PORT ST LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) — Port St. Lucie voters are deciding Tuesday who they want to lead one of Florida’s largest cities, with growth, traffic, development and the future of the city among the major issues in the mayoral race.
CBS12 News sat down with incumbent Mayor Shannon Martin and challengers Steven Giordano and Eric Strazzeri ahead of Election Day, asking them the same questions about some of the biggest concerns facing Port St. Lucie and what they would do if elected.
Their answers reveal different approaches to managing a city that continues to grow.
Managing Port St. Lucie’s growth
Giordano said he believes the city needs to slow development and focus on whether existing infrastructure can handle what is already being built.
“I want to slow down the growth and make sure that our infrastructure can handle what we already have,” Giordano said.
He said the city needs to make sure its drainage systems, roads and traffic infrastructure can keep up with development. Giordano also said he wants the city to focus more heavily on supporting local businesses and attracting higher-paying jobs.
Martin said one challenge is that many development rights were granted decades ago and cannot simply be taken away by the current City Council.
“What a lot of people don’t realize still is that the developer rights were granted over 20 years ago,” Martin said. “Where the developers do have those rights that were granted and those entitlements, we can’t make that change.”
Martin pointed to Rosser Lakes Preserve as an example of an area where the city was able to prevent additional development. She said a developer wanted to build 86 homes on the property, but the city instead acquired the land to preserve it as green space. Martin said Port St. Lucie has acquired more than 280 acres of green space since January 2025.
Strazzeri said he supports what he calls responsible growth but believes infrastructure should be in place before communities are developed.
“Our roads, our schools, our utilities, our emergency services need to be in place prior to them developing in these communities because they’re playing catch up right now,” Strazzeri said.
Traffic
All three candidates acknowledged traffic as a major issue, but offered different approaches.
Giordano called traffic in St. Lucie West a “nightmare” and said he wants a new traffic study examining roadways, traffic signals and signal timing.
“It takes almost 30 minutes to get from one end to the other,” Giordano said of St. Lucie West. “That’s totally unacceptable.”
He said the city should examine where roads could be widened, whether medians need to be removed and where other changes could improve traffic flow.
Martin pointed to projects already underway, including work on Floresta Drive and Port St. Lucie Boulevard South, roundabouts in Torino and planned intersection improvements at Tradition Parkway and Village Parkway, Savona Boulevard and Gatlin Boulevard.
She said roundabouts can help move vehicles more efficiently and the city is extending turn lanes where possible.
“We’re going to continue to look at all of our areas and do those intersection improvements so that we can keep the flow of traffic going to reduce that traffic congestion,” Martin said.
Strazzeri said the city needs to be “proactive and not reactive,” calling for better traffic signal coordination, adaptive signal technology and road expansion where possible.
“We have to ensure that the infrastructure keeps pace with the development,” Strazzeri said.
Who should pay for growth?
The candidates also addressed concerns over whether developers are paying enough toward the infrastructure needed to support new development.
Giordano said developers should be held accountable for infrastructure needs associated with their projects.
“They need to pay their fair share if they’re going to be coming here and developing,” Giordano said, adding that if a project requires sidewalks or lights, developers should be responsible for those needs.
Martin pushed back on the idea that developers are not already paying toward infrastructure.
“All the developers are required to pay mobility or impact fees for roads, for parks, for law enforcement and for civic space,” Martin said.
She said the city periodically reviews and increases those fees, but noted state law limits how much municipalities can levy through impact and mobility fees.
Strazzeri said he also believes developers should carry more of the burden associated with growth.
“The developers have to pay their fair share,” Strazzeri said. “This should not be pushed off to the residents.”
He said roads, schools, emergency services and utilities should be addressed as part of the development process.
Property taxes, CDDs and housing costs
Martin also addressed a distinction she said residents should understand when looking at what they pay to live in Port St. Lucie.
She said the city does not control housing prices or interest rates, but does control its own property tax rate.
Martin said Port St. Lucie has lowered its property tax rate each year for the past 11 years, reducing the rate by 25% over that period. She also said 22% of a resident’s property tax bill goes to the city, with the remainder going to other taxing authorities.
Martin also addressed Community Development District assessments, or CDDs, which are common in parts of Tradition. She said those assessments are determined by their respective CDD boards, not the Port St. Lucie City Council.
On housing affordability, Giordano said higher-paying jobs are an important part of making it possible for residents to afford homes.
“We need to bring the jobs,” Giordano said.
Strazzeri acknowledged the city does not control the housing market or interest rates but said it can work on affordable housing and ensuring housing options exist for everyday workers.
“Everybody deserves the right to afford a home,” Strazzeri said.
Giordano also tied housing affordability to the need for higher-paying jobs. He said he wants to attract investors, medical centers and technology companies to Port St. Lucie.
“We need those $100,000 jobs for our community,” Giordano said. “Why do we have to travel to West Palm Beach, Fort Lauderdale or Miami?”
Strazzeri also said attracting higher-paying jobs could help residents afford to stay in the city. He said he would like to see Port St. Lucie become a technology hub rather than having residents leave for higher-paying work elsewhere.
Trash collection
Trash service is another issue that has generated debate in Port St. Lucie. The city currently provides garbage collection once a week. Port St. Lucie voters will also get a chance to weigh in on trash service in the November general election, when a nonbinding question will ask whether residents support twice-weekly garbage pickup.
Giordano said he supports allowing residents to decide service frequency and proposed creating a city-run trash operation instead of outsourcing collection.
He estimated the city currently spends roughly $61 million outsourcing trash service and said he believes a city operation could provide the service for around $55 million while creating jobs. Those cost estimates are Giordano’s and were not independently verified by CBS12 News.
Strazzeri said he remains frustrated with trash service and also believes voters should have a say in how often their trash is collected.
“We’re paying more for less service, whereas previously we were paying less and getting more service,” Strazzeri said.
He said he has heard from residents who want twice-a-week pickup and others who prefer different service levels.
The city has previously said twice-weekly collection would require more equipment and workers and would cost residents approximately $130 more per household each year.
Soccer stadium and a downtown for Port St. Lucie
One of the clearest differences between the candidates involves the planned minor league soccer stadium and the broader effort to create a downtown-like destination.
Martin supports the project and said the stadium is intended to serve as an anchor for redevelopment on the city’s east side.
She said the city is not paying for the stadium itself, its operations or maintenance, or debt associated with it.
“It’s supposed to be the anchor to start attracting all those different uses of the retail, the shopping, the hotels to really redevelop that entire area so that we can have that walkable downtown-like destination point,” Martin said.
Giordano opposes the stadium and said he would try to stop it if possible.
“If I can stop the soccer stadium, I will stop it,” Giordano said.
However, he said that if the project cannot be stopped, he would work to make the venue as profitable as possible by using it for concerts, graduations and other community events.
Giordano said he does support creating a downtown and floated attracting investors and even a Seminole Hard Rock casino as possibilities.
Strazzeri said he is not opposed to a downtown but does not believe it or the soccer stadium should be the city’s priority right now.
“I would really like to improve the roads,” Strazzeri said. “I would like to bring, you know, Trader Joe’s, a Topgolf, higher-paying jobs.”
He said Port St. Lucie should first focus on quality of life and other needs.
“I’m not saying that I’m against a downtown, but right now we need to focus on other things,” Strazzeri said.
Water quality
Water quality also came up during the candidate interviews.
Giordano said he wants the city to stop chemical spraying in lakes and waterways, pointing to a fish kill at Sawgrass Lakes as an example of his concern. He attributed the deaths to spraying and said the practice would stop if he becomes mayor.
Strazzeri similarly said he would prefer natural approaches, including aeration or dredging, over what he described as harsh chemicals.
“I would prefer to find natural ways to fix these issues rather than using these harsh chemicals and killing the fish,” Strazzeri said.
Martin pointed to the city’s existing water-quality programs, including the McCarty Ranch Water Quality Project, stormwater baffle boxes and other projects aimed at reducing nutrients and pollution.
“We constantly have projects going that are all about water quality,” Martin said.
What would they prioritize in office?
Martin said her top priority if reelected would continue to be public safety, followed by infrastructure, reducing traffic congestion and maintaining quality of life.
She also pointed to what she considers accomplishments during her time in office, including lowering the city’s millage rate, reducing city debt by more than $400 million and adding parks.
Giordano said that during his first 100 days, he would focus on Flock license plate readers and red-light cameras as well as traffic patterns and signal timing.
He said he would seek new traffic data to determine where the city can reduce congestion.
Strazzeri said his first year would focus on increasing transparency between City Hall and residents.
He proposed creating a small-business owner committee and holding quarterly town halls where residents could hear about upcoming city plans and provide feedback before decisions are made. He said he would also focus on higher-paying jobs and additional entertainment and dining options.
Who are the candidates?
Martin has served as Port St. Lucie’s mayor for the past five years and previously served on the City Council. She was first elected in 2010 and said she has lived in Port St. Lucie for 20 years. Before elected office, Martin worked as a paralegal.
Giordano said he has lived in Port St. Lucie since 1989, grew up and attended school in the city and has nearly 20 years of public-service experience. He said he spent about a decade with the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office, later worked in security at the nuclear power plant and is a local business owner.
Strazzeri said he moved to Port St. Lucie in 2004. He served in the Army, deployed to Iraq as a combat engineer and later transitioned into information technology and cybersecurity. He said he decided to run after his son died from cancer and his experiences led him to believe residents needed a stronger voice in local government.
Why should voters choose them?
Martin points to her experience.
“I have the knowledge, experience, and the results-driven leadership in order to continue to make that happen, to continue to make Port St. Lucie the best it possibly can be,” Martin said.
Giordano describes himself as an alternative to longtime political leadership.
“I’m not a politician. I grew up here. I went to school here. I’m a local business owner,” Giordano said. “I want to bring a different style of leadership that works for the community.”
Strazzeri said his campaign is centered on transparency and accountability.
“Port St. Lucie deserves leadership that’s transparent, accountable, and independent and is only responsible to the people and not special interests,” Strazzeri said.
Port St. Lucie voters will make that decision Tuesday.
Election Day information
The Port St. Lucie mayoral race is nonpartisan, meaning candidates do not run with a political party affiliation.
Polls close Tuesday at 7 p.m.
If one candidate receives more than 50% of the vote, that candidate wins the mayoral race outright. If no candidate receives more than 50%, the top two vote-getters will advance to the November general election.
CBS12 News will be tracking the Port St. Lucie mayoral race and election results throughout the night.