Richard Berrios Appointed as PSL's New City Attorney

On June 19, the City Council unanimously appointed Richard Berrios as the new City Attorney. Mr. Berrios has been serving as Interim City Attorney since October 2023 and brings nearly a decade of legal expertise to the role. He is licensed with the New York and Florida Bar and has a robust background in local government practice from his tenure at the City of Long Beach’s Office of Corporation Counsel. I commend Berrios for his proven dedication and expertise and have confidence in his continued service to the city. Mr. Berrios is a graduate of Queens College and St. John’s University School of Law and is eager to officially begin his tenure and contribute to the city's forward-looking and innovative governance.

Fire Station 20 Groundbreaking

On June 18th, the St. Lucie County Fire District and City of Port St. Lucie celebrated the groundbreaking ceremony of Fire Station #20. As both the Mayor and Fire Board Commissioner, I was honored to participate in this event and highlight the importance of this development for our community. Over the past few years, Port St. Lucie has experienced an incredible phase of growth, marked by the construction of numerous large warehouse industrial buildings and new communities within the response zone of the new fire station. This rapid expansion necessitated an upgrade in the city's infrastructure to keep pace with its development. Fire Station #20 is a critical part of our strategy to enhance emergency response times and strengthen community safety. The state-of-the-art facility will be equipped with the latest technology and tools, enabling our dedicated firefighters to serve the community more effectively and efficiently. With the new station, our capacity to respond swiftly to residential and industrial emergencies will be significantly increased, ensuring that Port St. Lucie receives the protection it needs.

Important

Public Works Projects

Important ongoing and future infrastructure projects, including repaving, sidewalks & traffic calming.

PSL on the Pulse

Read the latest edition of PSL on the Pulse.

Emergency

Management

Learn about this month's preparedness topic.



The Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins University has announced that City of Port St. Lucie will receive Love Your Block grants to fund resident-led, neighborhood revitalization projects in communities across the city. 

As one of 16 newly selected U.S. cities, Port St. Lucie will join the largest cohort in the history of the Love Your Block program – which reached nearly 50,000 community members who have improved nearly 4,000 public spaces – creating nearly 800 art displays, cleaning 102,000 square feet of graffiti, and removing 6.7 million pounds of trash in cities nationwide since its creation in 2009. 

Port St. Lucie is committed to putting residents first, and The Love Your Block grants presents an excellent opportunity to showcase our commitment to resident-led community revitalization. We want to empower our residents and promote a sense of pride in our neighborhoods. We are grateful for this partnership with the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation.

In addition to funding, Port St. Lucie will also receive a dedicated AmeriCorps VISTA and technical assistance and training from the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins team of civic engagement experts. 

“Each Love Your Block city helps demonstrate one of the most important skills required to drive innovation in city halls – the ability to center resident voices,” said Amanda Daflos, Executive Director of the Center. “We are excited to partner with Port St. Lucie to build on the successful legacy of support from Bloomberg Philanthropies and Cities of Service and accelerate their efforts to partner with communities to drive local impact through funding, staff support, and the public innovation expertise to help sustain resident-led change.” 

Port St. Lucie residents will be able to apply for mini-grants for neighborhood improvement projects through the Love Your Block program in 2024.  

The 2024-2026 cohort of Love Your Block cities include Allentown, PA; Baltimore, MD; Charleston, SC; Columbia, MO; Dallas, TX; Durham, NC; Evanston, IL; Fall River, MA; Gary, IN; Little Rock, AR; Long Beach, CA; Louisville, KY; Reno, NV; Port St. Lucie, FL; Rapid City, SD; and San Bernardino, CA. 

For more information related to the Love Your Block program or the Bloomberg Center for Public Innovation at Johns Hopkins, visit publicinnovation.jhu.edu/loveyourblock.

Pulcinella

11510 SW Village Pkwy., Port St. Lucie, FL

The Kitty Cup Cat Cafe

1461 SW Gatlin Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL

Dave & Buster's

2270 SW Gatlin Blvd., Port St. Lucie, FL

Lightbridge Academy

8565 Commerce Centre Drive, Port St. Lucie, FL

Port St. Lucie Boulevard South

In May 2024, the contractor shifted traffic to the median area to open Phase IV of construction. The contractor milled the existing asphalt layer, cleared, and grubbed the existing sidewalk, and completed curb and gutter from Gatlin to Darwin. The contractor resumed drainage work and began tying in pending drainage crossings. The contractor also reconstructed the new NB lanes from just north of Aurelia to Gatlin. Currently activities include placing base rock and finish grading in preparation for asphalt, as well as, forming and pouring concrete curb and gutter from Aurelia to Gatlin. The contractor anticipates being able to shift traffic on Darwin within a few weeks to finish the drainage work there and be able to switch to Phase V by the end of July or the beginning of August.

Simultaneously, the PSL Blvd. South, Segment 2.1 FDOT Managed Project from south of SW Alcantarra Boulevard to south of SW Darwin Boulevard is currently engaged in multiple tasks. They are continuing to remove existing pipes throughout the project corridor, a task that is progressing steadily. In addition, drainage work is ongoing along southbound SW Port St. Lucie Boulevard. Crews are also working on the subgrade along the right side of the roadway and placing the first lift of base for the new temporary road. However, the main focus is preparing the roadway for the upcoming traffic shift scheduled for July 1, 2024, pending weather impacts.

Tradition & I-95 Turn Lane Extension

This project is complete. The contractor applied the thermoplastic pavement markings and completed the project ahead of schedule.

Torino Parkway

Construction activities started in May 2024 for the East Torino Parkway Improvements. The contractor, Timothy Rose Contracting, completed 60 percent of underground drainage activities, installing structures and pipes in the area of East Torino Parkway and Midway Road as part of the turn lane improvements. The improvements include the construction of an additional lane and six-foot shoulder, resulting in a dedicated left-turn lane, a shared left / through lane, a dedicated right-turn lane, and a shoulder for the northbound approach.

The contractor has also been completing nighttime activities performing drainage activities across the East Torino, North Torino and Turtle Dove roadways. With over half of the drainage complete as part of the roundabout construction, the contractor will begin daytime drainage activities in this area starting in early July. Daytime drainage activities will be performed outside of the roadway. The new modern roundabout at the intersection of North Torino Parkway and Turtle Dove Lane will support improving safety, reducing congestion, reducing pollution, and are considered functional and aesthetically pleasing. Artwork will be featured in the roundabout.

Is there a topic you would like to read about in a future issue?

Please email me at mayor@cityofpsl.com or call, 772-871-5159,

with your comments or questions.

Shannon M. Martin

Mayor

The City of Port St. Lucie is sharing this information on behalf of Mayor Shannon M. Martin.

This is from the mayor's monthly newsletter, which residents can sign up for at: www.cityofpsl.com/newsletter