ST. LUCIE COUNTY — With the swoop of a small plane carrying County Commission Chairwoman Paula Lewis and the splash of water cannons from fire trucks, St. Lucie County International Airport will christen its new 4,000-foot runway on Thursday.

The $15.3 million runway is about 2,500 feet northwest of the existing pair of runways. It has been under construction for more than a year.

“We had a lot to do,” Lewis said. “We moved power lines, we acquired a piece of property for light of sight from the control tower, and I’m excited that it’s finally finished.”
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ST. LUCIE COUNTY — After weeks of police officer training in a classroom, Indian River State College students move on to a small platform that provides a high-tech simulation of how they react in a real-life situation.

They’re given a weapon that only emits lasers and equipped with a belt that zaps them if they put themselves in danger.

“It teaches consequences if they make bad decisions,” Stephen Huntsberger, associate dean of Public Service Education for IRSC, said of the VirTra Systems simulator at the complex.

The simulator is one of the planned demonstrations at Friday’s public open house at the new Indian River State College Public Safety Complex.
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FORT PIERCE — Soon residents and visitors to South Beach’s Jetty Park will get to enjoy more waterfront views, parking and easier access to a 2 1/2-mile linear park.

The City Commission, seated as the Fort Pierce Redevelopment Agency board, Wednesday approved a $1.4 million land acquisition that will double the size of Jetty Park to 2.87 acres.

The purchase is for 1 acre on the eastern side of the vacant Mariner Bay Motel property, formerly the Days Inn, at the corner of Seaway Drive and State Road A1A. (more…)

HUTCHINSON ISLAND — Ever since Steve Weaver built his three-story, 5,772-square-foot waterfront home on Thumb Point Drive in Fort Pierce, neighbors have balked at its size.

Now several of Weaver’s neighbors want city officials to revise the South Beach Overlay District to restrict anyone else from being able to build a three-story house in low-density residential zones on the beach.

“It’s really a problem of three-story houses in a one- and two-story neighborhood,” said Thumb Point resident John Wolsiefer, who lives two doors down from Weaver. “Three-story houses overwhelm the neighborhood.”
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PORT ST. LUCIE — Residents near Faith Congregational Church won’t be seeing a cell phone tower by their homes in the future.

The Port St. Lucie City Council unanimously agreed Monday night to deny granting special exception to city zoning codes for a cell phone tower to be built at the church on the southeast corner of Savona and California boulevards. (more…)