ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — High taxes and long commutes have become part of everyday life for thousands of families in St. Lucie County. Many residents spend hours on the road each day, traveling to jobs in Palm Beach, Broward, or Miami-Dade counties, while homeowners shoulder most of the county’s growing tax burden.

According to county data, more than 75,000 workers commute out of St. Lucie County each day, one of the highest rates in the region. But local leaders say they’re working to change that — by attracting new employers, expanding industrial space, and building a stronger local economy that keeps residents working closer to home.

One of the newest success stories is Florida Coast Medical Center, a $200 million hospital in Port St. Lucie that includes a 24-hour emergency department. CEO Tyler Sherrill says the county’s deep labor pool was a key reason to build here. “What was a consistent theme is the availability of applicants,” Sherrill said. “We found that of the 350 jobs we recruited for, we had nearly 4,000 applicants.”

Another example is OCULUS Surgical; a global manufacturer of high-tech equipment used in eye surgery. The company recently completed a new headquarters and manufacturing center in Tradition, consolidating its operations under one roof. CEO Michael Ansorge says local officials helped make the transition smooth. “Everyone we met from the official side was very welcoming — they really wanted us to be here,” he said.

These projects are part of a wave of economic activity led by the St. Lucie County Economic Development Council, or EDC, which marked its 25th anniversary this year. Since 2017, the EDC has helped attract or retain more than 21,700 jobs, generating over $1.2 billion in annual income and an estimated $4.3 billion in economic output — nearly 17% of the county’s total economy.

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Still, the county’s economic story has deep roots. In the 1950s and ’60s, Fort Pierce was a fishing and tourism hub, while Port St. Lucie was platted as 80,000 small housing lots — with little land set aside for business or industry. “That decision shaped our economy for decades,” said Wes McMurray, the EDC’s senior vice president.

That imbalance — homes without nearby jobs — is what local officials have spent the last two decades trying to fix. Since the early 2000s, leaders have set aside new commercial land and built what’s now a booming business corridor. Nearly 17 million square feet of industrial and business space has gone up in just the last eight years, housing giants like Amazon, Walmart, and Cheney Brothers.

But as the EDC points out, job growth means little without a ready workforce. To close that gap, the county recently launched the Treasure Coast Center for Economic and Educational Development (TCCEED), led by Anita Fischer. The nonprofit partners with schools and local businesses to train young people for emerging careers. “This generation right now is excited to get to work,” Fischer said. “Because there are going to be high-wage, salaried positions that they can actually be part of.”

County leaders say these investments — from new hospitals to high-tech manufacturers — represent a turning point. The goal is simple: keep talent here, grow the tax base, and give residents the chance to live, work, and thrive without spending half their day behind the wheel.

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