Mold Remediation in Port St. Lucie, FL

Florida House District 84 incumbent Dana Trabulsy beat Democratic challenger Andi Poli to win her third term in office, winning 58% of the vote.

Trabulsy will continue to represent most of St. Lucie County, including Fort Pierce and part of Port St. Lucie.

She first won as a political newcomer in 2020 after she turned the seat from blue to red and was reelected in 2022. Trabulsy is a Tampa native who grew up near Atlanta, and she first moved to Fort Pierce in 1991. Before running for office, her background was in marketing and owning an online advertising firm.

Florida elections results:Complete but unofficial returns

Indian River County:Complete but unofficial elections results

St. Lucie County:Complete but unofficial elections results

What are Trabulsy's top issues?

When Trabulsy reflects on her time in office, one of her crowning achievements is a bill regarding inmate medical care for St. Lucie County. The law caps the amount the county pays when inmates receive medical care at outside hospitals. She believes this bill could be her legacy if it sets a precedent for the state, Trabulsy said in a pre-election interview with TCPalm.

Under the law, the county could have at least $11 million to be spent elsewhere starting this year, she said.

Another top issue for Trabulsy is education. One area she focused on in her previous terms were chronic absenteeism. Some schools have a 68% rate of kids missing more than 10% of school. In her new term, she plans to direct time and resources toward finding out why so many students aren't in the classroom.

Also included in her education agenda is school safety. After she toured Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, she worked on a school safety bill to address things like unlocked doors and authorizing more guardian programs.

“These simple best practices being put into law, even though sometimes a little inconvenient, it’s saving lives,” Trabulsy said.

Jack Lemnus is a TCPalm enterprise reporter. Contact him at jack.lemnus@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1345, or follow him on X @JackLemnus.

The two cities on opposite sides of the state are also on opposite sides of the spectrum for “dating friendliness,” according to a report.

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In the game of love, location can be just as important as chemistry — and if you’re single in Florida, where you live might just be the deciding factor between love and loneliness.

After comparing 182 U.S. metros across 35 indicators of what researchers call “dating friendliness,” a new report from WalletHub ranks two Florida cities at opposite ends of the spectrum, with Tampa named as one the best cities for singles in 2025 — and Port St. Lucie listed among the worst.

Tampa took the No. 5 spot — following closely behind Atlanta, Las Vegas, Seattle and Pittsburgh.

Port St. Lucie barely missed the bottom spot — coming in at number 181, just ahead of number 182, Peal City, Hawaii.

So, what’s the secret to Tampa’s romantic allure — and why is Port St. Lucie seemingly stuck swiping left? Let’s dive in.

Finding the perfect partner is challenging enough, but it becomes even harder when cities lack the elements needed for a thriving dating scene.

“The already difficult process of finding the perfect partner can be made even tougher when cities lack the conditions necessary to make dating successful,” said Chip Lupo, an analyst for WalletHub. “The best cities for singles have large, gender-balanced single populations, along with a wide variety of indoor and outdoor, daytime and nighttime activities. They also have reasonable prices for dating activities or high average incomes to help ease the sting of inflation.”

Tampa, located on the western coast of the state, along the Gulf of Mexico, is known for its modern amenities, diverse population, top-notch attractions and celebrated sports teams. There’s a thriving arts scene, a bustling nightlife and a mix of cultural influences, including its Cuban heritage — as showcased in historic Ybor City.

Meanwhile, Port St. Lucie is a serene and rapidly growing city located along the Treasure Coast, midway between Orlando and Miami. It’s known for being family friendly, relaxed and offering a slower pace of life compared to Florida’s bustling metropolitan areas.

According to the data, across the board, date-related expenses — such as event tickets, beer and wine, taxi fares, beauty salon visits and gym memberships — tend to be much more affordable in Tampa than in Port St. Lucie.

Tampa also ranked significantly higher than Port St. Lucie for its walkability and scored huge points for its vast number of coffee and tea shops, nightlife options, spas, gyms and shopping centers. Tampa also wins big when it comes to the sheer number of nearby attractions — with 1,083 local hotspots — compared to just 143 in Port St. Lucie.

While the household annual median income is slightly higher in Port St. Lucie than Tampa ($75,700 compared to $69,400), statistics related to job growth, unemployment and housing affordability were relatively the same.

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But of course, the first consideration should be the number of singles in the city — and the data shows that nearly 60% of Tampa’s population is single and ready to mingle — compared to just under 47% in Port St. Lucie.

“Tampa shines as a top city for singles, with a No. 5 ranking overall, thanks to its vibrant mix of dating opportunities, recreational activities and relatively affordable dating costs,” Lupo said. “On the other hand, Port St. Lucie ranks near the bottom at 181st, as it struggles in key areas such as fun and recreation (180th) and dating opportunities (180th). While it does boast affordable movie costs, its lack of social variety and limited nightlife options make it less conducive for singles seeking romantic connections.”

According to the Pew Research Center, the youngest and oldest Americans are the most likely to be single — with 41% of those ages 18 to 29 and 36% of those 65 and older who say they are single — compared with 23% of those 30 to 49 and 28% of those 50 to 64.

However, the research also indicates that half of all singles say they are not currently looking for a relationship (or even a date for that matter) — a reminder that for many, being single is not a temporary status, but a fulfilling choice.

Some Winn-Dixie grocery stores on the Treasure Coast will begin converting into Aldi's supermarkets soon.

The Winn-Dixie stores in Jensen Beach and Sebastian will close in December and February, respectively, to be converted to Aldi's, according to an email statement from owner Southeastern Grocers.

The Winn-Dixie liquor stores will remain open.

Why are Winn-Dixie stores converting into Aldi's?

In March, Aldi acquired Southeastern Grocers, the parent company of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarket. The company announced an ambitious five-year, $9 billion plan to add 800 stores nationwide through new stores and store conversions.

The company expects to convert about 50 of its new stores by the end of the year, with most reopening in 2025.

Here's which Winn-Dixie's are being converted into Aldi's on the Treasure Coast:

Southeastern Grocers will offer employees at these two locations the opportunity to have the first opportunity to apply to roles at newly converted Aldi stores or remain with Winn-Dixie and transfer to a neighboring store.

Aldi's on the Treasure Coast

On the Treasure Coast, there are eight Aldi's already. Port St. Lucie has the most, with four locations. The above conversions will bring the amount of Aldi's on the Treasure Coast to 10.

Fort Pierce

Jensen Beach

Port St. Lucie

Stuart

Will all Winn-Dixie's become Aldi's?

No, not all Winn-Dixie stores will become Aldi's.

"We intend that a meaningful amount of Winn-Dixie and Harveys Supermarkets will continue to operate under their current banners," Aldi said, mirroring CEO Jason Hart's release nearly a year ago.

There are five Winn-Dixie stores on the Treasure Coast, not including the locations that will be converted to Aldi's.

Fort Pierce

Hobe Sound

Port St. Lucie

Stuart

Vero Beach

Gianna Montesano is TCPalm’s trending reporter. You can contact her at gianna.montesano@tcpalm.com, 772-409-1429, or follow her on X @gonthescene.

ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Between April 2023 and April 2024, Port St. Lucie grew by about 14,000 people.

Much of that growth has been in the western part of the city, but developers are also lining up at the city's edge in unincorporated St. Lucie County.

WPTV looked into the push and pull between city and county to make sure residents don't get caught in the middle.

Signs are currently posted along Range Line Road that say water and sewer service is coming. And with this infrastructure going in, can homes be far behind?

At a seven-hour meeting that went into the wee hours of Wednesday morning, St. Lucie County commissioners took up three major rezoning proposals.

"Off of Range Line Road is where some of this county development is taking place," St. Lucie County spokesman Erick Gill said.

About 2,000 homes could eventually be built on the parcels of land located just outside the Port St. Lucie city limits.

The construction was initially approved years ago. City leaders are stressing the importance of collaboration on major projects that straddle the border with the county's jurisdiction.

"We can't tell the development community — who already has those rights — that they have to stop building," Port St. Lucie Mayor Shannon Martin said at the meeting.

"The growth that has come to St. Lucie County is from Port St. Lucie," replied outgoing St. Lucie County Commissioner Chris Dzadovsky at the meeting. "A lot of folks who come here think they live in Port St. Lucie County."

Dzadvosky said the county commission is often unfairly cited for too much growth.

Martin said city and county staff working with the developers on the Neill Farm Estates and Palermo Estates proposals got some traffic mitigation measures that would involve getting some road improvements done faster.

While those two zoning requests were approved at this week's meeting, a third called Rainbow Groves was postponed.

The Rainbow Groves developer was proposing some type of industrial use on the site.

Martin was out of town Wednesday, but texted WPTV reporter Jon Shainman that she was glad Rainbow Groves was voted down in its current form to "give more time for a thorough traffic analysis to be done by our staff."

"[It's important] to make sure that we're planning in the best way possible to have the least amount of impact on the residents," Port St. Lucie city spokesman Scott Samples said.

A decision on the Rainbow Groves project by the county could come next month.

Matt Sczesny is determined every day to help you find solutions in Florida's coverage collapse. If you have a question or comment on homeowners insurance, you can reach out to him any time.

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