Hometown News St. Lucie County

11/10/2025

Demolition has commenced on the sprawling 1.1 million-square-foot South Florida Logistics Center 95, just one day before Stonemont Financial Group (SFG) was summoned to appear before a Special Magistrate Judge in St. Lucie County.

The massive warehouse, originally intended as a third-party logistics and e-commerce hub, was severely damaged by a tornado spawned from Hurricane Milton on Oct 9, 2024 — mere months after its construction.

The structure is located on Orange Avenue, west of Kings Highway.

A citizen complaint filed with the city in July 2025 highlighted debris in the right of way, prompting SFG to...

Read More: https://www.hometownnewstc.com/news/st_lucie/demolition-underway-on-tornado-ravaged-logistics-hub-on-fort-pierce-s-orange-ave/article_731aeaa1-b2b2-53ae-b5d9-ba3de22bc706.html

FORT PIERCE — Demolition has commenced on the sprawling 1.1 million-square-foot South Florida Logistics Center 95, just one day before Stonemont Financial Group (SFG) was summoned to appear before a

11/08/2025

The Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency Board voted unanimously Oct. 21 to approve purchasing the property at 1238 Avenue D adjacent to the city-owned Jackie L. Caynon Sr. Building that’s currently being remodeled for the Highwayman Museum in order to create a public outdoor plaza for future receptions and other events at the museum.

Staff have been working toward that goal ever since the FPRA first got wind of the potential availability of the parcel on March 11, which was actually blocking connectivity between the future museum and the city-owned corner piece at 13th Street designed as a public plaza and potential museum parking lot. Board Member Curtis Johnson Jr. brought up the idea during that meeting, and the FPRA voted unanimously during its subsequent March 31 meeting to authorize Johnson to order an appraisal of the property and its one-story structure in need of repairs.

Fort Pierce City Manager Richard Chess introduced the agenda item on the $150,000 purchase during the latest meeting.

“This is a critical piece of property that we want to acquire on Avenue D,” he said. “It helps us align with the plans we have related to the Highwayman Museum, and there’s other parcels there we think will benefit our vision of that corridor.”

Commissioner Michael Broderick immediately posed a clarification question.

“Who handled the negotiations on this?” he asked.

Continue reading: https://www.hometownnewstc.com/news/st_lucie/highwayman-museum-space-grows-before-opening/article_661647d5-59dc-5f03-b1aa-5989b5550354.html

11/07/2025

Robert Herndon Lane, 35, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault on an officer/firefighter/EMT; resisting arrest with violence; and obstruction without violence (a misdemeanor) from an incident in the Intracoastal Waterway in Martin County.

11/07/2025

FORT PIERCE – Do you have a few canned goods or other non-perishables in your pantry you could spare? Maybe that extra box of cereal you picked up during a BOGO could help a neighbor in need.
Hometown News is holding a food drive for Mustard Seed Ministries to help local families.
There are many families with children in our communities who could benefit from your simple act of kindness. That one can of tuna you donate could be the difference between a hungry belly or tuna sandwiches for dinner.
Hometown News’ Lakewood Park office will be a collection point for non-perishable food items until Dec. 19.
Drop off donations during normal business hours Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Canned fruits and vegetables, soups, pasta, rice, peanut butter, tuna, cereal, baby food, and juices are welcome. Pop-top cans and easy, ready-to-eat meals are especially helpful for sharing with the homeless.
If the Lakewood Park location isn’t convenient for you, just deliver your donations directly to Mustard Seed Ministries at 3130 S. U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce.
Let’s come together to support our neighbors. Every can counts.
For more information ,feel free to contact Hometown News at (772) 467-5656. Drop off donations at 5059 Turnpike Feeder Rd., Fort Pierce, FL 34951.

FORT PIERCE – Do you have any canned goods or non-perishables in your pantry that you can part ways with?

11/07/2025

Thank you to everyone who participated in submitting your loved ones to share in our local Veterans edition! The edition is now live on our website. A special thank you goes out to our Veterans for your service and sacrifice! 🫡

View the TC Veterans for Thursday, November 6, 2025

11/06/2025

The St. Lucie County Commission voted unanimously Oct. 21 to deny a Meritage Home request to rezone a 43.3-acre parcel in White City to planned unit development over concerns with increased density, native tree removals and compatibility due to the rural nature of the community that’s feeling growth pressures on all sides.

Senior Planner Thad Crowe provided a comprehensive overview of the request to change the RS-2 Zoning – which allows only two dwelling units an acre – to planned unit development so Meritage Homes could match the underlying land use, which allows five units per acre.

“It’s an area in transition,” he said of the land wedged between U.S. 1 and Oleander Avenue. “This is a large, vacant tract of land in an area gradually transitioning into more suburban use. If you start at U.S. 1 and work your way westward, you’ll see intensive uses along U.S. 1 give way to larger residential lots moving towards the St. Lucie River. It’s challenging for the county to handle this transition when you have existing neighborhoods and everyone’s affected by it.”

Although a site plan was not on the agenda that day, Crowe provided a few details of what commissioners might see in a potential Tidewater II development.

“The west portion is proposed for 74 detached single-family [homes] on 60-foot-wide lots, an amenity parcel, landscape buffers and a five-acre conservation area along Oleander,” he explained. “The eastern portion is the townhome component of Tidewater II: 94 proposed units; 60 are 20 feet by 80 feet; and 34 of those lots are 24 by 80 feet. Again, there’s a stormwater pond, an amenity parcel and landscape buffers.”

Afterward, Meritage Homes Vice-President of Land Development Jeff Alexander and his contracted Land Planner Leah Heinzelmann both addressed the Commission, with the former emphasizing the quality of the homes built by the company since 1985.

“We focus on things like...

Continue reading the rest of the story: https://www.hometownnewstc.com/news/st_lucie/st-lucie-rejectstidewater-ii-rezone/article_9ba80cb0-931d-5ae9-b5a1-02008128cc31.html

11/05/2025

Fort Pierce to break ground on $10.25m Indian River Drive revitalization
City launches major downtown improvement project to enhance safety, mobility, and waterfront access

Read more: https://www.hometownnewstc.com/news/indian_river/fort-pierce-to-break-ground-on-10-25m-indian-river-drive-revitalization/article_dca2b7c3-746c-5dc4-9431-e8f440c7b32d.html

11/05/2025

A 41-year-old Port St. Lucie woman was arrested on Nov. 1 for allowing teenagers to drink alcohol at her home on Halloween, according to police reports.

Officers responded to the 11000 block of Southwest Fieldstone Way, Port St. Lucie before midnight on Oct. 31, responding to multiple complaints about a disturbance in the area, with a large crowd of minors at a house party.

The state Department of Children and Family Services also was on the scene, having received similar reports that the resident, later identified as Audrey Elizabeth Mahaney, 41, allegedly was allowing house parties and permitting teenagers to consume alcohol on a regular basis, according to police reports.

Prior to officers and DCF approaching the home, a large crowd of teens were seen going in and out of the home and were gathering on the front lawn, which had scattered empty bottles of alcohol, according to police reports

Contact was made with Mahaney who was having her own gathering with adult friends in the home for Halloween and was allowing her two minor children to have their own guests.

During the course of the investigation, police learned that adults were not monitoring the teeangers’ activities or safety to prevent underage alcohol consumption, according to police reports.

Mahaney was arrested on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor by allowing alcohol at a house party. She was taken to the St. Lucie County Jail where she posted a $150 bond and was released at 3:30 a.m., according to jail records.

https://www.hometownnewstc.com/news/st_lucie/psl-woman-arrested-for-allowing-teens-to-drink-alcohol-at-her-home/article_d90c7a8e-c321-5b73-ab0a-02f5c7c226dc.html

11/05/2025

District 2 voters will return to the polls Jan. 13 to decide between former St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky and business executive Jaimebeth Galinis, after neither secured more than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s special election to fill a vacancy on the Fort Pierce City Commission.

Dzadovsky, 64, of 1002 Jamaica Ave., a semi-retired real estate agent who served four terms on the County Commission, led the field with 1,034 votes — just under 40 percent of those cast, according to unofficial results. Galinis, 48, of 1710 Plover Ave., an operational efficiency senior director at Becton Dickinson in Stuart, followed with 796 votes, or nearly 31 percent.

Former mayoral candidate Donna Diehl Benton, 67, of 1365 Bayshore Dr., a real estate business owner and wife of former Mayor Bob Benton, placed third with 760 votes, or about 29 percent.

Because no candidate received a majority, the top two finishers will advance to a runoff under city election rules.

Dzadovsky, who campaigned on his government experience and record of community service, had pledged to donate half of his first-year commissioner salary if any candidate cleared 50 percent in the primary, saying the gesture could help save taxpayers the cost of a second election.

Galinis, a first-time candidate, emphasized neighborhood quality-of-life issues and called for limits on the heavy truck traffic associated with the transport of garbage through the city to a landfill in Okeechobee County.

While city races are officially nonpartisan, both candidates received...

READ MORE: https://www.hometownnewstc.com/news/st_lucie/dzadovsky-galinis-advance-to-fort-pierce-city-commission-runoff/article_ae932799-2e34-5346-879c-9581bc6d5520.html

11/04/2025

Port St. Lucie woman killed when she jumps from moving truck on I-95
Victim told a friend on her cell phone that she planned to jump, police say.

Read more: https://www.hometownnewstc.com/news/st_lucie/port-st-lucie-woman-killed-when-she-jumps-from-moving-truck-on-i-95/article_ec61431e-9c6c-5e1c-9abc-9318c2f22f48.html

11/04/2025

Council gets half-cent infrastructure update
Surtax has paid to resurface 81 miles of roadway and construct 12 miles of new sidewalks since 2018



Read more: https://www.hometownnewstc.com/news/st_lucie/council-gets-half-cent-infrastructure-update/article_35fe5d89-fbcb-5d9f-ba57-949aef085a0f.html

11/04/2025

Treasure Coast neighbors step up as SNAP shutdown squeezes families
Federal feud leaves 80,000 local families hungry — but community is filling the gap.

READ MORE: https://www.hometownnewstc.com/treasure-coast-neighbors-step-up-as-snap-shutdown-squeezes-families/article_d03a0850-5b7c-5757-916c-2eb6df66e173.html

Mustard Seed Ministries