Author: <span>Deborah Maldonado</span>

Get your Plant City strawberries at the Strawberry Festival at the MidFlorida Event Center on Saturday, March 28 and Sunday, March 29 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Enjoy arts and crafts, delicious food, strawberry shortcake, strawberry fudge, face painting, petting zoo, train rides, games, contests galore, live entertainment, and bounce houses. For complete details visit PortStLucieFest.com or call 386.860.0092. DANIELLE ROSE PHOTOS

Things To Do – Spring 2026

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 20, 2026
Post category:Datebook Port St. Lucie

Upcoming Events: Feb. 20 — June 13, 2026

Notable

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 20, 2026
Post category:Port St. Lucie

A retired architect with deep roots in Martin County has built on his long-standing interest in historic preservation to write about the nation’s midcentury history as seen through the eyes, and especially the ears, of a journalist who covered the popular music scene from the 1930s to the 1970s.

Something Wyld Is Taking Shape in Your Backyard

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 20, 2026
Post category:Port St. Lucie Sponsored Content

It’s no secret that Port St. Lucie is evolving — with it, the way residents think about home, lifestyle, and community. That’s why Wylder has gained so much attention. Just west of I-95 at Midway Road, Wylder has emerged as one of the city’s most active master-planned communities.

E.N.D. IT!’s 2025 summer program performed Camp Rock at the IRSC McAlpin Fine Arts Center. MARYANN KETCHAM

Miracle workers

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 19, 2026
Post category:Arts of the Treasure Coast Education Port St. Lucie

A few years ago, Talib Moore, now 14, was quiet. Too quiet. His father had passed away; COVID had affected his education. Increasingly closed off, his life might have taken a different turn, had his mother not encouraged him to check out an area nonprofit called E.N.D. IT!

Divine Intervention

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 19, 2026
Post category:Celebrations Port St. Lucie

In cultures around the world, the number 40 has sacred significance. In 2026, Heathcote Botanical Gardens gets to celebrate its own blessed 40 — as in, that’s how many years it’s been a cherished place to revere nature’s beauty and peace.

Still a captain, Oscar Breeding now runs a yacht management business. RUSTY DURHAM

Smooth sailing

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 19, 2026
Post category:Port St. Lucie Port St. Lucie People

Oscar Breeding does bear some resemblance to Captain Merrill Stubing of television’s The Love Boat — just less formal. Though the two share a profession, “I don’t wear a uniform,” Breeding points out. The yacht captain has been a resident of Port St. Lucie, with wife Debbie, for just a year — but he has had his captain’s license for 45.

Pantry Peeps volunteer their time to create weekend meals for local students in need. GRACE PACKS

Full of grace

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 19, 2026
Post category:Non-Profit Spotlight Port St. Lucie

Close to 20% of children in St. Lucie County are what is known as food insecure. They could be homeless; their parents could be between jobs or ill. Whatever the reason, these children aren’t sure where their next meal is coming from, or if it will. Parents and guardians may apply for free and reduced school meals, but schools are only in session Monday through Friday. What, if anything, do food insecure children eat on the weekends?

Whether you want to relax in the sun or on the water, voco Sandpiper Resort’s all-inclusive packages offer beauty, rest, food and entertainment. VOCO SANDPIPER RESORT PHOTOS

A Resort Reimagined

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 19, 2026
Post category:Hospitality Port St. Lucie

The Latin verb voco means “to call,” but it can also mean “to invite.” Port St. Lucie’s new voco Sandpiper Resort invites residents and tourists to enjoy a luxurious stay at Florida’s newest all-inclusive resort. After a soft opening in early January, Phase One of the multi-million dollar renovations are finished; reservations for overnight stays and day passes are now on sale.

— SPONSORED CONTENT —

Spread your wings at Belterra

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 18, 2026
Post category:Port St. Lucie Sponsored Content

Intimate-by-Design. Curated amenity experience. Exceptional location. Thoughtful design. Superior craftsmanship. That’s Belterra, GHO Home’s magnificent neighborhood of masterfully built residences.

New York Mets Manager Carlos Mendoza tosses a baseball during warmups in a past spring training at Clover Park. Mendoza is in his third season at the helm. HELENE HAESSLER/ST. LUCIE METS

Meet the New Mets

Post author:Deborah Maldonado
Post published:February 15, 2026
Post category:Port St. Lucie Sports

As New York Mets fans converge this month for spring training at Clover Park in Port St. Lucie, they must be wondering which version of the 2025 team they’ll see. Will it be the team that, in mid-June, held the best record in Major League Baseball — or the one that limped to a sour finish, missing the playoffs on the final day of the season?