WINNING WAYS
HONORS
City honored for promoting good mental
health and employee talent
COVID-19 may be roaring back, but the City of Port St.
Lucie doesn’t seem to be fazed. Awards keep coming
in on a regular basis.
PSL Wins $3.5 Million Grant — A $3.5 million grant was
awarded to the city through the Florida Job Growth Grant
Fund. The windfall will be used for infrastructure improvements
at Tradition Commerce Park. The funds will create
1,800 jobs and can indirectly create another 4,000 jobs with
employment opportunities in information technology, logistics
and distribution, and manufacturing.
PSL is 47th Among 150 Best Places to Live in the Nation
— U.S. News found that the city was desirable because it had a
high quality of life, growing job market, and had a lot of value
in the eyes of buyers and residents. Boulder, Colorado, took
first place. The magazine mentioned the relaxing atmosphere
with clean streets and quiet neighborhoods along with a lower
cost of housing compared to communities farther south.
Award Earned for Public Communication — The city’s
Communications Department earned the third annual
national Sharman Stein Award for Storytelling Changemakers.
It recognizes a city official or team that draws on
the power of public communication to cultivate trust and
collaboration between local government and residents. The
city’s efforts to find out what residents like and don’t like
created new opportunities to improve goals and bring residents
into decision-making. Sarah Prohaska is the director
Port St. Lucie Magazine 39
of communications.
HealthyU wins award for Parks and Rec — The popular
monthly program on mental health issues such as stress,
depression and anxiety, especially important during the
pandemic, has earned Port St. Lucie the National Innovation
in Health Award from the National Recreation and Park Association.
The program aims to increase awareness of mental
health issues, and is offered in person and through the meeting
app, Zoom.
City Manager honored for growing staff talent — Russ
Blackburn, the city’s manager since 2016, was honored by the
Florida City/County Management Association for growing
talent and diversity among young employees, preparing
them to be leaders in the coming years.
“The award recognizes a city or county manager that has
set the development of our next generation of employees and
organization leaders as a top priority,” said Howard Tipton,
St. Lucie County administrator. Tipton nominated Blackburn
for the honor.
Bond Credit Rating Raised — Investors can expect their
purchase of Port St. Lucie revenue bonds for utilities upgrades
to be low risk and more attractive now that credit
rating providers Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s S&P
have raised the city’s ratings to AA- and AA, respectively.
The city wants to raise about $36 million for some big projects
that include water treatment and relocating utility lines
for the third phase of the Floresta improvement project from
Crosstown Parkway to Prima Vista Boulevard. E
A peaceful day at Tradition illustrates
one of the many reasons people love to
live in Port St. Lucie, finding it one of
the best places in the nation to live.
BY SUSAN BURGESS