GOV. RON DESANTIS AWARDS $2.7 MILLION TO THE CITY OF FORT PIERCE

In August, Governor Ron DeSantis awarded more than $2.7 million to the City of Fort Pierce through the Florida Job Growth Grant Fund. The City will facilitate infrastructure improvements and the redevelop the City’s historic downtown area to spur economic growth and bring jobs closer to home for the City’s residents. These projects will support an estimated 1,353 total jobs in the Fort Pierce area.

Georgia Avenue Basin Water Quality Improvements

The City has been a champion of protecting our waterways, particularly the Indian River Lagoon. This has been accomplished primarily through a long-held commitment to improving the water quality of stormwater discharge from our neighborhoods

In 2022, the city made major progress on the Georgia Avenue Basin water quality improvement project, funded in part by the South Florida Water Management District. Water flowing into the Indian River Lagoon is cleaned due to past stormwater improvements in Moore’s Creek, Veterans Memorial Park, Indian Hills Restoration and Recreation Area, the islands that protect the waterfront and City Marina, and now, the Georgia Avenue Water Basin.

The City implemented numerous Best Management Practices to aid in the removal of phosphorus, nitrogen, and other harmful nutrients from stormwater discharging from the 235-acre drainage basin.

Unique Community Partnership Benefits All Kids

On October 11, 2022, hundreds of volunteers got to work rebuilding Kid’s Park at Jaycee Park. This project created a unique partnership between the city, the Sunrise Kiwanis Club, and public and private volunteers who banded together to restore a favorite Fort Pierce destination for parents and their children.

Six days, 19,000 hours and more than 1400 volunteers later, the new and improved Kids Park is an all-inclusive playground that allows children of all ages and abilities to play together, without an area set aside for kids with disabilities. Thirty-six vendors provided 2,700 meals and 8,000 drinks during the community build.

Had the project been built by a contractor, it would have taken 4 months to complete at a cost of $2 million, instead of the estimated $900,000 it actually cost.