Port Saint Lucie

Port St. Lucie is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located 125 miles (201 km) southeast of Orlando and 113 miles (182 km) north of Miami. The name "St. Lucia" is originally derived from the name of a settlement near Jupiter Inlet which was founded on St. Lucia's day in 1566. In the early 1890s, an early pioneer settlement named Spruce Bluff was located along the St.Lucie River, which consisted of several families with a school, post office, pineapple plantation, and sawmill. In 1959, the General Development Corporation (GDC) purchased the River Park development and 40,000 acres (160 km²) along the North Fork of the St Lucie River. The city became a city on April 27, 1961, with the passage of House Bill No. 953, proposed by State Representative Rupert Smith and approved by Florida Governor C. Farris Bryant. In 2006, CC started development of its newest community, Tradition. The community, which sits west of the Interstate 95 interchange with Gatlin Blvd., was a large cattle ranch before CC began to develop it. There they built around 13,000,000 square feet (1,200,000 m2) of commercial area, and room for over 18,000 residences. According to CC's website, Tradition is the largest fully entitled residential development area from the tip of Interstate 95 to the CanadaU.S. border. It was also chosen as the site of HGTV's Green Home 2009.

History

Port Saint Lucie is the primary city name, but also Fort Pierce, Port St Lucie are acceptable city names or spellings. The name "St. Lucie" is originally derived from a settlement near Jupiter Inlet which was founded on St. Lucia's day in 1566. In the early 1890s, an early pioneer settlement named Spruce Bluff was located along the St.Lucie River. In 1958, with a budget of $5, the General Development Corporation (GDC) purchased the River Park development and 40,000 acres (160 km²) along the North Fork of the St Lucie river. In 1959, the GDC opened its first bridge over the St Lucia River, allowing for direct automobile access to Port St. Lucies. In 1961, there were 250 homes in the new city. In 2006, CC started development of its newest community, Tradition, which sits west of the Interstate 95 interchange with Gatlin Blvd. There they built around 13,000,000 square feet (1,200,000 m2) of commercial area, and room for over 18,000 residences. According to CC's website, Tradition is the largest fully entitled residential development area from the tip of Interstate 95 to the CanadaU.S. border. It is modeled after a 1950s-era town. In 2007, the housing market began to collapse and unemployment started to rise. As of February 2009, unemployment was at 10½ percent and in 2008, nearly 11,000 homes went into foreclosure. This prompted the county government to consider declaring itself a disaster area. In 2008, Tradition and Core Communities welcomed the Florida Center of Innovation (later renamed Tradition Center for Innovation), a 150-acre privately owned research park dedicated to drug discovery, immunology and medical devices, and healthcare. In 2015, VGTI shut down their facility and Mann Research Center soon followed.

Demographics

As of 2000, 31.6% of households had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.1% were non-families. In 2000, the city's population was spread out, with 24.3% under age 18, 5.9% from 18 to 24, 28.1%. The median income for a household in the city was $40,509, and the median family income was $44,162. About 15.7% of families and 17.9%. of the population were below the poverty line. In total, 11.94% of the total population spoke languages other than English. In 2010, 88.05% of residents spoke English as their first language, while 6.59% spoke Spanish, 1.34% spoke Italian and 1.00% spoke French. In the city, 0.60% spoke German, and 0.50% spoke Haitian Creole as their mother tongue. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.4 males. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was2.94. For each 100 females aged 18 and up, there are 94.5 males. For. every 100 males age 18 or over, the average household income is $18,730 and the per capita income for the city is $16,702.

Geography

Port St. Lucie is located in the broad transition zone between a humid subtropical climate (Cfa), which dominates Central Florida, and within the northern extent of the tropical climate typical of South Florida. Summers are usually hot, with high temperatures averaging in the low 90s. Winters are usually mild to warm, with average high temperatures in the 70s. The average yearly precipitation is around 53.5 in. The city has a total area of 76.7 sq mi (198.6 km²), of which 75.5 sq mi is land and 1.2sq mi (3.0 km²) (1.50%) is water. As of 2020, there are 32 neighborhoods in Port St. Lucie: 32 neighborhoods as of 2020. The area was hit directly by Hurricane Frances (as a Category 2 hurricane) on September 4, 2004, and by Hurricane Jeanne on September 26, 2004. On October 24, 2005, the city was hit by Hurricane Wilma (as a Category 3 hurricane) The city is located on the Florida Turnpike, which runs between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. It has a population of 1.3 million (as of the 2010 U.S. Census), making it one of the largest cities in the state. It is the largest city in the Florida Keys, and the second-largest city in Miami-Dade County, after Fort Lauderdale, with a total population of 2.2 million (as of 2010).

Infrastructure

Port St. Lucie is home to Florida's only toll road, the Turnpike. Florida East Coast Railway's mainline passes through the northwestern part of the city. The city is the location of Florida's first superstreet intersection, known as a "restricted-crossing U-turn intersection" at Crosstown Parkway and Floresta Drive. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) approved funding, expanding the bus service to Martin County, and became the Treasure Coast Connector on June 3, 2002. The original bus system started out as a demand response service bus in the 1990s, it only served St Lucie County. Port St.Lucie is responsible for maintaining approximately 912.5 miles (1,468.5 km) of roadway within its city limits. It is also home to the MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Event Center, which was once envisioned as the center of the City's 'downtown' As of today, the area around the Event Center remains mostly undeveloped, and the area surrounding it is mostly strip malls and shopping centers. The U.S. 1 highway runs the entire length of the state, its route through the city extends from the Martin/St. Lucies County line to the south to Midway Road at the northern limits of theCity. Both the Florida East coast Railway and the FEC's K Branch pass through the extreme eastern part of Port StLucie. No services are provided by the FEC inside the city limits; no services are available by FEC inside Port St Lucia.

Sports

Port St. Lucie is the spring training home to the New York Mets, as well as two minor league teams. The city also hosted the Ginn sur Mer Classic at Tesoro, the city's first ever PGA Tour event, in 2007. The Treasure Coast Tritons soccer team also play in the city at the South County Stadium, starting in the 2019 season. In 2009, the Jr. Midget Pirates went 160 en route to winning the Pop Warner National Championship at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex. The Jr. Peewee Pirates went 170 in winning the National Championship in 2001. The City has two soccer clubs, Mako Soccer Club and Port St.Lucie Soccer Club, that field both competitive and recreational teams at several age levels. The PGA Village golf complex includes 54 holes of golf as wellas a learning center and a historical center. In 2011, the City was the home of the 2009 & 2011 National Champions in Pop Warner football. In 2012, the Port St Lucie Pirates were the National Champion in the Junior Pop Warner Football League, beating the Tampa Bay Rays in the final game of the championship series. In 2013, the team won the U.S. Youth Football Championship, the first time they had ever done so. The team was the first team to do so in the history of the league. In 2014, they were the first to win the title twice in a row. In 2015, they won the title for the second consecutive year.

Education

Port St. Lucie is served by St.Lucie County Public Schools, which is a school district which serves the rest of St Lucie County. The town is home to several colleges and universities, including Indian River State College, Keiser University, and Fortis Institute. It also has a number of elementary schools, high schools, charter schools, and K-12 schools. It is located in the Florida panhandle, near the state capital of Fort Lauderdale and the state's largest city of Miami-Dade. The city is located on the Florida Turnpike, which connects to the Florida Gulf Coast and the Florida Keys. It has a population of about 2.2 million people, making it one of the most densely populated areas in the state, along with St. Augustine, Fort Lauderdale, and Bayshore. It was the site of the U.S. Civil War and the Battle of the Bulge, which took place between 1864 and 1875. It's also known as the birthplace of Martin Luther King, Jr. and the founder of the American Indian Movement in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Its name is derived from the Spanish word for "peaceful" or "loyalty" (Latin for "belonging to the dead"). It is also the name of the town's first post-secondary school, which was established in 1864. It later became a high school, and later a middle school, before becoming an elementary school and high school.

Government

Shannon Martin Mayor of Port St. Lucie. Jolien Caraballo Vice Mayor and Councilwoman, District 4. Stephanie Morgan Councilwoman and District 1. David Pickett Councilman, District 2. Anthony Bonna Councilmen, District 3. Russ Blackburn City Manager. The City of Port Saint Lucie is in the state of Florida. It is the largest city in Florida, with a population of more than 1.5 million. The city is home to the Florida Medical Examiner’s Office and the Florida Department of Health and Human Services. The Port St Lucie Police Department has a force of about 1,000 officers. It has a budget of about $1.2 million. It also has a city manager and a city council of about 50 officers. The mayor and four council members are elected for a four-year term. The council has a total of nine members, and the city manager has a term of three years. The current council is made up of seven women. The Mayor is Shannon Martin and the City Manager is Russ Blackburn. The Council also has three female council members, Stephanie Morgan, David Picket, and Anthony Bona. The police department has a police force of around 1,500 officers. There is a mayor and a councilwoman for each of the four council districts. The office of the police chief has a staff of about 100 officers. In total, the city has a workforce of about 2,000.

Libraries

There are 6 regular branches in St. Lucie County and the Pruitt Campus Library. There are 4 branches in the city of Port St.Lucie. The library system is funded by the state of Florida and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. The libraries are open seven days a week from 9am to 6pm. The public can use the library system's computers to check out books and other items. The system is fully funded through the state and the county. It has a budget of $1.2 billion. The total number of libraries in the state is $2.1 billion. It is the largest library system in the United States. It also has the largest number of computers in the country. The main library system has the capacity to print more than 100,000 books a year. It was built in the 1970s and has a library system that was expanded in the 1980s and 1990s. In the 1990s, the number of books was increased to more than 1.5 million. It now has a capacity of 1.6 million. The county has a total of 14 libraries, including 4 public libraries and 4 private libraries. The local library system was founded in the 1950s. The first public library was opened in Port St Lucie, Florida. The current library system opened in the 2000s. It covers an area of 4.5 square miles and has 4 branches. The town has a population of 2.3 million. There is also a public library in Indian River State College, a joint facility with the state college.

Air Quality, Water Quality, Superfund Sites & UV Index

The Air Quality index is in Port Saint Lucie, Saint Lucie County, Florida = 92.6. These Air Quality index is based on annual reports from the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The number of ozone alert days is used as an indicator of air quality, as are the amounts of seven pollutants including particulates, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and volatile organic chemicals. The Water Quality Index is 55. A measure of the quality of an area’s water supply as rated by the EPA. Higher values are better (100=best). The EPA has a complex method of measuring the watershed quality, using 15 indicators such as pollutants, turbidity, sediments, and toxic discharges. The Superfund Sites Index is 80. Higher is better (100=best). Based upon the number and impact of EPA Superfund pollution sites in the county, including spending on the cleanup efforts. The UV Index in Port Saint Lucie = 6.7 and is a measure of an area's exposure to the sun's ultraviolet rays. This is most often a combination of sunny weather, altitude, and latitude. The UV Index has been defined by the WHO (www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-the-ultraviolet-(uv)-index) and is uniform worldwide.

Employed

The most recent city population of 204,851 individuals with a median age of 37.7 age the population grows by 87.42% in Port Saint Lucie, Saint Lucie County, Florida population since 2000 and are distributed over a density of 1,718.32 residents per square mile of area (663.45/km²). There are average 2.57 people per household in the 64,402 households with an average household income of $49,544 a year. The unemployment rate in Alabama is of the available work force and has dropped -5.55% over the most recent 12-month period and the projected change in job supply over the next decade based on migration patterns, economic growth, and other factors will increase by 15.90%. The number of physicians in Port Saint Lucie per 100,000 population = 121.7.

Weather

The annual rainfall in Port Saint Lucie = 57.9 inches and the annual snowfall = 0 inches. The annual number of days with measurable precipitation (over .01 inch) = 134. The average number of days per year that are predominantly sunny = 238. 90 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily high temperature for the month of July and 55 degrees Fahrenheit is the average daily low temperature for the month of January. The Comfort Index (higher=better) is 27, where higher values mean a more pleasant climate. The Comfort Index measure recognizes that humidity by itself isn't the problem. (Have you noticed nobody ever complains about the weather being 'cold and humid?) It's in the summertime that we notice the humidity the most, when it's hot and muggy. Our Comfort Index uses a combination of afternoon summer temperature and humidity to closely predict the effect that the humidity will have on people.

Median Home Cost

The percentage of housing units in Port Saint Lucie, Saint Lucie County, Florida which are owned by the occupant = 77.51%. A housing unit is a house, apartment, mobile home, or room occupied as separate living quarters. The average age of homes = 9 years with median home cost = $99,000 and home appreciation of -20.57%. This is the value of the years most recent home sales data. Its important to note that this is not the average (or arithmetic mean). The median home price is the middle value when you arrange all the sales prices of homes from lowest to highest. This is a better indicator than the average, because the median is not changed as much by a few unusually high or low values. The property tax rate of $13.61 shown here is the rate per $1,000 of home value. If for simplification for example the tax rate is $14.00 and the home value is $250,000, the property tax would be $14.00 x ($250,000/1000), or $3500. This is the 'effective' tax rate.

Study

The local school district spends $4,006 per student. There are 19.1 students for each teacher in the school, 1021 students for each Librarian and 392 students for each Counselor. 8.40% of the area’s population over the age of 25 with an Associate Degree or other 2-year college degree, 10.04% with a master’s degree, Ph.D. or other advanced college degree and 5.00% with high school diplomas or high school equivalency degrees (GEDs).