Safe and Sound

Port St. Lucie Crosstown Sunset — Sunset lights the last hours of a peaceful day over Port St. Lucie, which continues to be honored as a great city to work or play in and a safe place to live. CITY OF PORT ST. LUCIE PHOTOS

City keeps winning honors for being a great place to work, own a home or retire

BY SUSAN BURGESS

Port St. Lucie keeps being honored and winning awards for its efforts to make the city a great place to live, retire and find a great quality of life. The city itself was even honored recently for being a great employer.

FLOOD INSURANCE COST REDUCED – Improved flood control practices earned the city an improved rating from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and as a result, Port St. Lucie residents will see a 10 percent to 25 percent savings on flood insurance premiums and renewals starting April 1, city officials said. Policies within the special Flood Hazard Area get up to a 25 percent discount on renewals and those outside that area are eligible for 10 percent discounts. Flood insurance is crucial for many homeowners because homeowner policies typically exclude damage from floods. The next verification of the city’s rating will be in five years.

ONE OF BEST PLACES FOR RETIREMENT – Port St. Lucie is a popular place to retire, says U.S. News and World Report. It ranks 22nd in the country and ninth of places in Florida to retire. Top criteria include the happiness of local residents, housing affordability, tax rates and health care quality. Taking the No. 1 spot in Florida was Pensacola, followed by Tampa, ranking third and fourth respectively in the entire U.S.

BEST PLACES TO WORK – Looking for work? The City of Port St. Lucie might be a good place to apply. For the 15th year in a row it earned the Best Places to Work award from the St. Lucie County Human Resource Association. The association looked at turnover rates, growth percentages, employee development spending, promotion percentages, insurance packages and retirement plans. Twelve employers in the county earned the award this year, including St. Lucie County government and fire district, City of Fort Pierce and its utility authority, and St. Lucie County Public Schools.

Port St. Lucie police Badge — The Port St. Lucie Police Department has received an award for its volunteer police program that involves more than 160 volunteers.

CITY RANKS HIGH FOR HOME OWNERSHIP AMONG YOUNG PEOPLE – In a survey of 200 cities nationwide, Port St. Lucie had the highest rate of home ownership among people under the age of 35, says Smart Asset, a financial website. Also, Port St. Lucie had the fifth biggest rate of change among the 200 cities studied, going from 53.1 percent in 2011 to 60.23 percent in 2021. For comparison, only 5.57 percent of people younger than 35 own their homes in Paterson, New Jersey, with a 10 year decline in ownership of -9l.31 percent. Nationally, only about 37 percent of individuals under the age of 35 own their home or apartment.

VOLUNTEER POLICE PROGRAMS AWARDED – More than 4,000 hours of volunteer service in a variety of positions led to the Port St. Lucie Police Department being awarded the Leadership in Volunteer Police Programs Award by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. The police department has 165 volunteers assisting as couriers, in parking enforcement, community patrol, speed trailer deployments, close house watches, special events, Project Lifesaver and as the volunteer response team. Go to www.cityofpsl.com/government/departments/human-resources/volunteering to learn about becoming a police department volunteer.

PORT ST. LUCIE IS SIXTH AMONG MIDSIZE METRO AREAS FOR THE MOST NEW BUSINESS APPLICATIONS – With 23.93 new applications per 1,000 people, the city was ranked sixth among midsize metro areas for new business applications, according to insurance website Smartest Dollar, which used 2021 data from the U.S. Census Bureau. In Florida, only the Naples-Marco Island midsize metropolitan area ranked higher, coming in at No. 2. Both Naples and Marco Island were hit hard by Hurricane Ian in November. Jackson, Mississippi, was in first place with 27.35 new business applications per 1,000 residents.

PORT ST. LUCIE RANKS AMONG THE SAFEST CITIES IN THE U.S. – Of the 180 cities compared by WalletHub to determine where residents feel the most protected against life’s hazards, Port St. Lucie was ranked 101st in the nation and sixth safest in Florida. The study looked at 42 criteria and particularly at home and community safety, natural disaster risk and financial safety. Pembroke Pines was considered the safest in Florida.

PARKS, RECREATION DEPARTMENT WINS AWARD FOR SURVEY – The annual Community Input Survey conducted by the Parks and Recreation Department earned the department an award from the Florida Parks and Recreation Association for helping the department decide how to improve its offerings and meet community needs. “Our department is committed to offering quality programs, facilities and amenities for our residents and guests,” department director Sherman Conrad said.

Ariel drone images of residential communities — Aerial drone image of residential communities in Fort Pierce and Port St Lucie FL

PORT ST. LUCIE RANKS 15TH IN U.S. AMONG BEST PLACES TO BUY A HOUSE – To determine the best local real-estate markets in the U.S., WalletHub, a financial site, compared 300 cities of varying sizes across 17 key indicators of housing-market attractiveness and economic strength. The city’s rank was 15 overall, 18 for its real estate market and No. 5. in the nation for affordability and economic environment. Frisco, Texas, was No. 1 in both categories and ranked No. 1 overall.

See the original article in print publication

Jan. 12, 2023