PORT ST. LUCIE — The 23-year-old Club Med Sandpiper resort, regarded as one of the city’s jewels, is on the verge of getting an estimated $25 million polish.

Situated on 216 acres within the Sandpiper Bay community, the resort, which boasts an 18-hole golf course, tennis club and vacation suites along the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, will undergo a “dramatic” renovation, according to Club Med’s application for a zoning change filed with the city.

Tentative plans call for the resort to close from late August through mid-December, said spokeswoman Kate Moeller, while dining, entertainment and recreational amenities and buildings are upgraded to a more contemporary style.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — Residents opposed to the St. Lucie County Fire District’s plan to erect a cell tower on Dalton Circle won their battle Monday night.

“But the war is not over yet,” said Dalton Circle resident Ron Colangelo.

The City Council unanimously rejected a plan by the Fire District that would have allowed it to replace several of its 911 communications towers at various fire stations with cell phone towers without having to comply with existing city zoning codes.
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VERO BEACH — Jury selection begins Monday in the DUI trial of Indian River County Administrator Joe Baird and prosecutors will get to use key evidence the defense wanted excluded.

County Judge David Morgan refused defense attorney Bobby Guttridge’s request Wednesday to toss out the May 16 arrest, which the attorney said was based on an invalid stop. (more…)

INDIANTOWN — For years, the owners of J&R Outfitters ran a hunting lodge featuring exotic game such as Asian water buffalo, Nilgai antelope and Pere David deer thinking they had all the required Martin County permits.

But several code violations were discovered at J&R Outfitters last fall after the opening of a shooting range that outraged nearby homeowners with incessant gunfire.

Now Bill Richey and Joe O’Bannon are aiming to keep their hunting lodge open by jumping through all the regulatory hoops that apply to their business at 7600 S.W. Fox Brown Road.

“We never dreamed that what we were doing was illegal and we never tried to get away with anything,” said Richey, a former state prosecutor. “We have been no secret in Martin County. We have been here for 20 years.” (more…)

VERO BEACH — The private defense attorney for Indian River County Administrator Joe Baird said Thursday he plans to enter a not-guilty plea to the driving while intoxicated charge Baird was arrested on Saturday night in Vero Beach.

Baird was driving from a Youth Guidance Volunteer Program fundraiser near Wabasso and “many people who saw him there say they don’t believe he was impaired at all,” said attorney Bobby Guttridge. “They spoke with him and interacted with him.”

Vero Beach Police allege Baird was speeding — doing 43 mph in a 30 mph zone — in his private car and crossed a centerline before an officer stopped him at 10:26 p.m. on 21st Street, according to police reports.
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STUART — To contend with the ongoing budgetary uncertainties facing local governments, Stuart City commissioners Monday unanimously approved an early retirement incentive package for city workers.

In addition to regular retirement benefits, city employees who would be eligible for retirement by Sept. 30 can opt to receive 36 months of paid insurance at their current coverage and premium level or a lump-sum, before-tax payout of $20,000, said Stuart City Manager Dan Hudson.
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PORT ST. LUCIE — Seven city employees from the Engineering Department were laid off on Friday because of a lack of work, according to city officials on Monday.

Officials aren’t sure if or when more layoffs will occur because of the slowdown or because of the city’s upcoming budget cuts.
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MARTIN COUNTY — Former Martin County Commissioner John William Holt Jr., who helped create the original Martin County Comprehensive Land Use Plan, died Monday at Treasure Coast Hospice. He was 79.

“He had been ill for some time,” said his wife of 57 years, Evelyn. “His heart just gave out.”

Born in Pahokee, Dec. 15, 1929, the son of John W. Holt Sr. and his wife, Hosea, Holt grew up on a ranch in western Martin County. His brother was former Martin County Sheriff Jim Holt. Like his father and brother, Holt was a rancher.
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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 — Local business operators can breathe easy about potentially paying hundreds in fines for violating the city’s window signage code.

About a dozen local business owners and managers came to the City Council’s Monday night meeting to discuss their signage issues. Code enforcement officers did a random sweep across the city last month, and the majority of businesses in the Westport shopping plaza received window signage code violation warnings.

“We all know what the economy is doing to the local businesses,” said Mayor Patricia Christensen. “We want to try and help. We’re not here to hurt.”
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