City’s list of awards continues to grow
BY SUSAN BURGESS
Port St. Lucie as a place to live and put down roots is a winner in so many ways. From November 2019 through January 2020 the city picked up 11 more honors to add to its awards list. In 2019, the city logged more than 46 awards and honors.
According to the city’s annual Citizens Survey, a large majority of residents are satisfied with their quality of life. A new survey, again conducted by the National Research Center, is currently underway. The feedback from the survey helps the city plan or enhance goals to make the lives of residents even better.
Here are the awards and recognitions recently heaped on the city, employees and businesses:
Third Best Place to Retire in Florida – U.S. News and World Report magazine says Port St. Lucie is the third best place in Florida to retire. Fort Myers placed first, and Sarasota,second. The city’s mild winters, beautiful beaches on the lagoon and proximity to ocean beaches, and, importantly, its affordable housing, earned the spot for the city.
Tree City U.S.A. and Tree City U.S.A. Growth Awards – Conferred by the Arbor Day Foundation, these awards have been given to the city for multiple years in a row. This is the 15th year for the Tree City award and the 14th year for the Growth award. Residents have planted more than 30,000 trees in the past two years. Trees benefit a community by providing visual appeal, removing air pollutants, providing habitat for wildlife, shading homes and streets and increasing property values.
PSL Ranked No. 1 Safest Large City in Florida – MoneyGeek, a personal financial education and advice company, took a look at crime data to determine the cost of crime in large, medium and small cities. In Port St. Lucie, considered a large city, the cost of crime per person is $296. PSL is joined by another Treasure Coast city, Sebastian, which ranked second on the list of smallest cities with a cost of crime per person of $264.
Port St. Lucie is 44th Best Positioned City for Economic Advancement – Of 380 cities ranked by LendEdu as likely to see an economic boom in the next decade, PSL landed the 44th spot. In first place was San Diego, California. Miami was ranked fifth and Orlando was 10th. LendEdu is a New Jersey firm that helps consumers learn about and compare financial products including student loans, credit cards and insurance.
Tradition ranks 28th in a List of Top-Selling Master-Planned Communities – Tradition’s 30 percent increase in home sales in 2019 over 2018 earned the Port St. Lucie community 28th place in RCLCO Real Estate Advisors’ annual nationwide sales survey. Home sales in 2018 were 351 vs. 457 in 2019. The Villages, with 2,429 home sales took the number one spot.
Port St. Lucie Named 6th in Ranking of Top Growth Cities in Florida for 2019 – Port St. Lucie moved up to No. 6 in 2019 from No. 21 in 2018, U-Haul says, as new residents brought U-Haul trucks on one-way trips into the city from elsewhere in Florida or from other states. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina, was No. 1, Kissimmee was second and West Palm Beach was fifth.
Port St. Lucie Awarded Grant from National Endowment for the Arts – The city won a $10,000 Challenge America grant to support the creation of a mural on an outside wall of Minsky Gym depicting PSL’s vision to be a city for all people. The mural will be visible from Darwin Boulevard. In a public workshop, community members will meet with the selected muralists to help identify neighborhood interests and develop design concepts. The goal is to unveil the mural at a future Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration.
Police Chief John Bolduc: Child Advocate of the Year – Chief Bolduc received the Children’s Home Society of Florida’s highest honor for his exceptional commitment to increasing the opportunities vulnerable youths have to reach their full potential.
“Chief Bolduc has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to our community,” said Sabrina Sampson, regional executive director of the Children’s Home Society of Florida.
PSL a Magnet for Retirees, Young Families – Port St. Lucie was featured in a December Palm Beach Post article which said that the city appeals to young families and retirees because it offers new medical jobs, a commute of only 45 minutes, and much more affordable homes than Palm Beach County.
Club Med Sandpiper Bay is 7th Best All-Inclusive Resort – Club Med in Port St. Lucie was named seventh of 15 best all-inclusive resorts for a family vacation by Good Housekeeping magazine. An all-inclusive resort includes everything available for one flat rate per night. That includes drinks, meals, care for the kids and loads of activities. Club Med Sandpiper Bay is Club Med’s only resort in the U.S. It offers golf, beach volleyball, tennis, sailing, kayaking, trapeze, yoga, restaurants and much more, the magazine says.
