AWARDS
city has owned this honor. The Florida Department of Law
Enforcement said the city’s overall crime rate dropped by
3.9% last year in spite of a population increase of about 6,000
people. The estimated number of larceny-thefts dropped by
5.8% in 2019, compared to 2018.
Awards honor the building department: For the third year
in a row, the Port St. Lucie Building Department was honored
with an award from the Building Officials Association of
Florida. Construction inspector John Wolf won the honor for
2020 for exemplifying outstanding performance in his work.
“John consistently demonstrates the qualities of integrity,
professionalism, and dedication,” building administrator Joel
Dramis said. He has served as an on-site inspector for many
large projects including Torrey Pines, Tamco, Clover Park,
and Cleveland Clinic Tradition Hospital.
One of America’s least stressed-out cities: Port St. Lucie
ranks 109 out of 182 cities in the United States for the stress
level of residents, according to Wallet Hub, a financial and
research website. The company looked at 42 criteria, including
how vulnerable the state is to COVID-19, average weekly
work hours, divorce and suicide rates. High stress leaves
people vulnerable to health problems and loss of productivity.
Port St. Lucie’s new home community sales rebounding
fast: The city’s master-planned communities are doing better
in home sales than they did a year ago, says Forbes Magazine.
The same goes for Florida as a whole. The city “has seen an
incredible 62 percent increase in sales over the first half of
2019,” the magazine says. A spokesman for Mattamy Homes,
which the magazine says has 7,500 homesites in Tradition on
which to build, said the high sales are due to value — that
buyers can get more space than in Palm Beach County, for
ANTHONY INSWASTY
Visitors to the annual Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens Festival and Plant
Sale check out the booths to find just what they want and need.
instance. GL Homes is building in an 11,000-lot community
called Riverland adjacent to Tradition.
Parks and Recreation wins State Innovation in Health
award: The Florida Recreation & Park Association honored
the city’s department for its opioid epidemic awareness training
and public forums. The Port St. Lucie Parks & Recreation
Department recognized that the local community has been
significantly affected by the epidemic, setting up several staff
training sessions and then hosting the city’s first ever public
forum on the opioid epidemic. The goal is to provide the public
with information about the devastating effects of opioid
substance abuse. E
Champion Turf Club at St. James
— Voted Top 25 Most Improved Golf Courses —
• Conveniently located on Selvitz Road between Midway and Prima Vista
• Minutes from St. Lucie West, Tradition and Hutchinson Island
Fastest Greens - Best Value
772.336.4653 • 7900 NW Selvitz Road • Port St. Lucie • www.championturfclub-stjames.com
Port St. Lucie Magazine 11
/www.championturfclub-stjames.com
/www.championturfclub-stjames.com