Soccer stadium too bright, noisy for Port St. Lucie neighborhood
Thanks to the column by Laurence Reisman for the heads up regarding the Port St. Lucie soccer stadium plans. It was well-cloaked for a long time if even you and other PSL city watchers did not know.
It’s a bad idea — noise, traffic, light pollution. This is a residential neighborhood!
I was at a few redevelopment planning meetings: Apartments? Yes. A few shops? OK (keep the empty ones filled first!). Hotel? No. It would not be profitable, and we have two hotels short distances away on U.S. 1. I doubt they have much occupancy year-round.
Mostly, I like what was called City Center as a place for outdoor events. And as green space ― quiet, restful, used by many. A playground would be nice, perhaps placed beside the former day care building and with a public toilet.
I lived for over 20 years in a Midport condominium, and prior to that on Cascella Court when we had the interesting “mall.” I regretted its failure.
Thanks for looking out for us!
Beate Hunton, Port St. Lucie
Metrics easy. Keeping Treasure Coast from becoming Broward County tougher
In the context of growth and development of our area, columnist Laurence Reisman recently asked, “Wouldn’t it be nice to have some, (objective scorecard or metric) so we could better assess what we have to do to create a better future for our children and grandchildren?”
I am here for you, Mr. Reisman:
Public parks per capita.
Feet of public beach frontage per capita.
Acres of accessible public land per capita.
Boat slips per resident.
Hospital beds per capita.
Miles of road per capita.
Housing price divided by median income.
Wetland acres total.
Measuring our quality of life decline can be easy. These and similar metrics would take county or TCPalm staff less than a week to generate.
I think permitted bedrooms would be a better metric than per capita, and for miles of roads, commercial occupancy should also be taken into account.
Reversing the decline is a far greater challenge. There is a lot of money to be made by turning the Treasure Coast into another Broward.
John Maloney, Palm City
AK-47 in canned goods aisle? No problem, honey
I am writing to complain about the misguided, idiotic decision by Publix to allow open carry weapons in their supermarkets.
Is this Vero or the Wild West?
The thought of people walking around the store with an AR-15, an AK-47 or any weapon would be extremely disconcerting and uncomfortable when I shop.
And what kind of message does this send to our children, who have to deal with violence in some fashion on an almost daily basis?
“Don’t worry, honey, if you see someone open fire in the canned goods aisle, just practice what you learned during shooter drills in school.”
Of course, the fact that these are necessary in schools is a tragedy in itself. These aren’t just the fire drills we grew up with.
When contacted, corporate Publix and the Miracle Mile store said they were “just following the law,” which is a duplicitous and deceptive answer. Any business or store can deny access to open carry weapons; indeed, some prohibit all weapons.
Fresh Market, Walmart Neighborhood Market, Target, Sam’s Club, Aldi and Costco do not allow them. These are the stores I will now shop at, as many of my friends have already done.
I hope if enough people do the same, and explain why, perhaps Publix will be encouraged to revise their ridiculous and dangerous policy.
I‘d hate to be caught in the crossfire while picking up some bread and milk.
Arlene Jamison, Vero Beach
Kirk fallout pits neighbor vs. neighbor, taxpayers to pay
Within hours of Charlie Kirk’s assassination, Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Randy Fine and the head of the Florida Department of Education, called for tips on anti-Kirk social media posts and comments.
Boy, were they obliged.
One of my posts was screenshotted and disseminated by a former neighbor. Our kids used to play together. Our families searched for eggs together on Easter. Our baby daughters rode in wagons together and shared clothes.
Now she was spreading misinformation about me and encouraging people to throw me off a Port Salerno Parent Teacher Association I’d never been on, even before leaving the district almost five years ago.
This is what we’ve become: a community where leaders call on people to turn in neighbors, and their minions comply.
Also snared in the Kirk brigade was Martin County teacher Matt Theobald, who also just happens to be the teacher’s union president. The Martin County School Board, a stalwart mouthpiece for the state, understood the assignment and suspended him.
After intense public outcry in support of Theobald and First Amendment rights, an administrative hearing will now rightfully be completed by non-district parties.
Based on similar prior procedures, the board has allocated between $100,000 and $200,000 in legal costs for research, preparation and negotiation. Whose money is that? Taxpayers ― to purge an exemplary teacher and longtime, exceptionally valued community member for private commentary.
Are the societal and financial costs of threatening free speech in Martin County worth it? For many, the answer is emphatically yes. This is what they voted for, and they are gleeful and proud.
Hopefully, everyone else will continue to speak out for the kind of community we want, the freedom of speech we’re still entitled to, and against Republican witch hunts and nonsensical wastes of tax dollars.
Laurie Prim, Stuart
Given profits, no FPL increase justified
I’ve been reading various articles, editorials and opinions in this paper over the past several months about the rate increase being asked for by Florida Power & Light Co.
I would like to add some information that should sway the decision of the Public Service Commission and get the attention of all FPL and NextEra customers. I ask all to do some quick research on both NextEra and FPL’s earnings and profits.
On July 23, NextEra, parent company of FPL, announced second quarter profits of $2.03 billion, which is considerably more than the same period last year of $1.62 billion. This is profit, folks!
Closer to home, FPL reported $1.28 billion in profit over the same period.
These figures are for one quarter! If we do the math, that’s over $5 billion in profit a year for FPL, yet FPL is asking for $9.7 billion from us?
This would be a travesty if the commission allows any increase!
Brad Wilkenson, Fort Pierce
During a Port St. Lucie City Council special meeting Oct. 13, 2025, at the MidFlorida Credit Union Event Center, Mayor Shannon Martin, center, announced a professional soccer stadium and United Soccer League (USL) One Team franchise men’s and women’s leagues coming to the city. The stadium will anchor the Walton & One development. Walton & One, formerly known as City Center, is a proposed walkable mixed-unit development anchored by the MidFlorida Event Center and Village Square. The men’s team, Port St. Lucie Sports Club, is expected to play in 2027, with the women’s team following.
AK-45 on U.S. 1? Florida Legislature must fix open carry
At the No Kings demonstration in Sebastian, I watched a man cross U.S. 1 within 30 feet of the demonstrators, carrying what looked to be an AK-45 on his shoulder. Fortunately, a Sebastian police officer was on hand and immediately diffused the situation.
Last month, the Florida First District Court of Appeal ruled that a 1987 Florida statute banning the open display of firearms contravened the Second Amendment of the U.S. constitution. The state has decided not to appeal the decision.
Allowing the open carrying of firearms in today’s climate with significant mental health issues and extreme political polarity is very problematic. One of the more dangerous aspects of it is that it enables the carrying of larger assault weapons such as the AK-45, which cannot be slipped into a purse or be worn in an ankle holster on a concealed basis.
If the state is not going to appeal the court decision, the Florida Legislature needs to address this issue in the upcoming legislative session starting in January.
If this is of concern to you, please reach out to your state representatives and ask them to make this a priority.
Karen Wynn, Sebastian
Promote Black history between St. Lucie, St. Johns counties
Tourism is Florida’s No. 1 industry. African-American tourism in Florida has skyrocketed over the past 15 to 20 years.
The Fort Pierce City Commission on Oct. 20 presented a proclamation celebrating October as Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Month (GGCHCM).
The 12th Annual Festival to be held on Dec. 6 in St. Johns County draws tourists from as far away as the Treasure Coast and South Florida.
This festival, Gullah-Geechee, and Zorafest provide an opportunity for cross-county cultural and heritage tourism between St. Lucie and St. Johns counties.
As an example, the proclamation highlighted Zora Neal Hurston having lived and died in Fort Pierce, visited and married in St. Augustine in 1927, and taught at Florida Normal in 1947, while living on King Street in West Augustine.
In 2015, governors from Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina named October as Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor Month.
In 2025, St. John’s County created the Black Heritage Trail, which highlights this rich West African history, which Zora wrote about in her book “Barracoon,” along with her highlighting Fort Mose. Today, Fort Mose is a thriving Florida state park and museum.
Florida Memorial University Alumni Association signed a lease to move forward with the museum on FMU’s property. Florida appropriated $1 million for the museum, and Gov. Ron DeSantis deserves huge kudos and a big thank you. DeSantis visited the area as a freshman in Congress when he represented St. John’s County at our invitation in 2015.
I’m hopeful through cross-county tourism that Fort Pierce presses the state to include Zora, other Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County residents in the museum, such as the Highwaymen and Army SP4 Pondexteur E. Williams.
Derek Boyd Hankerson, Fort Pierce
Kirk’s public service yielded rich rewards
Some interesting facts about the public service of Charlie Kirk:
Kirk’s primary sources of income included his salary from Turning Point USA, public speaking fees and revenue from his podcast and media ventures.
Here’s a breakdown of his income streams:
Turning Point USA Compensation: salary as president and CEO of Turning Point USA included a base salary of $285,929 in the fiscal year ending June 2024.
He received $99,840 in related benefits and $4,724 in other compensation, totaling just under $390,000.
The organization itself reported $85 million in revenue, with 99.2% coming from contributions.
Kirk hosted a successful podcast and radio show, which were cited as major income sources beyond his nonprofit salary.
He was a frequent speaker at conservative events and college campuses, earning substantial fees for appearances.
Investments and Assets:
Kirk owned multiple properties, including a $4.75 million estate in Arizona and a $855,000 oceanfront condo in Florida, suggesting significant investment income.
Shields McManus, Hobe Sound
Misrepresenting Kirk just like Democrats’ bogus attacks on Trump
I am appalled at the hatred Democrats feel for our president has spilled onto Charlie Kirk. They can’t resist taking cheap shots at him, even in death.
The audacity to do a Google search and cherry-pick the biased results as if Google were the Bible is ridiculous. Writing these untruths in a letter to the editor in the hope that others will be persuaded to join the Hate Party is pretty sad.
A heartless analogy: Kirk was “a man who had no empathy and did not value life for the sake of the Second Amendment”? The letter was not surprising given the terrible things liberals have said about Donald Trump over the years.
The other letter, saying that “U.S.-educated professionals” call Kirk “The American equivalent of an al-Qaeda spokesman” and that the Germans call him a German phrase for “ultra-right extremist,” implies it’s mainstream to hate him.
These two letters should show people just how far Democrats will go to disparage both our president and anyone associated with him.
Kirk was a Christian who loved his family and promoted this to the public, which, thankfully, resonated with young people ― not the ridiculous tribes of paid performers in the No Kings rallies, but young people who find purpose in working and raising children who are going back to church.
The attempts to discredit Kirk stem from anger at how he helped Trump win by showing young people the Democrats did not deserve a second chance.
Taking Kirk’s words out of context and quoting random writings from foreign countries will not work. Shame on those who use such tactics.
Patricia Perrone, Stuart
No way should roads be named after Kirk
I am 89 years old and have just recently become very proactive. I’m incensed over the proposed mandate by state Rep. Kevin Steele to rename roads at each Florida college and university after Charlie Kirk.
Kirk was a very divisive man, and to make colleges and universities name a street after him or lose state funding? Wow.
Kirk was an anti-semite. He made comments about Black people. For example, when a Black pilot walked by, Kirk suggested he remarked, “I hope he’s qualified.”
Kirk seemed to hate that women had the same rights as men and that Black people have the same job opportunities as White people. Kirk hated that gay people were allowed to live freely.
Kirk didn’t hate gun violence, because kids dying in classrooms meant the Second Amendment was alive and well.
How can we honor him or dedicate places for him? I’m sure I’ll never hear from Steele, but I wrote to him to tell him how I feel and how angry and upset I am.
And for President Donald Trump to give Kirk the medal of freedom posthumously is abhorrent.
Barbara Kupferberg, Sarasota
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Sorry, Publix; we’re done. Prevent Broward. St Lucie soccer | Letters