Port St. Lucie plans to spend more than $615 million on capital projects in the next five years with most of the money going toward the construction of new utility facilities and roads to handle the city’s booming growth. That includes $127.4 million worth of capital projects during the upcoming 2024-2025 budget year, which starts Oct. 1, city records show. The City Council voted unanimously last on April 15 to tentatively approve the capital improvement plan for 2024-2025 and the fiveyear plan for 2024-2029. Port St. Lucie plans to spend $223.9 million during the next five VOLUME 9, ISSUE 9 YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024 A3 A14 B8 Midway widening project FDOT clears vegetation along road Knee replacement? Success rate keeps improving PrideFest 2024 update People of all ages will be welcome Lozada’s living (and acting) the dream with his role in ‘On Your Feet!’ Page B3 Port St. Lucie spending big on utilities, roads to handle growth PETS ARTS/PEOPLE GAMES SPORTS A1-A13 A14-A23 A25 A26-A40 A24 B1-B21 B24-B26 B27 © 2024 Vero Beach 32963 Media LLC. All rights reserved. IN THIS ISSUE NEWS HEALTH ADVICE REAL ESTATE Developer pitches 705 new residences west of Rangeline BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] A Miami developer plans to build 705 residences on a 235.44- acre agricultural tract on Rangeline Road between the McCarty Ranch Preserve and the Port St. Lucie city limits. OMBU Ranch Range Line LLC proposed building a mix of single-family houses, duplexes and townhouses in the Palermo Estates Planned Unit Development. “We designed the site plan with the environmental concerns in mind,” said Dan Sorrow, a land planner representing the developer. “We’re trying to sell a lifestyle. We’re trying to sell a community that is high on aesthetics.” The project is contingent upon St. Lucie County extending CONTINUED ON PAGE A8 City unveils Florida’s first Iraq/Afghanistan war memorial in poignant ceremony BY CHARLES CALOIA | Correspondent Port St. Lucie officials unveiled the Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial last Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park at Rivergate, 2100 SE Veterans Memorial Parkway. Hundreds of veterans and Gold Star family members paid tribute to 349 Floridian service personnel killed in action across two decades of combat operations in the Middle East. Three 8-foot-tall India Black Marble slabs weighing 19,000 pounds stand with the names of 243 Army personnel, 77 from the Marine Corps, 19 from the Navy, and 10 from the Air Force. The monument was “the first in Florida to honor the inCONTINUED ON PAGE A6 Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2550 members pay respects. Michele Carey helps unveil the Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial. PHOTOS: CHARLES CALOIA BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] The boardwalk along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River in Port St. Lucie’s Tom Hooper Park, which has been damaged three times by hurricanes, will be elevated as part of a $2.5 million rehabilitation project. The City Council voted unanimously on April 15 to spend an extra $480,596 to raise the boardwalk to Elevation 6 in an attempt to avoid flood damage during future storms. It would have cost the city slightly more than $2 million to rebuild the boardwalk to its original design level of Elevation 2, city records show. “In my opinion, Alternate 1 is City approves $2.5M for repairs to Hooper Park boardwalk CONTINUED ON PAGE A6 BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] PHOTO: LINDA KLOORFAIN CONTINUED ON PAGE A13
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS April 25, 2024 3 FDOT CLEARS VEGETATION ALONG MIDWAY ROAD FOR WIDENING PROJECT BY CHARLES CALOIA | Correspondent Contractors working for the Florida Department of Transportation cleared 2.4 acres of vegetation in April to accommodate the $23.5 million widening of Midway Road/ County Road 712 between Selvitz Road and the Milner Drive/Jenkins Road intersection. Workers from Halley Engineering Contractors, Inc., of Medley, upended piles of trees and scrub brush on both sides of the roadway with backhoes and bulldozers and mulched them with woodchippers during the project’s first three weeks. Halley Engineering started work on the project on April 1, said FDOT spokesperson Grace Ducanis. FDOT anticipates completing work by summer 2026. The work includes widening Midway Road to four lanes and adding a bike lane and new sidewalks along the .785-mile stretch between Selvitz Road and the Milner Drive/Jenkins Road intersection. FDOT anticipates spending $50.4 million to widen Midway Road between Jenkins Road and Glades Cut-Off Road. Another segment of the project includes a ramp onto Midway Road from Florida Turnpike northbound, near the Jenkins/Milner intersection and Northwest Corporate Way. The off ramp will be built approximately 750 feet west of the intersection of Jenkins Road and Midway Road, Ducanis said. An estimated 23 acres will be cleared to make way for the offramp at a cost of $1.22 million. The new interchange will be built “close to the end of the Midway Road widening project underway,” Ducanis said. The construction timeline related to the turnpike ramp construction is “based on the current design and is subject to change,” Ducanis said. The off ramp project currently stands in the planning phase with construction projected to begin in 2027, Ducanis said. A geotechnical contractor is conducting surveys on the site of the proposed northbound interchange traffic, Ducanis said. “These activities are being done during the design phase to help determine the roadway design for the future northbound off-ramp,” Ducanis said. The Northbound ramp’s design phase began in summer 2023, Ducanis said. Florida Turnpike officials planned to schedule a public meeting early next year with a right of way acquisition set for spring 2025. Halley Engineering workers clear acres of trees surrounding Midway Road from the Turnpike to the Midway Road/Selvitz Road intersection on April 18. Fencing near a path leading to the Turnpike where clearing began April 18 for an offramp slated to begin construction in 2027. PHOTOS: CHARLES CALOIA
4 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com The Florida Forestry Service authorized St. Lucie County agricultural land owners to conduct 902 prescribed burns in 2023 to clear a total of 7,235 acres for new crops. That compared to 1,067 prescribed burns in the unincorporated areas in western St. Lucie County in 2022 to clear a total of 6,501 acres, according to Forestry Service records. So far this year, the Forestry Service authorized 458 burns in the county from Jan.1 through April 11 that covered a total of 8,665 acres. The burns produce large plumes of smoke that can be seen for miles but pose no danger to the general public. “Most of the prescribed burning occurred within the large expanses of agricultural areas within St. Lucie County,” said Forestry Wildfire Mitigation Specialist David Grubich. The county’s agricultural areas include citrus groves owned by IMG Citrus of Gifford and sugarcane farms closer to Lake Okeechobee. “It’s routine business for them to call up a permit. They have guys on payroll where all they do is clear land and burn.” Grubich said. “The majority of your burning is going to be piles; it’s either piles for land clearing or from grove maintenance where they’re maintaining all these citrus groves.” The goal of the burns is to introduce more organic matter for muck soils to thrive amid threats of evaporation, Grubich said. “Without that black soil, that crop goes away,” Grubich said. Anaerobic bacterial activity causes muck soil to break down into excess carbon dioxide that lingers in the air due to shortages of surrounding plant life. “One thing that sticks in the back of my head is that we’re losing soil,” Grubich said. “The muck soil that they depend on to grow sugarcane is dissipating into gas.” The proprietors of a 393.3-acre agricultural tract on Rangeline Road, across from the McCarty Ranch Preserve and Treasure Coast AirPark, conducted a prescribed burn on March 21. The burn took place across 200 acres, Grubich said. The land clearing can ensure the parcel’s cattle eat enough grass to support a viable protein content in their bodies. There were fewer wildfires in St. Lucie County during 2023, Forestry Service records show. Foresters logged 19 wildfires from Jan. 1, 2023, to April 11 compared to the 49 wildfires reported throughout 2022. That year’s wildfire count includes the Glades Cut Off Road mulch fire that burned across 28 acres from Aug. 25 through Sept. 23, 2022, after a lightning strike. The 19 wildfires since Jan. 1, 2023, burned across areas ranging from 0.1-acre to 15 acres with “no discernible pattern,” Grubich said. Countywide storms with rainfall exceeding 5 inches during the dry season from October 2023 through April 2024 also dampened wildfires and prescribed burns. “With things being wetter than normal, it made it more difficult for wildfires to start,” Grubich said. “In 2022, the difference was we didn’t have that rain.” BY CHARLES CALOIA | Correspondent A 200-acre prescribed burn in March at a property under a cattle ranching lease across from the McCarty Ranch Preserve and the Treasure Coast Airpark. PHOTOS: CHARLES CALOIA Environmental goals fuel prescribed burns in western county
6 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 PALERMO ESTATES water and sewer utilities to the development site and the extension of Tradition Parkway and Discovery Way in western Port St. Lucie to Rangeline Road, county records show. The developer proposed paying up to $5,921,113 for improvements to the surrounding road network to handle the new homeowners. The project is expected to generate 5,831 motor vehicle trips per day, including 566 during the evening rush hour and 413 during the morning rush hour. County planners recommended the developer provide a 430-foot-long right turn lane and a 480-foot-long left turn lane on Rangeline Road into the development site. The developer proposed providing 108.79 acres of open space, or about 46 percent of the property, county records show. The former citrus grove is currently used for cattle grazing. The internal road network will include 13 residential roads ending in cul de sacs, county records show. County planners recommended establishing roadway connections between the Palermo Estates subdivision and the Legacy project to the north and the Neill Farms project to the south. The St. Lucie County Planning and the definition of insanity,” said Mayor Shannon Martin. “Otherwise, we’re going to be in the same boat and spending more money later on.” Hurricane Nicole wreaked havoc on the Boardwalk Tom Hooper Park on Nov. 10, 2022, causing structural damage to a 606-foot-long stretch along the North Fork and a 570-foot-long deck through the wetland area, said Brad Kean, the city’s assistant Parks and Recreation director. The damage included piling rot above and below the surface of the water, wood frames that have warped and twisted and deck boards that have lifted and separated, Kean said. The boardwalk had previously been damaged by Hurricanes Irma in September 2017 and Mathew in October 2016, Kean said. Repairs after those storms restored the boardwalk to Elevation 2. It has also sustained flood damage during particularly high tides, Kean said. The boardwalk in Tom Hooper Park was originally built in 2003 as an extension of the city’s original wooden boardwalk, Kean said. The boardwalk ends just east of the Port St. Lucie Boulevard Bridge. Raising the boardwalk to Elevation 6 will match the height of the Riverwalk Boardwalk being extended beneath the Port St. Lucie Boulevard Bridge from the existing section in front of The Port and Pioneer Park, Kean said. “The current elevation – at Elevation 6 – to my knowledge has not been impacted either by storms or by rising tides at the various sections that have been built at Elevation 6,” Kean said. “So, it seems to me the higher elevation is the preferred elevation,” he said. In a related decision, the City Council voted unanimously on Monday to award a $532,730 contract to Brothers Construction Inc., of Stuart to install a pedestrian bridge across Rivergate Canal, just east of the boardwalk in Tom Hooper Park. The 128-foot-long, 8-foot-wide bridge is located at Rivergate at Veterans Memorial Park, city records show. It weighs 41,204 pounds. CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 BOARDWALK REPAIRS PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS April 25, 2024 7 Zoning Board voted unanimously on April 18 to recommend the County Commission approve a land use amendment, zoning change and preliminary PUD plan for Palermo Estates. “I’ll vote yes, but I hate to think I’m being fed Christmas cookies with the idea they’re all different because one is green and one is red and the other is blue,” said Planning and Zoning Commission Chairman Ed Lounds. “They’re all the same damn cookie.” The last use amendment would convert the agricultural tract to the mixed use development designation. The zoning would change from agricultural to Planned Unit Development. The Reserve and Harbor Ridge, two high-end gated communities in unincorporated St. Lucie County, are models for Palermo Estates, Sorrow said. “We looked at the canal, we looked at the reservoir, we looked at where the best habitat is located and really came up with a plan we think is comparable to The Reserve or Harbor Ridge,” Sorrow said. “We think Palermo Estates could be designed in that similar type of fashion.”
8 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com Mary Loretta Carcaterra Sallemi Campolo, 89, of Orlando, Florida, previously from Port St Lucie, FL and Lindenhurst, NY, wife of the late Paul G. Sallemi (1954- 1992) and wife of the late Paul Campolo (2001-2020) entered into eternal rest, Sunday, October 29, 2023. Mary was born on December 24, 1933, on the upper west side of New York, NY. She was the last surviving daughter (1 of 10 siblings) of the late Lorenzo Carcaterra and the late Rafaela Carcaterra. She was a seamstress in her earlier work life and then worked as the “Package Pick-up Lady” for JC Penney’s, at the Sunrise Mall, Massapequa, NY for over 25 years. She is survived by her children, Joseph P. Sallemi (Rosemarie) of York, PA, Maria T. Franchi (Steven) of Orlando, FL and Lorraine A. Farrell (Edward) of Oyster Bay, NY; 8 grandchildren and 1 great granddaughter, many nieces, nephews and cousins. She was very proud of her 3 children, their spouses and her grandkids! Mary was a big fan and participant of dancing, acting, socializing and having a good time, making sure everyone had more than enough to eat when she was hosting a meal, watching and betting on horse racing and going to casinos. She is, and will be, greatly missed by her family and her many, many friends but they all know that she’s with her loved ones now and is most certainly dancing, laughing and having a good old time! Mary Loretta Carcaterra Sallemi Campolo led the dedication ceremony in his capacity as head of the Gulf/Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans Association, Inc. nonprofit. The afternoon’s speakers included Stephen Udovich, an Army veteran and co-founder of the Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial Foundation. Major General Rodney D. Fogg (U.S. Army, Ret.), Veterans’ Affairs Executive Director MG James S. Hartsell (U.S.M.C., Ret.), and Gold Star mothers Kim Allison and Michele Carey also spoke during the ceremony. The personnel named on the monument participated in Operation Iraqi Freedom from March 20, 2003, through Dec. 15, 2011, and three operations in Afghanistan starting shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. They were Operation Enduring Freedom, Oct. 7, 2001, through Sept. 1, 2010; Operation New Dawn, Sept. 1, 2010, through Dec. 28, 2014; and Operation Freedom’s Sentinel, Dec. 29, 2014, through Aug. 30, 2021. The three Afghani operations mark the longest period that the United States has ever been at war with a country, surpassing Vietnam by five months, Pickett said. Two of the service members honored on the memorial hailed from St. Lucie County, both U.S. Army personnel who died in Afghanistan. Spec. Andre D. McNair Jr., 20, of Fort Pierce died June 5, 2008, when his Bell OH58 Kiowa helicopter malfunctioned during a test flight at the Kandahar Army Airfield. Spec. Jordan Christopher Schumann, 24, of Port St. Lucie died July 5, 2011, alongside two others during an engagement in the Paktia province. The monument also includes three Army personnel who posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor: Alwyn C. Cashe and Robert J. Miller, both of Oviedo, and Paul R. Smith of Tampa. dividual military personnel lost in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars,” according to an April 9 Port St. Lucie news release. Councilman David Pickett said the monument cost $78,000 to build and ship. A donation cycle raised over $100,000 between November 2022 and June 2, 2023, according to the Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial Foundation (IAWMF) website. Pickett, a 32-year Army veteran who served in the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 MEMORIAL UNVEILED From left: Wanda Negron, a 10-year Army veteran, stares down pensively during the ceremony; Iraq and Afghanistan War Memorial Foundation co-founder Stephen Udovich, right, photographs friends and family in front of the memorial; Ervin Hayward (U.S. Army, Ret.) salutes during the presentation of colors. PHOTOS: CHARLES CALOIA
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS April 25, 2024 9 The afternoon’s unveiling attracted veterans from as far back as the Korean War to honor those killed in the Middle East. Wanda Negron, an Army vet who served throughout the 1990s in the Persian Gulf, Bosnia and Somalia, was among the participants. “I came here to give love,” Negron said. “I got to come home, and my family is a Blue Star family instead of a Gold Star family.” Negron attended the ceremony with her wife Janice Pettit, her own Army career spanning from 1980-2010. They met through Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 39 in St. Petersburg. Pettit came to honor Arthur S. Mastrapa, a U.S. Army serviceman from Ocala, who died on June 16, 2004, in a mortar attack 50 miles outside of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital. Pettit’s service in Iraq lasted from March 20, 2003, to April 1, 2004. She worked at Camp Ganci in the Abu Ghraib prison complex 20 miles west of Baghdad. “The living conditions for the soldiers, as well as the prisoners, were not the greatest,” Pettit said. “A lot of the Iraqi prisoners were actually fed by the Iraqi people.” The abuse cases overshadowed the work of her fellow soldiers who followed prisoner treatment protocols in accordance with the Geneva Conventions, Pettit said. “Our prisoners weren’t part of the ones taken in the picture,” Pettit said. Former President George W. Bush and Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld ultimately condemned the Abu Ghraib abuses in public throughout 2004. Udovich founded IAWMF in March 2022 alongside Phil Wyllie, a Bellaire Army veteran, and Kim Allison, a Dunedin-based nurse and Gold Star mother. Wyllie and Allison are credited as co-vice presidents on the IAWMF website. Udovich also credits Wyllie and Allison for the monument’s successful fundraising. IAWMF stopped accepting new donations for the monument on Jan. 19. The city council approved the monument on Sept. 19, 2022. Clockwise from above left: A Florida National Guardsman stands watch over the memorial after its mid-ceremony unveiling; Port St. Lucie Community Band Trumpeter Matthew Marquez performs “Taps”; Gold Star mothers Michele Carey and Kim Allison speak during the ceremony. Allison is a co-founder of the Iraq/Afghanistan War Memorial Foundation that advocated the memorial’s construction. PHOTOS: CHARLES CALOIA
10 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com BY GEORGE ANDREASSI | Staff Writer [email protected] City Council approves cold storage facility in Tradition HOME DEPOT AND WAWA IN TRADITION GET COUNCIL OK Plans for a large cold storage warehouse offices on a 15.06-acre parcel in Legacy Park at Tradition in southeastern Port St. Lucie received a green light on Monday from the City Council. Chill Build PSL LLC, of Fishers, Indiana, plans to build a 378,521-square-foot temperature-controlled warehouse with 5,225 square feet of office space overlooking Interstate 95 on the southeast corner of Anthony F. Sansone Boulevard and Pete Hegener Drive. The development site is located south of the construction site of a Costco warehouse and distribution facility, east of an Amazon warehouse and north of the Cheney Brothers Inc., warehouse and distribution facility, city records show. The cold storage warehouse is expected to generate 649 motor vehicle trips per day, including 34 trips doing the evening rush house. The City Council voted unanimously to approve a major site plan for “Project Suburban.” The identity of the company that will occupy the building is being kept confidential under state economic development regulations. In a related action on July 12, 2023, the City Council voted unanimously to sell the parcel to Chill Build PSL for $1,312,027. At that time, Port St. Lucie had closed on the sales of six properties in Legacy Park amounting to 192.38 acres for a total of $15,672,041, city records show. Legacy Park at Tradition is on the southern end of Tradition Commerce Center, a 1,200-acre tract west of I-95 the city obtained for free after the prior owner announced it would no longer pay more than $5 million per year in property taxes and special assessments. The city has been marketing and selling parcels in the commerce center ever since. COVID-19 DEATH TOTAL HERE AT 47 THIS YEAR COVID-19 caused the death of 47 St. Lucie County residents so far in 2024, but none during the week ending April 12, according to a Florida Department of Health database. It was the first week the virus had not caused a death in St. Lucie County since the week ending June 2, 2023, the database shows. Overall, the virus has caused the death of 1,156 county residents since the pandemic broke out in March 2020. Updated statistics show COVID-19 caused the death of 138 county residents in 2023, 334 in 2022, 637 in 2021 and 413 in 2020, the database shows. As of April 12, a total of 2,367 St. Lucie County residents have been diagnosed with the virus so far this year. That includes 28 county residents who tested positive for COVID-19 during the week ending April 12. Overall, 89,370 St. Lucie County residents have been diagnosed with the virus since March 2020, the state Health Department database shows. A total of 4,819 county residents have received COVID-19 vaccines in 2024, as of April 12, the database shows. That includes 228 county residents who received vaccines during the week ending April 12. Overall, 321,354 St. Lucie County residents have received COVID-19 vaccines as of April 12. – GEORGE ANDREASSI Plans for a shopping center featuring a Home Depot and a WaWa convenience store on Village Parkway and Becker Road in southwestern Port St. Lucie received approval Monday from the City Council. The site plans call for a 136,789-squarefeet Home Depot and a 5,915-square-foot WaWa with fuel service and five outparcel for future development on a 21.35-acre site on the northwest corner of Village Parkway and Becker Road. The shopping center’s driveway entrance will line up with Legacy Park Drive on the east side of Village Parkway, city records show. It will also serve a 12.41-acre mixed use area to the north. Landowner Mattamy Palm Beach LLC, of Boynton Beach, will construct a traffic signal at the intersection under an agreement with Port St. Lucie, city records show. The shopping center is expected to generate an average of 8,466 motor vehicle trips per day, including 760 trips during the evening rush hour, city records show. The City Council voted unanimously to approve the site plan for the shopping center, which has been dubbed “SG 8 Shoppes at Southern Grove.” A site plan application for a 10,000-square-foot pharmacy in the shopping center has also been submitted to the city Planning and Zoning Department, said Brigid Kean, a city planner. – GEORGE ANDREASSI
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS April 25, 2024 11 St. Lucie County’s impressively low unemployment rate is holding steady. According to the latest Florida Department of Economic Opportunity report, St. Lucie’s not-seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 3.9 percent from February to March. That means the county has now experienced 32 consecutive months – since September 2021 – of unemployment being at or below 5 percent. The Federal Reserve considers 5 percent to 5.2 percent unemployment as full employment, the condition in which virtually all who are able and willing to work are employed. While national and state unemployment rates are reported with seasonal adjustment, local rates are not. Seasonal adjustment is a statistical tool to even out normal fluctuations in monthly employment numbers. St. Lucie’s March unemployment rate last year was 3.1 percent. While the unemployment rate has increased, so has the number of jobs and workers in the same timeframe. The Port St. Lucie metropolitan statistical area includes all of St. Lucie and Martin counties. From March last year to March this year, the number of jobs has increased by 2,500, a 1.5 percent increase. The area went from having 171,900 jobs in March last year to 174,400 in March this year. Last month the state reported that there were 174,100 jobs in the PSL area. The industry that has added the lion’s share of those jobs is education and health services – 1,500. Trade, transportation and utilities added 400, as did government. Other sectors that increased the number of jobs were mining, logging and construction (300). Professional and business services also added 300. Financial services added 100 jobs. Information stayed static from March to March. Three sectors shed jobs in the Port St. Lucie area from March to March: manufacturing, down 200; leisure and hospitality, down 200; and other services, down 100. In January the not seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.8 percent. The state’s labor force participation rate in March was 59.4 percent, unchanged since January. The recent high, seen in 2019 and last year, was 59.8 percent. The last time Florida’s labor force participation rate was 60 percent or higher was in April 2014. BY PATRICK McCALLISTER | Correspondent County’s strong jobs situation holds steady
12 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS www.stlucievoice.com The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission celebrated Gopher Tortoise Day on April 10 to promote gopher tortoise habitat awareness in St. Lucie County and statewide. The county-sponsored hike in George LeStrange Preserve, 4911 Ralls Road, Fort Pierce, attracted 15 people and was led by Eva Ries, a St. Lucie County environmental specialist. The hike presented an opportunity for the county’s nature lovers to observe the gopher tortoise, species Gopherus polyphemus, crawl along the ground into its local burrows. “It was a very good program,” Ries said. “We saw several really great examples of burrows. People were very enthusiastic and Florida Fish and Wildlife sponsors ‘Gopher Tortoise Day’ in St. Lucie happy to be able to see gopher tortoises.” FWC added the LeStrange hike to the event listing on its website in an update on April 11, apparently after the fact. “For next year’s programming, because we will do it again, I’ll try to contact them in advance and see if I can get a listing so that they can show that on their list of events,” Ries said. “Since we’ve done this now for three years in a row, we’ll want to expand our reach to the community,” Ries said. The website listed two other events along the Treasure Coast for Gopher Tortoise Day. The Florida State Parks Department held a weed-picking session from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. along the Hawk’s Bluff Trail at Savannas Preserve State Park, 4698 NE Savannah Road, Jensen Beach. Park Rangers Milaina McDow and Morgan Sherry headed a party of 10 including several AmeriCorps workers and an outside volunteer to remove invasive plants like the Mother-in-Law Tongue (Dracaena trifasciata). The Florida Oceanographic Society also held a morning primer on tortoise habitat management in Sebastian. The FWC citizen science programs encourage Floridians to keep track of local flora and fauna, including vulnerable species. FWC logged 114 tortoise sightings in St. Lucie County as of April 18 since the reporting program’s inception on Sept. 8, 2020. The database logs multiple duplicate sightings, however. The Citizen Science map also carries a disclaimer that FWC intentionally offsets sighting locations to protect tortoise specimens. “Gopher tortoise sightings app data shows where tortoises are being observed and recorded by users, rather than indicating where populations exist,” Sheets said. Tortoise sightings tend to cluster around drier habitats close to the shoreline such as Savannas Preserve State Park. Little activity gets traced in the county’s more remote areas including Hutchinson Island and parts west of Interstate 95. “Less developed areas often include privately-owned lands on which the FWC cautions to avoid trespassing,” Sheets said. Sheets encourages people interested in spotting wild gopher tortoises to plan hikes “on open, public lands that include sandy soils, herbaceous ground cover and sparse tree canopy.” BY CHARLES CALOIA | Correspondent From far left: Park ranger Milaina McDow holds an uprooted Mother-in-Law Tongue collected during the morning’s invasive plant removal event; an adult gopher tortoise found in a burrow along the sands of the Hawk’s Bluff Trail in Savannas Preserve State Park; a young gopher tortoise foraging along the Hawk’s Bluff Trail; AmeriCorps workers and volunteer gather a dozen trash bags filled with uprooted invasive plants at the Hawk’s Bluff Trail. PHOTOS: CHARLES CALOIA
Port St. Lucie is seeking artists to portray the city’s story on a mural on a large wall near City Hall that will be visible from Port St. Lucie Boulevard. Port St. Lucie envisions a mural capturing the city’s natural beauty, quality of life and cultural diversity while also depicting the city as the “Heart of the Treasure Coast.” The city also hopes to showcase its new brand, the sandhill crane, said Bethany Grubbs, planner with the city. With nearly 240,000 residents, Port St. Lucie is the sixth largest city in Florida. It has been considered the safest large city in the state for more than a decade and provides a family-friendly atmosphere. “The new murals at City Hall will act as an artistic expression of Port St. Lucie’s new rebranding to welcome families and the young-at-heart from all backgrounds who seek a down-to-earth Florida lifestyle,” city records show. A selection committee will be composed of community members, city staff, and the city’s Public Art Advisory Board to choose the artist or team that will create the mural. Submissions will be assessed based on their overall aesthetic and visual impact, the quality of work, public safety and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Other factors that will be considered include evidence of the artist’s previously completed work and the artist’s earlier projects that demonstrate success in meeting deadlines and budgets. The budget of this project is $50,000, city records show. The final three artists will be allotted $2,000 each for their proposals. The wall mural is expected to be completed by the end of this year. The new mural will replace the existing mural, which was installed in 2014, to provide a new opportunity to showcase the city’s new brand. Public art programs consider murals to be temporary, maintaining a 10-year lifetime. Inspired by the Indian River and St. Lucie wetlands, City Hall’s inaugural wall portrayed the natural beauty of wetland wildlife through the incorporation of native birds, plants and trees. The previous mural has been photographed to preserve the piece’s history and will be shared with Port St. Lucie’s historical society. The existing mural near City Hall. PHOTO: TAYLOR POSIK To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | NEWS April 25, 2024 13 years on a reverse osmosis water plant and associated wells and water mains at the city utilities complex on Rangeline Road, city records show. The city plans to spend another $26 million during the next five years on water and sewer systems improvements along Becker Road. Port St. Lucie plans to spend $18 million during the next two years to complete Phase 3 of the Floresta Drive Improvement Project. Road projects set for construction during the 2024-2025 budget year include $6.7 million to widen and improve Bayshore Boulevard, $6.2 million to widen Port St. Lucie Boulevard from Paar Drive to Alcantarra Boulevard, and $4.5 million for improvements to the intersection of Gatlin and Savona boulevards, city records show. Major road projects planned in St. Lucie West in the next five years include $28.6 million to widen St. Lucie West Boulevard and $15.5 million to widen California Boulevard. In the next five years, the city also plans to spend $3 million for improvements to the intersection of St. Lucie West and Peacock boulevards, $2 million for improvements to the intersection of St. Lucie West and California boulevards, and $2 million for improvements to the intersection of California and Cameo boulevards. In addition, the city plans to spend $23.8 million on improvements to Northwest East Torino Parkway in 2024-2025 and 2025- 2026. In Tradition in 2024-2025, Port St. Lucie plans to spend $1.9 million replacing streetlights on Village Parkway and $1.5 million on improvements along Village Parkway, city records show. Other major construction projects in the five-year plan include $26 million in the next two years for the Police Department Training Facility and $3.5 million for a new Police Department building. Port St. Lucie plans to spend $13.6 million to expand City Hall and another $12 million on a new parking garage. The city pushed back the construction of a new Public Works Complex until 2026-2027 with an expected cost of $29.4 million. CONTINUED FROM PAGE A1 CAPITAL PROJECTS BY TAYLOR POSIK | Correspondent Call for artists to tell Port St. Lucie’s story on wall near City Hall
There’s good news about knees! Total knee arthroplasties (TKAs), known familiarly as knee replacements, are one of the most frequently performed surgical procedures in the United States. The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons says the number of procedures is expected to reach 7.4 million annually by 2030. At the same time, there is a higher rate of success, shorter recovery times, and less discomfort and pain than in years gone by, due to improvements in materials, design and surgical techniques, including the introduction of cementless surgery. Dr. Daniel Jones is a fellowship-trained surgeon in adult reconstructive hip and knee replacement surgery at South Florida Orthopedics and Sports Medicine in Tradition. He says cementless knee replacement surgery has gained greatly in popularity over the past few years and is appropriate for most people. “Although some doctors still use cement to secure the replacement, I think there is a better bond when the bone heals itself directly to the implant,” he says. Cement that attached implanted knee hardware to existing bone was the knee replacement fixation gold standard for decades, according to Mayo Clinic, but as the volume of knee replacements has grown, orthopedic surgeons have sought a different type of fixation that would hold long-term, especially for younger, more active patients. Cement has the potential to wear out over time. An article published last month in ScienceDirect, a leading source for scientific, technical and medical research, reported that cementless knee surgeries have increased in popularity throughout the United States, with 20 percent of primary TKAs now being cementless. Robotic-assisted surgery is another ongoing advance in knee replacement. It helps surgeons operate with more precision and Dr. Jones doesn’t think there are any disadvantages to the approach. Mayo Clinic notes that robotic instruments minimize technical errors and optimize function in the OR, assisting highly trained surgeons like Dr. Jones, but not replacing them. A robotic knee replacement is similar to a traditional knee replacement: The surgeon removes damaged tissue and replaces it with an artificial joint. The difference – and it’s a big one – is that the surgery is done with assistance from a robotic arm, which allows for greater precision. The Hospital for Special Surgery explains that during a knee replacement, the orthopedic surgeon makes an incision in the knee and moves the kneecap to the side, removing any bone spurs. During the main phase of the operation, the surgeon cuts and removes cartilage and some bone from the upper part of the tibia and lower sections of the femur. Dr. Jones says that robotic technology allows doctors to be more accurate when making those cuts and positioning the implant. “There are great advantages to using a robotic arm,” he says. “Balancing of the ligaments is very important and this way we’re able to do a much better job.” Minimally invasive knee replacement surgery is another advance in the field. It’s now an option for those who are in good health, are at a normal weight and don’t have any underlying medical issues. This procedure is performed through a shorter incision – typically 4 to 6 inches versus 8 to 10 inches for traditional knee replacement. A smaller incision allows for less tissue disturbance. In addition to a shorter incision, the technique used to open the knee is less invasive. Your medical provider will likely discuss this option with you if you fall within the parameters of an appropriate candidate. The need for a TKA is not one size fits all, says Dr. Jones. “Everyone’s desire for replacement is different. A patient should manage with exercise, controlling his or her weight, and over-the-counter medication for as long as possible. When the day comes that you need surgery, you’ll know it. “Personally, I don’t hold back performing surgery based on age. I have some middle-aged patients who are ‘old14 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com Knee replacement surgery success rate just keeps improving STUART Stuart Center 2295 SE Federal Hwy. (772)286-8453 ST. LUCIE WEST Towne Center at St. Lucie West 1707 NW St. Lucie West Blvd. (Suite 106) (772)340-4070 PALM CITY 2870 SW Town Center Way (772)221-9233 TRADITION The Landing at Tradition 10640 SW Village Parkway (772)345-3622 We Match All Competitors Prices Including Online. LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED SINCE 2007! Sports Nutrition • Vitamins • Herbs Bars/Drinks • Beauty • Aromatherapy Expires 5/9/24. Only Valid at 4 GNC locations listed below. Cannot be combined with any other offers or discounts. $5 OFF Any purchase of $50 or more Coupon #10080 $10 OFF Any purchase of $80 or more Coupon #10649 *see store for details Dr. Daniel Jones. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS BY JACKIE HOLFELDER | Correspondent
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH April 25, 2024 15 er’ than my old patients and vice versa.” The National Institutes of Health states that knee replacement surgery can be performed safely in patients older than 90, and many studies show that up to 95 percent of total knee replacements are still functioning well 10 years after surgery. The Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital notes there are lots of activities you’ll be able to enjoy after your surgery, including gardening, swimming, playing tennis and golf. However, you shouldn’t downhill ski or play contact sports such as football and soccer. In general, avoid sports that require too much jerking, twisting, pulling or running. Dr. Jones adds, “Running is not good on a long-term basis. But you can do unlimited walking and – many people should be happy to hear this – you can play pickleball.” Dr. Daniel Jones got his undergraduate degree from Missouri Southern State University and his medical degree from St. Louis University School of Medicine, where he also completed his residency. He completed a fellowship at Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education. He is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery and the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons. Dr. Jones is accepting new patients at South Florida Orthopedics and Sports Medicine at 9401 SW Discovery Way, Port St. Lucie. The phone number is 772- 288-2400. After more than a decade studying a rare eye cancer that produces some of the hardest-to-fight tumors, researchers from University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have found a treatment that works on some patients and, more importantly, a tool that can predict when it is likely to succeed. The work, published in Nature Communications, is being validated in a clinical trial involving at least 30 patients. It could pave the way for similar methods designed to overcome one of the enduring frustrations of cancer care. Because tumors differ, not only between patients but even inside the same patient, a treatment that works on one mass may fail on another, even when both are of the same cancer type. The researchers in Pittsburgh tackled this problem in uveal melanoma, an eye cancer that afflicts only 5 people in a million, but that half the time spreads to other parts of the body, often the liver. The median survival once uveal melanoma has spread has been less than seven months, according to a 2018 study in the journal JAMA Ophthalmology. “We chose this because it was one of the only cancers that 10 years ago when we started, there was nothing approved for it,” said Udai Kammula, who led the study and directs the Solid Tumor Cell Therapy Program at UPMC Hillman Cancer Center in Pittsburgh. Scientists had long speculated that the reason uveal melanoma is so tough to fight is that something helps the tumor keep out T cells, a key part of the body’s immune system that develops in bone marrow. However, previous studies by Kammula and his colleagues showed that uveal melanoma tumors actually have T cells inside, and they are turned on. The problem? The cells lie dormant instead of multiplying and reaching numbers large enough to overwhelm the tumor. The culprit appears to reside somewhere inside the tumor’s ecosystem of cells, molecules and blood vessels, known formally as the tumor’s “microenvironment.” Kammula compares this ecosystem to the infrastructure that supports a city. Something in that infrastructure helps protect uveal melanoma tumors by preventing the critical T cells from multiplying. “Ultimately, if we’re going to get rid of cancer, we have to get rid of this infrastructure,” Kammula said. A tool for predicting success He and his colleagues have had some success using a treatment known as adoptive cell therapy, which was developed in the 1980s by Steven Rosenberg at the National Institutes of Health. The treatment involves removing the T cells from the tumor, where they have been unable to proliferate. Scientists then take those T cells and grow them outside the body in a lab dish. They treat patients with chemotherapy to kill off the last of their old immune systems. Finally, they reinfuse the lab-grown T cells into the patient’s blood stream and the cells, now in much greater numbers, go on to attack the tumor. Kammula said his team has found that tumors shrink partially or completely in about 35 percent of patients who receive the treatment. But they wanted to know why it doesn’t work in the majority of cases, and whether there might be some way to predict beforehand when it will succeed. To find out, the researchers analyzed samples from 100 different uveal melanoma tumors that had spread to different parts of the body in 84 patients, seeking to examine all of the tumors’ genetic material. “We basically put the tumor biopsy in a blender New study offers hope for a rare and devastating eye cancer CONTINUED ON PAGE A16 BY MARK JOHNSON | The Washington Post
that had the stroma [supportive tissue], the blood vessels, the immune cells, the tumor cells. It had everything,” Kammula said, explaining that they then analyzed all of the tumor’s genetic material. They found 2,394 genes that could have helped make the tumor susceptible to treatment, some of them genes that experts would regard as “the usual suspects” and others that were unexpected. Using this long list of genes, the scientists searched for characteristics that they shared. The genes were predominantly involved in helping the body defend itself against viruses, bacteria and other foreign invaders by removing the invaders and helping tissue heal. Kammula and the study’s lead author, Shravan Leonard-Murali, a postdoctoral fellow in the lab, used the different activity levels of these genes to develop a clinical tool. The tool, known as a biomarker, assigns a score to a uveal melanoma tumor based on the likelihood that it will respond well to the treatment ― removing T cells, growing them outside the body, then reinfusing them. So far, Kammula said, the biomarker has been “extremely good,” in predicting when the treatment will be effective, though he added, “these findings will need confirmation in the current ongoing clinical trial.” 16 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com CONTINUED FROM PAGE A15 EYE CANCER TREATMENT
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH April 25, 2024 17 Even though it sounds a little amorphous, chronic fatigue syndrome – now called myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in the medical community – is all too real for hundreds of thousands or even millions of Americans. As recently as 2015, when the Atlantic magazine ran an article entitled “The Tragic Neglect of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome,” patients were being told that the illness was psychosomatic. It was also around that time that patients started to demand that they be listened to and acknowledged. In response, “the National Academy of Medicine created criteria for the diagnosis of ME/CFS that included malaise, fatigue and cognitive dependence,” said Dr. Michael Weir, director of the Biomedical Science program at Keiser University’s Port St. Lucie campus. “That was the beginning of a new day for the syndrome.” The Open Medicine Foundation (OMF) is a nonprofit that has raised more than $50 million since 2012 to fund open collaborative research to study, diagnose, treat and cure complex diseases. Its six collaborative research centers (CRCs), located in the United States, Sweden, Canada and Australia, are currently studying ME/CFS, building a repository of data about the diseases to be used to develop diagnostic technologies, understand the molecular basis of the diseases, and uncover effective diagnostic tools and treatment. In February 2024, NPR reported the results of a study that was launched by the National Institutes of Health in 2016 but was disrupted by the pandemic, causing delays in reporting findings until early this year. The authors of that study concluded that ME/CFS is primarily a brain disorder, probably brought on by immune dysfunction and changes in the gut microbiome. With a nod toward future possible treatments, the NIH team suggests a type of cancer drug called immune checkpoint inhibitors as one option that could be studied for ME/CFS. For now, coping with the syndrome remains difficult. “The life span of the average person living with ME/CFS is 55,” says Dr. Weir. “Eighty-five percent of sufferers are women and 75 percent of all those living with the disease are too compromised to work. Some people commit suicide because their quality of life is so bad.” He adds that although the most common age group is 20-50, children can also get it. Mayo Clinic says the cause of ME/CFS is still unknown, although there are many unproven theories, including the possibility that a change in the immune system or the way the body responds to an infection or stress is the culprit. It’s a complicated disorder that causes extreme fatigue that lasts for at least six months. Symptoms worsen with physical or mental activity but don’t fully improve with rest. There’s no single test to confirm a diagnosis. Often, patients need a variety of medical tests to rule out other health problems that have similar symptoms. Treatment focuses on easing symptoms. Dr. Weir adds that although some symptoms mirror those attributed to long COVID, there are differences. “While most people struggling with long Covid have deResearch signals ‘new day’ for treating chronic fatigue syndrome BY JACKIE HOLFELDER | Correspondent CONTINUED ON PAGE A19 Dr. Michael Weir. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS
18 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH April 25, 2024 19 creased smell and hair loss, that’s not the case for ME/CFS victims.” According to the Centers for Disease Control, among the many possible symptoms are: Tender lymph nodes in the neck or armpits. A sore throat that happens often. Digestive issues, like irritable bowel syndrome. Chills and night sweats. Allergies and sensitivities to foods, odors, chemicals, light or noise. Muscle weakness. Shortness of breath. Irregular heartbeat. The World Health Organization classifies the syndrome as a neurological disease. Dr. Weir says there is no known way to prevent ME/CFS, nor is there a cure or approved treatment. “Symptoms are treated individually, with things that run the gamut from scrips to fluids to compression hose, depending on what is being treated.” CONTINUED FROM PAGE A17 CHRONIC FATIGUE
20 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com 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 FIXING YOUR POSTURE CAN IMPROVE MYRIAD HEALTH ISSUES Posture is more than just a matter of looking poised and confident. It plays a crucial role in overall health and well-being. From the way we sit at our desks to how we stand while waiting for the bus, our posture can have significant effects on various aspects of our health, both short-term and long-term. Posture refers to the position in which you hold your body while standing, sitting or lying down. Good posture means that your body is aligned in a way that places the least strain on your muscles and ligaments. This alignment allows the body to function efficiently, reducing the risk of injury and minimizing discomfort. Poor posture directly impacts your joints and muscles and can contribute to conditions such as chronic neck pain, headaches and even temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorders. “The body’s original blueprint design is balanced right to left, front to back and the ankle, knee hip and shoulders are all stacked vertically,” said Catee Ingwersen, Posture Alignment Specialist. “The head sits level centered over the spine and all the joints are right angles to the body. The spine is a vertical line running through the center of the body. Once the spine is out of alignment from an injury or everyday work positioning, everything else shifts resulting in muscle dysfunction and pain.” Ingwersen likens the spine of the body to the axle of a car. If the axle is perfectly straight the wheels are at right angles. But if the axle is bent, the wheels get out of alignment and the ball joints and tires wear unevenly. The same is true if the spine is bent. Your spine is designed to support your body and protect the spinal cord, but improper alignment can lead to a range of issues. Over time, slouching or slumping can contribute to the development of conditions such as kyphosis (a rounded upper back), lordosis (an exaggerated inward curve of the lower back), and even herniated discs. “Traditional medicine doesn’t treat the body as a unit,” Ingwersen reflected. “They only go after the specific pain and ignore the fact that the spine is the blueprint design. We have way more control over our muscular skeletal system than we are led to believe and there is no reason a patient can’t get better alignment with a personalized exercise program. “I have a 95 percent success rate if clients follow the program and do their exercises at home, as well as with me during our sessions. By re-training your body to hold its original blueprint design and restoring normal weight-bearing joint function, you can give your body the opportunity to heal itself and get rid of pain naturally, without manipulation, medication or surgery.” Ingwersen utilizes a posture alignment program created by Egoscue Institute designed to restore pain-free function to the body through exercises and stretches that balance the vertical load of the spine and load bearing joints. “I dove into the field of posture alignment because of my own pain I experienced as a massage therapist,” Ingwersen explained. “I had a client who shared that she had to take a leave of absence from a teaching job because she was in so much pain. She visited Mayo Clinic and numerous doctors with no relief. Then she found an Egoscue therapist and discovered her posture was the root of her pain. Her posture was so bad that it gave her some nerve compression. After working with the therapist for a few months, she was pain free. “I became a client of an Egoscue therapist myself and was amazed how fast changes happened. I wanted to help others, so I contacted the Egoscue Institute and enrolled in their certification program. It took me a year to become certified and I’ve been helping others relieve their pain through spinal correction for the past 14 years.” The system was founded in 1971 by Pete Egoscue, a Vietnam veteran suffering from chronic pain. According to the Institute’s website, there are 25 Egoscue clinics that have treated more than 1 million patients. The system is based on the idea that muscles can move bones out of place over time and muscles can move bones back into place, too – with the right stimulus. CONTINUED ON PAGE A22 BY KERRY FIRTH | Correspondent Catee Ingwersen. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH April 25, 2024 21
22 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH www.stlucievoice.com The body is bifunctional, meaning that the right and left sides are designed to do the same things and that the bones, muscles, ligaments and tendons are meant to be identical. Any differences between the right and left side, or front and back of the body, will lead to some form of dysfunction. Imbalance means work and weight loads are transferred to other parts of the body ill equipped to do the job and over time will lead to wear and tear on the muscular and skeletal systems. This is how the cycle of pain and limited mobility begins. The more we hurt, the less we move. Some muscles get stronger by compensating for those that are weaker and the body becomes imbalanced. “Any little compensation turns into a dysfunction,” Ingwersen said. “Then that dysfunction turns into another compensation. It’s a vicious cycle that can only be corrected by restoring the body’s original blueprint.” Posture can also influence our mental and emotional health. Standing upright can lead to feelings of confidence and positivity. Conversely, slouching is associated with feelings of depression and decreased energy levels. Even small adjustments that improve your posture can have a positive CONTINUED FROM PAGE A20 IMPROVING POSTURE
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | HEALTH April 25, 2024 23 impact on your mood and self-esteem. Ingwersen said a simple 45-minute consultation allows her to pinpoint where the spine is out of balance. “I take photos of my client in different standing positions and load them into special software that analyzes joint position. Then I take a video of them walking. I can show my client exactly where the problem lies and devise an exercise program that will correct the misalignment. My goal is to improve joint function and alleviate the pain and limitations. We are not chasing symptoms. Instead, we fix the underlying cause. Once the spine is aligned correctly, the pain and limitations disappear.” Catee Ingwersen is a Posture Alignment Specialist certified by the Egoscue Institute, a PTX license therapist, and a Corrective Exercise Therapist trained by the National Academy of Sports Medicine. She is the owner/practitioner of the Posture Clinic located at 489 22nd Place, Vero Beach.
There’s NO chance I’ll EVER get bored with my job; you pooches have such IN-trestin’ tails to tell. While I HAVE met quite a few workin’ pooches, I had never met a pooch who was a pruf-FESH-uh-null hunting dog, so preparing to meet English Cocker Span-yull Baxter Cornell, I didn’t know what to expect. A frenly lady answered our knock, anna middle-size poocheroo bounced happily up for the Wag-an-Sniff. He hadda sleek, black coat inna Summer Cut, some white on his chest, long curly ears (like mine ackshully) anna big smile. I figured he was a puppy, with all his joyful wiggle-waggin’, an that probly he hadda big brother somewhere about. “Good morning,” I said, innerducing myself an my assistant, an glancing around for the other pooch. “Helloooo, Mr. Bonzo! This is my human, Lea. My other human, Jim, got a Bran Noo Nee, so he’s takin’ it EASY. I’m Baxter Cornell. I’m an English Cocker SPAN-yull! It’s PAWsome to meet you in the FUR!” “Oops!” I thought, regrouping. (No big brother.) “It’s a pleasure meeting you as well, Baxter! I’m lookin’ forward to hearing your tail.” We followed Baxter an Miss Lea into a comfy livin’ room an got all settled. When Baxter had dispatched the duh-lishus bacony snack my assistant had produced from The Satchel (after permission, of course), I opened my notebook. “So, Baxter, tell me all about how you found your Furever Family, an what your life’s like, an about your job. To tell the truth, I sorta thought a Huntin’ Dog such as yourself would be, sol-um an seri-us an all biz-ness.” Baxter laughed. “Oh, woof, no. That’s only when I’m workin’! Lea is my Workin’ Partner. We’re a Teem! I’m 3 now. When Lea an Jim got me, I was a pupper.” I flipped open my notebook, an Baxter continued. “It was up north: place called Milburn, Noo York. Lea an Jim hadda huntin’ dog named Pistol. Then, a fren who was a Dog Trainer told ’em about a FAB-u-lus young pooch, an English Cocker Span-yull pupper with a CHAMP-ion BLOODline, who was Too Much To Handle for his owners. So, the fren asked if Lea an Jim would consider adoptin’ him. (It was ME, of course.)” “Of course,” I smiled. “WELL, Lea said there were 3 requirements: I hadda NOT be gun shy; I hadda get along with Pistol; an I hadda be train-ubble. I wasn’t! I did! an I was! So Lea an Jim got ME plus ALL my stuff an important papers about my BLOOD-line (my entire pooch family all the way back to Aberdeen, Scotland, where my famly’s breeder is). An, Mr. Bonz, you’ll NEVER buhleev what my pooch parent’s BLOODline names were.” “I bet they were long and funny,” I nodded. “No pooches I know EVER use their BLOODline names.” “Thank Lassie!” Baxter said. “My Dad’s was Jarailstar Acer and my Mom’s was Kingcott Gracie.” “Woof!” “I KNOW! Right? I WAS a little crazy at first cuz I hadn’t really had any training. Not mean or anything, just full of Puppy Energy. But Lea knew just what I needed and (you probly know this, bein’ a SPAN-yull an all): Us workin’ dogs NEED TASKS.” “Troo!” (I thought I wouldn’t mention that, these days, mine were Writing My Column, Jumpin’ into my pool and makin’ sure I got my Evening Dish of Yogurt.) “Now,” Baxter continued, “I’m an O-FISH-ull Bird Dog: I’m a FLUSHER, which means I run into the bushes (it’s called In The Field) an stir up the birds. But ONLY when I get the signal. Lea says 24 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | PETS www.stlucievoice.com Hi Dog Buddies! Stirring up birds is the word for hunting-dog Baxter Baxter. PHOTO: JOSHUA KODIS
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ADVICE April 25, 2024 25 Why did Valeska Wehr pay twice for her stay at a Marriott property in Boston? And why won’t Booking.com, the site through which she made the reservation, help her? Q. I recently reserved and paid for a room at the Marriott Vacation Club Pulse at Custom House, Boston, through Booking.com. I prepaid $1,191 for my accommodations. I received a confirmation that I had booked a room at the property and that I had paid for it. However, when we checked out, my husband paid for the room again – not realizing I had already paid for the hotel through Booking.com. We had received an email invoice from the hotel, and we left the Marriott not realizing we had paid for our stay twice. I contacted Booking.com straight away, but I don’t have a record of our interaction. Booking.com deleted all messages relating to my inquiry. Marriott has referred the matter to Booking. com, and Booking.com will not help me. Is there anything you can do? A. Best Booking.com should have charged you once, and Marriott shouldn’t have charged you at all. I know, thank you, Captain Obvious. But it merits repeating. I’ve reviewed your paperwork, and you should have only received one charge. Marriott believed you hadn’t prepaid your room. You might have been able to clear up the matter while you were at the property, but it looks like your husband didn’t get the memo, either. (Next time, please tell him you’ve prepaid.) Still, this should have been easy to clear up. But as I review the correspondence between you, Booking.com and Marriott, I see more issues. There’s Booking.com referring you to Marriott, even though this was a Booking.com reservation. And there’s Marriott sending you what appears to be a form letter saying you can’t get loyalty points for your stay in Boston. Wow, talk about confusion. After receiving these disappointing responses, there’s only one thing left to do. You have to appeal your case to a higher level. I list the names, numbers and email addresses of the executives at Marriott and at Booking.com on my consumer advocacy site, Elliott.org. This is not the first time Booking.com has billed one of its customers twice. You have to watch your final bill carefully. When you give a hotel your credit card for “incidental” expenses, make sure it doesn’t charge you for the room again. But there is a resolution to your case. You reached out to my advocacy team. I contacted Booking.com. It asked for proof of payment, which you furnished. Within a week, you had a full refund of the amount you’d overpaid. Christopher Elliott is the founder of Elliott Advocacy (https://elliottadvocacy.org), a nonprofit organization that helps consumers solve their problems. Email him at chris@ elliott.org or get help by contacting him at https://elliott advocacy.org/help/ I paid twice for my hotel on Booking.com. Can I get a refund? The Bonz words, or does hand signals. OR, she has this Spesh-ull Whistle for when I can’t see her.” “FASS-inating!” I said “How does that work?” “Simple! One Toot for Sit. Two toots for Change Direction. Three Toots for Come Back To Lea. WATCH!” Baxter ran over to behind a chair. Lea whistled Three Toots an Baxter zipped back to her. “Cool Kibbles!” “I love goin’ hunting with Lea an Jim. When I see ’em gettin’ all the stuff out, an my crate, I get SO excited. In the field, I’m All Business. I sit in my crate and wait till I get the signal. “But I also love goofin’ around at home. I have a Kong anna red squeaky ball which I never tear up cuz I have a Soft Mouth. When I wanna go for a walk, I bring Lea one of her shoes. Sometimes two. An sometimes they even match.” “Any pooch pals?” I inquired. “Sure! My grrrl-fren Pippa. She’s a Cockapoo. An Jackson, a cool terrier. When we’re onna hunt, there’s Cricket, an English Cocker like me.” Headin’ home, I was thinkin’ about Baxter’s excitin’ life, an what a fun poocheroo he is. Till next time,
Lovely PGA Village pool home exudes a light, bright vibe 8500 Belfry Place in Oakhill in PGA Village: 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 2,040-square-foot pool home offered for $575,000 by Isabelle Pollock, 772-713-3221 of Lang Realty
28 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com The house at 8500 Belfry Place, in the Oakhill section of PGA Village, sits on a culde-sac, and as you come up the long drive, past mature trees and landscaping, you can feel how private it is. The entryway is nestled under an archway, and as you step into the foyer, the room is flooded with light, because this is a house with windows galore that add to the open and airy feel. Next to the foyer is a den/flex space that could also serve as an office. The living room, a generous 15 feet by 18 feet, has a wall of glass doors opening onto the lanai and pool area, and guests will enjoy playing games or watching a game and then wandering outside for a swim. The great room floor plan has an open kitchen (13-by-11) with white cabinetry, stainless-steel appliances, pendant lighting, darker solid surface counters, a wine cooler, and a huge breakfast bar that’s perfect for entertaining. The dining area (10- by-18) looks to the pool and lanai and has a built-in banquette for seating and storage. The master suite begins with the bedroom, a spacious 18-by-14. It opens onto the lanai, and it is easy to imagine awakening and taking morning coffee out there or going for an early-morning swim. It’s just as easy to imagine enjoying a relaxing moment outside before retiring. There are dual closets, which are always wonderful to have, and the master bath is elegant and Old Hollywood, a white, bright room, with dual stone-topped vanities, a Jacuzzi tub and walk-in shower. Two other bedrooms are 12-by-12, and each has access to its own bathroom, with one of the baths doubling as a hall bath. Outside, the screened and covered lanai leads to the heated pool. The dolphin fountain adds a touch of whimsy and the tropical landscaping and hedges surrounding the lanai provide beauty and privacy. You’ll enjoy entertaining out here, having a luncheon or meeting or the book club, and you’ll enjoy relaxing here alone with a book and your thoughts. PGA Village has extraordinary amenities that begin at the Island Club. Whether you enjoy reading and card playing or pickleball Lovely PGA Village pool home exudes a light, bright vibe BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Columnist [email protected] D ™ owDecorating ecorating Over 39 Years Experience Your new home for decorating in St. Lucie West IN-HOME SERVICE - MEASURE - INSTALL Mon-Thu 10am-5pm Fri 10am-4pm 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 | REAL ESTATE April 25, 2024 29 and tennis, there is something for everyone and events going on all the time. You are free to partake of whatever you wish and you can always retreat back to your own private oasis. PGA Village is surrounded by multiple golf courses where membership is optional. For Isabelle Pollock of Lang Realty, this is a home of serene privacy. “This lovely home is nestled at the beginning of a cul-de-sac, with just one neighbor on the side,” she said. “The great room floor plan has an open kitchen with a huge breakfast bar. It’s perfect for entertaining. Charming bay windows throughout the house bring the outdoors inside. The screened and covered lanai truly encompasses Florida living, with a heated pool, dolphin fountain, and tropical landscaping that provides an abundance of privacy. The community offers so much to do while gathering with friends and making new ones, but you can always come back to your private retreat and relax, Florida-style.” Neighborhood: Oakhill in PGA Village Year built: 2006 • Construction: CBS, stucco Square footage: 2,040 sq. ft. • Total square footage: 2,813, sq. ft. Bedrooms: 3 • Bathrooms: 3 • Flooring: carpet, laminate, tile Security: manned gate, security patrol Additional features: dual glass entry front doors, garage with mini-split A/C system, heated pool with new heater installed in 2023, dolphin fountain, finished flooring in garage, lanai flooring resurfaced with double epoxy coating, furniture negotiable Community amenities: Island Club, pickleball, tennis, resort-style pool, billiards, playground, library, card rooms, clubs, ballroom, nearby golf courses Listing brokerage: Lang Realty Listing agent: Isabelle Pollock, 772-713-3221 Listing price: $575,000 FEATURES FOR 8500 BELFRY PLACE
30 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com TOP SALES OF THE WEEK A moderately busy fortnight for local real estate transactions saw 45 sales of single-family residences and lots reported (some shown below). The top recent sale was of the residence at 17120 SW Ambrose Way. Listed in January for $1,150,000, this 3-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home sold for $929,000 on April 12. Representing the seller in the transaction was agent Kay Rodriguez of Lang Realty. Representing the buyer was agent Claudia Krinke of Douglas Elliman. SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES AND LOTS PORT SAINT LUCIE 17120 SW AMBROSE WAY 1/8/2024 $1,150,000 4/12/2024 $929,000 SAINT LUCIE WEST 7984 PLANTATION LAKES DRIVE 12/7/2023 $989,900 4/16/2024 $765,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 11124 SW LUNATA WAY 1/19/2024 $729,000 4/8/2024 $720,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 12704 SW BARELLI COURT 9/22/2022 $704,325 4/19/2024 $704,325 SAINT LUCIE WEST 571 SW SANCTUARY DRIVE 12/12/2023 $674,900 4/15/2024 $660,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 12001 SW MARIGOLD AVENUE 1/29/2024 $657,900 4/10/2024 $625,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 7210 MYSTIC WAY 3/4/2024 $574,900 4/16/2024 $574,900 PORT SAINT LUCIE 10007 SW CLOISTER DRIVE 5/18/2023 $592,940 4/9/2024 $573,632 PORT SAINT LUCIE 9771 SW SANTINI ROAD 10/5/2023 $593,684 4/11/2024 $565,384 PORT SAINT LUCIE 11858 SW WATERFORD ISLE WAY 11/13/2023 $634,900 4/17/2024 $565,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 184 NW MAGNOLIA LAKES BLVD 1/19/2024 $600,000 4/15/2024 $540,000 PORT SAINT LUCIE 12440 SW SUNRISE LAKE TERRACE 4/12/2024 $531,366 4/12/2024 $531,366 PORT SAINT LUCIE 10239 SW CORAL TREE CIRCLE 2/10/2024 $535,000 4/17/2024 $525,000 ORIGINAL SELLING TOWN ADDRESS LISTED ASKING PRICE SOLD PRICE TRADITION AND ST. LUCIE WEST REAL ESTATE SALES Stats were pulled 4/20/24 9:25 AM
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | REAL ESTATE April 25, 2024 31 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 12/12/2023 $674,900 4/15/2024 $660,000 Christine Cornell-Stonecipher Keller Williams Realty Anthony Orrico Loggerhead Realty Inc 571 SW Sanctuary Drive, Saint Lucie West 9/22/2022 $704,325 4/19/2024 $704,325 Michelle Campbell Taylor Morrison Realty of Florida Not Provided Not Provided 12704 SW Barelli Court, Port Saint Lucie 1/19/2024 $729,000 4/8/2024 $720,000 Desiree Flexen Lang Realty Darci Margeson Southern Key Realty 11124 SW Lunata Way, Port Saint Lucie 12/7/2023 $989,900 4/16/2024 $765,000 Anna Bach Harrison Real Estate Valerie Trujillo Keller Williams Realty 7984 Plantation Lakes Drive, Saint Lucie West
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | REAL ESTATE April 25, 2024 33 At New Jersey’s Teterboro and Long Island’s Islip airports, dozens of private jets destined for Florida take off at times such as 11:42 p.m. or 11:54 p.m. Over at JFK, a regular flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico, arrives at a seemingly purposeful time: about 15 minutes after midnight. Meanwhile, tax attorneys tell stories of clients idling in their luxury SUVs near the New Jersey entrance to the George Washington Bridge shortly before 12 a.m., waiting for the clock to turn before crossing the state line to New York. When it comes to taxes and the wealthy, every minute matters – especially for those who have left New York and declared residency elsewhere. At a time more high earners are departing, or at least are claiming to, state officials are stepping up already-intense scrutiny to make sure former residents have actually moved. It is a complex operation that involves cutting-edge artificial intelligence and tracking everything from travel to the location of people’s pets. For the ultrarich, even just an extra day in the wrong place could mean millions in income-tax liability. “The minute you file a partial return you’re going to hear from New York state,” said Jonathan Mariner, who created TaxDay, an app that tracks users’ locations so they don’t overstay the threshold of days that would trigger residency status, which is typically 184. The whereabouts of the wealthy are particularly important to New York, a high-tax area where the loss of even a handful of rich residents can have an outsized effect on budget revenue. The state has been especially hard hit by departures since COVID-19 fueled the rise of remote work: The number of taxpayers earning more than $1 million who moved out more than doubled in 2020 from 2019 and has continued each year to be well above pre-pandemic levels, according to the Department of Taxation and Finance. That is leading state officials to try to claw back money wherever possible through residency audits – an investigation into whether someone correctly identified themselves as a full-time, part-time, or nonresident for income-tax purposes. It’s also taking place in California, another relatively high-tax, high-departure state facing budget strains, where the number of residency audits closed in the first 11 months of 2023 more than doubled from before the pandemic. For some of these people, often accustomed to the privacy and ease afforded by wealth, a residency audit can be an uncomfortable dive into their daily life. New York’s auditors closely watch travel and apply a standard known as “the teddy bear test,” looking to see where individuals keep their most cherished possessions to determine whether a home is their primary residence. “We always tell people the tax audit from New York is like the tax version of a colonoscopy,” said Mark Klein, a tax attorney at Hodgson Russ. “I’ve had cases that have hinged on a single dog. And I had a case once that was based on the fact that the person moved their Peloton bicycle to Florida.” Counting Days Residency audits have long been big business in New York. The state collected roughly $1 billion from 15,000 audits between 2013 and 2017, according to data obtained through a Freedom of Information request. While California lags behind New York in the scale and complexity of its residency audit operation, the Golden State collected $85 million in residency audit income last year through November, the largest single-year tally in at least a decade. Both states are still recording overall growth in the number of millionaires, thanks to income and stock market gains, but since the pandemic, higher-income people moved out at a faster pace than they moved in, data from both states show. While wealthy residents have long pretended to leave to dodge taxes, tax experts say COVID brought more legitimate moves as companies embraced flexible work and set up outposts in places such as Florida and Texas, which have no state individual income tax. New York’s tax laws are notoriously tricky. Typically, someone who lives there will be considered a resident for tax purposes, paying levies on their income from all sources, even those outside of the state. Auditors track rich New Yorkers trying to flee state taxes CONTINUED ON PAGE 34 BY LAURA NAHMIAS & ELIYAHU KAMISHER | Bloomberg
34 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com Just because your patio is small does not mean it cannot be purposeful. Maximizing a compact space might require some creativity, but with the right inspiration, there are plenty of ways to transform a tiny outdoor space into a place you will actually want to be – whether for hosting, gardening or just hanging out. “It’s just about getting the balance right, so you’re not cluttered,” says Edward Jones, owner of the landscape design company Outside Space NYC. Here’s how to do a lot with a little. Plan, plan, plan Before you buy furniture, planters or other accessories, make a realistic assessment of how you will actually use the space. “A lot of times, [people] go to a store, they fall in love with the furniture, they get it, and then they have to deal with the size of it and it doesn’t match,” says Tatyana Swift, an architect and designer in Washington, D.C. Think about how much time you will spend out there, and what you will be doing. Do you aim to host friends? Work from the outdoor sofa? Grow your own veggies? Once you have an idea of what is most important to you, measure your space and draw a loose floor plan to scale, advises Jones, keeping in mind how you want to orient any furniture, plants or lights. If you are hurting for inspiration, hunt for photos on Pinterest to get a general sense However, the state considers someone a resident even if they do not live there, as long as they have spent more than 183 days in New York and maintain a “permanent place of abode,” which could simply be a vacation home. A few hours spent in New York qualifies as a whole day. Getting off the highway in New York for lunch while driving from New Jersey to Connecticut can count. So can getting outpatient treatment at a New York hospital. When you can’t prove where you were on a given day, New York auditors may assume you were in the state. “Even though you have a Florida driver’s license, Florida voting record, Florida home, it does not matter,” said Mariner, who created his app after facing his own residency audit after moving to the Sunshine State. “You could be on vacation in New York and they’ll pull you back in.” New York’s Department of Taxation and Finance has 300 auditors dedicated to conducting residency audits, and they are notorious for their thoroughness. Bank records, phone bills and family photos are under the microscope. Auditors are backed up by sophisticated artificial intelligence-fueled tax monitoring systems that flag inconsistencies in returns. ‘Incredibly Reliant’ Although the total number of taxpayers leaving New York and California from 2020 to 2022 was highest among low and middle-income people, the flight of the richest individuals has an especially large impact on budgets. People earning over $1 million each year made up just 1.6 percent of tax filers, but paid 44.5 percent of the state’s total personal income taxes in 2021, New York Comptroller Tom DiNapoli said in a recent report. In California, nearly half of the state’s income taxes come from the top 1 percent of earners. “We are incredibly reliant on New York’s high earners for our income tax revenue,” Amanda Hiller, the state’s acting tax commissioner, told civic leaders at a panel discussion on New York’s economic future last fall. The state doesn’t know whether millionaires are leaving because of tax policy, but officials are closely studying their movements in search of an answer, Hiller said. In the meantime, a cottage industry is rising to serve the taxpayers navigating these issues. A residency-tracking app called Chrono, which uses biometric data to prove users’ whereabouts, launched in 2021. Co-founder Luke McGuinness said it stemmed from the frustration he and friends felt as “digital nomads,” a growing class of people who work remotely and travel regularly. Another tracking system, Monaeo, automatically logs users’ locations to create detailed records of their whereabouts. It was developed more than a decade ago but has seen an enormous increase in downloads since the pandemic. BY COLLEEN GRABLICK | The Washington Post How to make the most of your small patio CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33
36 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com of the layouts that appeal to you. “It gives you a sense of direction, a vibe where [you] are going to feel happy,” he says. Don’t overcrowd it You may want to host, barbecue and grow six tomato plants, but try to be selective. Otherwise, you run the risk of creating a space that looks messy and is too crowded to enjoy. “If it’s too much of various different things, then it might start looking overwhelming,” Swift says. Rather than loading it up all at once, start with one or two pieces to anchor the space, and then build from there. If entertaining is your main priority, for example, start with a sofa and coffee table. Live in that for a beat before determining whether it’s necessary to add anything more. “Maybe you think you want to grill but then realize, eh, it’s not really necessary, or it would look ridiculous,” says Irene Kalina-Jones, a landscape designer and Jones’s wife and business partner. Also helpful in a compact footprint: Choosing pieces that can be easily rearranged and carried into your space. You may want to sit with your new furniture a bit before landing on its permanent arrangement, Kalina-Jones adds. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34 CONTINUED ON PAGE 38
38 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | REAL ESTATE www.stlucievoice.com Make it feel like a room Once you have settled on the primary function for your patio, you can experiment with decor to make the space more inviting. Swift recommends adding solar-powered lighting, assuming your patio gets some direct sun during the day. Solar lanterns that can be affixed to a wall, string lights that can be looped around a ledge or freestanding lamps all are options. For shadier patios, you can buy rechargeable or cordless outdoor lamps. These sun- and battery-powered products are preferable even if you have access to an outlet, since cords and cables will only add clutter and tripping hazards to an already tight space. Putting an outdoor rug beneath your furniture arrangement won’t only add to the visual appeal of your space, it can also make the area feel more comfortable, says Swift. Matching the rug to the taste and decor of your home can make the patio seem more like an extension of your living room, she says, rather than a separate cramped area. It can also define different uses; for example, a rug under an outdoor sofa can help delineate that section from a gardening or eating area. Look for rugs made specifically for the outdoors, in a durable material such as polypropylene or polyester. After big rains, you may want to hang your rug to air-dry to avoid mildew build up. Be strategic with plants You can also use planters to divide a compact space, says Jones. Placing one at the end of a sofa can section off a “lounge” area (even if it is just one piece of furniture), from a “dining area” (even if it is only a bistro table and two chairs) – suddenly, your tiny patio has two distinct zones. Just make sure your planter doesn’t block a walkway, he says. When it comes to using plants for purely decorative purposes, Kalina-Jones recommends larger pots clustered together for a tight patio, rather than smaller planters scattered around it. It might seem counterintuitive to go bigger in a small space, but not only will this make for easier watering, it will lend the appearance of a bountiful garden, even in minimal square-footage. For the same reason, she advises choosing plants that bloom at different times of the year to avoid a sad-looking dead zone. “Make sure you combine plants that bloom at different times of the seasons,” she says. “You don’t want to have one box that’s only blooming in the spring, and there’s nothing happening in the fall.” Another way to create an “oasis,” she says, is by setting a potted tree in a corner. She recommends low-maintenance options with shallow roots, such as Japanese maples and a variety of birches. It may even provide some shade. You can also maximize space by growing plants in a vertical tower garden that you have either constructed yourself or bought premade. These structures, designed for plants that can climb, create a lush vibe without much sprawl. Tomatoes are one beginner-friendly option for vertical growing, says Elise Pickett, owner of The Urban Harvest, as long as they have enough sunlight. Other candidates, both edible and not, include peppers, cucumbers, herbs, ivy and climbing roses. If you have a shadier patio that you would like to turn into an edible garden, Pickett suggests exploring root vegetables such as carrots or radishes, or leafy greens such as kale and lettuce, all of which do well in containers. As with furniture, she cautions against impulse buys when you hit the nursery. Plants require maintenance – and space – so only buy what you can realistically take care of and fit. CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36
8813 ONE PUTT PLACE • PGA VILLAGE OFFERED AT $664,000 9012 SW TERZI WAY • VERANO OFFERED AT $724,900 10029 SW DUCCIO LANE • VERANO OFFERED AT $367,500 8852 SW MONTOVA WAY • VERANO OFFERED AT $739,900 676 SE VILLANDRY WAY • VERANDA GARDENS OFFERED AT $534,900 9247 SHORT CHIP CIRCLE • PGA VILLAGE OFFERED AT $510,000 7017 WILLOW PINE WAY • PGA VILLAGE OFFERED AT $364,500 8500 BELFRY PLACE • PGA VILLAGE OFFERED AT $575,000 10464 SW VISCONTI WAY • PGA VERANO OFFERED AT $599,900 24045 SW FIRENZE WAY • PGA VERANO OFFERED AT $475,000 24034 SW FIRENZE WAY • PGA VERANO OFFERED AT $457,527 154 SW PEACOCK BOULEVARD; 28-101 THE BELMONT AT ST. LUCIE WEST OFFERED AT $315,000 130 SW PEACOCK BOULEVARD; 16-107 THE BELMONT AT ST. LUCIE WEST OFFERED AT $259,900 11197 SW VISCONTI WAY • PGA VERANO OFFERED AT $429,900 7630 MAHOGANY RUN COURT • PGA VILLAGE OFFERED AT $410,000 330 NW BENTLEY CIRCLE • THE LAKES AT SLW OFFERED AT $399,900 10742 GREY HERON COURT • PGA VILLAGE OFFERED AT $849,900 7112 MAIDSTONE DRIVE • PGA VILLAGE OFFERED AT $449,900 AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE AVAILABLE PRICE REDUCED AVAILABLE PRICE REDUCED AVAILABLE PRICE REDUCED AVAILABLE AVAILABLE PRICE REDUCED PRICE REDUCED NEW LISTING UNDER CONTRACT UNDER CONTRACT UNDER CONTRACT UNDER CONTRACT 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! Elise Danielian 772-418-2992 [email protected] Ingrid Hewitt 772-203-7800 [email protected] Isabelle Pollock 772-713-3221 [email protected] — FEATURED LISTINGS —
There will be music and dance this Saturday evening when the band Puerto Rican Power with special guest Charlie Cruz performs at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center. The event features salsa music at its best performed by a long-lasting band which formed in the 1970s. Puerto Rican Power recorded a dozen albums including “Canta Tito Rojas” and “Mean in Salsa.” Cruz is widely regarded as one of Puerto Rico’s best known salsa musicians. Puerto Rican Power performs 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the Event Center, 9221 SE Event Center Place, Port St. Lucie. Tickets are $29 plus tax and fees and are available at Etix.com. You can also buy tickets by calling 800- 514-3849. For more information, visit CityOfPSL.com. The Keep Port St. Lucie Beautiful Appreciation Night will be held Thursday, May 2, at Clover Park. Gates open at 5:30 p.m. Those who bring five non-perishable food items get a free ticket to the St. Lucie Mets game, which starts 6:10 p.m. There will also be a KPSLB booth partnering with the Treasure Coast Food Bank to take donations. The event is free but there is a $5 parking fee. It will be held at Clover Park, 31 Piazza Dr., Port St. Lucie. For more information call 772- 871-7000 or visit CityOfPSL.com. A Golden Years Senior Dance will be held 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center (address above). Seniors are invited to dress up and have a “lovely time” with lively music, refreshments, dancing and a couples bestCONTINUED ON PAGE B10 fun, festivities food THURSDAY, APRIL 25, 2024 YOUR INDEPENDENT LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER SECTION 3 BY PAM HARBAUGH | Correspondent 1 Coming Up! SENSATIONAL SALSA WITH CHARLIE CRUZ & PUERTO RICAN POWER 2 PHOTOS: LINDA KLOORFAIN AWESOME BLOSSOMS An enthusiastic full house at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center was on hand to revel in the performance of alternative rock band Gin Blossoms – featuring singer Robin Wilson, far left, and guitarists Jesse Valenzuela, near left, and Scott Johnson, above – on April 13.
As the final show of an already exciting season, Riverside Theatre brings us “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan.” The biographical musical is centered on the dynamic, Grammy Award-winning couple who changed Latin music in America. The pair also wrote the musical’s music and lyrics. The Estefans’ rise in show business is remarkable, especially for the barriers they broke in crossing over from a limited Latin audience to universal appeal. To tell their story, book writer Alexander Dinelaris takes a nonlinear approach to the musical’s script, which bounces around in time to fill in the characters’ backstories. We begin with the couple on tour at the height of their fame, young son in tow, before going back in time to retrace their journey. In a flashback to Gloria’s childhood, we hear the first inklings of her musical talent in the songs she records and sends to her father in Vietnam. Later, we see her mother perform a number in a pre-Castro Havana nightclub before the family must flee Cuba. In this departure from the frequent bio-musical template, the musical numbers of “On Your Feet” stretch beyond the Estefans’ catalogue of greatest hits. Lesser-known works from the songwriters are given to Gloria’s mother and THEATER REVIEW B2 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com BY TERRY GIRARD | Correspondent grandmother, to Gloria as a child, and to Emilio and an adult Gloria. Much of this music may be new to those expecting the Top 40 hit parade found in other so-called jukebox musicals. Which isn’t to say audiences won’t recognize plenty of songs from the radio airplay the band received during its peak popularity. Along the way, familiar pleasures such as “The Rhythm is Gonna Get You,” “1-2- 3,” “Anything for You,” “Here We Are,” and the title song are woven into the narrative, either as expressions of the characters’ deepening feelings, or in their gigs on the path to success. The first act tracks the growing popularity of the Miami Sound Machine, despite a restrictive music industry that tries to pigeonhole them as Latin-only artists. It ends in a funny and joyful rendition of their “Conga” spreading from small clubs, bar mitzvahs, and Italian weddings to Las Vegas and beyond. As the record climbs the Billboard charts, the number spills exuberantly off the stage and into the aisles of the audience. After intermission, events turn more serious in the wake of the life-threaten- ‘ON YOUR FEET!’ Riverside Theatre musical captures Estafans’ story in all its glory ing accident that nearly paralyzed Gloria in 1990. The crash of their tour bus is an arresting moment of inventive stagecraft as conceived by director Marcia Milgrom-Dodge, with bodies hurtling in slow motion every which way. But the following section of the show drags a bit, as each of multiple family members expresses their love to the unconscious Gloria in song before her touch-and-go surgery. Her painstaking rehabilitation and eventual return to performing builds to a victorious comeback and worldwide tour. CONTINUED ON PAGE B4 PHOTOS: ANGEL UDELHOVEN
The husband-and-wife team of Emilio and Gloria Estefan has won 26 Grammy Awards, a staggering accomplishment. With some 100 million albums sold worldwide, Gloria Estefan is one of the most successful crossover artists ever and her songs like “Conga,” “1-2-3,” “Get On Your Feet” and “The Rhythm is Gonna Get You” have gotten the whole world dancing. The two have known triumph and tragedy, including the bus accident that nearly killed Gloria Estefan, and the musical “On Your Feet! The Story of Emilio and Gloria Estefan” – now running at Vero Beach’s Riverside Theatre through May 5 – with music and lyrics by the two, tells the story of families fleeing Cuba, struggling in a new country and becoming American success stories. Angel Lozada, who plays Emilio Estefan, spoke recently about the role. Lozada is returning to the Riverside, where he appeared as Che Guevara in “Evita.” He has a music degree from Florida State and has appeared on Broadway in “Bad Cinderella,” off Broadway in “Oratorio for Living Things,” where he was a Lucille Lortel Award winner, and in regional theater throughout the United States. “This is a bucket list role for me,” he said. “What appealed about the story is that they made the American dream. Gloria was one of the first Latin (singers) to cross over into the English market. Alongside Emilio, they were such a strong team. It’s so cool to be a part of that story.” After Gloria Estefan was seriously injured in a bus accident, there were pressures on the relationship. “After the accident, Gloria rebuilt herself and Emilio was there for her,” Lozada said. “There was so much stress in the business and personal. She was adamant about getting strong and he pushed her a little further, but they communicate and come out on the other side. She’s a fighter and she fought to recover. I think the tension is where he wants her out on gigs, on the morning shows, and she feels ‘It’s me on stage and I’m tired.’ That’s one of the biggest points of conflict and kind of what leads to the accident. She wants a break and he’s at a private dinner when the accident happens.” While this is a story of two people, it’s also a musical, full of singing and dancing. “‘On Your Feet!’ is one of the biggest shows I’ve ever done,” Lozada said. “There are many big production numbers. We simulate being in concert and there is so much choreography, music and dancing.” While Emilio Estefan does not do the singing and dancing, he is the one who keeps things moving. “He speaks so much; there’s so much dialogue,” Lozada said. “He moves the plot forward.” Lozada noted that the Estefans are very involved in many of the productions of the show. “I know this is their baby,” he said. “It’s the story of their lives.” To that end, he has received notes that help explain the relationship. “It was about Emilio, who he is to her, how he supported her as her first and only partner,” he said. “They want to give as much information so the actors have an understanding.” For Lozada, returning to the Riverside in this show is special, indeed. “It’s a full circle moment,” he said. “I worked at the Riverside in 2018-2019 and it was a great experience. Going back to do a bucket list show is very exciting. The director, Marsha Milgrom Dodge, was my director for ‘Evita’. I had a feeling it was supposed to happen.” “On Your Feet!” runs through May 5 on the Stark Stage at the Riverside Theatre. Tickets start at $45. Riverside Theatre is at 3250 Riverside Park Dr., Vero Beach. Call 772-231- 6990 or visit RiversideTheatre.com. To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ARTS April 25, 2024 B3 BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Staff Writer [email protected] Lozada’s living (and acting) the dream Angel Lozada with Iliana Marie Garcia in “On Your Feet!” at Riverside.
B4 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com The cast of Latin artists dives into their roles with gusto. As Emilio, Angel Lozada displays his character’s drive and ambition, refusing to be boxed into the conventions of any musical genre. The script gives this role equal, if not greater, dramatic weight than Gloria, and Lozada nicely conveys his many loves – for his wife, his son, for performing, and for shrewd dealmaking. Iliana Marie Garcia emulates Gloria Estefan’s vocals and performance style with a fitting physical resemblance. As written, the character’s non-performing action is more limited than her husband’s. We watch her outgrow a crippling stage fright, she squabbles with her mother, and she later endures the pain of recovery from back surgery. Throughout, she sings and dances terrifically, flaunting the sparkly costumes Ivania Stack has given Gloria for her concerts. As Gloria’s abuela (grandmother) Consuelo, her biggest champion, Barbara Bonilla is an amusing and endearing presence. She had the opening night audience eating out of her hand from her first appearance until her last. Miss YaYa Vargas is nuanced as Gloria’s no-nonsense mother, Gloria Fajardo, whose disapproval of her daughter’s performing may be rooted in envy. She gains sympathy when her own thwarted show business aspirations are revealed. Sofia Brown as the young Gloria, and Adriel Orlando Garcia as her father, José Fajardo, also deliver precise and affecting performances, while Michael James Byrne, playing an inflexible record executive, finds the right balance between small-minded villain and comic foil. Perhaps the biggest spontaneous ovation of the night went to 13-year-old Allan Reyes, in a dual role as the Estefan’s son Nayib and as young Emilio. His enthusiastic and acrobatic dancing won repeated applause. The cast is completed by an ensemble of multitalented singing dancers who deliver Maria Torres’ choreography with precision and flash. Their evocation of the 1980s dance styles is enhanced by Stack’s period costumes and Kelley Jordan’s wigs. Michael Schweikardt’s scenic design is simple but effective, coupled with Yael Lubetzky’s lighting. An upstage wall of various sized circular lights shines brightly to denote when characters are performing in concert, and a collection of wheeled equipment shipping trunks are a visual reminder of constant life on the road. Props, and even people, appear from within them as they roll about the stage to become desks, tables and other furnishings. Given the show’s title, it’s all but mandatory that the audience be standing at the end, as a “mega mix” of the band’s chart-topping hits becomes the curtain call, and we are taken back to a specific time when Latin and popular music joined in a distinctive new sound. CONTINUED FROM PAGE B2 ‘ON YOUR FEET!’
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ARTS April 25, 2024 B5 It can’t possibly be that time of year already! It seems as if the artistic season just began and already, camps and arts programs are making plans for the summer. In our area, they tend to fill up quickly, so if you have a youngster or two who loves to perform, there are several to choose from. I’ll spotlight different ones because each child is different. StarStruck Academy and Theatre in Stuart has been offering children’s programs for 24 years. As always, artistic director Jennifer Yormak is thrilled with the summer plans. “The buzz is crazy, it’s so exciting,” she said. “We have two shows: ‘Annie,’ for those entering second to ninth grades, and ‘Into the Woods,’ for those entering seventh grade to 18-year-olds. ‘Annie’ runs from June 3-21, with shows June 21- 22. ‘Into the Woods’ runs from June 3-30, with shows June 27-30.” In addition to the two big shows, StarStruck offers two additional programs, Camp Disney and Camp Broadway Kids. Both are for youngsters entering firstthrough-ninth grades and both are twoweek programs that run from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Camp Broadway Kids runs July 1-12 and Camp Disney runs July 15-22. Campers are welcome to enroll in both programs if they wish. The two camps have similar programs and the only difference is that Camp Disney focuses on Disney songs and Camp Broadway Kids on songs from Broadway shows. They both are about a lot more than singing. “They experience what we offer at StarStruck, from musical theater, acting and dancing, including jazz, tap and hip-hop,” Yormak said. “There are arts and crafts around the theme. One year we made playbills and they learned what goes into it. They learn about costuming. On the last day, there is a sharing for parents.” Yormak is always an educator first and the benefits of arts education is a subject she’s passionate about. “We’re the only children’s theater in Martin County,” she said. “Performing and arts education builds confidence. There is fun and new friendships in a nurturing and educational environment. Children learn life skills like resilience, taking notes, and working with people their own age and other ages. They learn about auditioning. Kids learn how to speak to costumers and choreographers. Each has its own language. It’s an unusual environment with an amazing staff and counselor. It’s extremely enriching.” It’s also fun. StarStruck programs tend to fill up quickly and it’s not too early to make plans. You don’t have to have a budding thespian to attend these camps, and campers can be in the sharings or not. There’s a place for everyone. That’s one of the best lessons youngsters can learn. StarStruck Performing Arts Academy and Theatre is located at 2101 S. Kanner Highway, Stuart. For more information 772-283-2313 or visit starstruckfl.org. BY SHELLEY KOPPEL | Staff Writer [email protected] STARSTRUCK’S SUPER SUMMER: ‘ANNIE’ AND ‘INTO THE WOODS’ PHOTO COURTESY OF STARSTRUCK
B6 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | ARTS www.stlucievoice.com Treasure Coast artist Agnes Manganelli is a people person, with an ability to capture a person’s unique personality in her infinitely detailed portraits, drawn with colored pencils. Utilizing the thin tip of a pencil she can replicate the finest details of a person’s face, from the depth of the eyes to every strand of hair. She describes her calling as drawing the human spirit. “This is not a mainstream medium,” says Manganelli, whose creations are in a league of their own. “I just love what I am doing.” The countless First Place and Best in Show ribbons she has amassed are a testament to the dedication and talent she has been culling since she was an 8-year-old child. She believes hers is a talent that was gifted to her, honed over the years by her personal schooling. Rather than watch television as a child, Manganelli filled her time drawing. “At age 8 I received a McCall tracing box, and upon illuminating the image to draw, I realized I could pretty much trace almost anything,” she says. After acquiring a BFA from Temple University’s Tyler’s School of Art for Graphic Design, she studied fine art in Rome. She also worked as an advertising art director in ARTIST PROFILE MANGANELLI’S PORTRAITS DRAW ON SKILLS HONED OVER A LIFETIME BY DEBBIE TIMMERMANN | Correspondent Agnes Manganelli. PHOTOS: JOSHUA KODIS
To Advertise (772-633-1115) ST. LUCIE VOICE | ARTS April 25, 2024 B7 the New York City area for more than 15 years, winning numerous designer/art awards. “Back then, we didn’t have computers, so we had to hand draw all of our colored comps for our clients to show how their ads would work,” she explains. “We worked with a device called the Lucigraph, which we called the ‘Lucy,’ which looked like a covered phone booth. It allowed us to shrink or enlarge our drawn images.” The optical concept behind the device has been known for over 400 years, and was even used by the Old Masters as an aid for their drawings and paintings. As a stay-at-home mom while her children were young, other mothers quickly discovered her talent, and she received her first of many commissions for portrait requests of their children, and occasionally their dogs. Now well established in her career, her expansive client list spans the globe. With so many satisfied clients, she is happy to say there is always a project on her desk. Manganelli has a way of capturing the joy on the faces of her subjects, many shown in motion. She has a special ability to use colored pencils to highlight a face and movement with lighting in a fashion that sets her work apart from other mediums. She feels her portraits “capture a moment in time, to commemorate your family members.” Using photographs as a reference, either those she has taken or using a favorite photo from a client, she works her magic from the office of her lagoon-side home. From start to finish, it generally takes her some 70 to 100 hours for each portrait, and only when she is 100 percent happy with a piece does she tell the client it’s finished. Manganelli begins by consulting with the client about the piece, including background to be depicted, and whether they want her to use certain colors to complement the room where it will be displayed. “I once did a portrait of a couple who wanted the beach as a background. But on the day we met for pictures, the ocean was wild and windy, and we had to go to a different location to take the picture,” she recalls, adding that she used artistic license to draw a calmer beach as the background. Problem solved. Since childhood, she has preferred to use Prisma Color Pencils. She calls them soft and waxy, which she finds best for detail as well as for the shading she creates by layering her strokes. The use of colored pencils also has great mobility, as they can be used anywhere. Manganelli says her paper of choice is 140 lb. Hot Press Watercolor Paper from England, which she buys from New York Central Papers. She describes it as a drawing and print-making paper that is sumptuous and silky smooth to the touch, noting that the colored pencils sink into the paper. After moving up to Vero Beach in 2004 with her husband and three children from Stuart, right before our famed twin hurricanes, she immediately joined Vero Beach Art Club. She now serves as its historian. “The club is filled with really nice, regular folk,” she says, pleased that it is such an active part of the community. Outside of her artwork, Manganelli is an active volunteer with various other nonprofit organizations, including the Humane Society of Vero Beach and Indian River County and the Hibiscus Center, and even had 14 inches of her hair cut to be donated to cancer patients.
B8 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | PEOPLE www.stlucievoice.com Attendees of all ages welcome at 2024 Treasure Coast PrideFest People of all ages will be welcome to the 18th Annual Treasure Coast PrideFest on Saturday, June 8, at Port St. Lucie’s MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center, a year after participation was limited to adults only. The event runs from noon to 7 p.m. with admission $5 for adults, $3 for children ages 10-17, and free for children under 10. This year’s PrideFest welcomes people of all ages after imposing a ban on people under 21 in 2023 in an effort to comply with a state law passed in that spring prohibiting children from “adult live” performances. The ACLU of Florida was among the civil rights organizations and LGBTQ+ groups that criticized the law as targeting drag queens and shows. The ban reduced attendance to around 1,000 people for the 17th edition of Pridefest on April 22, 2023, according to Shelita Taylor, spokesperson for the Pride Alliance of the Treasure Coast. Taylor, a longtime drag queen, will be hosting the event once again after doing so for every PrideFest since its 2005 debut. The Pride Alliance is currently seeking sponsors, vendors and talent for their latest LGBTQ+ celebration in Central-Southeast Florida, Taylor said. More info can be found at the Pride Alliance website pridealliancetc.com. “We’re going to be uplifting our drag entertainment on the Treasure Coast this year,” Taylor said. “It’s going right back to the same family friendly, fun-loving PrideFest that we’ve had for years.” The Pride Alliance will also host a Pre-Party Breakfast from 9 a.m. to noon with $20 admission for all ages. An After Party for patrons 21 and older starts at 7 p.m. with general admission costs $30 and a VIP Package $45. Taylor and the other organizers had to scramble last year to respond to Senate Bill 1438, which enabled authorities to shut down businesses that admitted minors to adult live performances involving nudity, sexual activities or lewd conduct. City records show that Pride Alliance President Jack Waldroup conferred with thenCity Attorney James Stokes on April 14, 2023, a week before the event. Waldroup and Stokes discussed whether the event’s inclusion of drag queens at an all-ages event would violate any provisions in SB1438 as it passed from the state legislature to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office in April. “Jack was rolling with the punches because everything was happening so quick,” Taylor said of Waldroup’s actions. “He did the best he could with what he had at that moment.” On Stokes’ advice, the Pride Alliance canceled the tie-in parade on the Event Center’s grounds and barred access to people under 21. “When it became clear it was going to pass the (state) House, there were offers going back and forth from the city to the Pride board trying to find a middle ground where everybody was happy,” Taylor said. Despite the parade and age restrictions, PrideFest went on with the Event Center’s outdoor space enclosed in a chain-link fence covered with a black tarp. The MIDFLORIDA Event Center required the fencing over concerns the venue would lose their liquor license if found in violation of SB1438, Taylor said. “That was the most heartbreaking thing,” Taylor said. “To be fenced and draped in, cut off from the rest of the world like we were doing something ‘wrong’ or ‘dirty,’ just put a dark stain on the entire thing last year. “We are still recovering from what happened last year,” Taylor said. “The loss of revenue was significant with having to move it to a 21-and-over event.” PrideFest’s 2023 restrictions were put into effect despite the Port St. Lucie city government’s past efforts at LGBTQ+ community outreach. Port St. Lucie’s City Council proclaimed June 2022 as LGBTQ+ Pride Month at their May 23, 2022, meeting, city records show. Mayor Shannon Martin read the proclamation stating the city’s intent “to strengthen alliance, build acceptance, and advance equal rights in a community in which all residents are treated with dignity and respect.” The state Legislature approved SB1438, which was described as an act relating to the protection of children, in April. DeSantis signed the bill May 17. The U.S. Supreme Court blocked SB1438 on Nov. 16, 2023, after Orlando drag-themed restaurant Hamburger Mary’s sued the state of Florida, federal court records show. The Supreme Court decided the state could not enforce SB1438 as it violated First Amendment rights citing the law’s “overbreadth.” BY CHARLES CALOIA | Correspondent FILE PHOTO
dressed contest. Admission is $5. Space is limited. For more information call 772-807- 4499 or visit CityOfPSL.com. A Special Populations Dance is scheduled for 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center (address above). This is for people 15 and older who are members of the special populations community, their families and friends. Drinks and snacks will be served. The fee is $5 per person with caregivers admitted free. For more information, call 772-807-4470 or visit CityOfPSL.com. Sunrise Theatre is the place for musical theater, comedy and more. It begins with the TPHS Drama production of “Grease” performing 7 p.m. Friday, April 26, 7 p.m. Saturday, April 27, and 2 p.m. Sunday, April 28. Tickets are $10 to $20. Sunrise Theatre’s Comedy Corner brings in James Yon to headline its show 8 p.m. Saturday, April 27. Yon has been seen on NBC and Funny Not Famous and hosting “The Lowdown.” Tickets are $25. “Girls Night, The Musical” performs 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 8. This B10 April 25, 2024 ST. LUCIE VOICE | PEOPLE www.stlucievoice.com 4 5 6 Swift fans in Tradition ‘love’ this tribute band I’LL HAVE WHAT SHE’S WEARING BOUTIQUE The Shops at St. Lucie West 1339 St. Lucie West Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL 772-245-7997 • sheswearing.com prepare to be admired CONTINUED FROM PAGE B1 COMING UP Love Story, a Taylor Swift tribute band, attracted a large crowd to the stage in Tradition Square in southwestern Port St. Lucie on April 5. Audience members were able to dance and sing along to their favorite songs by the world’s pre-eminent pop star. Some “Swifties” showed up wearing themed attire reflecting the Swift’s music albums. Previously known as the Blair’s West Band, the ensemble gave lively performances of their covers from the singer/ songwriter, who recently released a new album entitled “The Tortured Poets Department.” Lead singer Rikki Lee Wilson encouraged audience members to sing along with her, creating an interactive experience. The band played Swift’s “Mine” before coming out for an encore, performing “The Story of Us.” Attendees got to enjoy various food truck options while listening to live music to conclude their week. The tribute band concluded their show with Swift’s signature heart-hands before stepping off the stage at 8 p.m. Future performances can be found on the band’s website, lovestorytribute.com. Events happening at the town center can be found at traditionfl.com. BY TAYLOR POSIK | Correspondent show is described as a “tell it like it is” musical following a group of female friends who sing and dance their way reliving theirs pasts and celebrating their present lives. It’s described as “Desperate Housewives meets Mamma Mia.” Tickets are $45 to $65. Sunrise Theatre is at 117 S. 2nd St., Fort Pierce. Call 772-461-4775 or visit SunriseTheatre.com. Lyric Theatre is filled with music the next couple of weeks. It starts with “True Rumours,” a tribute show to Fleetwood Mac. It begins at 7 p.m. Friday, April 26. Tickets are $35. “The Best of Broadway: The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber and More” features Terry Barber and Shelley Keelor performing a wide range of Broadway songs by Lloyd Webber as well as some from “Les Miserables,” “Chicago” and “Hamilton.” Tickets are $23 to $44. “Minute by Minute: The Ultimate Doobie Brothers Tribute” begins 7 p.m. Friday, May 3. Tickets are $35. The Lyric Theatre is at 59 SW Flagler Ave., Stuart. For more information, call 772-286-7827 or visit LyricTheatre.com. Derek Boyd Hankerson of Hankerson Henry Productions announces an evening of Guest Speakers followed by the film showing of “Journey: 450 Years of African American History” on Thursday, May 2, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Fort Pierce’s Sunrise Theatre. In addition to Hankerson, presenters include Melanie Hayling George, a Fort Pierce native, daughter of Charlie Hayling, and niece of Dr. Robert Hayling. Dr. Hayling was the advisor to the NAACP during the Civil Rights movements in Florida. Larry Lee, former Fort Pierce Florida state representative and State Farm business owner, will also be a presenter. Hankerson, whose family hails from St. Augustine, is a filmmaker, social scientist and Florida Atlantic University faculty member. His presentation will show how the film, the city of Fort Pierce, the Hayling family, and his own family’s genealogy connect to Florida, especially St. Augustine and the Civil Rights Movement. When asked about the “450 Years” film, Hankerson said: “I feel this film is one of my greatest works on the accurate account of how and why former President Lyndon Baines Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act after seeing the events that occurred in St. Augustine led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Ambassador Andrew Young, Dr. Robert Hayling and others.” Tickets can be purchased online in advance for $40 at sunrisetheatre.com or at the door. PHOTOS: TAYLOR POSIK Hankerson’s Civil Rights film ‘Journey’ hits Sunrise Theatre – CONTRIBUTED