PEOPLE OF INTEREST
42
Port St. Lucie 50th Anniversary
‘IN THE MIDDLE’
“State Farm assigned me to a service territory between Hobe
Sound and Sebastian,” says Bob. “I wanted to relocate somewhere in
the middle of my new sales territory.”
The couple, Bob, 26 and Butch , 23, scoped out the area for a new
place to live. Looking for something centrally located, they were
drawn to Port St. Lucie. “I wanted to have a few sidewalks for my
babies to ride their bikes,” says Butch. Fort Pierce had amenities,
grocery stores, shopping and movie theaters, but the young couple’s
pioneering spirit drew them to the budding city in the southern part
of St. Lucie County. They settled on a “Space Age” home (as it was
marketed in the sales material) in the northern part of Port St. Lucie.
At the time, most of the development had occurred either in the
northern River Park section or south near Club Med. Butch explains
that the family settled in the northern section but she didn’t like
being isolated from friends who lived to the south. “If we wanted to
call someone in the country club area, it was still the same city, but it
was long distance,” she says. Meanwhile, Bob was adjusting well to
small-town living.
“I felt like a big fish in a little pond,” he says proudly. Indeed, the
couple began to make their mark on the fledgling city. Bob joined the
Jaycees, and Butch became active in the Port St. Lucie Junior Women’s
Club. At the time, most of the 400 people living in Port St. Lucie
were retirees from the northern states. But things began to change.
“Mom and Dad were young leaders, forging what Port St. Lucie
could be for young families,” says Kathy.
CREATING A HUB
In 1971, the Jaycees conducted a community survey. “We wanted
to know what people needed,” says Bob. “Number one on the wish
list was a hospital, then a grocery store and number three was a
The Posts harvested their own Christmas trees in the wilds of Port
St. Lucie. Here, Bob stands in front of a sand pine taken from the
>> local scrub habitat.
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