City’s reputation garners recognition

We all know Port St. Lucie is a great place to live. But if that’s not enough, the outside world keeps telling us, too.

Earlier this year, U.S. News and World Report named Port St. Lucie as the fifth best metropolitan place to retire in the country. And for those who just want to visit, data and research site WalletHub ranked it 88th out of 182 cities for entertainment and relaxation during the summer.

These kudos were not achieved without hard work. Projects such as the completion of the Riverwalk boardwalk above the North Fork of the St. Lucie River [Page 12] make it easy to sing the city’s praises.

The last six months have presented tremendous challenges as businesses and residents deal with the coronavirus pandemic. As Rachel Cuccurullo tells us in “Pandemic Precautions’’ beginning on Page 14, health care workers and first responders have rallied to the cause. For the time being at least, COVID-19 cases have been declining, a trend we hope will continue throughout the year.

Also on the Port St. Lucie health scene, the completion of a new 120-bed skilled nursing home for veterans [Page 21] is nearing completion. A lack of workers is hampering the completion of the nursing home, now set to open in late fall or perhaps even later.

Meanwhile, plans for a new adventure park [Page 28] on Southwest Cameo Boulevard north of Crosstown Parkway are moving ahead. While the plans aren’t finalized, a meeting with residents and the city consultants revealed that top-ranked requests for the park were for things like mountain biking, a ropes course, zip lines, an artificial wave pool and skateboarding.

Stay tuned as more city improvements are on the way, and with them, more national recognition.

See the original article in the print publication