Redesigning, remodeling and redecorating their homes are the passions of Dan and Barb Hazard. Their courtyard pool home in the Vineyards has been updated for each of the past 15 years with projects ranging from new flooring to landscaping to repainting schemes.
Many of Port St. Lucie’s residents and visitors are unaware that part of the 1979 James Bond film Moonraker was filmed on the St. Lucie River because of its similarity to the Amazon, or that the name of Elkcam Waterway is “Mackle” spelled backwards, homage paid to the three Mackle brothers whose General Development Corporation of the late 1950s sparked Port St. Lucie’s first growth spurt. GDC also put one of its model homes in Grand Central Station in New York City to entice prospective buyers for what is now River Park. The siren call of “$10 down, $10 a month” brought the initial flocks of snowbirds south.
Almost 40 years ago, the Port St. Lucie City Council had a dream of a wide, smooth highway crossing the North Fork of the St. Lucie River, letting residents travel in comfort from the east to the west side of the city.
Port St. Lucie continues to reap multiple national, state and local honors for outstanding efforts to keep its citizens happy and safe.
Seeing country singer Johnny Cash walking around his small Jamaican village, James “Jimmy G” Graham never dreamed he would sing the reggae version of “Ring of Fire” for decades.
When Samantha LaCroix’s mother was studying piano in London, she met her future husband in Austria on holiday. “He wrote love letters every day until she returned to Vienna,” says LaCroix. Their love story set the tone for LaCroix’s element of romance.
Her first childhood memories are of life in a foster home. She and her siblings moved from foster care back to their home only to be returned to foster care again, with the cycle repeating as her family moved back and forth between the Jacksonville area and towns in south Georgia. She remembers the plastic bag that held her clothes and the few belongings she had. “You never wanted to lose sight of that bag,” she says. “It was all you had.”
Entrepreneur Osman Rashid predicted, “By 2025, we can expect the world to be completely digital. Paper books will be a thing of the past.” Many book lovers would shout, “Nonsense!” Getting rid of libraries and bookstores would be, to them, as ridiculous and culturally catastrophic as settling for poster prints of masterpieces instead of viewing originals in museums.
Although South Florida enjoys a reputation as a retirement destination, almost 30 percent of Port St. Lucie is younger than 21. Responsible parents place their children’s health and safety at the top of wish lists, so for those who want to find a local pediatrician or change pediatricians, the focus is on two of the fastest growing areas in St. Lucie County — St. Lucie West and Tradition.
Nestled into a quiet section of the North Fork of the St. Lucie River is the only waterfront industrial chic compound in the City of Port St. Lucie.
