most cases, these patients will come directly to us because they are stable enough to withstand transport,” Dr. Moore continued. “If they are so far away and they aren’t stable enough to transport to us, they may go first to another hospital where they can be stabilized and then transported to us. In those cases, we are the second stop and not the first. “We focus all our energy, knowledge and expertise on one patient at a time. Sometimes we have multiple patients at the same time, but we have a team of eight trauma physicians, so we can handle every emergency. There is always a trauma surgeon in the hospital, 24 hours a day, seven days a week with backup available,” taking care of stroke alerts, cardiac arrests and all major medical problems that come in. The main difference between typical emergency room physicians and trauma surgeons is the surgeon part. Trauma surgeons are double board-certified in general surgery and in surgical critical care, so they have the skill set to not only manage the surgery but to tend to the patient in the ICU. “We are able to provide a continuity of care for the patient from the time they are admitted to our service to the time they are discharged,” said Dr. Moore. “Sometimes we treat them and send them home and sometimes they are in the hospital for weeks or months. We see them all the way through to the end. It’s not uncommon in a very busy trauma center like ours to have multiple patients coming in at a time and we need multiple surgeons to handle the case load. We have a very well-oiled machine and a team that can come in and assist at any given time.” Communication and coordination of care between the air rescue crew and the trauma center team can be the difference between life and death. Dr. Jason A. Moore earned his medical degree at the Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York and completed his Department of Surgery residency at the Staten Island University Hospital in Staten Island, New York. He completed a Thoracic Surgery Fellowship and his Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at University of Florida – Shands Medical Center in Gainesville. He has served as associate trauma medical director at HCA Lawnwood Hospital for the past decade. CONTINUED FROM PAGE A11 AIR AMBULANCE PROGRAM
Get a FREE RN Assessment for Home Care Today Tradition Home Care is now providing comprehensive care for Veterans through the VA CCN program! communities. The VA CCN program makes is easier for our Veterans to get the care they need close to home without having to travel to a VA Medical Center. TraditionHomeCareFL.com CNA Home Health Aides Registered Nurses Physical Therapy Occupational Therapy Speech Therapy Lic# 299995671 Through VA CCN, Veterans can access care from a network of community providers who have been approved by the VA to provide medical services to Veterans. These providers include primary care physicians, specialists, and other healthcare professionals. At Tradition Home Care, we are proud to be a part of the VA CCN network and offer services to Veterans in our community in their homes. Our team of experienced caregivers are committed to providing compassionate and personalized care to each of our clients. We understand that every individual has unique needs and preferences, and we work closely with our clients and their families to develop a customized care plan that meets their specific needs. Our non-medical home care services include assistance with activities of daily living, medication reminders, companionship, and more. Our caregivers are carefully selected and trained to provide high-quality care and support to our clients. At Tradition Home Care, we are committed to providing exceptional care and support to our Veteran clients and their families. Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you or your loved one. 14 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com OVER 1 IN 5 ADULTS IN U.S. LIVED WITH CHRONIC PAIN IN ’21 About 52 million adults in the United States – more than 1 in 5 – were living with chronic pain in 2021, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That included 17 million who experienced chronic pain severe enough to substantially restrict their daily activities, referred to as high-impact chronic pain. Health experts generally define chronic pain as pain affecting any part of the body and lasting for three months or more, sometimes for years. Chronic pain may stem from an injury or infection or be related to an ongoing condition such as arthritis or cancer. It also can be caused by such psychological factors as stress, anxiety or depression; in these cases, it’s known as psychosomatic pain. The CDC report found that chronic pain, including the high-impact type, was more prevalent among women than men and
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH May 11, 2023 15 among older adults, affecting about 30 percent of those 65 to 84. It also was more common among people with a disability and those with poor general health. Treatments for chronic pain vary greatly, but they usually start with trying to identify and treat the initial cause of the pain. After that, the focus turns to managing the pain itself and improving the person’s ability to function. This often involves a combination of medication, lifestyle changes, therapy and complementary health treatments such as acupuncture, meditation and massage. – LINDA SEARING/THE WASHINGTON POST
18 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com OBESITY IN SONS LINKED TO MOMS WITH POLYCYSTIC OVARY SYNDROME Newly published research suggests that the sons of women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) are up to twice as likely to develop obesity as their peers. The study in Cell Reports Medicine used data from cohort research following 467,275 male infants born in Sweden between July 2006 and December 2015. Of those, 9,828 were born to a mother with PCOS — and 147 of those boys were eventually diagnosed with obesity. About 2 in 100 Swedish boys who were born to mothers with PCOS became obese during childhood, compared with about 1 in 100 for boys whose mothers did not have PCOS. The risk was higher among the sons of women who had PCOS and a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 and highest among the sons of women who both had PCOS and also did not take
metformin during pregnancy. Researchers followed up the analysis with an RNA sequencing study that found higher cholesterol in sons of Chilean women with PCOS than controls. In another analysis, researchers fed a group of mice a fatty, sugary diet and exposed them to high levels of dihydrotestosterone, a hormone that mimics that of pregnant women with PCOS. Their sons were born with metabolic problems that persisted into adulthood, even when they ate a healthy diet throughout their lives. PCOS is common: According to one 2020 literature review, it affects up to 20 percent of women worldwide, or 1 in 5 women. The condition, which occurs when women’s bodies produce more male hormones than usual, causes multiple ovarian cysts and can cause infertility, excess hair growth and irregular menstrual periods. Women with PCOS are at higher risk for diabetes, heart problems and other conditions. In 2019, the same research team found that the daughters of women with PCOS have a fivefold risk of being diagnosed with the syndrome. To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | HEALTH May 11, 2023 19 – ERIN BLAKEMORE/THE WASHINGTON POST
20 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | PERSONAL FINANCE www.stlucievoice.com I bond rates dropped to 4.3% ... are they still worth it? BY MICHELLE SINGLETARY | The Washington Post Millions of investors queasy from the volatility of the stock market showed an extraordinary interest in inflation-protected I bonds over the past year, purchasing billions of dollars of the savings bonds. There was such a feverish desire for the Series I savings bonds when they hit 9.62 percent last year, the highest yield since the bond debut in 1998, that the TreasuryDirect site used for buying them crashed. But with inflation waning, Treasury just announced a new rate of 4.3 percent for I bonds, down from the most recent 6.89 percent that ended in April. Still, that’s a good rate, but it’s not likely to see a mad rush like last year. Here’s what you need to know about buying an I bond. What is an inflation-indexed savings bond? Series I savings bonds are designed for inflation protection to help preserve your buying power. There are two components to the return for the bond – the fixed rate and the inflation rate. When inflation increases, the combined rate increases. The fixed rate stays the same for the life of the bond. The inflation rate – as measured by the consumer price index for all Urban Consumers – adjusts every six months. The fixed rate of return and the inflation rate are announced by the Treasury Department at the start of May and November. When inflation started to rise, reaching a 40-year-high last year, the rate on the I bonds became very attractive to investors looking for safety because the bonds are backed by the federal government. What is the current I bond rate? Newly issued bonds as of May 1 will have a fixed rate of 0.90 percent. The semiannual inflation rate is 1.69 percent. That’s a 3.38 percent annualized rate of inflation. After applying a certain formula and rounding, the Treasury arrived at the 4.30 percent composite rate for I bonds issued from May 2023 through October 2023. Are I bonds still worth buying? If you are looking to protect your principal and guard against inflation, I bonds are still worth it long term – even with them down from the eye-popping 9.62 percent rate from last year. Even as inflation continues to retreat, you’re guaranteed at least six months of the yield available at the time of your purchase. And now, the fixed rate portion of the bonds is paying 0.90 percent. Bonds purchased at 9.62 percent had a fixed rate of zero percent. How long does the new rate last? If you buy an I bond, the rate applies for the first six months after the issue date. Your bond will earn interest from the first day of the month you buy them. Then, twice a year, Treasury will add all the interest the bond earned in the previous six months to the principal value. It’s important to understand that you can’t cash in your bond for the first 12 months. If you cash a bond before five years, you lose the final three months of interest. Why isn’t my I bond showing all my interest? For bonds less than five years old, values shown in TreasuryDirect accounts don’t include the last three months of interest. How do I buy an I bond? To purchase an electronic I bond, you must establish a TreasuryDirect account. Go to treasurydirect.gov to set up an account. The bonds are sold at face value, so you pay $100 for a $100 bond. Individuals can purchase up to $10,000 in electronic I bonds in a calendar year. You can also purchase up to $5,000 in paper I bonds using your federal income tax refund, bringing the possible total to $15,000 for individuals for the calendar year. If you’re still working on your return, you can use all or part of your refund to buy I bonds. If you file a paper return, use Form 8888, Allocation of Refund (Including Bond Purchases). If using your refund, the bonds must be in increments of $50. How do I add beneficiaries? Adding a beneficiary can be confusing. For step-by-step directions, go to TreasuryDirect and search for “How do I …?” You’ll see this question: “How do I add a secondary owner or beneficiary to my securities?” Are I bonds taxable? You have to pay federal income taxes on the interest you earn. But you can defer federal taxes on earnings for up to 30 years. If you use the bonds for qualified higher education expenses, you may be able to avoid paying federal income tax on your interest. You can find more information about the education exclusion on IRS Form 8815. The bonds are exempt from state and local income taxes.
Join the residents of Harbor Place for a friendly, fun-filled afternoon of Bingo. Don’t miss your chance to win great raffle prizes! Only $1 per card. Light refreshments will be served. Please call to RSVP 772-337-4330 Seating is Limited PtStLucieHarborPlace.com 3700 Southeast Jennings Road, Port St. Lucie FL 34952 HARBOR PLACE AT PORT ST. LUCIE PRESENTS LAST FLING BEFORE SPRING OPEN HOUSE BINGO • Tuesday, May 30th • 1:30 to 3 pm Spectacular Verano pool home will envelop you in elegance 11959 SW Vano Way in PGA Verano: 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 3,621-square-foot pool home offered for $1,200,000 by Isabelle Pollock, 772-713-3221 of Lang Realty
22 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com The house at 11959 SW Vano Way, in PGA Village Verano, wears many hats. It is a stunning showplace, with every attention to detail. It is also a warm and welcoming home where you can easily imagine family and friends gathering. Outdoors, it is a private resort and retreat. It is all this and more, which is why I am pleased to have it as the House of the Week. Even before you come inside, you notice the gorgeous tropical landscaping and the decorative glass insert front door. Inside, the home is light and bright, both from the natural lighting and the custom fixtures throughout the home. The kitchen is always the heart of the home and this one is a chef’s delight, with double layer white cabinetry, quartz counters, under-cabinet lighting, double wall ovens, soft-close cabinets with pullouts, a walk-in pantry with custom shelving, glass tile backsplash, hood vent and center island, with room for seating. It is perfect for entertaining as your guests can come and chat while you’re whipping up something special, and then wander into the living room (a spacious 19 feet, 6 inches by 18 feet, 9 inches) to enjoy good conversation, board games or the big game. Tall glass slidSpectacular Verano pool home will envelop you in elegance BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Columnist [email protected] D ™ owDecorating ecorating Over 35 Years Experience Your new home for decorating in St. Lucie West IN-HOME SERVICE - MEASURE - INSTALL Mon-Fri 10am-5pm or By Appointment Kathy & David Blinds, Shades & Shutters New Upholstered Furniture MADE IN AMERICA … right here in Florida! Come on in & have a seat Draperies Upholstery Beautiful Fabrics Valances & Cornices Pillows Bedspreads & More!
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE May 11, 2023 23 ing doors lead to the outdoor living space, with its summer kitchen, heated pool and spa, silver travertine pavers, and gorgeous tropical landscaping and landscape lighting throughout the backyard. Your guests will love being inside or out. The master suite begins with the bedroom, a generous 16-8-by 13. The master suite looks over the backyard and has a huge walk-in closet and a lovely ensuite with all the things that bring on bathroom envy: a large walk-in shower, dual quartztopped vanities, linen closet and access to the laundry room through the master closet. There are two other bedrooms, one 11-1- by-10-2 and the other 12-4-by-10, and two additional full baths. A den is a nice retreat, and upstairs there is a splendid loft space that could be a home office, teen hangout or even an in-law bedroom. It would be the perfect place to sit and read, and for kids, it would be the place to bring sleeping bags and have a “camp out” inside. The choices are limited only by the imagination. For Isabelle Pollock of Lang Realty, this home is a show-stopper. “This stunning pool home, completed in 2022, is nestled on a desirable Verano street with no through traffic,” she said. “It has elegant and sophisticated finishes around every turn. From the beautiful wood-look tile throughout the house to the crown moldings, shiplap accents and GINA MICELOTTA REALTOR® 772.212.9994 [email protected] ginamicelotta.ipre.com REALTOR® ASSOCIATE The Palm Beach | Martin County | St. Lucie County 7680 WYLDWOOD WAY | PORT ST. LUCIE | $787,000 PGA Village | Represented Buyer 10533 SW WATERWAY | PORT ST. LUCIE | $405,000 Bedford Park 10532 SW ASHLYN COURT | PORT ST. LUCIE | $305,000 Bedford Park SOLD SOLD SOLD CONTINUED ON PAGE 26
24 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com TOP SALES OF THE WEEK An extraordinary fortnight of real estate sales in the Tradition and St. Lucie West markets saw 67 transactions of single-family residences and lots reported (some shown below). The top recent sale was of the home at 8064 Kiawah Trace. Listed in December for $1,250,000, this 4-bedroom, 4-bathroom residence fetched $1,070,000 on April 26. Representing the seller in the transaction was agent Linda MacCormack of Lang Realty. Representing the buyer was agent Jennifer Leen of RE/MAX Gold. SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND LOTS PORT SAINT LUCIE 8064 KIAWAH TRACE 12/7/2022 $1,250,000 4/26/2023 $1,070,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 7813 LONG COVE WAY 8/24/2022 $995,000 4/26/2023 $875,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 7680 WYLDWOOD WAY 2/17/2023 $825,000 4/25/2023 $787,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 12636 SW MARRITA ALLEY 12/2/2022 $731,500 4/27/2023 $713,785 PORT SAINT LUCIE 7903 PLANTATION LAKES DRIVE 11/10/2022 $725,000 5/5/2023 $680,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 1162 SW BENT PINE COVE 3/26/2023 $659,888 4/28/2023 $645,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 7835 SADDLEBROOK DRIVE 1/25/2023 $724,888 5/4/2023 $625,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 5498 NW DABNEY COURT 3/3/2023 $609,900 5/3/2023 $575,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 5842 NW GILLESPIE AVENUE 3/2/2023 $575,000 5/4/2023 $565,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 9557 SW NUOVA WAY 10/17/2022 $599,000 4/25/2023 $560,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 7405 NW GREENSPRING STREET 10/6/2022 $589,900 4/28/2023 $525,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 470 SW ROSEWOOD COVE 1/23/2023 $549,000 5/1/2023 $520,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 10731 SW VASARI WAY 2/4/2023 $548,000 4/28/2023 $494,000 ORIGINAL SELLING TOWN ADDRESS LISTED ASKING PRICE SOLD PRICE TRADITION AND ST. LUCIE WEST REAL ESTATE SALES Stats were pulled 5/6/23 9:22 AM
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE May 11, 2023 25 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 11/10/2022 $725,000 5/5/2023 $680,000 AnnMarie Napolitano Keller Williams Realty Anthony Mercurio Baron Real Estate 7903 Plantation Lakes Drive, Port Saint Lucie 12/2/2022 $731,500 4/27/2023 $713,785 Brian Keller Taylor Morrison Rlty of Fla Not Provided Not Provided 12636 SW Marrita Alley, Port Saint Lucie 2/17/2023 $825,000 4/25/2023 $787,000 Desiree Flexen Lang Realty Gina Micelotta Illustrated Properties 7680 Wyldwood Way, Port Saint Lucie 8/24/2022 $995,000 4/26/2023 $875,000 AnnMarie Napolitano Keller Williams Realty Vicki Geiger Keller Williams Realty 7813 Long Cove Way, Port Saint Lucie
26 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com custom and designer window treatments and lighting, this is a home that shows exquisite attention to detail. Outside, the heated pool and spa are a beautiful sight, with gorgeous tile accents, a sun deck with bubblers, sunken spa and deck jets. It is truly what people imagine when they talk about Florida living. Inside and out, this home is the total package.” Verano is a resort-style gated community with amenities galore, including a 27-court pickleball center, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, sauna, dog parks, tennis courts, Club Talavera and access to PGA Golf Club courses. If you are looking for that very special home that ticks off all the boxes, you might want to take a look at this special home. You might decide to stay. 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 Neighborhood: PGA Verano • Year built: 2022 • Construction: CBS Square footage: 2,714 sq. ft. • Total square footage: 3,621 sq. ft. Bedrooms: 3 • Bathrooms: 3 • Flooring: tile Security: burglar alarm, manned gate, security patrol Additional features: lake views, 3 bedrooms, den and loft, completed 2022, wood-look tile flooring throughout, crown moldings, shiplap accents, custom window treatments, designer light fixtures and ceiling fans, impact glass doors and windows, custom shelving in all closets, surround sound system, LED hihats, heated, in-ground saltwater pool, spa Community amenities: 27-court pickleball center, walking paths, indoor and outdoor pools, fitness center, sauna, dog parks, tennis, clubhouse Listing brokerage: Lang Realty Listing agent: Isabelle Pollock, 772-713-3221 Listing price: $1,200,000 FEATURES FOR 11959 SW VANO WAY CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE May 11, 2023 27 Q: My brother and I inherited several acres of commercial property from our parents. The land came with a poorly written lease. The lease was for 50 years with no escalation clause for the rent. The tenant pays the property taxes, but the rent we receive is a pittance. This property is in northern Virginia in an expensive area. In five years, this lease will be up for renewal. The rent will go up a bit, but well below the market rent for the property. Must we adhere to this lease? I had nothing to do with it originally and do not agree with it. This seems to me like my parents trying to rule us from the grave. A: Another unhappy heir. We get that you may be unhappy with the way your parents arranged their estate. We get that you don’t like the arrangement regarding your inheritance. We can also understand that you might not agree with something that was set in motion a long time ago, well before you inherited the land and perhaps before you were even born. But you may not get to decide this. Whoever originally owned the land (your parents, or perhaps even your grandparents) set in motion a plan whereby there would be income for 50 years. And they were well within their rights to do it this way. It was their land. Not yours. They could have sold it off and avoided giving you the land or the cash. We often get letters from readers insisting that their parents or relatives had no right to do something with a piece of real estate these readers have now inherited. Let’s be clear: If you own property, you can do as you wish with it while you own it within legal bounds. That includes leasing it for less than the going rate. For any length of time. Unless the owner has somehow granted a right to a child or relative to the home or land while they owned the home or land, the child or relative has no say to what the owner should do with the home or land. Now, let’s talk about the lease. Fifty years is a long time to lease property. It’s hard to imagine why your parents wanted to commit the property to such a longterm lease back in the ’70s. Anything can happen over a period of 50 years. You mentioned that the lease was poorly written, but you don’t say why you think it was. Your focus is on the below-market rate for rent. That rent might have been quite reasonable when the lease was signed. But below-market rent doesn’t mean the lease was poorly drafted. Maybe the rent was considered excellent for the time period. Maybe your parents couldn’t have imagined the kind of growth and development you’ve seen in the past 10 to 20 years. Sure, most leases allow for rent to be renegotiated, or adjusted for inflation or to market rates. Yours doesn’t. And so the lease is unfavorable for you. But you still own the land. Your tenants pay the expenses and you get a small amount of rent, but you don’t have to worry about any expenses relating to the land itself. (You just have to make sure the tenant is paying the property taxes in full and on time.) You mentioned that the lease is up for renewal in five years. Does the tenant have the right to renew the lease under the same terms or negotiated terms? What happens if you sell the land? Would that break the lease? Pull out the lease and sit down with a local real estate attorney to discuss the terms and what you want to do. Does the tenant wish to renew? Perhaps the tenant would like to get out of the lease also. If the tenant has an automatic 50- year renewal, do you have the right to renegotiate terms? Leases can be technical documents, and when a tenant fails to abide by the terms of the lease, the tenant can lose a right to renew or can be evicted by the landlord. Your real estate attorney can guide you on the next steps. It sends shivers up our spines when you say that it feels like your parents are controlling the land from the grave, but we see it differently. They made a decision many years ago for their own reasons that had nothing to do with you. You’re still benefiting financially, though not as much as you would like. Perhaps with some good counsel, you’ll be able to find a way to generate a more favorable return on the property. Heirs unhappy with lease pact attached to inherited property By ILYCE GLINK AND SAMUEL J. TAMKIN | Tribune
28 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com Rising interest rates have transformed the U.S. real estate market rapidly, sometimes in unexpected ways. Housing supply is constrained but there’s a glut of office space. Lingering fears of a recession are driving down prices in some areas, while demographic changes are keeping them elevated in others. Higher rates are pricing out firsttime buyers, but those who can pay with cash are snapping up deals. Landlords are defaulting on debt, while homebuilders are seeing a surge in demand. It’s a confusing picture for anyone who’s looking to buy or invest. Yet market shifts can also present opportunities. Those who witnessed the real-estate effects of the financial crisis will remember investors who bought distressed properties at the bottom and sold when prices recovered. Is that the right strategy now? Or should investors look to other property assets – or stay out of the market altogether? To answer those questions, we spoke with four experts about timely ideas for people who have spare cash of roughly $250,000 and are thinking about deploying it in the real estate market. The experts’ ideas ranged from residential properties to rental homes in the Sun Belt to mispriced REITs. We also asked the experts where they would make a personal splurge at a similar price point. Their responses included everything from New York City rentals to holiday homes on the California coast. The first response is from Bess Freedman, chief executive officer, Brown Harris Stevens, who says to buy a home. The idea: Investing your money in a home is a great way to build intergenerational wealth. It’s the single largest purchase most Americans make and, with the right planning, it can be an incredible asset. Unlike a stock portfolio, you can actually get tangible use out of your home. You can either live in it or rent it out and collect income while you wait for the asset to appreciate. The strategy: The current climate is challenging. COVID kicked off a real estate buying frenzy. The Fed lowered rates to zero and mortgage rates became incredibly low. Today, mortgage rates are higher and sellers are still holding onto aspirational pricing. But we are on the cusp of a sea change. High-priced homes aren’t moving. We are seeing buyers negotiate more and sellers meeting them to get deals done. Buyers with enough liquidity are making competitive offers in cash because they don’t want to deal with higher monthly mortgage payments. This is an opportunity market for buyers, you just have to do your research. I would encourage investors to consider the two “Ls” – light and location – instead of looking for a huge space,” Freedman told Bloomberg. “A better location is likely going to bring better appreciation. Also, for those fortunate enough to have the resources, I see opportunities in stretching a little for that reach property. A lot of people right now are worried about inflation, their stock portfolios, and cutting costs. If you’re willing to take a risk now, I think you could have incredible upside. Listen to your circumstances, stick to that general 20 percent to 25 percent down payment guide if you’re using a mortgage and don’t be afraid to negotiate. Alternate idea: I would buy a studio or a small one-bedroom in New York City in a neighborhood I like. I already own a studio in the city and I have a renter there right now. I would invest again because it’s been so beneficial. And who knows? Maybe one of my kids will want that apartment later. What’s more, if I’m investing, I want to be in the location where I live, I don’t want to have to get on a plane to see the apartment or home. Real estate in New York will inevitably appreciate, and I definitely want another piece of the pie here. Experts’ timely ideas on where to invest in real estate now By CHARLIE WELLS | Bloomberg
30 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com [email protected] www.JacquelineSellsFL.com 772-529-1368 Jacqueline Cohen Real Estate Agent YOUR FIRST CHOICE FOR LESS STRESS WITH AN AGENT WHO CARES Renting luxury space in Miami, Dubai and Singapore has gotten a lot more expensive in the past three years. In 2019, it was possible to rent a 4,430-square-foot prime apartment in Miami for $2,000 a week. By the end of 2022, the same amount of money would get you 2,200 square feet, or about 50 percent less space. An analysis of 25 global cities by real estate company Savills found a similar decline in Dubai affordability, where $2,000 a week now gets you a 2,890-square-foot apartment, down from 5,090 square feet in 2019. In Singapore, it gets you 2,080 square feet, down 29 percent from three years ago. Global hotspots have shifted since the pandemic changed people’s priorities, highlighting quality of life and space over connectivity and urban density. Limited rental supply and a return to cities have also contributed to rising prices in places like London and New York, which also posted double-digit declines in affordability. “Prime residential markets in Dubai and Miami have seen renters flocking because of pandemic trends that appeal to this day: warmer climates, high quality of life, lower taxes, and growing job opportunities,” said Lucy Palk, analyst at Savills. “They’re also still cheaper than New York or Tokyo.” Miami is attracting plenty of wealthy investors, including Citadel’s Ken Griffin. Dubai has seen a surge of international workers lured by the emirate’s tax incentives, high salaries and generous visa system. Singapore, on the other hand, has benefited from expats and wealthy Chinese leaving Hong Kong. New York remains the most expensive city for prime renters, with $2,000 a week yielding just 900 square feet of prime property, down from 1,010 square feet in 2019. Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Tokyo and London are the next priciest locations, each granting less than 2,000 square feet of luxury real estate. Prime rents across those five cities rose 8 percent on average over the past three years. With Miami’s luxury rent surge, your money goes only half as far By ALICE KANTOR | Bloomberg
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! 7880 SADDLEBROOK DRIVE • OFFERED AT $1,250,000 • PGA VILLAGE 7688 CHARLESTON WAY • OFFERED AT $1,250,000 • PGA VILLAGE 8822 SW MONTOVA WAY • OFFERED AT $649,900 • PGA VERANO 10547 SW CAPRAIA WAY • OFFERED AT $625,000 • PGA VERANO 1525B NW AMHERST DRIVE • OFFERED AT $379,000 • ST. LUCIE WEST 9557 SW NUOVA WAY • OFFERED AT $599,000 • PGA VERANO 7835 SADDLEBROOK DRIVE • OFFERED AT $699,900 • PGA VILLAGE 9931 SW STONEGATE DRIVE • OFFERED AT $389,900 • TRADITION 1875 SE OCEAN COVE • OFFERED AT $510,000 • STUART 8704 COBBLESTONE DRIVE • OFFERED AT $370,000 • CREEKSIDE - FT. PIERCE SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD SOLD Elise Danielian 772-418-2992 [email protected] Ingrid Hewitt 772-203-7800 [email protected] Isabelle Pollock 772-713-3221 [email protected]
A delightful way for boys to celebrate Mother’s Day is to take part in the Mother & Son Dance. The event has a “Denim & Diamonds” theme and includes entertainment, goodie bags, a memorable photo and, of course, dancing. It is designed for children ages 2 to 11 years. The Mother & Son Dance runs 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, May 12, at the Port St. Lucie Community Center, 2195 SE Airoso Blvd. The cost is $11.50 per child. For more information, visit CityOfPSL.com or call 772-878-2277. Prioritize mental health this month by practicing mindfulness in the “Take Time for You” series of various outdoor activities. You can learn yoga, meditation, brain fitness and relaxation techniques as well as “forest bathing.” The events are held at various times in various locations throughout Port St. Lucie. Participating in these types of activities can reduce stress, improve focus, and promote empathy and personal connections, according to the American Psychological Association. “Take Time for You” also invites residents to “give back” by donating to “U Matter” kits which will be distributed to both homeless and financially disadvantaged citizens. For more information about either donating or taking part in the activities, visit PSL.com/healthyu or visit CityOfPSL.com. The Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful will sponsor an avocado and star fruit Tree Giveaway next week. This is a drive-thru only event. City staff will place trees into resident veCONTINUED ON PAGE B8 fun, festivities food THURSDAY, MAY 11, 2023 YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SECTION BY PAM HARBAUGH | Correspondent 1 Coming Up! MOM & SON DANCE JUST THE TICKET AT COMMUNITY CENTER PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN 2 3 Indian River State College’s twoday Commencement Ceremony last week at the Havert L. Fenn Center in Fort Pierce had plenty of pomp and circumstance. Lieutenant Gen. Frank Libutti, above, USMC (Ret.), gave a commencement address Friday; Abelard Cesar, left, sings the National Anthem; Rolande Darville, below, proudly shows off her diploma; and Courtney Holsinger, bottom, receives her degree from Dr. Timothy Moore, IRSC president. Last Thursday, Medal of Honor recipient Staff Sgt. David G. Bellavia, USA (Ret.), addressed the new graduates. For more on his story and speech, see Page B9. GRAD ALL OVER!
As a young child with an illness that kept her bedridden for a while, Port St. Lucie artist Judy Goolsby started drawing to pass the time. She would spend hours drawing animals on her magic slate and her imagination would take her places far away. Her talent was first recognized by a principal in elementary school when she was 8 years old and the class was making Mother’s Day cards. While the other children made cards with hearts and flowers, she drew an elaborate jungle scene with wild animals and natives with bones through their noses. She had never seen photos like that, but her mind certainly did. About the same time, she started taking accordion lessons at her father’s request. Being of Polish decent, he wanted her to play the polka although that isn’t her preference now. “When I was 8, I played the accordion on a show called ‘Auntie Dee’ with Soupy Sales, which was a children’s variety show in the Detroit area,” Goolsby recalled. “It wasn’t long before I would perform at nursing homes and hospitals and various shows with a friend of mine who was a singer. By the time I 12, I was teaching accordion lessons. I still play today and will perform occasionally at assisted living facilities.” Goolsby continued drawing, painting and creating for her entire life, and while in Michigan she would participate in many juried art shows. After moving to Florida in 1999, she retired from the art circuit and became a ‘closet artist’ creating art for the sheer joy of creating. Striving to be original and diverse, she utilizes a variety of mediums to bring her art to life. She’s not a fan of flat paintings so her paintings are often enhanced with textures and embellished with metallic. She creates wild animal sculptures using gourds or Queen Palm bark as a base and whatever she can find to accentuate their unique characteristics. “When I go for my daily walks, I’ll see a piece of bark laying in the road and my mind sees an elephant ear or a lion’s head,” B2 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com Originality, diversity at heart of Judy Goolsby’s unique art BY KERRY FIRTH | Correspondent Goolsby said. “I feel like a reconstructive surgeon when I’m creating an animal head because I make their eyeballs, their noses and their ears out of whatever comes to mind. I have a lion sculpture made out of bark with rabbit fur as hair on his chin and wheat grass for his mane. I drilled holes in his head and inserted the grass like hair plugs on a person. I use clay, paste, glue, screws and nails to hold all the components together. I’ve always been a right brain person and the ideas just flow to me.” Goolsby calls her art ‘Tropasian’ because many of her pieces have a tropical/Asian flavor to them. Her paintings are as diverse as her mediums. An abstract painting that initially looks like a Jackson Pollock drip painting is more complex than meets the eye. Upon further inspection a plethora of animals seems to emerge from hiding to reveal themselves. She claims at least 25 animals call that abstract home and one can stare at it for hours to find them. A painting entitled ‘Seahorse’ has a depth and dimension added to metallic paint. An ‘Owl’ comes to life in textured acrylic and an ‘Elephant’ stands in threedimensional dried grass. “I create textures with putty or paste to make a form,” Goolsby explained. “And I might texture a background with tissue paper or a sponge. I don’t start with a preliminary drawing at all. I just start working and things just happen. If I see something that might be going somewhere I’ll start enhancing it. I start with the paint on the canvas and I get an idea. Then it develops into the painting and the final step is the tweaking. One thing that I always do is hide a Siamese cat somewhere in the painting in honor of our beloved Oscar who passed away several years ago.” While Goolsby no longer sells her art at shows or galleries, she does donate pieces to local charities. “Of course, since most of my art involves animals, I have donated paintings to animal-driven charities like Dogs and Cats Forever and Save the Chimps. The chimp I painted for a Save the Chimps charity fundraiser had eyes constructed from aluminum foil that would follow you in a room. It was a crowd favorite.” One of her largest creations is a 16-foot mural displayed at the Church of the Navity in Port St. Lucie. “That mural took me three days, with three cups of coffee and three sandwiches each day.” These days the spry 80-year-old paints and plays the accordion for fun, claiming that both the artistic and musical outlets keep her young. ARTIST PROFILE Judy Goolsby. PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN
BY DEBBIE TIMMERMANN | Correspondent To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS May 11, 2023 B3 Iris Beate likes to capture “Moments in Time – Observations,” which, fittingly, is the name of her solo exhibition at Vero Beach’s Gallery 14, where she is the featured artist through May. Beate’s oil paintings showcase the people, pets and landscapes that catch her eye; whether in New York where she used to live, Satellite Beach where she currently resides, or on her travels, she will often quickly snap photos to later record in her paintings. Her works depict the endless moods and familiarity of human nature, mirroring day-to-day life in a fashion such as Norman Rockwell did years ago. Beate explains that through her writing and her paintings, she always tries to capture a moment in time that recounts the entire story. She shares that she enjoys observing “people just being people,” communicating with each other and the world around them. From the hustle and bustle of daily life in New York to the quiet beauty of Florida, she says people watching is the basis for her artwork. Born in Germany, where she spent her early years, Beate immigrated to the United States with her parents in 1975, landing in Miami. After graduating from Boston University, she lived in New York’s Brooklyn Heights and Cobble Hill sections in the early 1980’s when she was a full-time mother to three children with her first husband. During a trip to Florida to visit her brother in 2005, she rekindled her Florida connection, and began visiting regularly, eventually meeting her second husband. He was a diving master, and they enjoyed visiting the Galapagos Islands and encountering nature such as she had never seen before. Beate says she threw herself into the world of art after her husband passed away. “It really is true. One door closes and another opens up. The 10 years with my husband was like a dream come true, but now art; a different way of life.” She began painting after she took a Bob Ross class and found that the introduction wasn’t at all intimidating, notMeeting the ‘Moment’: Artist finds the extraordinary in everyday life ARTIST PROFILE CONTINUED ON PAGE B4 PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS Iris Beate.
B4 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com ing, “I took the class and came home with a painting.” Beate soon began taking other classes and workshops to better learn the craft and was then exposed to the Melbourne art scene. “That was really the beginning for me,” says Beate. “Bob Ross introduced me to the colors and mixing. My first art show was at an outdoor art festival in the Eau Gallie Arts District, a section of Melbourne,” she says. During that time, she had a chance meeting with Cathy Belcher, the mother of collage artist Derek Gores. “We met at ladies night out at the local pub. There was only one seat left and I took it, and Cathy was in the next seat,” Beate recalls. “We struck up what has become a beautiful friendship.” Recognizing Beate’s talent, Belcher offered to help guide her in the local art scene and took her to an opening of an exhibit for Gores when he was the featured artist at Gallery 14. “The energy and the light are wonderful in the space,” she says of Gallery 14. “I am so happy they took a chance on me, showing my oil paintings.” Beate has continued with her studies, taking three years of classes with Karen Leffel-Massengill, even after that artist had moved to Stuart. Happening on a portrait workshop offered by Chris Kling, Beate found that she was intrigued by portraiture, commenting that while faces were initially a challenge, they express what’s in the soul. “I look for the interaction between the lines in the entire vignette, of the moment. It’s the scenes that grab me that have something to say. So many instances pass us by in a day, and we may not be even aware of it,” she explains. “I think it’s what connects all of us under the surface; the innocence of children, the magical sounds of musicians and what the music embodies when they play. The music touches our spirit,” she explains. Beate admits though, that capturing the moment can be difficult. “Sometimes I have to put the painting aside for a day or a few days, and come back to it with fresh eyes, because there is something just not right with it.” One of her paintings is based on a photo she found in Turkey in which a boy lets his homing pigeon out to fly. The viewer sees the whole story – the bond of loyalty between boy and bird, the freedom, excitement and energy of the moment. Beate snapped a photo of children crouching at the edge of a bridge at Squid Lips in Cocoa Beach, intently watching the sea of koi beneath them in the water, and captured it in her painting “Which One?” “They really wanted to take one of them home!” she says. In “Sunday Outing,” a painting of a scene at Long Doggers Restaurant in Satellite Beach, it’s easy to relate to the older man, grandpa maybe, and the boy sitting next to him, leaning in closely as they take time to share a mid-day meal. The concentration of players at a chess table on a city sidewalk in “Your Move,” shows the intensity of thought in a game that even draws in young children to watch closely. That particular painting won the Award of Excellence at the 2023 Melbourne Art Festival. A year earlier, her painting, “In Search of Flamingos 2022,” a colorful work depicting visitors walking through an art festival, was chosen as the cover artwork for that year’s Melbourne Art Festival. “Undivided Attention” depicts one of Brooklyn’s many resident dog walkers. Beate says she observed that the woman initially had just a few dogs but has since expanded to managing upwards of 16 dogs, many of which are captured in the painting. Beate says the woman exudes confidence and has complete control over all of the dogs, who get along beautifully. Beate clearly loves what she does, and it shows in her work. “It’s pure joy, depicting people in everyday life, often mundane things, and making that special. We may not realize how special the moment is. The reality is the moment is so fleeting. The photograph captures it and allows me to paint it.” Gallery 14 is located at 1911 14th Ave., Vero Beach. For more information, visit gallery14verobeach.com. CONTINUED FROM PAGE B3 IRIS BEATE
B6 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com fifififffflffiflflffffi ffi fl ffifi ff fiff ffi fifffflffiflflflffflffflfl fl DJ Salisbury, who is directing Riverside Theatre’s upcoming production of the musical “Honky Tonk Angels,” knows the show well. He directed it at there 21 years ago and, in the ensuing years, has become a well-known fixture at the theater; “Honky Tonk Angels” is his 13th Riverside show. This production of the Ted Swindley musical about the lives of three women who go to Nashville seeking country music stardom will be presented May 30 through June 18 and features the music of everyone from Dolly to Reba to Loretta to Tammy and more. The show tells the story of Angela, Darlene and Sue-Ellen, three very different women who share a dream. Each dreams of country music stardom and they meet on a Greyhound bus to Nashville, where each has decided to take a chance at the brass ring. “This show has lots of heart,” Salisbury said. “The songs are the easy part. Everyone knows they’re going to like the show. This is about love of dreams and loving the people who share the dream. It’s a show about relationships with one another, their shared dream and their personal histories, and how, in spite of struggles and challenges, people can go after their dreams. These women go for it.” The three women include Angela, a Texas wife and mother with a sense of humor and an independent streak. She will be played by Natalie Ellis, who was in “Beetlejuice” on Broadway. The multi-married Sue Ellen Smith Barney Fife, played by Bailey Purvis, is from Los Angeles and is a “citified” country girl in her 30s. Darlene is the youngest member of the group, a young woman from the West Virginia coal mines and Mississippi delta. She will be played by Kylann Ritchie, who has some history with the director that somehow seems fitting for this show. “Last year, I was directing ‘Next to Normal,’” Salisbury said. “There was a 16-yearold character and this theater went on a casting call through Zoom. We found a young woman outside Nashville who was literally 16 and gifted. She sent in a video and we cast her. She was brilliant. Then I did a stage concert of ‘Gypsy’ and she sent in a video for June. We cast her and she was fantastic. The day after ‘Gypsy’ closed, I went to New York City (to cast ‘Honky Tonk Angels’). She walked in and after her audition, we said, ‘She’s Darlene.’ She’s been in three of my shows, all very different. That’s never happened before. I’m sure she’ll be as good.” It’s a bit of an old-home week at the Riverside for Salisbury in another way: He’ll BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Staff Writer [email protected] FAMILIAR TWANG AS ‘HONKY TONK ANGELS’ RETURNS TO RIVERSIDE A scene from Riverside Theatre’s production of “Honky Tonk Angels” 21 years ago, directed by DJ Salisbury, above, who will direct it again in June. PHOTOS COURTESY OF RIVERSIDE THEATRE
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ARTS May 11, 2023 B7 have the same music director, Brent-Alan Huffman, and costume designer, Steven Stines, that he had 21 years ago. In another twist, Salisbury and Stines went to college together. Salisbury noted that while the women don’t meet until they are on the bus to Nashville, they quickly become supportive of each other. “On the bus, they come to know that each is on the bus for the same reason,” he said. “They sing ‘Delta Dawn’ in harmony and think maybe they could do a trio. That’s how the ‘Honky Tonk Angels’ come to be. I love that by the end of the show, the other women know that Darlene is going to be a star and give her their blessings and tell her she has to stay in Nashville.” While the songs are familiar to the audience, Salisbury likes the way Ted Swindley, who also wrote “Always … Patsy Cline,” has put them into newer contexts. “Angela sings ‘Stand by Your Man,’ but she’s telling her husband off,” he said. “It’s fun to see how it’s contextualized.” Don’t worry, though. The songs you love are there, set off by wonderful voices. “If you want to hear great songs and (meet) three great women, it’s a great evening of theater,” Salisbury said. Riverside Theatre, 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach, presents “Honky Tonk Angels” May 30-June 18. Visit riverside theatre.com or call the box office at 772- 231-6990. The play’s the thing this summer as Indian River State College and area high school students present the third annual “Shakespierce” event. This year, they will present one of Shakespeare’s oldest plays, “The Comedy of Errors,” June 16-17 at the Miley Library on the Main Campus. Alex Kanter, master instructor for theater at IRSC, spoke recently about his decision to do this play and to stage it in the library. “I knew that we wanted to do something fun after last year’s ‘Macb,’” he said, and yes, in true theater fashion, he did not speak the name of “the Scottish play.” “That was darker and I wanted something light. I had selected the space first, working with Dr. Mia Tignor, who is the head of the university’s library system. I wanted a unique architectural space. Last year, we used the Kight Center and I was looking for a similarly inventive space. The library is next to the theater buildings and happens to have a lot of staging potential. Both of us were excited at the chance to bring live performances into the space during the summer. Then it was, ‘Which show?’” He chose “The Comedy of Errors” for several reasons. “As an early comedy, it’s physical comedy-oriented,” he said. “I knew it would be easy for students to understand the humor. The concern with the (Shakespearean) comedies is that as they get more sophisticated, there is so much word play and it can become inaccessible to the audience and the actors. ‘The Comedy of Errors’ is very cartoonish, with easily recognizable gags. So far, the students and I are having a blast staging these antics.” The play revolves around two sets of identical twins who were accidentally separated at birth and the mistaken identities that ensue. This was a bit of a casting challenge, but Kanter found what he was looking for. “One set is being performed by a pair of identical twins,” he said. “The other (set) is two actors who look very, very similar. It’s fortunate because we’re having so much fun playing with mistaken identities and mishaps.” In addition to IRSC students, the cast of 22 features high school students from around the Treasure Coast, including those from St. Lucie County high schools Lincoln Park Academy, Treasure Coast High School and Fort Pierce Central High School. Kanter, who always has a trick or two up his sleeve, is planning some interesting staging. “We’re utilizing the theme of the library, making the entire production design for the show feel like everything is magically popping out of a book,” he said. “The audience, as with ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ will move from one section of the library to another at various points in the performance. It will be exciting and neat to work with a library as a public space. The notion of bringing performances into public spaces is one of the most important things we, as artists, can do. As artists protected by high, pristine theater walls, we often forget to bring our art to the public.” Indian River State College and area high school students present “The Comedy of Errors” as part of the summer Shakespierce program June 16-17 at the Miley Library on the IRSC Main Campus in Fort Pierce. Call 1-800-220-9915 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday. BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Staff Writer [email protected] IRSC’S ‘SHAKESPIERCE’: NO MISTAKING HUMOR IN ‘THE COMEDY OF ERRORS’
B8 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | PEOPLE www.stlucievoice.com 3,000 Bolts of Cotton & Batik Fabrics Servicing All Brands of Sewing Machines Check Our Website For Our Class Schedule www.PamsFabricNook.com Email Us At: [email protected] Authorized Dealer WE HAVE A FULL RANGE OF MACHINES FOR SALE! Stuart: 2462 SE Federal Hwy. 772-600-5455 Port St. Lucie: 8615 S. US Hwy. 1 772-800-3019 TUES-FRI 10-4, SAT 10-3 Come by our PORT ST LUCIE STORE for our MOVING SALE going on now!! This is the first Mother’s Day since my mother died last year and I wanted to mark it, but not in a sad way. One of the things I’ve learned to appreciate in the past months is the importance of my friends. No, no one takes the place of your mother and there is a hole that no one else can fill. So often I read something or see it on television and I want to tell her because we shared so many interests. Then I remember that she’s not there. No, she’s not there and she never will be. There are, however, some special people who have made the year a little less frightening. I’ve mentioned my friend Louise Letourneau before. I met Louise years ago when we started talking in a coffee shop and I discovered she’d been a professional actress who appeared with Burt Reynolds. We started meeting for coffee a few mornings a week and began a tradition of big, elaborate birthdays for each other – just the two of us trying to one-up each other without spending much money. Then the pandemic came. I’ve written before about how I stayed inside, afraid to bring anything into the house because I didn’t want to endanger my mother or myself. Louise and I didn’t see each other for a long time. Then, last fall, after my mother died, I agreed to meet at an outdoor café. We began checking out all the area ones and it was as if we’d never stopped the conversation. We found two places we really liked, and one, the Blue Door, in Stuart, became a Wednesday morning ritual. With a little courtyard that reminded me of Paris, we could sit with a pot of French press and just talk and laugh. This year, she made a little party for us for my birthday and it meant so much because it was, again, the first one without my mother. Then there is my friend, W., with whom I have a very different relationship. I am using W. because he doesn’t want his name used, not because he’s a former president. We also met at a coffee shop and always On first Mother’s Day without my mom, grateful for friends indeed SHELLEY KOPPEL MY TAKE had a chat. During the pandemic, he also stayed indoors for health reasons. I always knew he’d be around during the day if I called and we talked about politics, a passion we share. We are still always trying to “scoop” each other with the news of the day, and while I haven’t seen him in more than three years, I would miss not having him at the other end of the phone. In the building in which I live, there have been several women who have been extraordinarily kind to me, both while I was a caregiver and after my mother’s death. Marge, Diane and Gloria are very special people and I am very lucky to have them in my life. Marge, in particular, shares my somewhat skewed look at life and it’s a joy to have someone to share it with. I have mentioned my friend Maryanne Kehlenbach – Pastor Maryanne – before. She and I also met over a story and she is another friend of the sort that no matter how long it’s been since you last saw her, it is as if you’ve never been apart. It’s like having sisters or cousins who don’t live close by – you care enough and have enough shared history that you can pick up right where you left off. That she comes from the same hometown as I do is just a nice bow on the package. I’ve also mentioned Mandy, my second-in-command in the clearing-outthe-apartment-my-mother-and-I-sharedto-get-it-ready-to-sell department. I am still calling her Mandy because she likes it better than her real name. What started as solely a business arrangement – going through mounds of things and taking them away – has grown into a nice intergenerational friendship. We have fun together and it’s hard to have fun going through mounds and mounds of stuff. She has made a hard task less onerous and I actually look forward to her visits, even though I know it means work with a capital W. Then, of course, there is my editor, Paul. He is so grateful that I keep working, in spite of advancing age and too much to do, that he is always willing to lend an ear to listen to me complain about whatever is on my mind. He knows that after I’m finished, I’ll get back to work and get things done. I should probably mention books, jigsaw puzzles and the Game Show Network, too. All of them have gotten me through some bad times. Never underestimate the power of a happy ending, the only kind of book I read. Books are among my oldest friends and they have never let me down. Mom, I am so sorry you’re not here for Mother’s Day. I want you to know that there are people who care about me. You don’t have to worry so much anymore. hicles on a first-come, first-served basis. IDs are required. The Tree Giveaway runs 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Saturday, May 20, at the Public Works Department, 450 SW Thornhill Dr., Port St. Lucie. For more information, call 772-871-7000 or visit CityOfPSL.com/kpslb. A couple of events are planned this month to celebrate Haitian heritage month. First, the 2nd Annual Haitian American Chamber Gala will be held 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday, May 13, at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center. The event includes dinner and music by Ambiance Creole. Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. Tickets start at $75 for members and $100 for non-members. Service fees are extra. For more information or to buy tickets, visit the Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida at Haccof-TreasureCoast. com. The following week, the Treasure Coast Culture Fest – Haitian Flag Day runs 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thursday, May 18, at the Event Center. The event includes Haitian food, Caribbean food, American food, arts and crafts, vendors, a parade, live performances and more. Admission is free and all ages are invited. Call 772-240-3039, 772-932-8223 or visit CityOfPSL.com. The MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center, 9221 SE Event Center Place, Port St. Lucie. The Sunrise Theatre brings a couple of big shows to town this weekend. First is “One Night of Queen” with Scottish vocalist Gary Mullen as Queen front man Freddie Mercury. The show is designed to recreate a full Queen concert with state-of-the-art light effects and classic songs “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “We Are the Champions,” “We Will Rock You” and many more. The show starts at 8 p.m. Friday, May 12. Tickets to the One Night of Queen show are $44 to $59. The next day, popular stand-up comedian Brian Regan will perform starting 8 p.m. Saturday, May 13. Tickets to the Regan show are $42.50 to $59.50. The theater is also offering a Private Lounge one hour before each show. Tickets to the Private Lounge are $25 and include priority entrance, cash bar with premium wines and specialty drink, light appetizers or desserts, and one complimentary alcoholic drink. The artist does not appear at the Private Lounge. Sunrise Theatre is at 117 S. 2nd St., Fort Pierce. Call 772-461- 4775 or visit SunriseTheatre.com. CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 COMING UP 4 5 PHOTO COURTESY OF GARYMULLENANDTHEWORKS.COM
David Bellavia, the only living Operation Iraqi Freedom Medal of Honor recipient, was in town to speak at Indian River State College’s Spring Commencement last weekend. His message to IRSC’s latest graduates? “Prepare to fail,” he told St. Lucie Voice in an exclusive interview. “You know you’re going to make mistakes. Don’t worry about making mistakes.” Failing is not a reason to do nothing, Bellavia continued. “You’ve got to fight, because you love,” he said. “Take anger and hate out of your fight and put in love and you can’t lose.” Timothy Moore, president of IRSC and a fellow Army veteran, asked Bellavia to speak at Spring Commencement. “I go around the country and I talk to schools,” said Bellavia. “That’s what I do. President Moore reached out. He read the book I wrote.” Bellavia has authored two books. In 2007 he published “House to House: A Soldier’s Memoir.” Last year he published “Remember the Ramrods: An Army Brotherhood in War and Peace.” As a public speaker, one of his common topics is praising millennials and Gen Z; basically everyone born since the 1980s. Bellavia, born in 1974, is Gen X, and points out that the greatest generation was dismissed by older Americans with much of the same rhetoric aimed at millennials and Gen Z today. Dismissed, that is, until they saw the then-youngsters fighting some of history’s deadliest World War II battles in Africa, Europe and the Pacific. “Those kids wiped out the Imperial Japanese and the Third Reich,” said Bellavia. While at IRSC, Bellavia toured and was impressed by the Center of Excellence for Veteran Student Success at the St. Lucie West campus. “Education is everything,” Bellavia said. “These folks have an opportunity to succeed now. It’s pretty impressive what IRSC is doing.” Bellavia was awarded the Medal of Honor on June 25, 2019, for actions taken in the second Battle of Fallujah, November 2004. He had enlisted in the Army in 1999. Bellavia was following in the tradition of his grandfather who was in the Battle of Normandy, D-Day. He separated from the service in 2005, but returned to Iraq as a reporter in 2006 and 2008. There are 65 living Medal of Honor recipients, according to the Congressional Medal of Honor Society. Most, 47, are Vietnam War veterans. There’s one living Korean War Medal of Honor recipient, Ralph Puckett Jr. One of the recipients, Thomas “Pat” Payne, received his Medal of Honor for actions taken in Iraq while serving in support of Operation Inherent Resolve in 2015. Another 14 received theirs for actions taken in Operation Enduring Freedom – Afghanistan. St. Lucie County has one Medal of Honor recipient, Ardie R. Copas. He died in the May 12, 1970, battle for which he was given the nation’s highest military honor for courage. Among other credits, he’s the namesake for the Ardie R. Copas State Veterans’ Nursing Home in Tradition. Bellavia encourages young adults to serve in the military. One reason is to learn how to respect and work with people different from you. “We have a problem in America with division,” said Bellavia. “We didn’t have that problem in the military. … I think civilians can learn a few things from us veterans.” BY PATRICK McCALLISTER | Correspondent To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | PEOPLE May 11, 2023 B9 Medal of Honor recipient stresses optimism in speech to IRSC grads John Barbieri, director of physical plant/maintenance at Indian River State College, stands with David Bellavia, Medal of Honor recipient, who spoke to graduates at their Commencement Ceremony last week in Fort Pierce. Barbieri is holding Bellavia’s medal. PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN BARBIERI/IRSC
B10 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | COMMUNITY www.stlucievoice.com Welcome to Port Barna Restaurant Port Barna is a family-owned and operated restaurant specializing in healthy cuisine with authentic flavors from around the globe including Mediterranean, Moroccan, Greek, French and Italian food. Founded by noted Chef Pablo, Port Barna provides a warm, cozy dining experience, mixing fresh seasonal dishes with an innovative take on classic cuisine. HAPPY HOUR - Every Day - 3:30 - 6:30 PM You must try our House Cocktails, our Draft Beers and wine options TUESDAY & THURSDAY - 40% off all TAPAS LUNCH SPECIALS - until 3pm Monday to Friday PAELLA SPECIALS - for 4 every day FULL BAR - Great selection of wines and beers Main entrance Treasure Coast Mall Jensen Beach 3478 NW Federal Hwy., Jensen Beach FL 34957 (772) 232-6738 PortBarna.com Tessa, 6 participates in the 2K Color Fun Run St. Lucie County Education Foundation, which kicked off the 9th Annual St. Lucie County Safety Festival last Saturday at Clover Park. At right, the St. Lucie County Fire District demonstrates how a blaze spreads and is extinguished. RUNNING FOR ‘SAFETY’! PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN
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B14 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | COMMUNITY www.stlucievoice.com ‘HOME RUNS 4KIDS’: METS GOING TO BAT FOR FOSTER CARE Sudoku Page 42 Sudoku Page 43 Crossword Page 42 Solutions from Games Pages in April 27, 2023 Edition Crossword Page 43 (LABOR DAY MADE...) BY PATRICK McCALLISTER | Correspondent Lupus Awareness Month: City helps spread the word The St. Lucie Mets are hitting a home run for National Foster Care Month. On May 20 the hometown team will square off against the Palm Beach Cardinals to raise money for 4KIDS Treasure Coast. “It is considered Faith and Family Night,” said David Wolf, partner engagement officer at the faith-based foster care agency. “We’re the nonprofit they’re going to support that night.” The game will be at Clover Park, 31 Piazza Dr., starting right after 6 p.m. The Mets will wear special jerseys to support 4KIDS that will be auctioned from May 16 to May 23. “We’ll have live worship and wonderful fireworks,” said Wolf. Part of the worship time after the game will include players talking about their faith. “There’ll be a whole bunch of stuff for the kids outside,” Wolf said. 4KIDS started in 1997 “in Fort Lauderdale and moved all around South Florida,” said Wolf. The Treasure Coast office opened seven years ago. “All the locations last year worked with 3,000 children. Treasure Coast, I think last year we worked with a little over 250.” Children go into the foster care system a couple ways. Most get into it through dependency court. Dependency court is the civil court system that handles cases when the state intervenes on children’s behalf due to strongly suspected or established danger from neglect or abuse. That most often means the courts have ruled to remove children from their parents’ care and they’re residing with other family members or foster homes. Foster homes are usually established through foster care agencies such as 4KIDS that work with the state’s Department of Children and Families. Obviously, the children are often traumatized when they arrive in foster care. “That’s one of our biggest things – we have therapists,” Wolf said. The therapy and case management is based on what 4KIDS calls the EPIC model. That is focusing on helping children develop emotionally, physically, and intellectually to build character. Wolf said the first step is gaining the children’s trust. “If they don’t trust you, you’re not going to get close to them,” he said. Wolf said 4KIDS Treasure Coast is always looking for foster parents. “That’s our biggest effort – to have enough homes,” he said. “We need 10 more homes.” 4KIDS also has organizational partners. These include businesses, organizations, churches and clubs who sponsor children and families in need. The aim in many cases is for families to have the support they need to stay together. Tickets are $10 at 4kids.us/tc/homeruns4KIDS. For information about the nonprofit, visit 4kids.us. The Port St. Lucie City Council recognized World Lupus Day and May as National Lupus Awareness Month at its meeting Monday. Pamela “Pam” Milazzo is the Port St. Lucie area’s Lupus Foundation of America ambassador. “We estimate 1.5 million Americans have lupus,” she told St. Lucie Voice in an interview prior to the council meeting. “We estimate about 100,000 Floridians.” Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic disease in which a person’s immune system attacks its own cells and tissues – an autoimmune disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention explains it at cdc.gov/lupus. “Lupus symptoms can show up in many different ways and are often mistaken for symptoms of other diseases,” the CDC explains. “This is why it can be hard to diagnose and is often called ‘the great imitator.’ Lupus symptoms can range from mild to life threatening, so early diagnosis and treatment by a rheumatologist are important.” The disease has a wide variety of seemingly unrelated symptoms. A couple of the common symptoms are sores in the mouth or nose, rashes, and joint pain. Other common symptoms are headaches and weight loss. Milazzo said there’s a nearly universal tell for lupus and other major medical conditions – a person keeps attributing persisting symptoms to a flu. “If you’ve had the flu for a couple weeks, it might not be the flu,” she said. Milazzo said persistence is key to getting an accurate diagnosis for lupus. “On average it will take someone with lupus six years to be diagnosed from the first time they have a symptom to diagnosis,” she said. While anyone can develop lupus, it’s most common among women. “Ninety percent of people living with lupus are women,” said Milazzo. There’s a possible association between post-traumatic stress and autoimmune diseases. A Department of Veterans Affairs doctor affirmed with a large study published in 2015. Dr. Aoife O’Donovan, who was practicing at the San Francisco VA Medical Center, led a study of more than 666,000 veterans that found a twofold increased risk for autoimmune diseases among those with PTSD compared with those who had no psychiatric diagnoses. But, Lupus struck Milazzo during one of the happiest times of her life. “For me it started around 1994,” she said. “I was 30. I was engaged. I started having a lot of strange symptoms that didn’t fit together.” Symptoms that worsened when she was in the sun. “About over three or four years, lupus was mentioned several times,” said Milazzo. “But there were no diagnostic tests.” There are still no diagnostic tests. Doctors arrive at a lupus diagnosis through elimination of other potential diseases. That’s why it can take years. Milazzo said, however, there’s been a big improvement for those dealing with lupus this last decade. “Now we have specific drugs to treat the disease and to me that’s a big deal,” she said. Milazzo said there are currently no in-person support groups on the Treasure Coast. However, she said a good place for people to start getting good information about and help with lupus is the Lupus Foundation of America’s website. “They can go to lupus.org/southeast. They can sign up for a lot of different resources we have available.” BY PATRICK McCALLISTER | Correspondent The Fort Pierce Rotary Club recently organized a Business Leaders Luncheon recently at the Pelican Yacht Club. The purpose of the event, attended by 85 local business leaders and 40 Rotarians, was to recognize the contributions of the business leaders in making Fort Pierce/ St. Lucie County what it is today and to encourage them to continue giving back to the community. The guests at the event included a diverse range of professionals such as entrepreneurs, retirees, government officials, law enforcement officers, attorneys, real estate agents, ranchers, mortgage brokers, education professionals and more. The gathering provided an excellent opportunity for networking and exchanging ideas with like-minded individuals from various sectors of the community. During the meeting, President Ryan Abernethy presented Fort Pierce Chief of Police Diane Hobley Burney (photo above) with a check for $3,000 for their new program called “Have a Heart.” For years, local police officers have contributed daily to the growing financial concerns of local citizens, and Have a Heart will provide the officers with much-needed gift cards that can be provided to those in our community in need of just a little something to get them by. This was an example of Rotary in Action, as the club donated half the funds while five generous members contributed the remaining half. FORT PIERCE ROTARY CLUB LUNCH HONORS COMMUNITY LEADERS – BY DOUG TERHUNE AND NIKITA LLOYD/CONTRIBUTED PHOTO COURTESY OF MARYANN KETCHAM
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | COMMUNITY May 11, 2023 B15 Brighter future for early childhood ed as Lightbridge Academy breaks ground Despite some heavy downpours, the recent groundbreaking ceremony for Port St. Lucie’s first Lightbridge Academy early childhood education center went forward with much fanfare. As the first to open this franchise in Florida, owners Al Ferrari and family are delighted. Determined to find the ‘best fitting’ area for the community, Ferrari secured a location at 8565 Commerce Centre Dr. The new build expects to open in late winter of this year. When the skies settled, and with the St. Lucie County Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors and the rest of the crowd cheering their best wishes, the shovels plunged into the wet earth, officially marking the occasion. “We are beyond excited to bring the highest quality of care and education to the young children in our community,” said Ferrari, who hopes this will be the first of many Lightbridge Academies set to open in the great state of Florida. As a civic-minded organization, Lightbridge’s Circle of Care ensures a community approach to children’s safety, nurturing and education by offering the Lightbridge Promise, “the child care industry’s Gold Standard for cleanliness, security and peace of mind.” Ferrari, determined to be a great neighbor, presented a check to Debbie Butler of the Guardians for New Futures for Kids Children’s Advocacy Center in the same plaza. Established in 2001, the Academy’s nonprofit arm, the Lightbridge Foundation, supports the communities its childcare centers serve. And, Lightbridge students, parents and team members will learn the value of helping others by participating in charitable events in their community. For more information, please visit lightbridgeacademy.com and lightbridge academy.com/foundation. – BY MARYANN KETCHAM/CONTRIBUTED The recent gathering of members of the Founding Friends of Treasure Coast Hospice celebrated the tremendous success of the group’s charity fundraiser, Broadway Opening Night, which took place in January at Harbour Ridge Yacht & Country Club in Palm City. Treasure Coast Hospice CEO Jackie Kendrick and Manager of Philanthropic Partnerships Agnes Palmer joined in the festivities at the lovely Harbour Ridge home of Polly Carta. The crowd cheered as Founding Friends’ outgoing and incoming presidents, Lisa O’Neill and Chris Kaufman, presented Kendrick with a check for $140,000 to benefit Treasure Coast Hospice Youth and Family Grief Support Services. “We couldn’t be more grateful for everything that the Founding Friends do for our organization and our grief support programs,” said Kendrick. “It is because of your dedication to our mission that we can continue to care for patients and families in our community.” Contributing over $3 million since its inception in 1982, the fundraising and friend-raising efforts of the Founding Friends are profound. Camp Good Grief is one of several programs positively impacted by the group’s generosity. Filling in for Director of Grief Support & Pediatric Services Jacki Nardone, Palmer shared the message of hope and healing and the impact that the camp had upon the record number of children and teens that attended this year. By participating in arts and crafts, outdoor activities, and adventure therapy, campers can express their grief while connecting with and forming friendships with peers who share similar losses. This year alone, 43 participants between the ages of 8 and 18 benefited from the overnight weekend camp experience. Other programs supported by the Founding Friends and donors in the community include grief support education for other local agencies, crisis response, family retreats, and more. The Founding Friends are committed to supporting the mission of Treasure Coast Hospice, a nonprofit, community-based organization that has touched the lives of generations of families for more than 40 years. For more information, or to donate, please visit TreasureHealth.org. Left: TC Hospice CEO Jackie Kendrick, Lisa O’Neill and Chris Kaufmaner. Right: Polly Carta, MaryEllen Kash, Roberta Kulas and Agnes Palmer. From left: Donna and Scott Chapin; Stephen Carta and Robert Kulas; Lisa O’Neill and Jean Daniels. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARYANN KETCHAM Chamber of Commerce CEO Terissa Aronson. Pastor Marianne Kehlenbach. Eric Ferrari gives a thumbs up as Al Ferrari presents a check from the Lightbridge Foundation to the Children’s Advocacy Center’s Debbie Butler. At left, the ground-breaking. PHOTOS COURTESY OF MARYANN KETCHAM Founding Friends of TC Hospice check in with $140K for ‘Youth and Family Grief Support’ – BY MARYANN KETCHAM/CONTRIBUTED
B16 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | PETS www.stlucievoice.com This week’s innerview-ee is yet another first. There was the zebra; the piglet; the sugarglider; the bearded dragon; the duck; the wolf; an all the Super Crispy Biscuits poocheroos and Cool Catnip Fee-lines in between. This week, I was tryin’ to fill a vacancy after a last minute post-PONE-mutt, when I ran into a pooch pal, Basil. Basil had mentioned my column to a fren who’d mentioned it to his roommate, Richard Kodis, who said he’d love to be innerviewed if I was interested. Perfect timing! Basil knows I love swimmin’ an said Richard was a terrific swimmer, so we already had something in common. Then he added, “Ackshully, Bonz, one liddle thing. Richard is a, well, he’s a member of the Betta Splendens spee-shes. That’s, umm, you know, a FISH. Also known as the Siamese Fighting Fish …” “Wait. Wha-at …” I blurted, but Basil kept yappin’. “I KNOW you’re gonna love him. He’s a loner, but a Super Cool Loner. PLUS, He’s tri-lingual. An I bet you didn’t know Bettas are the national aquatic animal of TIE-land (usta be si-AM).” “You’re correct. I didn’t know that. Richard sounds FASS-uh-natin’! But how’re we s’pose to, you know, TALK? I mean, do I hafta stick my face inna fish bowl?” “Ackshully, Bettas can breathe air for little bits of time. Plus, Richard can READ.” “Shut the doghouse door!” I exclaimed. “You’re gonna love him!” Basil repeated. In pruh-paring for this unusual innerview, I decided to pre-write a few questions on some flash cards. I didn’t know if it’d work, but I figured it couldn’t hurt, so we’d have OP-shuns. Richard’s Primary Human (PH), Josh, welcomed me an my assistant an led us to a sofa an low table, upon which was placed what Richard later described as a “jumbo-sized Margarita glass,” filled with clear water, white stones, plants anna chI-KNEES tower thingy. I moved in as close as I could without nose-smudging the glass. Suddenly there was a beautiful whirl of dark blue anna swish of red, then from beneath the waving plants emerged this small magical creature. He was dazzling. He swam right up to my nose an softly bumped the glass with his tiny fish nose, then swished a red fin in what I’m positive was a wave. I held the “HELLO” card up to the bowl. Richard looked at it, swam to the surface, an poked his face out of the water. I heard a small, precise voice. “So happy for meeting you, Dog Bonzo. Most welcome, you are.” “Thank you so much, Richard,” I gulped, peering gingerly down into his earnest liddle face. “It’s my great pleasure.” “Say what you wishing to know and I providing my best responses. You asking, I be beneath. I nose out for answering. A special body part we have called labyrinth for outof-water breathing.” Down he went. I pressed two cards against the glass. “How meet your human?” and “life experiences.” From there, the innerview was partly written questions, partly spoken, as we relaxed into a sorta rhythmic (bubbly) conversation. Here’s Richard’s fascinatin’ fish tail. Richard wasn’t born in The Wild, but in a human-made environment. His fish Mom an Dad constructed a Totally Cool Kibbles floating bubble nest for the eggs by ackshully blowin’ zillions of bubbles and stickin’ ’em together. His Mom laid the teeny-tiny eggs an put ’em in the nest, but some kept fallin’ out so his Mom an Dad hadda keep nosin’ ’em back in. Inna few days the babies (they’re called FRY for some reason) started swimmin’ around. Richard continued. “MY PH rescue me from pet store so apartment not feeling so empty. At store, I living in small, liddle cup. Very tight squeeze. Now am enjoying my own private abode. “My spee-shees not what called CUDD-ly an uh-FECK-shun-ut. However, I NEVER having desire to be fuh-ROW-shus with PH. When he put hand against my bowl, I swim over for greeting. He be providing X-cell-unt caring, an foodstuffs, an fresh spring water, an is never wishing to devour me with tartar sauce.” Richard explained that Siamese Fighting Fish don’t play well with each other, even Hi Dog Buddies! Bowled-over Bonz’s first fish chat goes swimmingly Richard.
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | ADVICE May 11, 2023 B17 When the price of Lai Mun’s airline tickets doubled, she tried unsuccessfully to cancel. But who has her money? Q. I booked four airline tickets from Gotogate for AirAsia flights from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur. The site displayed a price of $400. After I filled in my details, there was a lag in the website and a new price of $1,002 popped up through another window in my mobile browser. I did not want to make this booking anymore, but it wasn’t clear how to cancel. Gotogate charged my credit card $1,002. I checked the AirAsia site and the same ticket costs $500. That means Gotogate is marking up the tickets by 100 percent! I called Gotogate the same day and a representative told me they could not refund my ticket. They recommended that I contact AirAsia. An AirAsia representative said I have to go through Gotogate for a refund. Can you help? A. Airline ticket prices change constantly, but they should not change after you push the “book” button. It’s also important to be extra vigilant when you’re booking tickets. Make sure you don’t buy your tickets unless you’re certain of the price. Here’s what should have happened. Between the time you clicked on the fares and the time you booked your tickets, Gotogate should have explicitly asked if you wanted to continue with your purchase. Only then should it have charged you $1,002. Instead, you had selected your fare and finished your purchase by filling in the passenger names when the online travel agency changed the price. Gotogate was not marking your tickets up. It’s far more likely that the airline had run out of fares at the fare you saw and Gotogate was just updating the price. Online travel agencies like Gotogate have their uses. You can run easy price comparisons through a website like Gotogate to quickly find the lowest fare. Sometimes, online agencies also can offer attractive package deals that help you save more money. But I also get a lot of customer service complaints about them. They often behave like balky vending machines, at least when it comes to service. GotoGate is a European online agency owned by Etraveli AB. I list the names, numbers and emails for GotoGate’s customer service managers on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. A brief, polite email to one of the managers might have fixed this for you. I contacted GotoGate on your behalf. A representative responded, “Due to a manual mistake we offered the wrong price to the customer. We have now mailed and apologized and will also refund the customer’s ticket in full.” Get help with any consumer problem by contacting Christopher Elliott at http://www.elliott.org/help. Cost of my airline tix doubled and now I can’t get a refund! The Bonz their brothers an sisters. Never mind other spee-shees. An they offen fight with each other till one of ’em goes to Fish Heaven, for Lassie’s Sake. (Nemo’s Sake?) In FACT, Richard emphasized, “I being troo-ly what is call LONER. No Fren Circle. Even to point where, if seeing my own self as re-FLECK-shun in bowl, I am puffing fins all up so as to appear fuh-ROW-shus. I PREFER alone. I am hearing rumors of perhaps a tortoise to be moving in upon coming summer but I am deciding to destroy, oh, a thousand pardons, meaning to say to CROSS that bridge when arriving at it.” A subject change was definitely called for. “What about foodstuffs?” “My food is in form of pellets for best nourishmints. Red ones an green ones. I NOT prefer red ones, therefore insist my PH remove them. I having spuh-SI-fick meal hours an, should my PH not produce required repast at appointed hour, I swimming very rapidly in circular motion to alert him.” Heading home, I was shaking my head an smilin’ to myself, thinkin’ how endlessly new an fascinatin’ my adventures continue to be, as I meet yet another one of you amazing pets, week after week. I’m one lucky poocheroo. Till next time,
B18 May 11, 2023 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ST. LUCIE WEST AND TRADITION | COMMUNITY/SERVICE DIRECTORY www.stlucievoice.com Our directory gives small business people eager to provide services and products to the local community an opportunity at a very reasonable cost. Lisa Crawford can help you to reach this audience. Call Lisa at 516-721-0848 or email at [email protected]. LET ME GUIDE YOU THROUGH MEDICARE PLANNING Karen Jones, Licensed Agent • Cell: 908-770-0904 TURNING 65? All Life Insurance * Cancer Plans * Short Term Medical * Long Term Care Learn More at www.OwenInsuranceGroup.net We do not offer every plan available in your area. Any information we provide is limited to those plans we do offer in your area. Please contact Medicare.gov or 1-800-MEDICARE to get information on all of your options. lic#17558518 Save 45% - 75% • Payroll • H.R. • Workers Comp. • G.L. Insurance • Employee Benefits BOARDING & DAYCARE Licensed • Insured • Pet CPR & 1st Aid • Very Experienced! 772-777-8030 TRAINING, SETUP & SUPPORT FOR: Smartphones, Tablets, Computers, Smart TVs, QuickBooks, Google, Windows, Microsoft & Apple Mac Books Ginger Kirila: 724-699-1836 [email protected] technigaltech.com Licensed & Insured No job too small - Free estimates Over 20 Years Experience Sol Holcomb SOL THE HANDYMAN 772-240-1495 DYSLEXIA * ADD * ADHD TESTING www.JimForgan.com 561-625-4125 Ages 5 - College School Neuropsychologist AIRPORT & CRUISE TRANSPORTATION Retired UPS driver with over 25 years safe driving experience. CALL or TEXT John Polinice 954-709-0785 GET A QUOTE Go to MyPurpleClean.com • House Cleaning • Move In & Out Realtor Services 772-667-3977 Commercial & Residential • Licensed & Insured 772-398-2600 • www.AbsoluteCritter.com • Raccoons • Rats • Bats • Birds • Armadillos WILDLIFE REMOVAL From left, 2023 Communicators of the Year accept their awards from Jennifer Trefelner – Avraham Monina in Innovation & Technology; Kevin Singletary award in Mentorship & Professional Development; and Melissa Yunas in Service to the Community in the Government Sector – during the Florida Public Relations Association-Treasure Coast Chapter PR Prochella, the annual Image Awards and Communicator of the Year Luncheon. The event took place April 20 at the Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens. PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN High honors CUSTOM DESIGNS, INSTALLATIONS & TRIMMING Quality Work That Shines! 772-348-1893 [email protected]