{"id":168788,"date":"2026-02-25T16:18:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:18:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/168788\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T16:18:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:18:08","slug":"port-st-lucie-preserves-105-acres-once-slated-for-development-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/168788\/","title":{"rendered":"Port St. Lucie preserves 105 acres once slated for development"},"content":{"rendered":"

PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 The City of Port St. Lucie acquired nearly 105 acres of natural land known as the Rosser Lakes<\/a> property from Rosser Lakes LLC in a $2.5 million deal, preserving land once slated for development. The property is located between Interstate 95 and Southwest Rosser Boulevard.<\/p>\n

City leaders announced the acquisition Friday morning, calling it a major environmental investment and a direct response to resident concerns.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a huge win for the surrounding neighborhood, and it is a win and a message for our entire city,\u201d Mayor Shannon Martin<\/a> said during the news conference.<\/p>\n

The property, which includes two lakes and expansive natural areas, was once slated for nearly 100 homes. Residents pushed back, raising concerns about traffic, wildlife impacts, and the loss of open space.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe heard from residents who are concerned about losing this space,\u201d Martin said. \u201cThey reached out because they care deeply about their neighborhood and about the future of Port St. Lucie. Those conversations mattered. Your voices mattered. And they guided us to this outcome today.\u201d<\/p>\n

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According to city leaders, much of the development occurring in Port St. Lucie<\/a> today was approved more than 20 years ago, limiting what current councils can legally change. But in this case, officials denied the proposal and instead negotiated to purchase the land.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough negotiation and partnership, we secured this land as one of the most significant environmental investments that our city has made,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n

The preserve is expected to feature walking trails, fishing areas, pavilions, and a fishing pier. The city has already applied for grants to remove invasive plants and expand trail connections. Officials emphasized the space will be developed thoughtfully, with preservation as the top priority.<\/p>\n

The acquisition also ties into the city\u2019s broader NaturallyPSL Green Spaces & Places<\/a> initiative. Over the past year, the city says it has:<\/p>\n

Identified 198 acres of city-owned natural preservesDesignated nearly 745 acres for future green spaceExpanded its trail system to 41 miles, with 20 additional miles plannedOpened two new parks in 2024, with six more on the wayApproved the acquisition of 273 acres to establish the NaturallyPSL Land Bank<\/p>\n

Earlier Friday, City Council also approved the creation of the NaturallyPSL Community Trust, a nonprofit organization designed to help acquire and conserve additional green space through partnerships and dedicated funding.<\/p>\n

City leaders say the Land Bank and Community Trust<\/a> will help improve stormwater management and resiliency, strengthen wildlife habitats, expand access to parks and preserves, and improve residents’ quality of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday is a perfect example of what is possible when a community speaks up, and its leadership listens,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n

City officials did not announce a timeline for when public improvements at Rosser Lakes Preserve will be completed, but said planning is already underway.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 The City of Port St. Lucie acquired nearly 105 acres of natural…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":168789,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[41865,80307,3744,43372,171,173,172,80306,80308,43374],"class_list":{"0":"post-168788","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-port-st-lucie","8":"tag-community-trust","9":"tag-environmental-investment","10":"tag-green-spaces","11":"tag-land-preservation","12":"tag-port-st-lucie","13":"tag-port-st-lucie-headlines","14":"tag-port-st-lucie-news","15":"tag-rosser-lakes","16":"tag-trail-expansion","17":"tag-wildlife-habitat"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=168788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/168788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/168789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=168788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=168788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=168788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}