STUART — Homeowners along St. Lucie Boulevard hope reducing the speed limit to 25 mph will improve safety on the scenic route to the beaches on Hutchinson Island.

The Martin County Commissioners voted unanimously to reduce to speed limit to 25 mph from 35 mph on St. Lucie Boulevard after hearing 10 homeowners complain about speeding and discourteous drivers who have caused accidents and struck pets.

The new 25 mph speed limit signs will go up in about two weeks.
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One of Martin County’s most beloved beaches may be closed indefinitely.

Bathtub Reef Beach, known for its worm-rock reef and calm waters, has been closed off and on since storms left it battered and severely eroded more than two years ago.

The parking lot is full of sand. Bathrooms are closed. Litter is common, and the reef has been damaged by graffiti and illicit beachgoers trampling on its delicate structure.

County officials, who closed the beach until further notice in October, are short on cash and solutions to shore up one of their most recognizable natural landmarks. They say it may never look like it once did. (more…)

Jack, a green sea turtle, before he was released.

After riding for several hours in a car, the loggerhead sea turtle had lifted its head with apparent interest when the hatch swung open, flapping a flipper at staff members from The Florida Aquarium in Tampa.

And the flapping grew more intense when they hoisted the 50-pound turtle toward the Intracoastal Waterway off Hutchinson Island in St. Lucie County.

But, upon entering the waterway, Teddy seemed to lose interest, swimming a few feet away, then turning back and lifting both head and flipper out of the water.

“He’s saying bye,” said Virginia Wright-Placeres, a staff member at the aquarium.

But Teddy didn’t leave. The turtle swam nearby while staff members released a 10-pound green sea turtle, nicknamed Jack, into the water. (more…)