[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6085224,"mediaKeyId","2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2","parentId",2904018,"title","Board votes at a glance: proclamations, rezonings, PUD, settlements and litigation ratification","audioSeconds",1799,"startMs",1421000,"endMs",3220000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2&start=1421&end=3220","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2/thumbnail_1421000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6085224/St-Lucie-County/Florida/Board-votes-at-a-glance-proclamations-rezonings-PUD-settlements-and-litigation-ratification","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085224-6f6d14c798b33fde633ad757a40d3156/orig.mp4?Expires=1770818430&Signature=NhxakP47z1jj9c52iC1G-wERFRsXDbYzYrV~P~yeCsf-kg70kOGdYKc5lAVU-NIZZKRfP75GwQAbfk8txyz25w59DOttbRaW2iGrjjxuEST4kjHSZ-fAhiqq8mgBuoEIJTcOGtr3bQ9mvL2XRVYvdCxybHx9lXpjfBFq32qcR5hx94vYqH4Il9QB9BPYpDAIeNqgpJuTRs-S79OWZ17LN3B79AJJCHOTVLLbpG8333aKn~Nsptu~MjFWqhTxaFvmKZdtr~4RBVgzT2RpV2XHyZrI9U~sdb11Cpllc0-ep-3SjvhHgvJXJHBRO6yJmf90ETcJFz4hGP1wSrimPImyFw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","St. Lucie County, FL ","date","2025-04-09T04:24:20.257Z","article","At its April 8 meeting the St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners approved a slate of routine proclamations, several land-use rezonings and site-plan items, a conditional settlement related to the Pinelands Preserve, and ratified an addition to county opioid litigation. The board generally approved items by voice vote; where recorded the transcript shows motions, seconds and unanimous \"aye\" responses.

Votes at a glance (items acted on or advanced at the meeting):

1) Proclamations and consent items (consent agenda)
- Resolution 25-069 (as stated in the agenda): proclaiming April 13'19, 2025 as National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week in St. Lucie County. Outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Additional proclamations included: Resolution 25-574 (St. Lucie County Corrections Officers Week), Resolution 25-575 (May as Law Enforcement Week and May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day), and Resolution 25-076 (Crime Victims' Rights Week). Outcome: approved as part of consent agenda (voice vote).

2) Land-use and zoning actions
- Agenda item 10a1: Proposed text amendment to the Land Development Code (AG 2.5) to allow utility-trade contractors as a conditional use in AG 2.5 and to amend supplemental standards (first of two public hearings). Outcome: approved to advance; second public hearing scheduled for April 22, 2025 at 9:00 a.m.
- Agenda item 10a2: Zoning Atlas amendment (rezoning 1.38 acres from AR-1 to IL for TruStone Masonry / True Steel operations). Outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Agenda item 10a3: Rezoning of Central County Wastewater Treatment / reclamation plant site from industrial designations to the Utilities zoning district. Outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Agenda item 10a4: Rezoning for Fort Pierce Utilities Authority gas-transmission station to Utilities zoning district (1-acre parcel). Outcome: approved (voice vote).
- Agenda item 10a5: Atlantic PUD (South Hutchinson Island) rezoning, preliminary site plan and Category 1 wetland waiver for a proposed 23-lot single-family planned-unit development; approval included multiple staff-recommended conditions (sea turtle-lighting compliance, preserve-area management, updated traffic/concurrency certification, wetland delineation and mitigation verification, dune crossover compliance, and coordination with FDOT on potential turn lanes). Outcome: approved with conditions (voice vote).

3) Litigation and settlements
- Pinelands Preserve settlement agreements (two conditional settlements: global settlement with the plaintiff and a separate settlement with the title company including a $400,000 payment to the county): Outcome: approved (voice vote). Settlement conditions include required permits, a mining-permit modification by June 25, 2025, administrative approvals, and a 120-day abatement period for litigation while conditions are met.
- Opioid-litigation ratification: the county ratified staff action to add pharmacy benefit managers as potential defendants in the county's participation in multi-jurisdiction opioid litigation; the board ratified the county attorney's decision. Outcome: approved (voice vote). County staff reported existing opioid settlement receipts are already in use by a county task force for prevention and treatment programs.

Procedure notes: Several items were presented with staff reports and public hearings; multiple items were unanimously approved on voice votes. The AG 2.5 text amendment was advanced after its first public hearing and will return for a second hearing on April 22, 2025 at 9 a.m.

Where available, staff presentations and applicant comments were recorded in the meeting transcript and are included in the department files.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","St. Lucie County BOCC Regular Meeting, April 8, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The St. Lucie County Board of County Commissioners approved proclamations for public-safety weeks, multiple zoning changes and a PUD, authorized settlement agreements to restore access to the Pinelands Preserve, and ratified adding pharmacy benefit managers to opioid litigation.","taxTitle","St. Lucie County, Florida","taxId",2868,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085227,"St. Lucie County approves settlements to restore public access to Pinelands Preserve, conditioned on permits and title company payment",237,2920000,3157000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2&start=2920&end=3157","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2/thumbnail_2920000.jpg","/articles/6085227/St-Lucie-County/Florida/St-Lucie-County-approves-settlements-to-restore-public-access-to-Pinelands-Preserve-conditioned-on-permits-and-title-company-payment","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085227-b61f37a7b31a146d140b40465667a796/orig.mp4?Expires=1770818430&Signature=E3RWhWBeQMbB6Vt8hqQ3ex9AG0n-JFsIp5N6B7BW2MG7M4KrVgETx6NBxOWym7sjHRgMGkEa3hCHb0LuYrzzQ0QZ0wQ02lqjvTXRivpGjVuB-yaV9-Im0LCdsIeU7g6qriyqcjuRDWJarzUqacDmmlAycrwynvEXz6Cf9eYQvNjNPSC-VOWF7wzsOSmsJsWDKTeF0IX3p90v0IjkjOIeQPKczx9jXcgmVS5LD98Mqz4FC9Fq~YnjilRHOZ25hEYu56C3xBvbqSLq5fitnTrLfiCzNMNzNgKojn2iIMAI4928QIee7l9TYF4K~ouwYg2EBlD~7s8vxE4vc6pmrD0WbA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The board approved two conditional settlement agreements on April 8 designed to resolve litigation blocking a primary access route to the county's 750-acre Pinelands Preserve and to secure a replacement access arrangement.

Special Assistant County Attorney Caroline Valentin told commissioners the preserve, purchased in 1998 with partial funding from the Florida Communities Trust, includes about six miles of trails and appears on the state's Great Florida Birding Trail. Litigation beginning in 2019 challenged a 1991 easement the county used to access the preserve; a 2021 order found that 1991 easement invalid, and a January 2025 order determined the county was not entitled to a prescriptive easement, Valentin said. The combined effect left the county without the historical access corridor.

Valentin and staff said county negotiators reached two agreements on March 27: a global settlement with the plaintiff and a separate settlement with the title insurance company that had defended the county. Both agreements are conditioned on board approval and on the county completing a series of steps specified in the settlement documents.

Key settlement terms described to the board include:

- The county will not use the plaintiff's property or the 1991 easement for access to the preserve.
- The county and plaintiff agreed to pursue a release from the Florida Communities Trust of any county interest or potential interest in the disputed easement (FTC had provided grant funds when the preserve was acquired).
- The settlement requires the county to secure a modification to a mining permit and an associated conditional-use permit by June 25, 2025; staff said it had reviewed the requested modifications and would schedule required hearings.
- The county agreed to seek administrative approval for a minor site plan and to obtain a site-development permit to construct paved access where required, within 30 days of submission of complete applications that comply with county and plan requirements.
- In the title-company settlement, the title company agreed to pay the county $400,000; in exchange the county will release claims against the title company and associated insurers.

Valentin said the county has temporary access to the property and is negotiating a permanent shared access agreement with the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD). The district has indicated it may recommend to its board that the county be allowed shared access along the reservoir access the district is constructing; if that is agreed, county staff would construct the county's preferred connection to the preserve.

The settlements call for the parties to abate litigation for 120 days to allow required permits and administrative steps to be completed. The agreements provide for dismissal of claims with prejudice once the settlement conditions are met; each party would bear its own attorneys' fees. County staff and outside counsel recommended the settlements to the board, citing uncertainty and cost of continued litigation and the county's need to restore public access to the preserve.

The board voted to approve the two settlement agreements as presented, subject to the conditions described in the settlement documents.","The board approved two settlement agreements aimed at restoring public access to the 750-acre Pinelands Preserve and resolving related litigation, conditioned on agency permits, mining-permit modifications and a $400,000 payment from the title company.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085229,"Resident alleges county commissioner lived outside district when sworn, files complaint",173,1200000,1373000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2&start=1200&end=1373","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2/thumbnail_1200000.jpg","/articles/6085229/St-Lucie-County/Florida/Resident-alleges-county-commissioner-lived-outside-district-when-sworn-files-complaint","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085229-7cd08e9dc143b53c4883e12664b85e01/orig.mp4?Expires=1770818430&Signature=fg10N32bEEUWtwDx4JYV0hEdCuWmmLB-pmVhKySAWemP6cTIHUwD09v9T7qpoVbrA85aRBY6Ck8rAjBlkHa3lncjG1d-W6vVciefUfeB3aQdm6C~R6B3Qjdj7QuUJ6jmr1rzKLrfhvhFM-4DZv7tVY44xspeiXZF7QP7ifyNgQThpPriNxXgN9IUrd~F3GJHvAO2sunheEw5XEgTAgkAbeIOnWazXZ0d8w64OpMWnjUgvM4df~cwFp06x53EF7MqCqQrXPw2lJnDKNBmmNzx0ExJRQRy2V2HXJsqmG-a1Z6b3DjQM88JmVl25LeuSNYWbJHbjo4~xB8D6iI-J5GcIg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","During the public-comment portion of the meeting, resident and business owner Joe Spedge addressed the board to allege that Commissioner Erin Lowry did not live in District 3 at the time she filed to run and at the time she was sworn in.

Spedge identified himself as a Port St. Lucie resident of 35 years and said he filed a complaint with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office on Jan. 16 (case number provided in his remarks) alleging perjury and related offenses. He told the board that Lowry's primary address when she filed to run was 338 Northwest Stratford Lane in the St. James Club and that, according to his account, she continued to live there through the primary and general elections and at the time of her swearing-in on Nov. 19.

Spedge said he had also applied to the city for water and sewer service for a separate address within the district and that he would email documentation to the board for the record. He cited an attorney general opinion and Florida statute when arguing that residency requirements impose criminal consequences; he described his complaint as alleging perjury and alleged unlawful receipt of pay, which he characterized as potential felony conduct under state law.

The chair accepted Spedge's comments into the record; no action was taken during the meeting on the allegations. The board did not discuss or respond substantively to the claims during the public-comment period recorded in the transcript.

Because these remarks were made during public comment, they are recorded as an allegation by a member of the public. The county did not announce any investigation result or board action at the meeting. The transcript indicates Spedge submitted his full statement to the board by email for the public record.","At the board's public comment period, Port St. Lucie resident Joe Spedge alleged Commissioner Erin Lowry lived outside her District 3 at the time she was sworn in and said he filed a sheriff's complaint.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6085231,"St. Lucie County tourism office reports rising visitor numbers, stronger tax collections",683,332000,1015000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2&start=332&end=1015","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2904018-d2da152e5a815cfea43c93bdbec3bea2/thumbnail_332000.jpg","/articles/6085231/St-Lucie-County/Florida/St-Lucie-County-tourism-office-reports-rising-visitor-numbers-stronger-tax-collections","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6085231-18ad9be964a77ea9b504b12165f13de3/orig.mp4?Expires=1770818430&Signature=QzSGSBRinAy9Z1O~1VvbZzxkWAo6qi1Bl1SjSilIob-iLdTxZnhAg7kNypGlxlVuea17qJf4We5DvHNqQDmivHoHFJfJSz9reioA0e~x7fvc8jJUfUhbadJYLVLOOjakbBBLsockKy6f1WgdWdqkEd7usVjtonOHhzjQ2OWESC5R9TwR970c7rkxm6fET20RwjXsqyaIUesBpsEF7OU180yTEtXhJBBjJuuSu7MopFhP8f2tWaSfkQTz3K8mEHUfbgCMz2DV~va~fMG1765b1yYhhB4e0Vg~QQCHzIuBmdODnRGQFWk7g7spw3mY5FX8yh8moVJ5D846jdRb~IXpjA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The St. Lucie County tourism division reported stronger visitor activity and higher tourist-development tax collections in its briefing to the Board of County Commissioners on April 8.

In a presentation to the board, tourism staff member Charlotte (identified in the record as the tourism division presenter) said an independent 2023 economic-impact study showed more than $1 billion in total economic impact from visitor spending, more than 1 million visitors to the county in 2023 and support for roughly 8,500 jobs. The study also estimated a net tax benefit to county households, Charlotte said, equivalent to \"just over $400 per household\" per year after accounting for the cost to serve visitors.

Charlotte told commissioners that tourist-development tax collections for fiscal year 2025 were running ahead of the same months in 2024. She said fiscal-year-to-date collections through January were up 22.2% from the prior fiscal year, and that preliminary February figures showed collections up 16% year over year. The tourism division is funded entirely from the tourist tax on overnight rentals, Charlotte said.

The presentation included additional industry metrics used by the division: hotel occupancy, average daily rate (ADR) and revenue per available room (RevPAR). Charlotte said October through January showed increases across most of those measures, with a modest dip in ADR in January.

Charlotte also described visitor-origin data derived from mobile-device movement reports. The division defines a visitor as someone who travels more than 50 miles, spends at least two hours in the county and then returns home. She said most visitors originate within Florida but that northern markets increase during January through March. Quarter-by-quarter maps the division displayed showed Downtown Fort Pierce and the John B. Park Sports Complex among the top visited points of interest.

The tourism division said its digital advertising strategy drives traffic to the official VisitStLucie website. Since Oct. 1 the division reported roughly 187,000 users to the site and about 3.5 million recorded \"events\" (page interactions), and it referenced programmed \"key events\" tied to conversion goals such as guide requests and lodging inquiries. The office also reported ongoing email marketing and distribution of the annual Visit St. Lucie travel guide.

Charlotte highlighted high-profile seasonal draws: the New York Mets spring-training season set an attendance record with more than 106,000 fans this season, and the Vinny Ball tournament at Lawnwood Baseball Complex hosted 133 teams and more than 5,100 participants; the tourism division estimated those baseball events could generate roughly 9,000 room nights and a projected $12.6 million economic impact for the county (the presenter said that figure was projected, not yet realized).

Commissioners praised the division's work during the presentation. One commissioner noted the distinction that tourism is funded by tourist taxes rather than local property taxes and observed more visitors from the Miami-Fort Lauderdale market in the county's visitor-origin data.

Charlotte closed by summarizing ongoing projects the division is tracking, including renovation and reopening plans for Sandpiper Bay Resort and monitoring commercial air service at Treasure Coast International Airport.","The county's tourism division reported higher visitor counts, more hotel demand indicators and a notable increase in tourist-development tax collections so far in fiscal year 2025.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Board votes at a glance: proclamations, rezonings, PUD, settlements and litigation ratification

St. Lucie County approves settlements to restore public access to Pinelands Preserve, conditioned on permits and title company payment

Resident alleges county commissioner lived outside district when sworn, files complaint

St. Lucie County tourism office reports rising visitor numbers, stronger tax collections